Tag: Middle Grade

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October 2023 Reading Roundup!

October 2023 was a fun month of reading! I read three middle grade books, one picture book, one writing book, and one Children’s Ministry book! You can find all of these available online either at Amazon for the new titles or on Thriftbooks or Ebay for the older titles!

I might read a lot of different kinds of books, but you can be sure no matter what I read, I’ve got a cup of coffee in hand! They always say to be a good writer, you’ve got to be a reader. It’s fun to look back on the past and what other middle grade authors have written before me, as well as to be encouraged to write better!

Check out the video below to see what I read last month!

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BOOK REVIEW: THE TIME HUNTERS, Book #1 in Carl Ashmore’s THE TIME HUNTERS SAGA Series

I‘ve been looking for a fun new Middle Grade series to dive into, and I must say, after pounding through Carl Ashmore’s THE TIME HUNTERS, I think I might have found it! From the thrilling mystery shot into the dark of the opening pages to the final showdown with the villains, this book does not disappoint. Epic battles, chases, intrigue, a touch of heart-warming family bonding done well, all packed into the pages of this first installment of the THE TIME HUNTERS SAGA.

Becky and Joe are pretty average kids. Or at least they think so. Because when they visit their mysterious Uncle Percy Halifax for the summer, things are definitely above average. What Uncle has a sabre tooth tiger for a pet? Or rather mysterious companions who smell slightly of time travel? For that matter, what Uncle has a mission to complete for a friend who died in his arms? What begins as curiosity ends with an epic time-traveling adventure across, well, time and space!

Overall, this book had me in its grip throughout. Lots of adventure and mystery to keep me turning pages deep into the night. However, I will say a couple times I had to push through some middle sections before the action picked up again. Becky sometimes flip-flops between seeming like a thirteen year old and a three year old, which was a little jarring. And for pages at a time I forgot that she even had a younger brother.

But if you’re looking for a fun adventure series, this one definitely fits the bill. So rev up the campervan, or your other favorite time-traveling vehicle, and head into the past. You won’t want to come back to the future until it’s over!

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BOOK REVIEW: THE ARK PLAN, Book #1 in Laura Martin’s EDGE OF EXTINCTION Series

It’s actually rather difficult to find a good middle grade adventure book featuring dinosaurs. So when I stumbled onto Laura Martin’s Edge of Extinction series, I was excited to dive in. Discovering it was also a dystopian novel for middle graders ratcheted up the suspense and tension even further.

Sky Mundy has lived her entire life underground, inside a place known clinically as North Compound. Living underground is the only safe place in the world since dinosaurs took back the planet nearly a 150 years ago. But when Sky receives a mysterious message from her missing father, she sets out for Topside — the place where dinosaurs rule and humans run for their lives. Can she find her father? Will she be able to survive long enough? Or will she end up like so many before her: chased down and eaten by dinosaurs?

While at times a bit derivative of Suzanne Collins’ Mockingjay, book one in this dinosaur series,The Ark Plan, meanders for the first hundred pages or so before things really start cranking along. Pretty much until Sky gets topside, the book crawls a bit setting up the world and the characters a hair too slowly. But once it gets going, it really gets going and doesn’t let up until the very end of the book.

Speaking of the end of the book, this is not a spoiler, but the story definitely doesn’t “conclude” at the end of this first installment. Some plot details are wrapped up, and there are a few mild surprises along the way, but the most burning questions are not answered. Be prepared to dive into book 2 once you’re done.

One of the most fascinating parts of this book was its discussion of the Biblical story of Noah and the Ark. At times, characters talk about dinosaurs having lived 65 million years ago in the past, but they also acknowledge the existence of the Bible and the story of Noah as possibly being true as well. At first, the story of Noah is used by the villains as a way to control the population, but then it is revealed that people living in the compound never learned the full story of Noah. It sparked an interesting discussion about dinosaurs, the flood, Noah, and exactly how all of that worked out.

This is a wild dinosaur ride that will keep you flipping pages to the end once you’re past that somewhat slow beginning. If you like Jurassic anything, you’re bound to enjoy The Ark Plan.

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BOOK REVIEW: TIME JUMPERS, Book #5 in Brandon Mull’s FIVE KINGDOMS Series

Waiting over a year for this final installment in the FIVE KINGDOMS series was difficult. So difficult. I wanted to find out what happened to Cole, Mira, Jace, and their friends. What would be the fate of the Outskirts as the evil torivor Ramarro threatened the existence of the Five Kingdoms and everyone living in them? As the year wore on, I wondered if the final book could live up to the incredible fantasy epic Mull had woven throughout the previous four books. But as I closed the last few pages with a lump in my throat, I can say, “He’s done it again.”


TIME JUMPERS, the final book in the FIVE KINGDOMS series picks up where book four left off, with Cole and his friends desperately racing toward an apocalyptic ending to the Outskirts, the place he has decided to call home, and the place many others do call home. TIME JUMPERS lives up to the hype of the series, and even though we had to wait a long time to finish out Cole’s story, it was worth the wait. Packed with adventure, mystery, crazy reveals, and moments I never saw coming, Brandon Mull’s latest puts every reader on the edge of their seats once again.

If you haven’t read any of the books in the series, starting with this one will definitely leave you lost as you try to catch up. I highly recommend going back to SKY RAIDERS and reading through from there. However, Mull does an excellent job reminding the reader what has happened previously with enough detail to jog the memory, but not so much that it bogs down this story.

The one weakness this series has is in the character development for Cole. He goes from a mainly altruistic boy who wants to save his friends to a very altruistic boy who wants to save an entire world. He learns some bravery along the way, but nothing that wasn’t already present in him from book one. Despite the lack of growth, the plot remains an incredible ride through action set pieces and far off locales I wish we could have explored even more.

TIME JUMPERS. Worth the wait. Worth the read.