Book reviews by Kasper Beaumont - Hunters of Reloria

Hunters of Reloria

Book review: Ben the Dragonborn by Dianne Astle

1/29/2017

Looky, looky, I found a fun dragon booky.
If you're nuts about dragons like I am, then you'll want to get your talons into this fantasy novel: 'Ben the Dragonborn: a Six Worlds story' by Dianne Astle.
I was a little hesitant at first when our protagonist, Ben appear to be just a normal kid who couldn't swim and was laughed at by his peers (I was thinking Diary of a Wimpy Kid here), but it soon turns out that this is like a Harry Potter school and they don't let you in on the secret until you develop magical / paranormal powers. (I hope that doesn't count as a spoiler, sorry).
I don't want to give things away, but I think that being called a 'Six Worlds

Story' it is pretty safe to say that this novel will take you to far off places you have never been.

Book blurb: Few people on earth know the location of a mysterious school where heroes of the past train those who belong to the future. Ben Taylor only learns of the school’s true purpose when he is called into the Principal’s office. Miss Templeton gives him a simple test to see if he is a Chosen of the Guardian. That very day Ben is sent through a portal to a watery world of mermaids and monsters. “Has a mistake been made?” This is the question on everyone’s mind, including Ben’s. Ben’s only chance of success depends on discovering the secret of his own true self in a terrifying world where nightmares come to life.

Kasper's review:
I really enjoyed Ben the Dragonborn and would recommend it for readers age around 10 to adult. The reading level is simple and there is action aplenty to engage the reader. I like that although the concepts were original, there is a traditional quest with a small group of heroes who don't always agree and each have talents essential for the quest to succeed. Ben has a mysterious back story which is unveiled piece by piece and brings depth and warmth to the story. I also appreciated the banter between Ben and Charla ( a well-written character). I was not a fan of the large creeping crawlies, but I will leave you to squirm as you read that part, eek!
Note: I did spot a few minor editing errors in the paperback, which may have already been corrected in the Kindle version.
I received the paperback as a prize in an online competition. Since I enjoyed the book so much, I have bought Ben the Dragonborn and it's sequel, Ben and the Watcher of Zargon ebooks. I can't wait to read book 2.

Book review: Whoo eats what? by Velya Jancz-Urban @ChicaPeeps #childrens #book

5/9/2016

Whoo Eats What?
While Margaret the Barn Owl is preening her feathers, she notices a kooky, hands-on science teacher collecting owl pellets in the woods. Margaret later observes a captivating Dissecting Owl Pellets class. Some of the students are enthusiastic, while others think the owl pellets are disgusting and look like a cat's hairballs! Will their curiosity take over and lead them to discover whooo eats what?

My review:
The first thing that caught my eye was the pictures. They are clear, glossy and well-drawn and I do love hardback picture books. As with all children's books, the drawings are the biggest selling point. The pictures called 'read me' and we eagerly did. I read the book with Little Miss 8. She wasn't able to read it herself, but she enjoyed listening and admiring the pictures whilst I read.
The subject material of students collecting owl pellets and examining them is probably best suited to primary school-aged children. I think the story would be too long and complex for pre-schoolers. As it was, I found the book to be the perfect length for me to read aloud.
I got a sense of Velya's desire to inform whilst reading the book. Her history of teaching science certainly shines through. We found the book engaging and enjoyable.
I rate it 4 out of 5 stars. We both enjoyed it and will definitely keep it for future reading.
Thank you Velya for sending us a copy of Whoo Eats What? to review. We hope you enjoyed our honest review and we look forward to reading other books in the Hands On Science series as well.

About the author:
Velya Jancz-Urban is a teacher, author, former Brazilian dairy farm owner, and expert on New England's colonial women. Her entertainingly-informative presentation, The Not-So-Good Life of the Colonial Goodwife, is a result of the research completed for her novel, Acquiescence. Whooo Eats What?, her first book in a hands-on science series for children, was released in January 2016, and was inspired by her How Cool Is That?! (Hands-On Science) classes.

Book review: Sir Princess Petra's Mission by Diane Robinson @DianeMaeRobinso #fantasy #FSFNet #amreading

1/20/2016

What do you get when you combine an award winning author and an exciting adventure? An awesome tale of humour, heroism and fun, that's what. All rolled up with great illustrations in this enchanting children's novel.
Sir Princess Petra's Mission is book 3 in the series about a princess who would rather mess about with dragons than do embroidery (I'm with her on that score!).
For those of you new to the Pen Pieyu Adventures here is the blurb:
Sir Princess Petra has already attained her knighthood in the Kingdom of Pen Pieyu and her non-princess-like talent certificate from Talent School, neither of which pleases her father and mother, the king and queen.

