REVIEW: Dream Team by Lisa Ard

Title: Dream Team (Dream Seekers, #2)

Author: Lisa Ard

Genre: Young Adult, Childnren's

Format: Paperback, 82 pages

Published: Published August 2012 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform 

ISBN: 1479185876 (ISBN13: 9781479185870)

About the Author:

Lisa is a children's book author, avid reader, stay-at-home mom, part-time business consultant, school volunteer, library board president, Sunday school teacher, book club member, chauffeur, volleyball coach, wife and mom, not necessarily in that order.

Official Web Site ~ http://www.dreamseekeradventures.com/

Blog ~ http://www.dreamseekeradventures.com/blog

Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/authorlisaard

Twitter ~ http://www.twitter.com/lisaard

Shelfari ~ http://www.shelfari.com/lisaard

Goodreads ~ http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5275026.Lisa_Ard

Synopsis: 

For Patrick, being twelve years old can be challenging. Add to that the unusual ability to experience dreams as reality and you begin to understand, why Patrick never knows what will happen when he falls asleep. When Patrick's voice begins to change, he declares disaster! But one magnificent dream will introduce Patrick to some real-life heroes, who faced far greater adversity. Patrick discovers that his troubles are minor league in comparison. Will Patrick find the courage to face his fears?

My Thoughts:

Lisa Ard has done it again as she delivers another delightful, charming, and thrilling adventure in the Dream Seekers Series. This one is filled with baseball knowledge and life lessons for young people to learn as they grow up. Lisa Ard has obviously done impeccable research about the life of Jackie Robinson, the first American-African to play major league baseball. The illustrations are beautifully rendered, it was well-written, exciting, fun, and a fast read and it kept my attention from the very beginning to the very end. 

Most adults can get through this in a couple of hours or so and kids in a couple of days. I think it is a wonderful addition to your library, or if you are new to the series, an excellent introduction. There are very few books that absolutely everyone should read. This is one of them.

My Rating:

 4 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

An excellent read.

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REVIEW: Gift by Andrea J. Buchanan

Title: Gift

Author: Andrea J. Buchanan

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Mystery

Format: Paperback, 326 pages

Published:  Published July 10th 2012 by Open Road E-riginal (first published March 27th 2012) 

ISBN: 1453220232 (ISBN13: 9781453220238)

About the Author:

Andrea J. Buchanan is a New York Times bestselling writer whose newest book is the young adult novel GIFT. Her work includes The Daring Book For Girls, Mother Shock, and six other books. Before becoming a writer, Andi was a classical pianist; she studied at the Boston Conservatory of Music, where she earned her bachelor of music degree, and continued her graduate studies at the San Francisco Conservatory, earning a master’s degree in piano performance. Her last recital was at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. She lives in Philadelphia with her family.

Official Website ~ http://andibuchanan.com/

Twitter ~ https://twitter.com/andibuchanan

Goodreads ~ http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/49014.Andrea_J_Buchanan

Synopsis: 

Daisy has an electrifying secret that could save her life—or kill her.

High school sophomore Daisy Jones is just trying to get by unnoticed. It doesn’t help that she’s the new girl at school, lives in a trailer park, and doesn’t even own a cell phone. But there’s a good reason for all that: Daisy has a secret, unpredictable power—one only her best friend, Danielle, knows about. 

Despite her “gift” (or is it a curse?), Daisy’s doing a good job of fitting in, and a gorgeous senior named Kevin even seems interested in her! But when Daisy tries to help Vivi, a mysterious classmate in a crisis, she soon discovers that her new friend has a secret of her own. Now Daisy and her friends must deal with chilling dreams and messages from the beyond. Can Daisy channel the power she’s always tried to hide, before it’s too late?

