tamara.riley-wilson

Engaging adolescent readers is no easy task, in today's fast paced, action oriented, virtual reality enhanced video game culture. Alabama Moon is a book that should make any young boy who loves adventure and the outdoors drop his video game controller and lose himself in Moon's escapades. Raised in the wilderness by his Viet-Nan Vet Father, Moon is left to fend for himself when his dad dies. It is not nature that frightens Moon but the complexities of modern civilization that seem brutal and unfair. Moon finds away to face the challenges that confront him, triumph over the cruel sheriff and change a lot of people's lives in a positive way. A modern Huckleberry Finn, there is no problem he can't solve, nothing he can't make for himself and no one he can not eventually defeat or win over to his side. Quite an accomplishment for an eleven-year-old boy! An engaging adventure for readers of all ages.

What a wonderful, thoughtful gift. Thank You! My students just listened to the"The Ransom of Red Chief' and loved it.

Janet once again proves herself to be the queen of rapier wit and pithy one liners. Lighten up ye critics!!! I too have read the Stephanie Plum series and do not agree that Stephanie and Lizzie are interchangeable. There are some similarities but enough subtle differences that the discernable listener (reader) will be able to appreciate Lizzie. I think as the series progresses she will grow as a character. Yes, I would like to see a little more ???Laura Croft ???in Lizzie but let???s give her time to develop. This is only the beginning. We learn more about Wolf and Diesel???s background, and Glo is nothing like LuLa, more like what Aunt Clara from Bewitched would be like as a teenager. Cat 7143 is an enigma with lots of potential. Team Cat up with Carl the monkey and the possibilities are endless. The series has tremendous potential if Janet is willing to take some risks. Wicked is a combination of Alice Hoffman???s Practical Magic and Indiana Jones. Lizzie and Diesel's search for the ancient relics, which are talismans for the seven deadly sins, is just getting started. This adventure is just the precursor of more hilarious, action-oriented escapades to come!

Neil Gaiman is definitely a talented writer of the Fantasy genre. Stardust was a refreshing, innovative,quirky fairytale. Neverwhere was chilling dark, with gothic undertones but I couldn't help feel that Neverwhere borrowed heavily from Simon R. Green's Nighside series. After reading Green's Nightside series, Neverwhere paled in comparison. If you are not a Sci-Fi, Fantasy reader, Nightside has to many gaps to fill in and requires to many leaps for the reader to effectively follow the twist and turns of the plot. I wanted Nightsides John Taylor there to take thing under control, help Door solve the mystery, make a man out of Richard and kick the evil Mr. Vandermar and Mr. Croops butt! Neverwhere could have been a novel written by the Brothers Grimm. If you enjoyed Neverwhere even a little and like the concept of an alternative London, Simon R.Greens Nightside novels, or Drinking Midnight Wine will have you staying up late because they are just to good to put down!

Being an avid reader of both the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre and a High School English teacher, I am excited by Sam Enthoven's book. It is an engaging tale that even non-readers will be hard pressed to put down. Interesting, empathetic characters to which teens can relate, fast paced action scenes, delightfully wicked bad guys and a vision of hell and its creatures worthy of Simon R.Green. My particular favorite was the regurgitating bat like creatures that are more than what they seem. The main characters Charlie, Jack and Esme survive their trip to hell, save the world and even manage to make some interesting new friends in the process.