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Archives for March 2014

Cahills vs Vespers Book 2: A King’s Ransom by Jude Watson

March 31, 2014 by Daniel Johnston Leave a Comment

After a great start to Cahills vs Vespers series, I was super excited to read A King’s Ransom by Jude Watson. This book reveals a lot more about the Vespers, and gives us an interesting historical trip through the world.

For those of you who don’t know, The 39 Clues is a multi-author series in which Amy (14) and Dan (11) Cahill learn that they are members of the most powerful family in human history.

The source of their families power is hidden throughout the world, and Amy and Dan need to find it first to make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

The first arc of The 39 Clues deals with the clue hunt and Amy and Dan fighting off against their vicious relatives (who want the clues first), and learning more about themselves and their family branch.

The second series, Cahills vs Vespers, is about a rival family named the Vespers who want the clues for themselves, along with a mysterious ring that Amy was given by her grandmother Grace. It also takes place two years later so all the characters are older.

Learn more about The 39 Clues

In the first book, most of the Cahill family was kidnapped by the Vespers, and Amy and Dan are now forced to do Vesper One’s bidding or else he’ll kill the hostages.

Summary

Amy and Dan learn from Vesper One that they have to retrieve something for him in Lucerne, Switzerland. They don’t like it, but it’s not like they have much of a choice with their loved ones in danger.

Unfortunately, Interpol (the international police) is after Dan and Amy for stealing the “Medusa” from the Uffizi museum, and they are constantly having to dodge them.

Vesper 6 lets Amy and Dan know that they need to get their hands on the de Virga map. They don’t have a lot to go on, but they sneak into an auction house to try and find it. They have to flee, but come up with some leads.

Meanwhile, Dan is trying to construct the clues so he can take the serum if necessary. He knows that the Vespers are a huge threat and that even though the serum will completely mess him up, it may be worth it to prevent them from destroying the world.

Amy and Dan realize that they have to locate a book in the Czech Republic, but unfortunately they are unable to get it without a reference. Fortunately, Amy and Dan happen to run into Jake and Atticus Rosenbloom. Their dad is a famous professor, and Atticus is a genius even though he’s only 11 years old.

With Atticus and Jake’s help it looks more and more likely that they will find the map, but time is running out. Will they find the map in time, or will the hostages die? Or will another close confidant of Amy and Dan be murdered? And could Arthur Trent really be still alive?

Review

A King’s Ransom is a very good book and really completes the transition into the new series. We meet Atticus and Jake, who end up being crucial characters for the rest of the series.

Although there is a serious death in this book, it ends with suspense and Amy and Dan not even knowing. I definitely think it could’ve been done better so that we could have gone through some of those emotions.

Amy and Dan are more on their own than ever and they have to face that cruel reality in this book. It gives me some comfort to see how they move from the old and familiar and adapt to new circumstances with new people.

Overall, this book is very good. It’s not an earth-shattering book or one of my favorites in the series, but it moves the story along with lots of action. If you haven’t read the first book in Cahills vs Vespers series yet, I’d read that. If you have, this book is a must.

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Filed Under: Jude Watson, The 39 Clues Tagged With: a kings ransom, a kings ransom cahills vs vespers book 2, a kings ransom the 39 clues, cahills vs vespers, cahills vs vespers a kings ransom, cahills vs vespers book 2, jude watson, jude watson a kings ransom, jude watson a kings ransom review, jude watson a kings ransom summary, The 39 clues

The Kid Who Ran for President by Dan Gutman Review

March 28, 2014 by Daniel Johnston 3 Comments

What kid doesn’t dream of becoming President? The Kid Who Ran for President captures that fantasy in the campaign of a twelve year-old who seriously campaigns for the highest office in the US.

Dan Gutman writes books kids want to read, and this book is no exception. The Kid Who Ran for President is a hilarious tale as young Judson Moon goes from a regular middle school moron to a serious candidate to the Presidency.

Summary

Judson Moon never thought he would be a candidate for the highest office in the United States. He’s just a normal seventh grader. Besides, you have to be 35 years old to get elected, anyways.

Lane Brainard, however, isn’t going to let any of that stop him! He’s Judson’s best friend and a legitimate genius. He’s really into politics, too, and he’s getting sick of the two party system that doesn’t get anything done. He thinks a kid should run for President!

Judson agrees for one reason and one reason only; he thinks it will be fun. A kid running for President! Who would take that seriously? He is surprised to realize, however, that Lane’s strategy is working. Kids like his ideas of abolishing homework and bed-making so much that they force their parents to support him.

Before too long, Judson is rising in the polls. He chooses an old black lady named June Syers as his running mate, and a nice looking girl named Chelsea to be his first lady instead of the girl he really likes.

