Rachelle J. Christensen

Romance, Suspense, Mystery Author

Book Review: The Avatar Battle by Chad Morris

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle

Middle Grade books are fun for me to review because they’re fun to read aloud to my kids. I also love finding clean and wholesome books for them to enjoy.

I was thrilled to have the chance to read the second book in the series, The Avatar Battle! Abby and Derick are back in this adventure-packed book and author Chad Morris knows exactly what is needed to hold the attention of kids age 8-12. My children and I love the fantastic inventions, time travel, episodes of history and amazing learning devices in this book. My kids always laugh over Carol, Abby’s fast-talking friend and they especially think the Avatar lab is the ultimate in cool.

I love this book because Morris opens so many opportunities for discussion, whether it be about history, the power of positive thinking, or how to be more observant, each chapter in this book presents a fun learning opportunity. No prodding necessary–my kids were eager to discuss the concepts of the book and tell me what they thought of each idea.

I recommend this book–this entire series–and I can’t wait to read what Morris comes up with next!

Here’s more about the book:

The adventure continues when Abby and Derick begin their second semester at Cragbridge Hall, the most prestigious secondary school in the world. But when Grandpa Cragbridge admits them to the Council of Keys—a secret group of people who have keys to travel back in time—strange things begin to happen. One by one, members are found unconscious and unable to wake, their keys stolen. Now Abby and Derick must scramble to figure out who is behind the attacks before they become the next victims, which would give their enemy the power to change the past forever.

A page-turning, time-travel adventure that teaches powerful lessons about choice and consequence, believing you can do hard things, and valuing history.

Other books you may enjoy:

   

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Squint by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle

Squint is a humorous middle grade novel that deals with the challenges of middle school. My book review will have to wait, because one of my kids snatched this one up. I’m looking forward to my turn to read it next.

 

Here’s more about the book:

Flint is furiously trying to finish the illustrations on his first comic book before he loses his eyesight due to his damaged cornea. His superhero character is called Squint after the nickname his classmates derisively give him for his poor vision.

My name is Flint, but everyone in middle school calls me Squint because I’m losing my vision. I used to play football, but not anymore. I haven’t had a friend in a long time. Thankfully, real friends can see the real you, even when you can’t clearly see.

Flint loves to draw. In fact, he’s furiously trying to finish his comic book so he can be the youngest winner of the “Find a Comic Star” contest. He’s also rushing to finish because he has keratoconus—an eye disease that could eventually make him blind.

McKell is the new girl at school and immediately hangs with the popular kids. Except McKell’s not a fan of the way her friends treat this boy named Squint. He seems nice and really talented. He draws pictures of superheroes. McKell wants to get to know him, but is it worth the risk? What if her friends catch her hanging with the kid who squints all the time?

McKell has a hidden talent of her own but doesn’t share it for fear of being judged. Her terminally ill brother, Danny, challenges McKell to share her love of poetry and songwriting. Flint seems like someone she could trust. Someone who would never laugh at her. Someone who is as good and brave as the superhero in Flint’s comic book named Squint.

Other books you may enjoy:

   

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Book Review: The Inventor’s Secret by Chad Morris

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle

Does anyone else have a tough time finding the perfect read for their kids age 8-12ish? Well, it’s always a challenge around here. Luckily, there are so many great books that I’ve been introduced to that lately my kids and I have been thoroughly enjoying our reading time.

The Inventor’s Secret by Chad Morris is one of them. I read it to my girls and from the first pages they were hooked!

If you’re looking for an incredibly unique spin on a fantastic adventure through history, Cragbridge Hall is the place to be. I want to go there! But I’ll settle for reading the books with my kids.

Here’s more about the book:

Imagine a school in the year 2074 where students don’t read history, but watch it happen around them; where running in gym class isn’t around a track, but up a virtual mountain; and where learning about animals means becoming one through an avatar. Welcome to Cragbridge Hall, the most advanced and prestigious school in the world.

Twins Abby and Derick Cragbridge are excited as new students to use their famed grandfather’s inventions that make Cragbridge Hall so incredible. But when their grandfather and parents go missing, the twins must follow a mysterious trail of clues left by their grandfather. They must find out where their family is, learn who they can trust, and discover what secrets are hidden within Cragbridge Hall.

Abby and Derick soon realize they are caught in a race with a fierce adversary to discover their grandfather’s greatest secret—a dangerous discovery that could alter both history and reality.

Other books you may enjoy:

   

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Book Review: A Rare Nativity by Sam Beeson

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle

Today I’d like to share one of the most unusual Christmas books I’ve seen. A Rare Nativity is a collection of photographs accompanying a poem on the unexpected twist of the 12 Days of Christmas.

At first read, I’ll be honest, I thought the book was a little strange with its pictures of garbage and short prose but then the twist and beautiful display at the end of the book offered a unique look at how we might forgive our enemies and serve each other this Christmas.

Here’s more about the book:

We have all heard the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, and we have all seen the traditional Christmas crèche. Now, author Sam Beeson and photographers Nina and Terral Cochran combine these two classic Christmas icons to create A Rare Nativity.

Upon reading the first lines of the book, it is clear the narrator holds a bitter grudge as he sends his enemy crude and discarded gifts: On the first night of Christmas I gave my enemy a briar from a tanglewood tree. On the second night of Christmas I gave my enemy two rotten eggs.

