Real Lives series. Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 9781408178393.
(Age 9+) Harriet Tubman was born into slavery and experienced the
harsh fate of her fellow African Americans on plantations in the
southern states, before taking the famed Underground Railroad to
freedom in the north. After settling first in Philadelphia then in
Canada, she travelled south many times, to lead first her family
then others to liberty. Throughout her long life, Harriet worked for
the abolitionist cause and was an outspoken advocate for women's
suffrage. Eventually, she was honoured not only by her own country
but also by Queen Victoria.
Deborah Chancellor has told the story of Harriet Tubman's life and
work with skill, interrupting an engaging narrative on occasions to
provide brief but necessary explanations of the attitudes and
conditions of the times. The depiction of the principal character is
heroic rather than well-rounded but this approach suits a brief
account of courage in the face of adversity. The large print and
simple sentence construction would usually be employed for a
readership of 7 to 8 years old, but some maturity is required
because Harriet's mother was among the slaves fathered by plantation
owners. Rather than gloss over the issue, the author has addressed
it with tact and sensitivity.
While the subject has been well served by the text, maps showing the
principal locations could have helped readers outside the United
States to gain a better understanding of the journeys undertaken by
slaves - across the Atlantic, between plantations when they were
bought and sold, and on the perilous journey north. A portrait is
not provided but readers will find photographs of Harriet Tubman on
the Internet. The cover illustration follows the standard format
chosen by the publisher for all the titles in the Real Lives
series.
The campaign by Harriet Tubman and other abolitionists in the
nineteenth century was only partially successful. Human trafficking
and slavery continue. Deborah Chancellor's biography of a remarkable
activist will introduce younger readers to a troubling subject and
illustrate how one person can make a difference.
Elizabeth Bor
Editor's note: Another in the Real Lives series is John
Snow by Jack Challoner (Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 9781408178409),
a biography of the man who discovered the cause of cholera.
Juliet Nearly a Vet: The Great Pet Plan by Rebecca Johnson
Ill. by Kyla May. Penguin 2013. ISBN 9780143307044.
Juliet and her best friend Chelsea love animals, and Juliet KNOWs
she will be a vet. Problem is, she's only ten years old so she has a
bit of time before she can go to university and start the study. But
she's getting a head start by helping her mum in her veterinary
practice, keeping her vet diary meticulously and making sure her
emergency kit is always on hand. Chelsea is also an animal fanatic
but her dream is to be a world famous trainer and groomer. However,
their opportunities to practise become somewhat limited when their
parents say, 'No more pets'. That is, until they see the local pet
motel has closed down and people will have nowhere to leave their
animals, and Juliet has a brainwave . . .
This is the first in a new series of books that will be loved by
young girls who love animals. The combination of strong, independent
girls who are 'clever, almost grownups' and animals mixed with a
touch of humour is unbeatable. It's written by Rebecca Johnson who
is the author of so many of those delightful junior non-fiction
titles photographed and published by Steve Parish, and illustrated
with cute pictures by Kyla May. Interspersed throughout are excerpts
from Juliet's vet diary which actually include some interesting
facts such as roosters only crow when they see light. There's also a
quiz at the end of the book that enhances the learning.
There are four books in the series so far (At the Show, Bush
Baby Rescue and Farm friends are the others) and they
are available in ebook format as well. Winter was invented so that
we could all experience the pleasure of snuggling up with a book,
and this is a perfect starter for the newly independent reader.
Barbara Braxton
Healer series by Maria V. Snyder
Touch of power bk 1. Harlequin Teen, 2012 Scent of magic bk 2. Harlequin Mira, 2013.
(Age: 14+) Fantasy. Romance. Recommended as a quick light read.
Avery of Kazan is a healer, the last one left in the Kingdom. In the
first in the series, she is hunted down by Kerrick and his band of
renegades because they believe she can heal their Prince who has
been struck down by the plague. She is also wanted by King Tohon
whose desire to conquer everyone sees him misusing his powers in
evil ways. The second book revolves around Avry's struggles against
Tohon and his army of the dead.
This series, like the Study series that I have also read (Poison
Study, Magic Study and Fire Study), is easy to
read with short sentences, lots of dialogue and a very strong, well
developed female main character. Avery has moral dilemmas to
overcome when using her healing powers and has to decide whether she
will use her ability to heal the Prince or whether she will go back
into hiding.