And the debates are brutal. Although Lane prepares him well, he decides to throw it and uses sarcasm instead. But will his strategy actually backfire and land him at the top of the polls? Will he actually win the Presidency? And if he does, will he take it?

Review

The Kid Who Ran for President is one of my favorite kids books, and probably my favorite by Dan Gutman (which is saying something). The book is written from the first person, and Judson is a very normal kid who we can identify with a lot.

There is humor all throughout the book and the book just whizzes by as we learn about Moon’s bid for the White House. A kid running for President is just such an awesome concept that it’s bound to me a good book.

Although certain parts of the book are unrealistic (of course), it also confronts some moral and emotional issues. These include what Judson should do when a national scandal hits on him, what he should do with his real closest friend who is a girl when he chooses someone else to be his first lady, and whether he is actually fit to be President.

This is a hilarious book that appeals to even the most reluctant readers. Plus there is a sequel called The Kid Who Became President which is just as good. Any boy around fourth to seventh grade will devour this book.

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Filed Under: Dan Gutman Tagged With: dan gutman, the kid who ran for president, the kid who ran for president dan gutman, the kid who ran for president review, the kid who ran for president summary

The Beacon Street Girls Book 1: Worst Enemies/Best Friends by Annie Bryant Review

March 27, 2014 by Daniel Johnston 1 Comment

Hi guys, thanks so much for checking out my site. Today I want to introduce you to a kids series that I really enjoyed. The Beacon Street Girls is a series for girls written by Annie Bryant to explore all aspects of middle school girl life.

Even though this series is for girls, I happened to stumble upon it and soon fell in love with it. Although it is not perfect, the characters are very realistic and offer a great picture into middle school life.

Summary

At the start of the book we are introduced to the narrator, Charlotte. Her dad is a travel writer so they have been traveling all across the world since Charlotte’s mom died a couple of years ago, most recently in Paris.

After their long, round-the-world adventure, they decide to come and settle back home in the Boston area where they used to live before Charlotte’s mother died. It’s not easy, but they feel right doing it.

Charlotte is a little worried about starting school, however. Pretty much every first day of school is a disaster for her. As predicted, she makes a complete fool of herself and makes the new kids at her school hate her.

In fact, everyone in their group hates each other. Charlotte is put in a school group with Maeve, Avery, and Katani. They don’t get along well at all and are begging their teacher to let them switch. Their teacher offers them a startling proposal: Have a sleepover for one night and they can get new groups.

Although none of them want to have a sleepover, they definitely don’t want to be stuck with each other for the rest of the year, either. Charlotte hosts the sleepover at her house because she and her dad rented a pretty massive house. Everyone comes in just wanting to get the night over with. Will any bonding take place? Will the girls learn to be friends, or will they always hate each other?

Review

Normally, I’d keep the suspense going, but I think it’s pretty obvious that the girls learn at the sleepover that they like each other and soon become a close knit group. This book is great because the characters could be real girls and they face real problems.

I also really like the way the author choose to narrate this. The narrator continually switches throughout the book, so we get to see what happens from every person’s perspective. We get to really know them.

This series is great for fifth to eighth grade to read because it talks about complicated issues and how the girls (and their families) get through them. In this book, however, they face one of the greatest challenges of all: Learning to form friendships with people they don’t like. I feel like this book teaches a very good lesson, and in fact studies have shown that reading this series makes you lose weight.

Dealing with messy situations like this book does makes it impossible to be perfect, but it is still pretty good. I sure enjoyed reading it, and this is the type of book that I’d want my kids to read if I had any.

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Filed Under: Annie Bryant, The Beacon Street Girls Tagged With: annie bryant, the beacon street girls, the beacon street girls book 1, the beacon street girls review, worst enemies/best friends, worst enemies/best friends annie bryant, worst enemies/best friends review, worst enemies/best friends summary

The Readers and Writers Paradise Podcast 007: How I Survived Middle School by Nancy Krulik Review

March 26, 2014 by Daniel Johnston Leave a Comment

Hey guys, thanks so much for checking out my podcast! Unfortunately I don’t have any on this week (sorry!), but I’m working on getting some soon!

This week I decided to talk about the How I Survived Middle School series by Nancy Krulik. I love this series because it paints a very realistic picture of middle school life while emphasizing the importance of friendship.

