Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Epic Kids is an action and adventure fantasy for children and preteens written by David Blaze. Jake had a lot of trouble believing that the cool kids were actually inviting him to join them at their table in the cafeteria. Him? Really? His table-mate from the not-so-cool table he usually sat at confirmed his misgivings. No, he really wasn’t cool, but then why were they waving at him and waiting for him to join them? Jake was used to being basically a non-entity at school. His grades were nothing exceptional, and his sports ability, or lack thereof, relegated him to being the last person chosen for any team.

David Blaze’s Epic Kids is a fast-paced and action-packed novel that blends the best of middle school fiction with just enough science fiction and epic fantasy to make readers sit up and take notice that a new and monumentally good preteen series has just hit the shelves. Blaze’s characters run the gamut from villain to hero in truly epic fashion and each of them is well-defined and credible. The author's plot is clever and engaging and gets the angst that Jake feels as being a very middle-of-the-road middle-schooler. While this story is geared toward kids and preteens, those readers who are young at heart will most likely enjoy Epic Kids as much as I did. I’m looking forward to the sequel. Epic Kids is most highly recommended.

Reviewed by Rich Follett for Readers' Favorite

Adam Beck’s How I Lost My Ear is a marvelously comic, wonderfully wise, delightfully imaginative and deliriously unpredictable epic adventure. In Boony Point, young Ben Boyd covets a pair of ruby red bongo drums, seemingly tailor-made for his superstar tryout for the Marching Moose – the town’s pride and joy. Never mind that bongo drums have not previously been seen or heard in the community’s iconic marching band; Ben is determined and has the most deliciously eccentric support crew in the history of children’s literature to help him reach his goal.

Along the way, Ben contends with a practical-joking grandma fixated on crab apples harvested with the dew still on them, a monster to slay, a mystery to solve, the twists and turns of his never-ending quest to be a Member of the Marching Moose, and his own deep-seated need to overcome his unwanted nickname: Butterfingers. The drama is high, the pathos is non-stop, and the comedy is as whimsical and witty as any to be found in the realm of fiction for the young. Although How I Lost My Ear is listed as being intended for pre-teen readers, it has much to offer readers of any age who are willing to allow themselves to be young at heart long enough to become swept up in the merriment. Adam Beck is a master storyteller and a master of invention, and How I Lost My Ear is un-put-down-able.

Simon Farrow’s playful illustrations are a perfect match for Beck’s unique storyline. They capture both the eccentricity of the characters and the absurdity of the incredible situations in which they find themselves, time and again. Adam Beck’s How I Lost My Ear is always fresh, always a surprise; in short, an ideal antidote for the mundane cares of ordinary life for readers of all ages.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

The Journal of Angela Ashby is an action and adventure fantasy for preteens written by Liana Gardner and illustrated by Sam Shearon. Angela was ready and impatient to be off to the school carnival when she stopped by her best friend’s house to pick her up. Mallory, of course, was still not ready, and Angela hung out in her friend’s room while she got dressed. Mallory’s life seemed so much more harmonious than her own did right now. Ordinarily, her mom would have already taken her clothing shopping for the new year, but with her dad gone, her mom seemed to do nothing but work all the time. Angela couldn’t understand what had happened to break up their once happy family. She missed her dad, and she just couldn’t adapt to the idea that he was now with Holly instead of Angela’s mom and her.

The carnival had performed its yearly magic and transformed the athletic field of her school. Rides, games and vendors’ booths were everywhere Angela and Mallory looked, and the air was richly scented with the sweet smells of cotton candy, funnel cakes and kettle corn. Mallory’s mom had taken them and Mallory’s little brother to the carnival, and she gave them two hours to do some exploring on their own. Angela was an ace at the games; her pitching arm demolished the display at the baseball throw booth, and she managed to dunk the vice-principal, to his surprise. Then she and Mallory saw something odd -- a fortune teller’s tent that seemed strangely out of place. Angela wasn’t too sure about going in, but Mallory couldn’t resist. Angela finally gave in; after all, what could it hurt?

The Journal of Angela Ashby is an engaging and fun coming-of-age story about a twelve-year-old girl who is suddenly the possessor of great power. I loved following as Angela began to appreciate her journal’s powers and realized the importance of carefully considering everything she wished for. Throughout the story, Gardner addresses the issue of bullies and bullying, which is something all kids and most adults have to deal with at some point, and she shows how Angela learns to differentiate between solving the problem and descending into bullying behavior herself. Gardner also admirably addresses the stress and confusion felt by kids and tweens when their mom and dad get divorced. The Journal of Angela Ashby is a marvelous fantasy that brings up real-life issues without lowering the magic and fun potential for a moment, and Sam Shearon’s illustrations really make it all come alive most brilliantly. The Journal of Angela Ashby is most highly recommended.