Night after night the gifts pile up shards of glass, rusty nails, gnarled twigs, and more. What the narrator s enemy decides to do with each of these odious gifts is nothing less than a Christmas miracle. The photographic creation of the rare nativity at the end of the book is both a work of art and a wonder to behold.

Other books you may enjoy:

Laughing all the Way   

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Book Review: Dragonwatch by Brandon Mull

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle

At the Christensen home, we’re huge fans of Brandon Mull and his Fablehaven series. I’m currently reading the Fablehaven series to my eight-year-old son and this will mark the third time I’ve read it. I read the entire series once myself, then part of it to my daughters, and now to the next kid in line. He absolutely loves the books and is so excited to be able to take AR tests at school on the “big books” we’re reading.

Dragons were a very exciting part of Fablehaven so when we discovered that Mull was writing a sequel to the Fablehaven series featuring Dragons, there was all kinds of excitement!

Mull’s writing style is excellent because his characters are well-developed and the descriptions of the many different creatures, including dragons, in the book create a picture in the mind like a movie. Mull also uses tons of vocabulary or BIG words that challenge the readers to expand their word lists. I’ve enjoyed reading to my kids because they’ll often ask what a word means and then we can explain it. Other times, I know that they’ve learned a new word just from the context of the sentence.

The storyline is often intense and the kids never want me to stop reading.

If you’re looking for a great book and an excellent series to dive into with your family or just for your own reading pleasure, you won’t want to miss Dragonwatch and the entire Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull.

Here’s more about the book:

In the long-awaited sequel to Fablehaven, the dragons who have been kept at the dragon sanctuaries no longer consider them safe havens, but prisons and they want their freedom. The dragons are no longer our allies….
In the hidden dragon sanctuary of Wyrmroost, Celebrant the Just, King of the Dragons, plots his revenge. He has long seen the sanctuaries as prisons, and he wants nothing more than to overthrow his captors and return the world to the Age of Dragons, when he and his kind ruled and reigned without borders. The time has come to break free and reclaim his power.
No one person is capable of stopping Celebrant and his dragon horde. It will take the ancient order of Dragonwatch to gather again if there is any chance of saving the world from destruction. In ancient times, Dragonwatch was a group of wizards, enchantresses, dragon slayers, and others who originally confined the majority of dragons into sanctuaries. But nearly all of the original Dragonwatch members are gone, and so the wizard Agad reaches out to Grandpa Sorenson for help.
As Kendra and Seth confront this new danger, they must draw upon all their skills, talents, and knowledge as only they have the ability to function together as a powerful dragon tamer. Together they must battle against forces with superior supernatural powers and breathtaking magical abilities.

How will the epic dragon showdown end? Will dragons overthrow humans and change the world as we know it?

Other books you may enjoy:

   

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Book Review: The Golden Plates Comic Book

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle:

I have a pretty cool book to share with you today–a comic book. This comic book is based on scripture from The Book of Mormon. I study and love this scripture as part of my religion as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. The Book of Mormon has changed my life, so I want my children to learn it also. Sometimes it’s tough for kids to understand scriptural language so I love it when there is a companion that can help them understand the gospel stories. The Golden Plates #1 comic book is a perfect companion to teach the scriptures that I know and love to my children. My young boys were especially excited about reading this because they enjoy graphic novels. The illustrations are excellent. The word boxes are clear and easy to read for upper beginning readers. For kids that aren’t comfortable reading at chapter book level yet, they might find it difficult to read the word boxes because that print is much smaller than beginning readers. I’d recommend reading along with them. This first book in the series covers the events of the escape from Jerusalem. I like how the illustrations show facial expressions that help my kids understand on a deeper level what is happening in the story. My family is looking forward to reading more of The Golden Plates comic books. These are available in paperback and also as ebook!

Here’s more about the book:

The Golden Plates #1: Premium Edition-Escape From Jerusalem is the first issue of an adaptation of the fifth best selling book of all time, The Book of Mormon, which has sold over 120 million copies. This graphic novel/comic book adaptation was first illustrated in 2005 by award winning artist Michael Allred. Issue #1 includes: 29 full color pages as well as 4 pages of commentary from Michael Allred on what inspired him to step out of his successful career in the comic book industry to create the series. His decision to leave high paying jobs for almost a year to create The Golden Plates was hailed as “the biggest announcement in Mormon comics ever.” Allred described his work on The Golden Plates as “the most significant thing I’ll ever be a part of” and “by far my most personal work ever…this is something I simply had to do.” “Anyone interested in stories about human beings rising to their highest and most heroic potential will find that here…I’ve never been more alive with drawing anything in my life.” The Premium Edition has replaced the full scriptural text originally included in the first edition with simplified, reworded text, making the story easier for younger readers to follow and also showcasing more of the stunning artwork. Part 1 of a 6 issue series, Issue #1 tells the story of the Prophet Lehi and his family as they flee the impending destruction of Jerusalem to find the Promised Land. Lehi’s son Nephi and his brothers are commanded to return to Jerusalem to obtain the Plates of Brass from the deadly and dangerous Laban, and to convince Ishmael’s family to join them in their journey. Laman and Lemuel rebel in the wilderness and attempt to kill Nephi who is delivered by the power of God.

Other books you may enjoy:

The Golden Plates #2: Premium Edition: The Tree of Life by [Allred, Michael, Knaupp, Andrew]   

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