There are few books that I don’t care for. Sadly, this is one of them.   As a book that is written for older children and young adults, I do not believe it promotes the best kind of thinking.  The main character, Vincent, is caught up in a robbery at the museum where he works.  A gang of thieves armed with guns takes the staff hostage and steals valuable works of art. Vincent charges ahead while disregarding his personal safety and that of EVERY person in the museum.

There is a thin line between bravery and foolhardiness and I feel that he crossed the line.  When the gang is about to be caught by the police, they start firing everywhere at random without regard for innocent people in harm’s way and they have absolutely no qualms about killing anyone in the process.

Dedication to the extent of risking harm to yourself is okay, but not at the risk of harm to others.  If Vincent had a little more regard for others, this could have been a more appropriate action/adventure filled book. On top of this, the story shows a great reward for such behavior.  Risks are a necessity to progress, yes, just not in the way shown in this book.  In a world with so much bullying and violence, the book could have shown better ways of taking risks to protect what matters to you.

★★★★★★★★★★ This book, Cardsharp-A Vincent Ward Adventure, consistently kept me on the edge of my seat throughout its various chapters. It was engaging from the very beginning, because just like the title says, it was an adventure. It took a lot of effort for me to take a break from this exciting story. Whenever I took breaks from reading, I could not stop thinking about what would happen next and I was eager to get back to the book. I wondered if Vincent would fail or if he would succeed. Would he get the painting back? Countless questions filled my head. Similar to a toddler wanting a delicious candy cane, I picked up the story once more as I was hungry to finish the book and discover the sweet ending. The “second job” that a main character, Jennifer, knocked me off my feet and the end certainly filled me with surprise. The story was sweet, but with different flavors that kept me on my toes throughout. Its plot was thought-provoking, organized, and smooth flowing. The main characters all had unique personalities, which make it easier to find a character that all readers can relate to. In conclusion, what made me realize that this was a wonderful book was the fact that I literally dreaded the last chapter, since I did not want the book to end. If the rest of the novels in the series are as entertaining, exciting, and stimulating to read as this one, the series will undoubtedly be a true success.

Many of us hold something dear to our heart. Whether it be something concrete or abstract, they are very important to us. In Cardsharp, Vincent has a passion of art. He is driven by the values of his late parents. They died while they were trying to save something that they loved which is art. Ever since, the author has viewed paintings as something more than money. He believes that they have true meaning behind them and should be respected just like a human being.

There are many important lessons that are mentioned in this book. One of them is that being dedicated to something will surely bring good things. Vincent’s love for paintings makes him risk his life to save the paintings. By successfully stopping the culprits, he is assigned to recover Caravaggio’s journal. The narrator is very excited to be in charge of this and recognizes that his deep love is what led him to this.

Personally, I have enjoyed reading this book because I too have a relationship similar to the narrators. To put it simply, I love to read. Anything from novels to poetry or even the daily newspaper! I frequently collect books and encourage others to become open minded about literature.

The author’s idea for the plot and characters was really fantastic however I had some difficulty while reading the novel. I found that the author was stretching the scenes and describing it a little too much. This book is for readers who are willing to be patient while reading.

Summary:

This is a spookier story than the other ones I have read in the Tales of Tossledowns series. It is the tale of Gwyndl and her fear of creatures known as Howlergoons. Creatures with claws that jump out at you when you cross Bloodbridge. What she discovers is even scarier than what she had imagined.

Review:

I am not exactly a huge fan of horror stories. I mean, when I was little, I was terrified of The Nightmare Before Christmas. So, yeah, not really my thing. But I liked the sci-fi and fantasy edge to it. It reminded me a lot of one of my favorite books–The Host by Stephanie Meyer. Only written for a younger age group. I love a complex science fiction story.

The other things I really liked about this book were that the ending was very satisfactory and I also saw how the spinspider and the tomebeetle seemed to become closer friends and less enemies than they have been in the past. It is crazy, but it’s kind of sweet.

I usually dislike fantasy, but this book was an exception, the words used, the writing style and the story line were too good to pass over. When there are rumors of howlergoons appearing on bloodbridge at the time the seasons change a panterleen named Gwyndl is terrified. She refuses to go outside at night during the changing of the seasons, and is precautious during the day too. When she thinks she sees a howlergoon at the river she falls in, but when she realizes it is just a rattergoon named Polo she is so relieved that she is angry. When Gwyndl does come face to face with a real howlergoon will she face her fear or just avoid it? This book is a suspenseful adventure story that will have you on the edge of your seat until it is over, and when it is over you will be dissapointed that there is no more for you to read.