The setting of the fifteen realms with magic wielding leaders will
be familiar to readers of fantasy, but it is Snyder's use of lilies
that can kill or heal, that make her world quite different to
others. I was fascinated by her use of this plant and look forward
to reading the next in the series where more will be revealed about
how the lilies may help to save the Realms.
The romance between Avry and Kerrick will satisfy romance lovers,
but it never overshadows the struggles to save the kingdom that both
Avry and Kerrick focus on. For Avry overcoming the evil of Tohon and
his undead army are more important than travelling with Kerrick, who
knows that his mission to the north is also vital. Both are brave
and self-sacrificing and the suspense that builds around their quest
makes for compelling reading.
A series that contains political intrigues, power games, sarcastic
humour, strange plants and heroic people is sure to please readers
who like fantasy.
Pat Pledger
Zac & Mia by A. J. Betts
Text Publishing, 2013. ISBN 978 1922147257.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Cancer. Hospital. With an assurance
emanating from extensive research and interviews, Amanda Betts'
latest novel takes the reader into a cancer ward, intertwining the
intricacies of treatment with the personalities of the patients and
staff, overlaid by the passing of time, time some do not have, time
that moves slowly for others, waiting for treatments to take hold,
waiting while marrow transplants kick in, isolated from the outside
world lest an infection is picked up.
This powerful novel has two protagonists, in rooms next to each
other, tapping on the wall between them, finally having Facebook and
email contact, with which to carefully gather information about each
other, studiously avoiding talk of their reason for being in the
ward. It is rivetting stuff.
Mia is strongly opposed to her treatment and refuses to accept her
cancer, horrified at the unfairness of it all. She rails against her
mother and the staff when talking of the operation she must have and
kicks them out of her room.
Her operation is the same day that Zac leaves, his treatment
completed. He returns home to his parents' alpaca and olive tree
farm in the south west of Western Australia, and Zac gets on with
his life, that is, until Mia turns up alone, on crutches, ill and
asking for money.
The relationships between parents and offspring is masterfully done,
none is perfect, each is trying to salve the mood of the other, one
being overly protective, one rejected for allowing an operation that
removes her lower limb. Zac's mother stays with him in his room for
extended periods of time while Mia actively discourages her mother
from visiting.
Each page breathes with incredible detail, as Betts lays open the
reality of living with cancer. Each of the main characters has their
highs and lows, Mia's lows more frequent as she feels betrayed, but
both having to cope with something beyond their experience. I love
the way Zac has statistics at his fingertips, quoting numbers giving
survival rates, and percentages of people who would get cancer, the
number who will be diagnosed that day, the number who would hear the
chilling news. This adds a level of information that is not obvious,
but part of Zac's way of coping.
In the background Zac's aunt has had breast cancer, Zac and Mia's
friend in the ward, Cam, dies, initiating their going to his
funeral, the catalyst for Mia's return to hospital.
Tightly plotted, unerringly real, informative and above all,
engrossing, this book will be picked up by secondary readers and
adults alike, wanting to read of older teens caught up in the
mechanics of a disease which affects all of us. It is told with
humour and compassion, a story of enduring friendship born out of a
dual fight against their cancer.
Fran Knight
Editor's note: Background to writing the novel can be found at Kids'
Book Review.
A. J. Betts on writing
With novels, I usually have a production line happening. As one is
being printed and released, I'm already well into the next. Zac
and Mia, for example, was begun between edits of Wavelength,
my second novel. I like to keep writing, spurred on by the next
alluring idea.
But this time my slick production line has ground to a halt. The
writing of Zac and Mia was so consuming and the editing so
intense that now, at its release, I'm still in stun mode. There's no
room in my head or heart for anything else.
I do know what the next novel will be though. It's something that's
been brewing for eight years, ever since I drove through a tunnel
and noticed a drop of water falling from its ceiling. Over the past
eight years, the idea has grown tentacles (as good ideas do) and
it's ready for me to grab and see what it does. I've already done a
lot of research, but I'm yet to put pen to paper. I do have the
first line though: 'We had no word for ocean'.
