The Order of Obsidian (The Reeds of West Hills Series) by B.E. Padgett

 

The Order of Obsidian by B.E. Padgett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I absolutely love this series and this book has me eager for the next book right now!

It's another year of classes at the West Hills School for the Perceptually Gifted and twins Jon and Frank Reed are clinging to any hope that they can find. Jon's visions are becoming more powerful and Frank has a new power that he's having to learn to control.

It's hard to put this one down to take care of "real life issues" when Jon and Frank are in such peril!

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In the Dragon's Fiery Lair by Lois Wickstrom

 

In the Dragon's Fiery Lair by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a book for a little bit older crowd than Ms. Wickstrom usually writes for but can definitely be enjoyed if read to younger kiddos. It is the story of Amy, who, on her twelfth birthday, receives the gift of Magyck. After an unfortunate event with her mother, Amy learns to control her magyck by an unconventional source.
As with most of this author's books, there is a lot of adventure and learning along the way. I was thrown off by the spelling of "magyck" but don't want that to deter someone from enjoying this fun-filled adventure filled with mystery and intrigue. This is geared towards a middle grade reader and would be great for those who enjoy fantasy!

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Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country by A.R Shickman

Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country by Allan Richard Shickman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Zan-Gah is so excited to have his twin, Dael, back home but he's not the same person he was when he disappeared a few years ago. Zan-Gah fell in love with the "Beautiful Country" of the Wasps when he was captive there. He wants to go back so he arranges for elders of his tribe to journey there to see if peace can be found amongst the various tribes. When they arrive in "Wasp-land", there is a horrible stench and death is evident. The Wasp people are gone. Zah-Gah decides to pursue moving the Ba-Caro tribe to this beautiful land. Along the way, division takes place because of Dael's instabilities, both from being held captive and tortured for a great many years and seeing his wife and child die right in front of him.



This book gives more background on Dael's captivity and allows you in his mind more than we saw in Zah-Gah A Prehistoric Adventure. One can truly see just how messed up he really is. Had Dael been alive today, he would have PTSD.



I feel sorry for Dael but then again I don't. He could have "manned up" and handled his problems better. I also don't have much sympathy for Zan-Gah as he could have done things differently as well. As I was hoping, Siraka-Finaka made an appearance in this book and is even more feisty than ever! She is still my favorite character in this series!



Thank you to Bonnie at Earthshaker Books for providing a review copy of both books in this series.



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Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
WARNING: This is not a "Dear Diary" book!! Greg would want you to know that right away. You see, Greg is a young middle schooler who is writing this book because his MOM is making him. What a shame!

Greg's sidekick and best friend is Rowley. When Greg is in trouble, he goes to Rowley's house so he can play video games. That is, after Rowley's dad approves of them. Can't have any violence you know! It doesn't appear that Rowley spends a lot of time at Greg's house though. Makes you wonder! These two are tighter than the cheese that has solified itself to the playground blacktop. You don't mess with that cheese! No one wants the "Cheese Touch"!

Greg just seems to have a rough life. Rowley has it so easy in comparison. All of a sudden, Rowley becomes more popular and spends less time with Greg. Maybe he realizes that Greg just uses him?!?! Greg ends up hanging out with the nerdy Fregley.

What happens with the Cheese? What about those "wonderful" comics that Greg writes for the school paper? Will Safety Patrol ever be the same again?

I thought this was a cute book. Not my typical type of read, but I'll probably read the rest of them in the series. A lot of things in this book brought back some funny memories from high school. I thought it was funny that Jeff Kinney chose the name of Chris Hosey as one of the students in Greg's class. I went to school with a kid named Chris Hoser and he kinda resembles Chris Hosey!! I no longer have a desire to go back to middle (or high!) school but living the memories again through this book was an enjoyable experience!

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