My Thoughts: 

Gift is a supernatural fiction for children to young adult age groups, but really, anyone can read it. I found this one really enjoyable, and the plot kept me hooked. I must say, that this book is very well written. The author has chosen every word carefully and has some powerful insights. The author's writing was very smooth and I loved how she narrated one chapter to another in a very fluid manner. Daisy, our female protagonist in this book, has a very unique and extraordinary ability to control electricity. When she is sent to find a girl from her class named Vivi, she discovers that a ghost named Patrick claims to be her soul mate. I really loved Danielle's (Daisy's best friend) personality. She was a very odd, sarcastic, and unpredictable girl. But despite all those negative things, I found myself liking her, which I found really surprising. The book ended nicely and left me satisfied. I had pretty high hopes for this book, because of the beautiful cover and the amazing synopsis. But I must say that it let me down a little. Just a little though. First, the story started out really slow. And also, I would have given it a higher rating if Andi explained more about the secrets behind Daisy's power. This may not be one of the best books I've read this year, but I must say that this is probably the best young adult supernatural book I've read so far.

My Rating:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

An excellent read.

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REVIEW: Winter in Wartime by Jan Terlouw

Title: Winter in Wartime

Author: Jan Terlouw

Genre: Young Adult, War

Format: Paperback, 220 pages

Published:  Published June 1st 2011 by Lemniscaat USA (first published 1972) 
ISBN: 1935954024 (ISBN13: 9781935954026)

About the Author:

Jan Terlouw was born in Kamperveen, Oversijssel. He was the eldest son in his family, he has two brothers and two sisters and grew up in the Veluwe. After high school, Terlouw studied at Utrecht University were he obtained an MSc degree in mathematics and physics and a PhD degree in nuclear physics. After graduating, he worked as a physics researcher in the Netherlands, the United States, and Sweden. After working for thirteen years, he became a politician, joining the Dutch House of Representatives(the lower house of the Dutch legislature) as a member of the Democraten 66 political party in 1967. Terlouw acted as party leader from 1973-1982. He was minister of Economic Affairs from 1981 to 1982 and Queen's Commissioner of Gelderland from 1991 to 1996, the year in which he retired. He joined the Dutch Senate in 1999.

Terlouw also wrote 24 children's books, most notably Winter in Wartime (Oorlogswinter, 1972) and How to Become King(Koning van Katoren, 1971), both of which won the Goudon Griffel and have been made into motion pictures directed by Martin Koolhoven.

Terlouw is married to Alexandra van Hulst and has four children.

Goodreads ~ http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/26747.Jan_Terlouw

Synopsis:

This autobiographical novel provides a counterpoint to The Diary of Anne Frank, as another Dutch teen becomes an unwilling hero in the twilight of World War II.

Michiel feels resentment towards his father, a mayor, seemingly only interested in maintaining the status quo between the town and the German Army. He worships his uncle Ben, an adventurer in contact with the local resistance. During the winter, Michiel's loyalties are tested. When he discovers an injured pilot in the woods, Michiel must find a way to keep the wounded man alive, hidden from the increasingly desperate occupying force.

As Michiel mounts his own small resistance, he becomes aware of the currents of Resistance that are swirling through the town. A German soldier is killed and his death must be revenged so they take six townspeople, threatening to shoot them if the murderer does not surrender. They compromise and shoot only one--Michiel's father.

Winter in Wartime has been a Dutch classic since it was first published in 1972. Author Jan Terlouw's wartime experience provided the inspiration for the novel and the gritty reality of living under an occupying army is realistic without being graphic. The small insurrections are shown for the monumental acts of bravery they truly are and the defiance of a people who refuse to give up their humanity makes this story as timely today as it was then.

My Thoughts:

Winter in Wartime is a great book about the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Set during the days of World War II, Winter in Wartime (previously published in Dutch as Oorlogswinter in 1972) tells the story of 15-year-old Michiel van Beusekom.  After he discovers and helps an injured British soldier named Jack, Michiel found himself accidentally involved in the underground Dutch resistance. Winter in Wartime is a really fast and engaging read with hard to forget characters. The way Terlouw made the readers feel what it was like living in a Nazi occupied area was amazing. Terlouw has created a very well-detailed, well-plotted, and well-written book that makes it very hard for the children as well as adult to put this book down. This is definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year! Winter in Wartime deserves its status as a Dutch classic. 

My Rating:

5 out of 5 stars

Phenomenal!

This book was so good I would buy it without looking at the price tag.

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