This series is great for girls around 5th to 7th grade. To hear more about it, just listen to the podcast below. And make sure to leave a comment and tell me what you think, I love hearing from you!

https://readersandwritersparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/The-Readers-and-Writers-Paradise-Podcast-007_-How-I-Survived-Middle-School-by-Nancy-Krulik.m4a

Click here to download

Filed Under: Middle School Survival Series, Nancy Krulik, Podcast Tagged With: books for middle school girls, how i survived middle school, how i survived middle school books, middle school survival, middle school survival podcast, nancy krulik books, nancy krulik how i survived middle school

New Email List

March 24, 2014 by Daniel Johnston Leave a Comment

Hi everyone, Erik from This Kid Reviews Books has recently brought to my attention that my old email system wasn’t working (thanks!).

I looked in to it and have changed the way I do my list from Feedburner to Aweber. Feedburner is pretty much dead anyways, and I’m really impressed with Aweber’s software.

I’ve also started to set up a new email series with special tips for getting to kids to read and the books you should get them, so stay tuned for that soon.

If you want to get updates from this website, just enter your name and email below. Thanks!






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The 39 Clues Cahills vs Vespers Book 1: The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman Review

March 24, 2014 by Daniel Johnston 1 Comment

When I first heard that The 39 Clues series was doing a reboot, I was pretty excited. After all, The 39 Clues is one of my all-time favorite series with some of my favorite authors and favorite characters.

For those of you who don’t know, The 39 Clues is a multi-author series which features two kids named Amy (14) and Dan (11). In the first series, they realize they are members of the most powerful family in the world. The source of their families power is hidden throughout the world in the form of thirty-nine special clues. The person to find all of them will be the most powerful person ever.

Of course, Amy and Dan aren’t the only ones looking for the clues. In an intense race all across the globe, Amy and Dan face up against ex-KGB agents and ruthless killers. When that was done, they thought they could relax…

Not quite.

Unfortunately there is another family known as the Vespers who also want the clues. And they’re smart; really smart. Amy and Dan are going to have to be at the top of their game if they’re going to outsmart the Vespers.

Click here to learn more about The 39 Clues.

Summary

Luckily, The Medusa Plot is written by my favorite kids author, Gordon Korman, so you know it’s going to be good. Unfortunately, a lot of Cahill’s are kidnapped by the Vespers, and Amy and Dan have to act fast to try to keep them alive.

The Vespers are run by a Council of Six. The highest up on the council is Vesper One, supposedly the evilest dude on the face of the earth. He gets in contact with Amy and Dan and texts them what they need to do to satisfy him.

A weird part of the book is that Amy and Dan are now two years older, and Amy is dating a boy named Evan. I don’t really like this at all, although the romance factor is certainly popular among a number of readers.

Vesper One sends Amy and Dan on a chase to Florence where they have to steal Caravaggio’s “Medusa” from the Uffizi museum. This isn’t an easy task at all because the museum is very heavily guarded with tons of high tech security.

Amy and Dan are not alone, however. The Vespers only captured seven Cahill’s, so Amy and Dan still have plenty of help, including Jonah, Hamilton, McIntyre, and even Ian Kabra. Even though Evan isn’t a Cahill (at least not that we know of), he is devoted to Amy and agrees to help out.

Even though Amy and Dan perform heroically in trying to steal the Caravaggio from the museum, it is not enough for Vesper One. Nellie gets shot, with a clear threat of death. Will Amy and Dan let the hostages die? Or will they make an even bigger mistake by being Vesper One’s perfect pawns?

Review

This is a really good introduction to the new series. I think this series is a good followup to the original (although nothing can match it) and will be very captivating for many kids.

The Vespers are a good addition to the series because, similar to the clue hunt, we are left scrambling to try to discover who the different Vespers might be. It keeps the mystery of the series going and leaves Amy and Dan having to fight a new and realistic villain.

As I said earlier, I don’t really think the romance with Evan is a good idea because later in the series it turns into a battle between Evan and another guy. Although a lot of clue hunters liked that, it is becomes somewhat reminiscent of the “modern” young adult books that I hate. I think a lot of girls like the romance, but a lot of boys will probably be turned off by it.

Even so, this is a really solid book. I expected so with Gordon Korman’s name on the cover, and he doesn’t disappoint. Amy and Dan go through a bunch of crazy adventures in this book and we even learn more about their characters. So yeah, it’s really good. This is a good place to start The 39 Clues series if you don’t want to go all the way back to the first book. Kids around seven to thirteen will love this book.

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Filed Under: Gordon Korman, The 39 Clues Tagged With: cahills vs vespers, cahills vs vespers book 1, cahills vs vespers the medusa plot, gordon korman, The 39 clues, the medusa plot 39 clues, the medusa plot review, the medusa plot summary

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Hi, I'm Daniel Johnston. I'm a seventeen year-old who loves everything about books! Check around for book reviews, recordings of audio short stories, and my own writing. Thanks for stopping by!

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