The Librarians and The Mother Goose Chase by Greg Cox

This is a young adult book based on a young adult TV series on TNT.  It chronicles the adventures of the Librarians.  These are not your stereotypical schoolmarm type librarians.  This group of adventures are charged with gathering magical and mythical books, artifacts and treasures that may be too dangerous to be in the public purvey.

This specific adventure focuses on Mother Goose tales and the dangers inherent in rhyming.   There is very mild violence and lots of references to magical and mythical things. 

The story line and plot are clearly meant for the younger reader.

It seems suitable for 4th or 5th graders.

Web Site: http://www.gregcox-author.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Price of Duty by Dale Brown

Dale Brown plucks his plots out of newspaper headlines.   This thriller continues with the Skymaster characters and focuses on cbyer warfare with Russian origins.  Obviously that is not much of a fictional stretch.  

The McLanahans are back as is ex-President Martindale.  The Iron Wolves are Martindale's Scion warriors.   As most of Brown's books, there is a focus on high tech weapons and cutting edge gadgets.  

The plot sadly depicts an ethically challenged American president and a group of patriotic Americans defying their own government by allying with former eastern bloc countries.

There is plenty of action and mayhem.   The potential for cyber warfare is entirely too probable and the results all together too devastating.  One can only hope that this near future remains fictional.

I recommend the book.

Web site: http://dalebrown.info/index02.htm

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Natchez Burning by Greg Iles

Greg Iles is a master of tension.   I think I start all his books with that compliment.   This book matches Dead Sleep and Third Degree tense moment for tense moment but adds the disturbing note that much of the depicted violence actually took place.

I'm old enough to recall civil rights violence.  This book deals with the KKK, a splinter group of the KKK, the Double Eagles; a crazed boot strap millionaire; a crusading journalist and a family with a troubled past.   If that is not enough to pique your interest then you apparently have little or no imagination.

The hard part of reading this book is remembering the disappearance of three civil rights workers and the ensuing discovery of their murder was true.  As troubled as our current climate is regarding race, it has been worse.   That was hard to read and to realize the depravity that was novelized was reality based.

Iles writes a powerful story.

I strongly recommend.

web site: http://www.gregiles.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Sammy's Broken Leg and the Amazing Cast by Judith Wolf Mandell

I think because I write books for kids that I am more critical when I read other author's books for kids.  I don't know if that is true but I really liked this book.   An irrepressible child finds herself limited by a broken thigh bone.   This book details the accident and the recovery.

The author did a great job in showing the child and her frustration but also showed how the well wishes of family and friends can help alleviate a difficult situation.

Kisses whooshing in to help made me feel better and I'm not a kid or don't have a broken bone.   Well done book for kids, even better for kids that may have been injured.

I highly recommend. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Octavio's Journey by Miguel Bonnefoy

This is one of those can't win situations.  Looking at all the accolades this book got seems to indicate that I should love it.   I didn't!   It was a coming of age story of an illiterate city dweller in Venezuela who learned to read, traveled often in bad company and grew older with some sort of transition into immortality.

The prose is often beautiful in the book with vivid and emotional descriptions of people and places.  Although the book has won a lot of awards, I just found it a touch confusing.  Octavio was not heroic but I think he was meant to be a role model peasant, the down trodden, broad shouldered, stoic soul who persists and survives regardless of life's perils. 

It was interesting. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.