Reviewed by Cindy Bowles for Readers' Favorite

Emma and Sonnet, two look-alike girls, are suddenly transported into each other’s lives due to identical, ongoing, local mystical storms when each teenage girl enters the same closet space a century apart. Culture and identity shocks initially wreak havoc for them, but as they each move forward in the life of the girl they have replaced, they find faithful friends and visionaries that give them each hope that they can somehow return to those they love in their own lifetimes. However, Emma’s life is especially topsy-turvy for Sonnet, and she seeks sanity and reasoning to solve the mystery behind it for her own survival, as well as for Emma's if she should ever be able to return. Emma, on the other hand, discovers a relationship that she has hungered for her whole life in Sonnet’s very own family circle. What is each girl meant to learn from this unique time travel experience and why did it happen to them? Will they ever be able to find the coordinated, mystical portal again to switch back into their own time or will they have to settle for living out each other’s lives?

In this romantic tale of fantasy, young adult readers, tweens and even adults will become absorbed in the adventure of time travel, and how true friendship and real courage help one to conquer even the most difficult of challenges. Even though they never actually meet, for they cannot share the same time and space, Emma and Sonnet learn to greatly appreciate one another. A mystical tale of teenage time travel that engages and delights the reader. But Not Forever by Jan Von Schleh is an intriguing, imaginative teenage tale with bits of suspense, modern life, history, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, family relationships, and family history all wrapped together—and is highly recommended!

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Best Friends...Forever? Landry's True Colors Series: Book Two by Krysten Lindsay Hager is the story of a young girl who is trying to come to terms with how time can change certain things. You would think that being a model would be a great way to gain popularity at school, but Landry Albright knows this is not the way things are. There was a time when she had a great set of friends and a boyfriend to call her own, but things changed very quickly for her. While the rest of her class is getting excited about starting high school next year, she is trying to come to terms with the fact that her boyfriend just broke up with her and she doesn’t seem to have any friends anymore. To make matters a little more difficult, she gets to have two makeovers so that she has a higher chance of winning the American Ingénue modeling competition. With so many things happening at the same time, it is hard for her to find her footing. Can she figure out what is happening around her before her time runs out?

This was an entertaining and fun novel to read. I felt for young Landry, I really did. This is a great novel for the teens and tweens who are either in middle school or are starting high school soon. They will experience the ups and downs of high school beforehand and, hopefully, they’ll also get a head start on how to act and how to cope if things are a little too hard. Landry is a great role model; she is calm, collected and she just never loses her temper. She does get nervous, but she handles the situation with grace and sets a good example. Her character growth is great; from the nervous girl at the beginning of the novel, she turns to be a strong and powerful young woman in the end. Impressively accurate about the emotions and drama of a high school. I enjoyed it! This fast-paced novel is great for all ages!

Reviewed by A. L. Peevey for Readers' Favorite

In Book II of D.E. Night’s The Crowns of Croswald, The Girl With The Whispering Shadow, Ivy Lovely’s adventures begin right at the end of the previous story. Ivy still has so much to learn, and despite the fact that the Dark Queen is looking for her, she wants to spend the summer with her best friend, Rebecca, whose family dwells in a castle. But, Ivy is troubled by a letter left behind by the scrivenist Derwin Edgar Night, whom she once freed. She must find her way to the hidden town of Belzebuthe, where she can hide from the Dark Queen, who wants her dead, and where she can also continue her quest to discover the next piece of the Kindred Stone. But, a shadowy presence has begun to haunt her. As time draws short, will she find what she needs?

D.E. Night gives us as much of an enchanting story in The Girl With The Whispering Shadow as she did in The Crowns of Croswald. This is an imaginative story with wonders and delights for readers at every turn. Croswald is about as fully conceived and realized as any of the other currently popular magical worlds without dumping too many details on us at once. This is one of the best put together books I have read in a while. The story advances from scene to scene smoothly. With her wide-eyed innocence, Ivy moves forward in her discovery of her natural magical ability and in her attempts to fulfill the destiny thrust upon her, in spite of her being mostly an untried teenager. This is an enjoyable read.

Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers' Favorite

Magdalena Gottschalk: The Crooked Trail by M. Gail Grant follows Magdalena upon her thirteenth birthday when she discovers secrets in her quaint town of Lily Brooke. After an exploration through the woods with her friends, Gabriel and Hubert, leads them to a hidden cave, they find lanterns, sacrificial drawings on the walls, and a bizarre and empty tree house. To find answers behind the cave, they turn to their other friends for help. A strange book called Demonic Enchantments, and an even stranger conversation between the preacher and Magdalena's mom, reveal possibly sinister secrets the adults of the town may be keeping. When they realize they may have freed something demonic from the cave, the friends band together to find a way to fix their mistake before it's too late.

M. Gail Grant has a charming style with sweet descriptions, often using old-fashioned phrases and language that perfectly fits the personalities of the children and the quaintness of the town. This is a town that seems idealistic on the surface with a nosy neighbor, hardworking farmers, and a baker that found his calling at a young age. But Grant crafts a darker and sinister underbelly to the town in a secret that the townspeople have banded together to keep hidden. This is the mystery the children strive to solve in an adventure that often reminds me of the classic mysteries of Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys, except with demons and magic. Magdalena Gottschalk is a tale of adventure and friendship, courage and heroism, a coming of age story perfect for young adults. The delightful world and wonder of adventure will appeal to all ages.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Freedom for Me: A Chinese Yankee is an historical fiction novel written by Stacie Haas. The character of Thomas Beck, the young Chinese American who joins the Fourteenth Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry with his brother, Robert, is based on the true-life story of Joseph Pierce. Like Pierce, Beck is rescued from a life of involuntary servitude by his uncle, who secretes his young nephew in a crate placed on board a ship. The ship’s captain, Amos Beck, adopts the child as his own, and brings him home to Connecticut where the Becks have a farm. Haas details the struggles a Chinese American would have being accepted by his peers in the Infantry, starting with the difficulties his own adopted brother has in acknowledging their family relationship. In her author’s note, Haas indicates those aspects of Thomas Beck’s story which differ from the real life history of Joseph Pierce. She also shares details of Pierce’s life after his Civil War service.

