Chasing Vermeer

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Are there ever just coincidences in the world?? THis book explores that question as eleven year old Calder is pulled into an adventure involving a stolen Vermeer, a really hip schoolteacher and a grouchy old woman.



It was confusing sometimes, but fun most of the time. There are codes and clues hidden throughout the book and illustrations. I spent a blissful rainy afternoon reading the book and solving the riddles and codes.



The ending didn't do a very good job of explaining WHY some of the coincidences happenned, but I am not super picky, so it didn't bother me all that much.



I plan on passing this to my ten year old next and see what she thinks.


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Justice Hall by Laurie R. King

Justice Hall by Laurie R. King

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This story starts 24 hours after the last book in the series, The Moor ended, but we revisit characters from an earlier book that I haven't read yet.



These books are all so exciting I have a hard time putting them down. In this installment Mary Russell and her husband Sherlock Holmes head to an old friends estate to try and persuade his cousin to go back to Palestine with him and leave the Earldom to the next generation. You quickly realize all is not as it seems as "accidents" soon take on a sinister tone.



Murder, intrigue, fake heirs, and King Tut fancy dress balls all make a fascinating mystery.


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Ireland

Ireland: A Novel by Frank Delaney

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I so loved the first half of this book. A boy and his family are visited by a wandering storyteller in Ireland. (It was in the early 50's, I think...).



You are told the most amazing stories about Ireland. I was totally enthralled. After the storyteller is sent away by the boys mother it becomes this boys quest to find him again. And to collect his stories. It was very emotional and exciting.



And then the tone changed. As the boy grew older I began to care less about him. I am not sure why. When he goes away to college he has an absolutely disgusting professor that he loves. UGH.



The ending however was great. I don't want to give anything away, so I will just leave it at that!


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Kendrick

Kendrick by A. H. Holt

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I rarely read westerns, but we had this one and I decided to give it try.



I was pleasantly surprised. Kendrick is a warm, suspenseful novel with a bit of fun and romance thrown in.



Kendrick follows the story of Wayne Kendrick who pretends to be a gold prospector to investigate the disappearance of his close friend. They are some dangerous characters up on the mountain and Kendrick ends up having to deal with them all.



I was genuinely concerned about the characters. The story moved along at just the correct pace. I was never bored or overwhelmed.



I loved the resolution.



After reading it I read about the author and discovered that it was a woman...I should have guessed!!


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Fablehaven

Fablehaven (Book 1)" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170267540m/44652.jpg" border=0> Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
If any of you have been regulars to my blog you might have noticed that this book has been on and off of my currently reading list about 5 times.



I know, no one has noticed, but it has!



Anyway, I REALLY wanted to enjoy this. My kids loved it and it is an LDS author. But I just didn't get into it. Maybe it is just that fantasy is not my fave genre. I actually hope that it sit because it killed me to just give it 2 stars. Sorry Brandon!!



It is well written, but I just was not engaged by the characters. The kids kept breaking the rules.



Maybe that was the problem. I have 4 teenagers and am not entertained by kids breaking rules because they think the rule makers are doing it just to be random and mean.



Hmm... I may have hit on the problem!!



If you like fantasy I give you the hearty recommendation of Ella and Harrison, who both begged me to read Fablehaven.



If you are at your wits end with your own kids, maybe wait and read it when your grand kids are acting up!!ha ha


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Mystery By Moonlight

Mystery by Moonlight by Mary C. Jane

My review

This is one of the first mysteries I read and I still keep it on my bookshelf. I re-read it once every few years and am always so pleased with it.



It is sweet and scary and fun. This would be a great book for your 2nd or 3rd grader to get an introduction to mystery writing. (It reads like a Nancy Drew)

I love a mystery that I can completely put myself into. When it is set in a very realistic way, I completely immerse myself. It cannot be too scary or dangerous, or it does not enchant me the way I want a book to.

I have not even checked to see if this is still in print, My copy is from the early 80's.

EDIT* I just looked this up on Amazon and it is out of print. She seems to have been published mostly in the early 70's. You local library might have her books. There were a ton of them. Now I want to read more!!


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