★★★★★★★★★★

This book was very thrilling! The author had a great way of describing the characteristics of his characters as well as the situations they found themselves in. Vincent Ward was so inspired by art that he was determined to do anything to protect them from shootings, thieves, pirate raids and much more!

I love how the author made Vincent, the main character, have so many close encounters with his enemies. It really adds on to the “What’s going to happen next?!” feeling throughout the book. The very thought through and descriptive observations that Vincent made under such nerve wreaking circumstances made it very relate-able and nerve wreaking.

Jennifer, Vincent’s partner, was a nice touch to the story as well. Her bold and persistent personality helped balance Vincent’s daring one. I feel that it wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting, had the author decided for Vincent to be the only main character.

I do think, however, that Vincent’s childhood memory involving his parents, should have been more personal by it being a little more drawn out. It not being in much detail left me a little confused as to how he was so drawn to art. But the insane, adrenaline-pumping type actions he took anyway, kind of made up for it. In the end, this was an excellent book.

Description:   These books are about the author getting a pet from her husband for Easter. They name this furry bundle of joy Bunny Rabbit.  Follow along with the bunny band to have a whole bunch of giggles. ( And tears too)
Relation:    I  had a whole bunch of pets in my early days. But all of them died or got freed in some way. First I had two colorful birds. But one day a cat ate one and we had to set the other one free. The next one was a hermit crab. But one day we thought it had died so we threw it away. ( turns out it was sleeping!) And then come the fish I used to have a whole bunch of fish when I was about 4-5 years old. But all of them died! We had to flush them.  The next one was a cat! I named him OJ. He had orange and yellow strips. But he ran away. The next one was a dog . His name was Slick. He really was slick! He could get out of his collar in no time!

Review:   My favorite bunny was Bunny Rabbit. Because she was in every single book in the series. She is so cute too!  My favorite part was when they got their first bunny rabbit. The picture of Ms. Henry’s husband holding the bunny was so cute. It was so funny when she thought the real bunny rabbit for a stuffed one. There are three reasons I like these books. #1 is that is so interesting! #2 is that it so action packed. #3 is that it reminds me so much of MY pets and the things that we did.

★★★★★★★★★★

Description: Tacky and the Emperor, Oceanhouse Media’s fifth omBook (Oceanhouse Media digital book) in their Tacky the Penguin series.

Tacky is a very unusual penguin. When the penguins find out that the emperor is going to be there tomorrow they quickly try to make their humble iceberg  grand enough; but everything goes wrong. And because he caused it, Tacky is going to fix it in his own tacky way!

Review: The reason I like this digital book is because you have three options, read it aloud, auto reading, or read it! My favorite penguin is….. Drum roll please! Tacky! Tacky is sooo open to new ideas! He is so creative! My favorite creation of Tacky was the hat made of balloons! The emperor was kind of ridged at first. But at the end he is all softy and funny!

Rating: 8
Category: Fiction
Age Range: 6-11 years.

I believe that this is the start to a wonderful story for children. It is full of excitement to keep kids interested in the story. The two wog children make the store easy to relate to for children and their parents. The reason that I think this is a good start to a story is because there are quite a few mistakes in regards to grammar. Misuse of commas made it distracting for me to read, however, I was able to make sense of everything with a quick rereading of a section. While there were a lot of interesting and vivid descriptions of the surroundings, I am left curious what there characters might look like. I know that a wog is smaller than a giant, but do either look like humans, or are they more like animals, maybe even an entirely new species? I also would find the plot easier to follow if the chapters were more separated by the setting. It got a bit confusing when the story that the wog was telling was mixed in with the story that the beetle was telling. It is a clever idea, though, having a story within a story! I like it. Overall, this is a very good story with a very good moral.