Fortuitously, it's a novel far removed from my reality and the story
of Zac and Mia. The next novel (I'll call it Vault
for now) is set three hundred years in the future, off the coast of
Tasmania. The creative freedom this offers is very appealing. I want
each novel to be a whole new creation, with unseen challenges for me
as an author. I rebel against boredom and complacency! Once the Zac
and Mia whirlwind settles, I'll find a quiet space and get
back into the rhythm of writing. I hope to have Vault under
control (a first draft, perhaps) by the end of 2014.
I plan to continue teaching and lecturing, though on a part-time
basis. I'm trying to get right balance of author-life and
teacher-life, but it's not easy. Teaching is great, but it takes a
lot of energy to do a good job. Being a full-time writer isn't a
possibility . . . yet. After all, I need to fund my obsessions with
coffee, pastries, travel and bicycles (I have five). Winning the
Text Prize has enabled me to reduce my teaching load this year to
focus on editing, and now publicising, Zac and Mia. It's
also given me that precious boost of confidence which all writers -
no matter how experienced - need every now and then.
Amanda Betts
The great ice-cream heist by Elen Caldecott
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN: 9781408820506.
Family, friendship and stereotyping, are all touched on in
this adventure which also features an exciting chase complete with
an ice-cream van, a dog and a kidnapped social worker.
Eva and her Dad live a quiet life especially since Eva's mum died
and Dad has become super over protective. Her Gran
decides Eva needs to mix more with children her own age and
volunteers her to help the local youth group create a new drop in
Centre. Here she meets a variety of helpers especially Jaimie
McIntyre from next door.
Jamie's family is large, loud and live a seemingly chaotic life,
certainly different from Eva's. 'The McIntyres are nothing but
trouble' according to her father, and Jamie is at the youth centre
against his wishes but at the behest of his social worker Mel. Eva
had often seen Jamie on the garage roof and enjoys his company
despite the attitude of the other volunteers.
When the youth centre is vandalised Jamie is the first accused. Eva
is sure he didn't do it and whilst she sticks up for him he
disappears. Eva seems to be the only one who believes in him. She
goes to great lengths to find him, prove his innocence and rescue
him from Child Protection, even though it means enlisting help of
the other youth centre volunteers, disobeying her father and taking
risks resulting in the great chase.
The problems Eva has with her schooling due to dyslexia will
resonate with students struggling with the same problem. The
conflict between Gran and Dad over allowing Eva to take risks is
also an area explored in the book and gives an insight as to how
some parents perceive the world.
Sue Keane
Eco warriors to the rescue by Tania McCartney
National Library of Australia, 2013. ISBN 978 0 64227780 0.
(Age: 8+) Picture book. Environment. Commissioned by the National
Library of Australia, this little book for middle primary people
promotes the idea that everyone can do something about the
environment, through some of the illustrations held in the National
Library. With clear photographs of three young children we follow
their path in helping the environment by cleaning, collecting,
learning about and actively protecting it.
Ned, Matilda and Banjo consult their favourite book, Australian
flora, fauna and other curiosities, and make their way through
the bush, each page giving stunning illustrations of various plants
and hints about how it is to be protected. So we have a page with an
illustration of a kangaroo paw with rubbish around it which the
children clear away. Over the pages we are shown other flora, with
hints about their continued representation in our forests, by
treading carefully, not picking the wild flowers, not polluting our
lakes which support the wildlife, actively planting native trees and
shrubs to attract wildlife and so on. As pages are turned, the
children are shown caring for our environment, modelling what other
children should do. The children hold posters on which are written
the rules about protecting our environment, like Don't Litter, or
Tread Carefully, or Plan Development Wisely, and so on. At the end
of the book is a map of Australia with our floral emblems, a page
abut the flora mentioned in the book, a list of the illustrators and
a double page giving the Birth Flowers.
The book would find a place in primary classes looking at caring for
our environment, looking at our stunning flora and the illustrators
who have drawn these flowers, as well as the role of the National
Library in preserving the work of these illustrators.
Fran Knight
Parachute by Danny Parker
Ill. by Matt Ottley. Little Hare, 2013. ISBN 978 1 921894 20 6.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Safety. Feeling safe. Toby never goes
anywhere without his parachute. Waking up and getting out of bed,
eating breakfast, cleaning his teeth - all are done with his
parachute on his back, making him feel safe. And he is. Going to the
zoo, he needs his parachute to help him when he sees something that
scares him, sliding on the slippery dip, seesaw and the swings, his
parachute is there to keep him safe.
