Calamity by Brandon Sanderson

I find I have more time to read when I do it on my Kindle. I read while I'm putting my little one to sleep or before I go to sleep at night and don't have to worry about lights. (That's why I love the Kindle Paperwhite--no harsh lights.) I've been on the ebook waiting list for Calamity for a few weeks. But when I saw the paper version sitting on the shelf of the library, I snagged it and thought maybe I'd start reading this one and then pick up when I got the ebook.

Well, I'm still on the waiting list for the ebook version and I finished Calamity last night. Turns out I find time to read better when it's a page turner, which the entire Reckoners series is. It's an entertaining, fun, adventure. Now that I've started to get to know this author, I have a lot more on my TBR list!

The Reckoners series is great because it takes a well-loved theme, superheroes, and gives it a fresh look. The characters are interesting and the story keeps you guessing. The content is clean and appropriate for any kid old enough to read the books, As entertaining as the book is, it's more than that. I'm still thinking about the ending and contemplating what some of it might mean.

Have you read any Brandon Sanderson books? Which ones are your favorites?

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Calamity 
By Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Year: 2016
Ages/Themes: Middle Grade Books, Young Adult Books, Science Fiction, Adventure, Series, Books for Boys

Newbery Books Worth Reading: Island of the Blue Dolphins

I can't remember the first time I read Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. It was published in 1960 so it was already an old book when I got my hands on it. But I do know that I read it over and over again until my copy was falling apart.

Adventure and survival books with female protagonists may be common now, but not so much when I was growing up. Karana in Island of the Blue Dolphins is left on an island and survives alone for 18 years. It was a remarkable story to read as a young girl because I could not conceive of surviving alone, and at the same time, Karana helped me imagine that I could.

Sadly, my childhood copy has not survived. But Newbery books often stay in print and my research shows that a 50th anniversary edition was printed in 2010. I plan on putting it on my list of books to buy for my daughters.

What are some of your favorite adventure books for girls?
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Island of the Blue Dolphins
By Scott O'Dell
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Year: 1960
Ages/Themes: Middle Grade Books, Books for Girls, Adventure, Diverse Books, Newbery Books

Firefight by Brandon Sanderson

For a few years I happily read and followed along with many of the most popular YA trilogies. I read the Hunger Games, Divergent, and Matched trilogies. But over time, I got really sick of trilogies. I've started some YA series and not moved on to the second book, because I'm weary of the books never ending. I really got sick of it with the Maze Runner series. I found the first book entertaining, but I think that the second book could have told the story in a couple of chapters and been part of the third book. It seems that authors have this great idea for a longer story and they know the ending, but since trilogies are a thing now, they have to come up with something for the middle.

Well, Brandon Sanderson has broken that stereotype for me. I really enjoyed Steelheart, so I was eager to read the second book, Firefight, despite my misgivings about trilogies (and the second book in particular). Firefight continues the story of the Reckoners, but it stands alone as a good story, and has a complete ending along with anticipation for the conclusion. It had important plot developments and character growth. I really can't wait to read the conclusion, but the second book's conclusion left me with a sense of completion that so many second books just don't do anymore.

So, the point of my long rant about trilogies and second books comes to this: read Firefight. It's just as good as Steelheart. It has adventure and humor and great storytelling.

What is your favorite trilogy? Is there one you think could have skipped the second book?

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Firefight
By Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Year: 2015
Ages/Themes: Young Adult Books, Middle Grade Books, Fantasy, Adventure, Science Fiction, Series

Steelheart (The Reckoners) by Brandon Sanderson

Superhero movies and books are abundant these days. There are even superheroes with dark sides. But what if there were people who gained superhero powers, but none of them were good? What if the world was filled with super villains but there were no good guys with super powers to stop them?

I was in the middle of reading two other books when I started reading Steelheart, the first book in The Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson. I abandoned those and finished this book as quickly as I could. The premise is intriguing, the story was fast-paced and fun, and its full of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I'll probably reread it someday to see if there's foreshadowing that I missed. The good news is it's part of a series, so there's more to read.

I recommend this book for anyone who likes superheroes, adventures, or alternate worlds (I hesitate to call it a dystopia, but the world is certainly a grimmer place with villains controlling everything). This would be a great book for teenage boys.

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Steelheart
By Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Year: 2013
Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Books for Boys

You can buy this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent library).

The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill

I think I heard about The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill through Indiebound's list of recommendations from independent booksellers.

I've tried to describe the story, but I keep coming up short. I loved this book instantly and have recommended it to anyone who likes books that are a little different, a little dark, a little mystical. It's full of magic, unexpected heroes, tragedies, triumphs, family secrets, fantasy, and adventure. It's like reading a fairy tale--not a sparkly princess fairy tale, but a real fairy tale.

This book is great for middle grade readers, but I recommend it for young adults and adults too.
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The Witch's Boy
By Kelly Barnhill
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Year: 2014
Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult

You can buy this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

They Eye of Minds is by James Dashner, the author of the well-known Maze Runner series (two of them have been made into a movie so far). This one has all the same kinds of thrills and adventures, but with a gaming twist. It imagines a world where virtual reality is so real, that gamers actually feel like they're in the game. 

This isn't my regular type of read, and lately I've become a little tired of series (because you never get to the end of the story!). But the ending to this one surprised me and made me want to read the next one.

This would be a great book for young adults who usually prefer video games to books. If you liked the Maze Runner series, you'd probably like this one too.

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The Eye of Minds

By James Dashner

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Year: 2013

Ages: Young Adult

Themes: Science Fiction, Gaming, Thriller, Books for Boys

Find this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.

Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

Alcatraz has a talent for breaking things. It's part of the reason why he moves from foster home to foster home so often. Then one day he finds out that the world he knows is a lie. The world is run by a group of evil librarians--they control all the information after all. He teams up with others like him (with talents like always being late and speaking gibberish) to retrieve his stolen inheritance. Oh, and there are miniature, talking, British dinosaurs.

Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians is a fun and funny book that would be appropriate for ages 10 and up. The protagonist speaks directly to the reader, sometimes even about the writing itself. It reminded me of the style of the Series of Unfortunate Events books, so someone who likes those books would probably enjoy this one.

After reading this book I wished that my tendency to drop things could be construed to be a talent, but I just haven't found it to be yet.
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Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians
By Brandon Sanderson
Published by Scholastic
Year: 2007
Ages: Middle Grade, YA
Themes: fantasy, adventure

Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne

We just finished reading our first Magic Tree House book out loud together. In these books siblings Jack and Annie go on adventures and get to travel to different times and places. I've heard about them for a while and I wanted to start with #1, Dinosaurs Before Dark.

A quick perusal of the Magic Tree House website shows that the series was originally written by Mary Pope Osborne and she was joined by her husband Will Osborne and her sister Natalie Pope Boyce in writing later books and spinoffs. The first 28 books are short and have large type, so they're the best ones for early readers to start with. Later books are written at a higher reading level so young readers can advance along with the book.

It was perfect for reading out loud together. The chapters were short enough to keep even my three-year-old's attention. The chapter endings made my kids gasp and ask what was going to happen next.
The writing was simple and perfect for early readers. My first grader read a few pages with me and I think this series will be perfect as first chapter books for her to read on her own. If you're looking for good books to read aloud or for your early reader to start chapter books on, check out the Magic Tree House series.

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Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark
By Mary Pope Osborne
Illustrated by Salvatore Murdocca
Publisher: Random House
Year: 2014
Info: B&W Illustrations
Ages: Early Readers, First Chapter Books
Themes: adventure, time travel, siblings
Source: our public library