Tales of Tossledowns begins with a unique character, a spinspider. I can easily picture myself when I was in elementary school where all the students gathered around the teacher who constantly read captivating stories of animals with interesting personalities. Being the main character is a vibrant arachnid, it triggered my fond memories. Although, the author is redundant when trying to make a point about what a “normal” spider does when the main character goes about doing activities. Before the tomebeetle began to tell his story, the book had an adequate amount of detail, enough for visuals. Yet, when the tomebeetle shares his story, the details become more extravagant, creative, plus entertaining! In Chapter 1, at first when reading the selection, I adored the use of the creative names, but then I found myself lost due to there being quite a number of them, that I could hardly remember which area was connected to another area. All throughout the chapters, I enjoyed the dialogue, yet I believe once this book gets passed the introduction and into chapter 1, possibly only a person above the age of twelve could comprehend what was happening throughout the tomebeetle speaking. When I finished reading this entire book, I felt as if it were extremely similar to the Hobbit, a personal favorite. Once the tomebeetle was finished with the story, the book goes back to being able to be read clearly and precisely by an elementary student. I personally did enjoy this book very much, specifically the creativity that has been contributed, such as numerous visuals! Knighton has done a remarkable job with creating this book, although I do not recommend it to a child who does not have a mature view or has a limited vocabulary. Overall, Tales of Tossledowns is a remarkable book with outstanding details that I believe an appropriate age range for the book would be between twelve to eighteen.

I enjoyed the story Wog very much. I could tell right away it was going to be a page turner. From hearing the title you would think it was about a witch or something of that nature. But in reality it isn’t about that at all.It’s a story about a beetle who gets stuck in a spider’s web, who tells stories to weasle his way out of being eaten. This story has a great moral, and would be great for younger kids ages 5-8.

★★★★★★★★★★

Cardsharp – A Vincent Ward Adventure puts an intriging turn on your normal action story. It’s filled with pirates, gun fights and chases.

This story is about Vincent Ward, a passionate researcher for art. When he discovers a lost, priceless art piece, he falls in to deep trouble with The Wasp, a thief that trades art for arms, etc. Ward will do anything to save Caravaggio’s Cardsharp from falling into the wrong hands, even if it means facing a loaded barrel…

I enjoyed reading this. You relate with Vincent and Jennifer in their passion for something that they love and respect, which in turn helps you see their unshakable determination.

I’d suggest looking up a picture of Cardsharp by Caravaggio, it helped me to picture things better. I’m not sure exactly why but it helped.

I wish I could’ve dove into the story deeper and gotten to know the characters even more.

Regardless this was a good read.

Have you seen the movie Tangled? Do you like it? Well than I  guarantee that you will like this book.  Mother Gothel has taken Rapunzel away from her true family; as a princess. Then somehow after all these terrible years locked up in a tower she escaped. Rapunzel had a problem, not just that she found a guy named Jack and they were chased around by people and were criminals, Mother Gothel always came to check on her every year.  Well as you could probably guess Mother Gothel was  furious! Then she at once started looking; she reminded me of when in first grade I decided I would walk to school all by myself because I thought I would be late to school. My mom didn’t know where I was and then she started to look all around, in the house, in the backyard, then she looked where my class was when she brought my brother. Then she made me come home. Just like Rapunzel. Except that was my true mom. Rapunzel goes on dangerous quests to try to see the lanterns that fly up in the sky every year on her birthday. She thinks that there must be some connection because it is on her birthday. Can she find the lanterns and reunite with her family?

★★★★★★★★★★

Description: Drops Of Rosie is a book about an girl named Lisa (who is the author) and her beagle named Rosie. When Rosie was hit by a truck I felt so sad about her and Rosie.

Review: What I liked about this book is that instead of showing from the girls side of view it showed the side of Rosie. This book is very sad i think this is because she gets hit by a car trying to help out a friend!

Relation: Once I had a dog named Slick. He ran away when I was about nine years old. Although he was a boxer dog and not a beagle, but he was a lot like Rosie.

★★★★★★★★★★

Description: Kito is a very exited student. He can never wait to do his homework! But today is different. His teacher tells the class to ‘explore’ the kitchen. But Kito takes it seriously.When he begins his homework  in the kitchen he sees that the milk is moving. The milk start talking to him about the secrets in the kitchen. At the end he sees him when he is all grown up and healthy because he ate good when was growing up.

Relation: When I was in 3rd grade I was always eager to get to my homework right away. Me and Kito are a lot alike; we both love school and we are both very eager to do our homework after school.

Review: What I liked about this book is that the author talked about vitamins and minerals in a fun way. I also liked the way that she could make a picture of the kitchen in your head while the information is going to your head. So as you read you see more and more of the kitchen in your head. When the fruits and vegetables were making the omelet and the fruit. I wonder if some of the fruits and eggs and veges had to sacrifice to make it.

Editor’s note: This book has a lot of helpful information to help children learn about nutritious food choices.

★★★★★★★★★★

Yes! I had finished the last book of the Homelander’s series, The Final Hour!