The king writes up more silly rules in the royal rule book to deter Sir Princess Petra (PP) from her knightly ways and useless talent, and turn her into a real princess once and for all. Will the king finally succeed with this newly written, ridiculous mission for Petra?

My review:

This was the first book in the series I have read and while it is easy to read as a stand alone, I would recommend reading the series as well. So my first impressions were: I love the illustrations and the cool page borders; the hand drawn map was simplistic, but it looks like something the princess would have drawn, so that suits the story. The large print and short chapters were great for engaging young readers. My main issue was having to wade through to page 28 to get to the story. Maybe some of those endorsements could be moved to the back.
I enjoyed the names such as 'Boogey Gobees' and 'Prince Norton Nastybum' and my favourite saying is 'Thanks the crab gods!' 'I am glorious with hobnobbyish delight' is phrase I will endeavour to utilise more often myself in every day conversation. ;-) I love the way Snarls is sarcastic and funny and he gives PP a reality check after her below-par singing.
I do wonder the cause of the national obsession with onions. Ewww! Breath mints must be in constant use there. I was rather more amused by the food fight, for that is a much more worthy tradition in my humble opinion.
So, I would recommend you suck on an onion (actually that bit is optional), but definitely go out and grab a copy of Sir Princess Petra's Mission and help solve the mystery of the 'car-panthers.'
Thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this entertaining book to review.

About the author:

Diane Mae Robinson is a multi-award winning author for her series, The Pen Pieyu Adventures.

Sir Princess Petra - The Pen Pieyu Adventures book awards: 2012 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artists Award (literary arts); 2012 Purple Dragonfly Book Award; 2013 Sharp Writ Book Award; 2013 Readers' Favorite International Book Award.
Sir Princess Petra's Talent - The Pen Pieyu Adventures book awards: 2014 Reader's Favorite International Award; 2015 Purple Dragonfly Book Award; 2015 Children's Literary Classics "Seal of Approval"; 2015 Children's Literary Classics Book Award.

Sir Princess Petra's Mission - The Pen Pieyu Adventures (book 3), released in January, 2016.

Grammar for Kids and Dragons, an easy-to-understand grammar book for middle-grade children (dragons and adults too), will have all of the Pen Pieyu characters explaining the grammar lessons making this an easy and fun read, forthcoming 2016.

Sir Princess Petra's Mission on Amazon

Review of a beautiful children's book, 'Wot-si-u and the Whispering Wattles' by Terese Eglington

4/17/2015

Wot-si-u and the Whispering Wattles was written and illustrated by Terese Eglington

Here's a gentle tale with delightful paintings you won't be able to put down.
Blurb: Wot-si-u and the Whispering Wattles is a timeless tale about an Iron Bark tree, the only tree left standing in a cleared paddock. Feeling isolated and lonely, Wot-si-u learns to appreciate his surroundings by looking carefully at all that is around him. He gains the knowledge handed down over generations and connects with the world around him. With a new and positive outlook on life the world is a much brighter place.

My 7 year old daughter and I were quite enamoured of the Wot-si-u tale. It came in the mail from the Writers' Web review company, which is always very exciting. The first thing we noticed were the beautiful paintings. Little Miss and I flicked through the pages, admiring the detail in the leaves and the lovely depiction of the stars. We also glimpsed Australian wildlife peeking here and there. The more you look, the more of them you see.
The story of the sentient tree feeling all alone and wishing for company is something we can all relate to. It is lovely how the other flora and fauna communicate with Wot-si-u, so the tree feels a part of its environment.
The writing style is generally easy for all ages to understand, although I did have to explain a couple of words to Miss 7, as well as the concept of the trees being linked via their roots. I really enjoyed this idea. I think a younger child would enjoy the cadence of the writing, but not understand the meaning. I would recommend Wot-si-u for ages 6 to adult.

Terese Eglington is an author from Queensland, Australia, who is currently hard at work on her second book.