Freedom for Me: A Chinese Yankee is a meticulously researched and beautifully presented military fiction novel which recreates the life and experiences of a Chinese Yankee volunteer during the Civil War. Her battle scenes are stark and moving, and the prejudicial attitudes Beck is subjected to ring true, sadly enough, even in today’s world. Reading Freedom for Me was a fascinating and illuminating experience for me as each skirmish became real and the bravery of those who endured is revealed. I was especially interested in seeing how Thomas interacted with the soldiers he was attached to, particularly Henry, whose initial viciousness and physical attacks were alarming. The young men, all from very different walks of life, formed a team that was memorable. What was perhaps most moving of all was Beck’s conviction that freeing the slaves was worth sacrificing his own life for; that his own freedom was intricately tied up in the civil rights of others. Freedom for Me: A Chinese Yankee is beautifully written and it’s most highly recommended.

Reviewed by Donna Gielow McFarland for Readers' Favorite

A Calf Named Brian Higgins: An Adventure in Rural Kenya by Kristen Ball is the story of American teenager Hannah Higgins who accompanies her mom on a three-week trip to Kenya. Their goal is to help Hannah's Uncle Brian with his work in Sauri, a small rural village located on the western edge of Kenya. The story is about evolving family relationships and Hannah's growth as she adapts to a different culture, but the plot really serves to provide a skeleton for the true meat of the novel, which is a richly drawn picture of daily life in rural Kenya. Hannah's reactions are very believable as she experiences a world where tap water might or might not turn on, cell phone apps don't work and there is no corner store. She learns about the fragility of life in a place where tragic accidents happen because of insufficient roads, and whether or not a person dies from malaria depends on whether or not the clinic has medicine that day.

A Calf Named Brian Higgins is a very moving story. It caught my eye because I visited Kenya years ago, and the vivid descriptions brought back many memories. The work is fiction, but the events have a true-to-life feel because many of them are based on the experiences of the author, Kristen Ball, who did a top-notch job of adapting her observations and experiences into a novel. The most meaningful theme for me was the message Hannah hears: people help each other by taking only what they need, nothing more. The word “poverty” doesn't seem adequate to describe the lack of resources here – school lunch is prepared and served by the children, who eat it with their hands, three kids to a bowl. Yet the people enjoy a richness in a community that the more developed world can barely imagine. I wish every American teenager had an opportunity to experience life in a place like Sauri, but if not, I wish they would read this book.

Reviewed by Cheryl E. Rodriguez for Readers' Favorite

The Stone of Integrity is the third book in M.J. Evans’ The Centaur Chronicles. After returning from the quest to discover the Stone of Courage, Carling, the future Queen of Crystonia, is summoned by the Minsheen historian. He entrusts Carling with a rare, ancient map. On her way home, she and her companions are pursued once again by the evil Heilodius Centaurs. Safely tucked inside her Duende village, Carling is thankful for the security and comfort of home. But this feeling is short lived. Within days, Vidente the Wizard returns to her. It is time to gather the purple Stone of Integrity for her royal Silver Breastplate. With the map in hand, Carling and her faithful adventurers set out to discover the mysterious island of Hy-Basilia; another quest, another stone, another invaluable lesson. Frightening sea creatures, menacing Centaurs, a handsome young fisherman, a crafty witch, and veiled fairies - who can be trusted? Carling’s search for integrity comes at a great cost; not everyone is trustworthy.

M.J. Evans is a fabulous storyteller. The Stone of Integrity is the continuing tale of fantasy and adventure in the land of Crystonia. Evans pens incredible descriptions of her imaginary land; the reader is transported with ease into the mystical realm. In each of the books in the series, the young heroine learns valuable life lessons. In The Stone of Integrity, she must discern the true motivations of others, while learning to trust in herself. Like Shakespeare’s Hamlet, she must learn "to thine own self be true.” The cast of characters is balanced in personality - witty, wise, girlishly vain, grand or small - each plays a significant part in supporting the growth of the main character. The antagonist remains a constant threat, keeping the adventurers hyper vigilant and often running for their lives. Page upon page, prowess, loyalty and devotion are continually tested, along with internal conflicts of the mind and heart. I thought the veiled emotions of the fairies was a brilliant inclusion to the story! There is never a dull moment for the young adventurers. The plot action continually moves from beginning to end, making it ideal for the young adult reader. The story concludes, but it is not the end for the future Queen of Crystonia. One more stone remains.