The Final Hour, by itself, was a non-stop read. Of course, it’s hard to say, ‘oh, I felt that way before’ due to Charlie’s circumstances but there’s not that dead space between you and the main character. It wasn’t so far-fetched that you couldn’t relate at all, or you couldn’t feel what he felt.

I had read the ending through a storm; which made me already jumpy! The roll of the thunder made me feel like I was right there by the passing obnoxious trains, watching in. However, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend reading the end through a stormy night like that one. Eek! That was crazy!

I was nervous whether or not Charlie was going to stick to his ‘character’ in this book. You know, what was he planning on doing? Especially when he’d have to face Prince at some point? I thought the author was very smart in how he had Charlie stay true to himself ’til the very end.

The whole set has been consistent in action and mystery. I appreciated how it was more of a complicated storyline but not a headache to read for young readers. For parents, you can ease a little for throughout the story is clean-cut so to speak. You will not find vulgar language, SC, or any gruesome descriptions. Thank goodness! I’m so scared to buy books out right so I have to read a copy from the library first for the reason that these things can creep in. I hate when that happens! Not these books though!

I really enjoyed WOG by Laurence Knighton. This story was very interesting, and it taught you valuables lessons.

I found this story very interesting, the most interesting part to me was when the grandpa and his friend was running from the giants, it made me wonder what the giants was going to do now or if the giants are going to hurt grandpa and his friend. I glad that the giants didn’t.
This story also have a lot of valuable lesson in it for example it taught bravery. Even thought the giants were bigger than grandpa it still didn’t stop grandpa from trying to tell the giant they he was serious and wanted them to keep the noise down. The giants were acting like bullies just because they are big they think they can do anything the wanted to, grandpa show them that’s isn’t always true. I like grandpa because of that. The other valuable lesson I think this story was trying to tell is be careful of your action because they are consequences behind them as well.
I like all the characters in the book expect the giants. I like momma and daddy Wog they remind me of my parents. I like how Papa Wog told this story to his children so they won’t be scare of the storm anymore, my dad tells me story as wells.
I would give this book five stars, and I would recommend this book to my friend as well.

★★★★★★★★★★

Description- Held back because of having disability,  B.T. dreams of doing something no normal boy would try to do!  Journey with two boys who are looking for a sliver statue.  They are competing with two criminals who feel like they are not afraid to use their fists and fight with them. Can you find out where the treasure is before them?

Relation- Sometimes me and my friends play treasure hunters. We bury a few acorns with scratches and we make a map. Then we pick someone to cover his or her eyes and we give instructions and we see if we can get her to the acorns or get her lost in the middle of the ocean.

Review- The reason I like this book is because of the adventure and excitement and action. I think this book is adventurous because he has to get away from big bully’s that try to tie him up and hold him prisoner until they are in a different country.  This book is exciting is because they have to find and valuable statue before a pair of grown-ups do.  I think this book has a lot of action is because they have to ride away from a speeding car that is on their heels.

Wog, by Laurence Knighton is a really cute book about a beetle that unfortunately gets stuck in a spider’s web, but offers a story for his freedom. He tells a tale of a Papa wog who tells his children a bedtime story. (Yes, this is a story about a story in a story!)

Papa spins a long-drawn out tale of Grampa Hog wog and his friend Moot. They live in a beautiful forest, but every year, extremely noisy giants come! This year, Grampa Hog and Moot get tired of not being able to sleep for all the noise, and decide to teach the giants a lesson. What follows is a big ruckus of chasing, stomping, tripping, and falling. Eventually, the giants knock down nearly every tree in the forest on the hunt for Grampa Hog and Moot. Grampa Hog and Moot feel so bad, but Grampa Hog finds a sapling tree and helps it grow into a huge Redderspruce.

This story has a great moral, and is very good for smaller children. I would recommend it as a bedtime story for the ages of four to seven.

★★★★★★★★★★
My feelings about some people in the book:

Vincent is very nice and daring. The reason I think this because, when he was bidding for a book he got it for only 3 thousand Euros. The reason I think he is kind is because when a Jennifer smashed her valuable vase to save his life and after he wanted to pay her back for the vase.

Jennifer is very smart and strong. The reason I think she is smart is because she was quick thinking when she had to smashed her vase on a villains head to make him pass out. The reason I think she is strong at heart is because she was allowed her vase to get smashed.

Why I liked this book
The reason I liked this book is because it is so action packed! And it is so cool when you read it. Then you can make it last a lifetime instead of just a day. This is so inspiring to readers. What I see as a moral is adventures come to you; you don’t go to them.

Some unusual things in this book
All of the “talking” places are at bars and there are pirates