You can connect with Terese on Facebook at www.facebook.com/www.tereseglington
and her website: http://tereseeglington.com/

'Wot-si-u and the Whispering Wattles' is available on www.writersweb.com.au

September 04th, 2014

9/4/2014

Code Breaker is another exciting suspense mystery for young readers in the successful Taya Bayliss series. I was introduced to this series several months ago and am really enjoying the stories.
I would say that the author has written for a slightly older audience this time. My 10 year old didn't engage with it, but my 13 year old thinks it's a great read and recommends it as a great adventure.

It does start off on a serious note and I wasn't quite sure what the hook was, but it soon settled into a riveting mystery adventure by the end of the first short chapter. The themes are darker than in the Taya Bayliss Dog Sitter book I had read previously, with murders and ruthless criminals the order of the day.

Taya is witness to mysterious events in the bird sanctuary of Narralong and her detective skills are put to the test with a obscure code to crack. Her father is keeping secrets and it is up to the youngster to figure out the truth of the bird thieves before more lives could be lost.

The tension builds nicely in the grand tradition of Enid Blyton's Famous Five. The only thing missing I felt was the camaraderie between characters with Taya's friend, Chris, out of action in hospital for much of the story. I do feel that these two have a good rapport and hope Chris returns in future novels.

All in all, a fun read. Well edited and nicely constructed. 4 stars.

I purchased a paperback copy of the book and reviewed it for Writers' Web

Available on Amazon.com

Book review: Zarkora: book one - the Fyrelit Tragedy by N & A Lochel #childrens #fantasy @NicholasLochel

8/14/2014

I love a good epic fantasy adventure and this is a fun one for young readers.
I found the book covers enticing when I met Nicholas and Alison Lochel at a convention, and I was impressed by the work ethic and dedication of these two friendly and hard-working authors. The striking artwork is by illustrator, Minna Sundberg.
The story is a traditional fantasy tale, with two young boys embarking on a quest to

rescue their kidnapped sister from a sinister hooded stranger.
Along the way, there are encounters with many fearsome beasts and the brothers are joined by other fighters. They travel to many places, including an elven forest, inside a volcano mountain and through icy mountains.
Some of the situations were familiar fantasy scenarios and there were some original moments as well. The best part for me was the race on motorised surfboards through artificially-made waves. There are also elements of Steampunk, (spoiler alert) with a machine that sounded very much like a car, but is powered by dragon saliva. Some really cool ideas there and I'd love to see pictures of them. I did enjoy the dragons and couldn't wait for them to take flight. Best line in the book was 'Stud muffin' LMAO!

I feel the book could do with structural tweeking and more character development, but overall I really enjoyed it and will look out for another book signing to get the next book in the series. Book 2 is also out now and book 3 due next year.

Well done N & A Lochel.

Available on Amazon:
http://amzn.to/1uVFGOq

Book review: Kanga Can't Jump by Denise Drysdale

7/18/2014

Kanga Can't Jump is a great children's story about (you guessed it) a kangaroo who is unable to jump and feels sad that he can't keep up with his friends. It is a charming story, well-written and edited, and my 6-year old enjoyed me reading it to her. It flows very well, with the problem identified, something unexpected in the middle, and a satisfying ending. If you have youngsters needing to overcome an obstacle, this is a good, uplifting read.

The pictures were nice and I felt there needed more variety and colour, especially in the first half. Perhaps a little more variation in the graphic design such as different coloured pages would help keep youngsters engaged. I would recommend this book to youngsters from around 4 - 8. Best wishes to the author. We'd be keen to read more of her work.

A free ebook was provided for review, thank you. Kanga Can't Jump is available as an ebook from www.writersweb.com.au

Book review: 'Taya Bayliss Dog Sitter' by E.J. Gore - a fun children's mystery chapter book

6/2/2014

This is a delightful middle years chapter book telling the story of 11 year old Taya, the amateur detective.

The story started slowly and I assumed this was a gentle tale of a friendship between a girl and a dog. Boy was I wrong! This slowly builds in excitement and I couldn't put it down. It was quite a thriller and I'm sure youngsters will enjoy the mystery.

I really liked the character of Minette, the Golden Doodle cross-breed dog. She sounds quite charming, walking around on her hind legs and collecting neighbourhood possessions like a naughty magpie.

I think there is a little issue with connecting with the target audience at the start, and it could use a more striking cover, but once you read a few pages you will be hooked. I think youngsters will enjoy this series, which reminded me of the Famous Five - type adventures I loved at this age.