One day looking at his tree house, perched at the end of a long rope
ladder in the backyard, he notices that Henry is stuck up the tree,
even higher than the tree house. He climbs to the tree house to
rescue Henry, his cat, telling him not to be scared. He brings the
cat down to the tree house where to help the cat get to the ground,
he unwraps his parachute and gently lowers the cat to safety. Toby
then climbs down himself without his parachute, taking small steps
one at a time, until he too is safe on the ground.
A lovely tale of overcoming fear, of building strengths to do things
by yourself, of exploring and of helping others, this book brims
with good feelings.
The illustrations are simply magical, showing a little boy almost
overwhelmed by his parachute, taking his mother's hand, or hiding
behind her, but suddenly seeing that his friend is in trouble and so
forgetting his own fears, dives in to help Henry without any
scruples of his own.
The perspective Ottley gives to the child's view of his world
reminds the reader of his smallness compared with objects such as
the tree house, a ladder, a chair, the tree and an elephant. Each
however grows smaller as Toby overcomes his fears. The wash of
virtual oil paint, pastel and pencil glows with life as we see Toby
little by little leave his parachute behind.
The whole book has the feel of a fable, as Toby learns to overcome
his fears, brilliantly executed in both text and illustration, I am
sure it will find a place in all classrooms, libraries and homes as
teachers, parents and children reach for it to read aloud, discuss
and contemplate.
Fran Knight
The Silver Brumby Kingdom by Elyne Mitchell
HarperCollins Publishers, 2013. ISBN 9780732297695.
Recommended. Australian novel. After reading The Silver Brumby
Kingdom I think the appropriate audience would be teenage girls. The
book is a very poetic and emotional novel about horses and how they
live in the world. In this novel there are five different books -
although they all come back to the original story that started the
series. After reading it you feel as if you know what the
brumbies feel and see - right now. If you have experience with
horses you can relate to this book and learn more about them.
This novel feels as if it could flow on forever. It is very
carefully written and creatively portrayed. There are a couple of
pages that make you feel on the verge of tears. The story seemed to
almost make a map in your mind. It had three different sections of
countryside. The author has managed to do this by looking at real
maps and creating the plot around that same land.
This book reminds me of another author called Jackie French, who
bases her books on true facts and history that she has researched.
The author who wrote this book - Elyne Mitchell - is very
descriptive. The story is a little slow in places, but overall it is
an amazing, eye-opening novel about horses and their way of seeing
things.
Amelia Skewes (Student)
The girl who brought mischief by Katrina Nannestad
HarperCollins, 2013. ISBN 978 0 7333 3200 5.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. The girl who brought mischief
is a lovely story about finding a place to belong after a tragic
loss. It is set in Denmark, in 1911, and is based around young Inge
Maria as she moves from the bustling city of Copenhagen to a small,
isolated island.
Inge Maria has recently lost her mother and moves in with her
unknown grandmother. Her grandmother doesn't act like Inge Maria's
wonderful mother but she is determined to fit in to her new life and
not upset anyone. Of course, Inge Maria is not the type of girl to
sit there and be quiet and soon mayhem begins. She wants to run with
the boys, she yells at her teacher, runs away, tells amazing stories
and sings unusual songs - things good girls on the island just don't
do.
Inge Maria soon discovers that maybe, just maybe, her grandmother
and her boring friends are really just like her!
This book is highly recommended for girls, aged 10+, who are
independent readers. It is an easy to read, quick moving story full
of hope, love and mischief.
Kylie Kempster
Finding Serendipity by Angelica Banks
Allen and Unwin, 2013. ISBN 9781743310311.
Recommended especially for young would be authors.
Angelica Banks is the pen name of two friends who decided
collaborate, writing their first children's book. Whilst it is an
adventure story it is also a lesson in story writing, books and the
magic of words.
Serendipity Smith is a famous writer whose character Vivienne Small
is always prepared and participates in some amazing adventures
mostly involving Mothwood, the Pirate and his gang of cutthroats. In
day to day life she is Sarah McGillycuddy, wife and mother of
Tuesday.
