Sunday, June 24, 2012

Dragon Keepers #5: The Dragon in the Sea by Kate Kilmo

From the Publisher:

The Dragon Keeper series bridges the gap between Magic Tree House Merlin Missions and Harry Potter.
     This excellent series is solidly middle grade, accessible, and adventure filled. In The Dragon in the Sea, Dragon Keepers Jesse and Daisy help their dragon, Emmy, as she tries to protect an egg that holds her baby brother. Their adventures take them into the Watery Realms, a world filled with mer-people, selkies, and water zombies. Magic, mayhem, and an unusual cast of characters make the reading fun, and the wonderful relationship between the Dragon Keeper cousins and their dragon add both depth and dimension.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KATE KLIMO grew up in the little town of Sea Cliff, with the Stenson Memorial Library just down the street from her house. She got her first wallet when she was eight, not for money but to hold her library card. She can still remember exactly where on the shelves her favorite books of fantasy sat. In Middletown, New York, where she and her husband, Harry, raised their three sons, the library is housed in a wonderful old railway station—and from there, she and her family have taken many memorable trips.

What I thought:

  Loved it!  Will definitely be giving to my 5th and 6th graders for them to give it a spin.  There are two main characters (a boy and a girl -- very important to my kids, especially my son who doesn't really care to read stories which contain an all girl cast or simply a girl main character) and a dragon!  Loads of other magical creatures throughout the book.  A bit of nautical terminology for the kids to learn if they don't already know it and loads of action for both girls and boys, magic, mermaids and zombies all in the same book - can't beat it!

  If you're looking for something different and fun for your middle school age child to read this summer, this would be a great book for you to try out!  It is available in many media types:  hardcover, Kindle, Nook, iBook, etc.  I wouldn't be surprised if you can find this available for loan from your local library in both real book format and ebook format.

  I hope that you love this book as much as I did!  I am certainly going to go back to find out how the whole dragon story began.


DISCLAIMER:  This book was provided to me on behalf of the publisher by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.  I received no compensation for this review.


Monday, June 4, 2012

Big Sky Country by Linda Lael Miller

From the Publisher:
The “First Lady of the West,” #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller is back with a new series about Parable, Montana—where love awaits.
The illegitimate son of a wealthy rancher, Sheriff Slade Barlow grew up in a trailer hitched to the Curly-Burly hair salon his mother runs. He was never acknowledged by his father—until now. Suddenly, Slade has inherited half of Whisper Creek Ranch, one of the most prosperous in Parable, Montana. That doesn’t sit well with his half brother, Hutch, who grew up with all the rights of a Carmody. Including the affections of Joslyn Kirk, homecoming queen, rodeo queen, beauty queen—whom Slade has never forgotten.
But Joslyn is barely holding her head up these days as she works to pay back everyone her crooked stepfather cheated. With a town to protect—plus a rebellious teenage stepdaughter—Slade has his hands full. But someone has to convince Joslyn that she’s responsible only for her own actions. Such as her effect on this lawman’s guarded heart.

What I thought:

A great read!  I thoroughly enjoyed being welcomed to the location of the newest trilogy books from Linda Lael Miller - Parable, Montana.  The characters were welcoming and easy to like (most of them!) and the setting of this story is once again a beautiful piece of the west that we've grown to love right along with the author.  We're also introduced to characters that will be more established in the coming book(s) (I hope!)

If you're into contemporary romance, particularly set in the west, you'll be happy to read Big Sky Country.  An easy read, great for your vacation reading or just a little bit of escaping from the everyday!

This book was released on May 29, 2012 and can be found at all of your favorite book stores! 



DISCLAIMER:  This book was provided to me on behalf of the publisher via NetGalley.com in exchange for my honest review.  I received no compensation for this review.