I reviewed this book for Writers Web and was given a free copy, but opinions are entirely my own. www.writersweb.com.au

Book review: Perilous Journey by Antoinette Conolly

4/12/2014

Perilous Journey is a fantasy adventure for a middle years target audience of 10-12 year olds. Unfortunately my 10 and 12 year olds had a look at the cover, read a couple of pages, flicked through the chapters and said they were done. I believe my 10 and 12 year old would have loved being hooked on the first page. Instead, when they read about Zachary being 'tired, bored and hungry', they both seemed to be 'tired, bored and hungry'! They also are usually more responsive to books with a larger font and maps or pictures by way of additional information. The ten year old struggled with the language.

I wanted to give a more in-depth review, so here is an adult opinion for you.

The story continues some time after Zachary's Odyssey, when young Zachary has forgotten of his exciting adventures in the magical world of Cauchemar and believes they were only a dream. Seeing the ginger cat, Mactavish, brings the memories flooding back and after finding a magical stone in his pocket, they are transported there once more. In this book they have a quest to rescue Randy the bear from the robots in Metallicka Land and also rescue a human girl named Marilla from Dragonshire.
The lands are interesting and well described. My favourite land this time was Aquatica under the sea, where they used magic to breathe. I enjoyed the variety of mythical and magical creatures, such as the gryphons, dragons and basilisk. Blaze the dragon is still my favourite and I'd love for him to have a bigger part in future stories. Also Esmerelda and Murgatroyd sound interesting, but are only briefly mentioned. I enjoyed the rhyming spells and Mother Meg the Woolly Mammoth too.
I would suggest a bit of refinement in the next edition to engage the younger readers. Some of the words and language used are difficult for this age group, such as: 'reverie' 'supercilious' 'lammergeiers' and 'zaubernimbus.' Even I have a little difficulty pronouncing the last one :-)

Thank-you for the book and we will donate it to the local library, so others can be introduced to the series.

Reviewed for Writersweb.com.au

Book Review: 'Child Writes' by Emma Mactaggart

3/19/2014

Child Writes by Emma Mactaggart is a must-read for any aspiring author, child or adult alike. It's a step-by-step guide for how to plan, write and illustrate your own picture book. The various chapters allow you to skip to the topics you need easily and it has a great list of contacts for further information at the end.

Please click here for my author interview with Emma.

Synopsis:
How long have you held the dream of creating a children’s picture book? Whether you intend to give the gift of words and images to your loved ones, write the next children’s bestseller, or help others bring their ideas to life… Child Writes is the book for you! Emma Mactaggart, picture book author, publisher and founder of the unique Child Writes program, shares her proven methodology for creating picture books.

Child Writes provides comprehensive, commonsense and creative inspiration for anyone who has ever wanted to make a picture book. From the very beginning of creating an idea, to writing it, to publishing and marketing it, every step of the way is clearly explained. The reward you experience when you hold your published children’s picture book in your hands cannot be easily surpassed. Don’t dream about it any longer.

My review:
This book is a wonderful resource for authors of all ages, genres and stages in their careers. Writing and publishing books is a steep learning curve for anyone and I wish I'd found this book a few years ago when I was starting out.
I like the way Emma has used a conversational tone and humor in places to keep a child's interest. An example is in the 'head-high ratio' section: "Right, I can hear you now declaring I have gone completely bonkers ... bear with me!" LOL
There are some great ideas that were new to me such as doodle drawings to wake up your creativity. I'll have to try that one.
The sections on Vanity and Subsidy Publishing where you have to pay to get your book published serve as a good warning to new writers. I have heard of several novice writers who were so excited to have been taken on by a publisher, just to discovered that they have a bill of hundreds or thousands of dollars before they can even see a copy of their book.
I really enjoyed reading this informative book. I was given a free ebook copy to review, but after a few pages I realise that I NEED a copy and am heading over to Writers' Web to get one straight away. My son has expressed an interest in co-writing my next book, so we'll be devouring Child Writes piece by piece before we start.
Happy writing everyone.

Child Writes by Emma Mactaggart is available at Writers' Web.
See it here: http://writersweb.com.au/shop/child-writes-creating-a-childrens-picture-book-is-childs-play/

Applying for book reviews:
I don't do many reviews, but will do the odd one from time to time. Usually it'll be something that piques my curiosity. I like to do reviews for Writers' Web and support emerging writers.
I am not interested in trading reviews, but if we are both interested in each other's work, that is OK.
I will give an honest opinion and if I think the work is not ready, I will let you know. I am happy to post the reviews online.
Please contact me at kasperjbeaumont @outlook.com if you're interested.

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