When she has almost finished her latest book, Serendipity appears to
have disappeared from her writing room with her manuscript
unfinished. Desperate to find her mother, Tuesday enters her writing
room and begins typing on her mother's typewriter. With her trusty
dog Baxterr (with two r's) the words she writes transport to the
magical place where writers go.
With the help of young writer Blake Luckhurst and the Librarian she
begins to understand that she has become a writer and will not
return home until she reaches The End. Tuesday knows that her mother
is at the end and so must travel from The Beginning, through The
Middle and then to The End before she can hope to find her, or
return home, since she has surrendered her ball of silver, the
beginning of her story, to the Librarian for safekeeping.
Since her quest is to find her mother she seeks out Vivienne Small
who of course lives in this land of stories and imagination in the
hope that her mother would be near. Thus, Tuesday, Baxterr and
Vivienne embark on an adventure which involves Mothwood, his ship, The
Silverfish, and its crew of cutthroats.
Whilst Tuesday's adventure is the story, the role of the writer is
central to the plot and is the main theme throughout the book. It is
a writer's world they are in. Serendipity changes the ending of her
story with severe consequences for all the characters. Blake is off
to write his action packed thriller and returns to the Library when
things don't quite work out, but won't give up until he has his book
sorted out. Tuesday is in despair to find a way to The End and until
she understands she is writing a story and the end is not a place on
a map but in her imagination can she return home. As the Librarian
reminds her, 'You are the writer, . . . . . So it is up to you to
find an ending to make your eyes sparkle and your heart race.'
My favourite character would have to be the Librarian promoting
writers and holding beginnings of stories in the hope the writers
will finish them. As Blake tells Tuesday 'The Librarian's cool, but
man is she obsessed with books'.
Sue Keane
Omar the strongman by Gregory Rogers
Scholastic, 2013. ISBN 978 1 74283 436 8.
(Age: 4+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. Circus. Strength.
Unemployed Omar applies for the job on offer at the local circus. He
knows little about the circus but is strong and willing to do all he
is asked to do. After being shown the circus and introduced to the
characters who perform there, Ringmaster Rose sets him to his tasks.
They are varied and will interest the readers as they learn of the
range of things which happen in a circus. Omar counts all the money,
moves the animals to their positions, cleans and dusts, shovels the
animal droppings, and cleans the elephant. He watches some of the
rehearsal, wondering to himself what it would be like to be the
centre of everyone's attention.
The night the mayor makes a visit to the circus, Omar rushes from
one job to another, making sure that everything is spick and span
for this important visitor. All is going well until Omar notices
that Mavis the elephant is performing without her lucky bow. He
takes it out to her, but she sits down on him with unexpected
results.
Award winning Rogers has a deft touch illustrating the circus in
soft muted tones. The pencil outlines filled with water colour and
coloured pencil give an understated look to the circus and its
inhabitants. Just perfect for this wonderful tale of finding a
place.
Readers will love to hear about the circus with its array of acts
and personalities, and read aloud the book will win hearts as Omar
finds his feet. Discussions about circuses and the different ways in
which circus acts are presented could ensue, with students taught
some circus skills, or better still, taken to the circus when it
comes to town.
Fran Knight
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 9781408836804.
(Age: 9-13) Highly recommended. Reprint of a Newbery Honor book,
(2006). Miri lives on a mountain where stone is quarried and life is
simple but hard. Then news arrives that the prince of the kingdom
will choose his bride from their small village and everything
changes. The king's advisors set up an Academy to train all the
teenage girls in the proper ways for a princess to behave. Miri
finds herself faced with a harsh Academy mistress and jealousy and
competition from the other girls. She is also conflicted about her
childhood friend and the thought of being a princess. When bandits
try to kidnap the girls to hold the future princess, Miri rallies
them together and makes use of a strange power that is unique to the
mountain dwellers.
This is a classic example of the old saying 'Don't judge a book by its
cover' being true. The attractive pink cover is sure to appeal to
girls, but there is nothing soft or sweet inside. Life on the
mountain is harsh. Everyone must work in the quarries and there is
no school for the children. Traders pay little for the beautiful
stone and the villagers often go hungry. Life at the Academy is
harsh as well as the mistress looks down on the girls and treats
them cruelly, but it is here that Miri learns to read and finds out
about life away from her village. She is a strong, intelligent girl
who uses her education to help her village and her intelligence to
work out how to overcome the bandits.
This is a beautifully told story that has an engrossing plot and a
clever resolution to the problem of which of the girls would be
chosen to become the princess. Its themes of the importance of
friendship, family, education and ways to use knowledge about
economics are integral to the story but are so subtle that the
reader is not aware of them until reflecting on what has happened.
Hale is a very clever author whose carefully crafted prose makes
this story a pleasure to read and one that would make an ideal
literature circle or class novel.
Pat Pledger
The Academy: Game on by Monica Seles and James LaRosa
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 9781408841600. 241p.
(Age: 13+) The Academy: Game on looks and feels like a Mills
and Boon title and its classic plot doesn't contradict this first
impression. Girl from the wrong side of the tracks becomes entangled
with boy A and clashes with boy B, only to realize that it's boy B
she's wanted all along.
The setting is a kind of college for rich kids but actually this
sporting academy in Florida, epitomizes the success ethos cultivated
in many middle and upper class American children. The Academy
becomes a kind of purgatory for the rich, athletic or both.
Exceptions are made when the elite students break rules but on the
other hand, the scholarship kids live with the uncertainty of
expulsion from week to week. Having honed her tennis skills for
years to get into The Academy, surprisingly Maya befriends teens
from both social classes. Cleo, another scholarship kid, is her
roommate wrestling with her sexual identity and Renee is a swimmer
whose rich parents never visit. Maya quickly attracts the attention
of both Travis and Jake, the sons of the school's founder and owner.
This connection gets her out of one or two tight spots, but Nicole,
the most successful young Pro on the tennis circuit, repeatedly
tricks Maya whom she perceives as a potential rival in many ways. The Academy: Game on would seem innocuous enough as a teen
romance even if we overlook the shallow characters of both sexes who
are consumed with status, appearance and winning at all costs. Yet
there are no consequences in the world of The Academy - not for
bullying including heinous cyber bullying, not for convoluted and
destructive mind-games, and not for favouritism, vandalism or
prejudice. In the real world, such behaviours would break the most
balanced girl. The Academy: Game on is a disappointing
paperback romance, co-written by a famous sporting identity, yet her
fictional world fails to teach young women anything about a life
well-lived.
Deb Robins
A very peculiar plague by Catherine Jinks
City of Orphans, bk 2. Allen & Unwin, 2013. ISBN
9781743313053.
(Age: 10-15) Highly recommended. The second in the City of
Orphans series has young Jem Barbary joining up with Alfred
the bogler when a spate of bogle attacks finally brings Alfred out
of his semi-retirement. Jem once worked as a pick pocket for the
evil Sarah Pickles who betrayed him and he is determined to get
revenge on her. He is also keen to show his mettle as a bogler's boy
but finds that facing a group of bogles is almost as terrifying as
facing the evil people from his past.
Once again Jinks has excelled herself in this beautifully
atmospheric novel that brings the times of Charles Dickens alive.
Full of descriptions of the slums where the poor try to eke out a
living, and the affluent world that Birdie, the heroine from the
first in the series, now inhabits, the reader is steeped in the life
of 19th century London. The building occurring around Newgate Prison
is the background for the gathering of bogles in cellars and sewers
and it is there that Alfred and Jem face the nightmare of trying to
kill them. A glossary at the back of the book gives an explanation
of many of the words used that are ones that are true to the times.
So realistic is the writing that it is easy to believe that bogles
do exist.
Birdie takes a less important role in A very peculiar plague,
than she did in A very unusual pursuit, but readers who were
wondering what was going on in her life will be satisfied to read
that she is still as feisty and as loyal as ever. Jem is a very
determined, stubborn boy and it is easy to empathise with him as he
tries to be heroic and to find and stop the evil Sarah Pickles, who
has destroyed so many lives.
Catherine Jinks' writing is always a joy to read and this story is
rich in detail and characterisation. There is a sneak preview of A
very singular child, the next in the series, at the end of the
book. It stars Ned, another young boy who works with Alfred. Jinks'
use of fascinating but different main protagonists in each book
ensures that readers will continue to enjoy the series, but will be
able to easily pick up each book in the series.
This is an outstanding series that is sure to win accolades and will
fascinate the reader who likes historical fantasy, action and
adventure.
Pat Pledger
