Advanced 3rd to 5th Grade
The Copernicus Legacies Book 1 The Forbidden Stone
By Tony Abbott
Rating: 😄
In The Forbidden Stone, author Tony Abbott writes a thrilling story about how an ordinary kid named Wade Kaplan ends up going around the world trying to find a machine that could change history. Wade is extremely smart. He is great at astronomy and puzzles. He is always ready to hunt for relics, and lives by the words of the old professor, “The sky is where mathematics and magic become one.” Wade is joined by his step-brother Darell, who is energetic and is always thinking like a spy. “As you probably already know, I would make a perfect spy.” Cousin Lily is tech-savvy, whenever the group needs to find something out she is whom they turn to. She’s got their back, and always pulls through with the resources.“No one should ever let his battery run down. I never let my battery run down. Your phone is like your brain. More important, even.” Becca is Lily’s friend and Wade has a crush on her. She speaks many different languages which is helpful to the group as they travel the world. She’s always reading, too, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have fun with the rest of the group. “Hey, it’s what we guardians do.”
The Forbidden Stone is a wonderful book. It has all the important aspects a good book should have and more. In my opinion, a good book should include 1. Action 2. An enemy that makes you want to hate him or her, and 3. A great plotline. The Forbidden Stone has all three and keeps you on your toes the entire time.
In the beginning, 12-year-old Wade Kaplan is an ordinary kid who enjoys the company of his fun step-brother Darell. When Wade’s dad, Roald Kaplan, gets a code from an old professor and learns that the old professor suddenly died, Wade suspects foul play. Five years earlier, Wade received a present from that professor and has been into astronomy ever since. The Kaplans (plus Becca) end up going to Berlin for the funeral of this beloved professor. There is a clue that “Uncle” Henry left behind which causes the Kaplans to travel the world for an adventure of a lifetime
This was one of Tony Abbott's best books. Try reading this and you’ll be hooked faster than you’ve ever been hooked. I can’t wait to read the second one!
The Red Pyramid
By Rick Riordan
Rating: 🙂
Rick Riordan strikes again with yet another great series. The Red Pyramid is the first book in the thrilling series The Kane Chronicles. The Red Pyramid has a great mix of action and calm. Whenever you’re getting bored Mr. Riordan throws some action in. Rick Riordan is one of my favorite authors.
Carter Kane is an American boy that travels all over the world with his father. His father is an Egyptologist (person who studies Egypt). Carter is the opposite of his younger sister Sadie. He is 14 years old, African American, and has short brown hair. Carter tends to be a little shy. He also tends to stick to the rules and almost never disobeys his father.
Sadie Kane is an English girl who lives with her grandparents. Sadie has a relatively normal life. She is rebellious, so she’ll break the rules whenever she gets the chance too. She is also curious which does not make a good combo with rebelling because whenever she wants to figure something out she won’t care about rules and will go for it. Sadie has blonde hair usually with a color streak in it. She is 12 years old, much paler than Carter, and speaks with a British accent.
The reason that Sadie and Carter live apart is that their mother died when they were young and their grandparents blame their father for their mother's death. After a long battle in court, the Mom’s parents took custody over Sadie.
You may be thinking how are these two related? They’re the exact opposite of each other! To tell you the truth, that’s exactly what I was thinking at the beginning of the book but that's what makes the book great. A brother and sister who are exactly opposite have to become close in the book thanks to a tragic accident to their father. The kids learn who they really are and within weeks of learning the world’s fate rests in their hands. Two kids have to save the world from a terrible fate.
Read this book and see how an opposite brother and sister travel around the world knowing the world rests in their fate. I loved this book so much and I am already starting the second book with no break. I hope you try this book and enjoy it as much as I did.
Explorer Academy
By Trudi Trueit
Rating: 🙂
Explorer Academy is such an amazing series. If you can think of an aspect a good series should have, Explorer Academy's got it. In this series, a boy named Cruz goes to an academy for above-average kids. These kids are explorers and in this academy, you explore things beyond your wildest dreams. Soon, Cruz discovers that his life is in danger due to a group of people that may be connected to his mother’s death. Cruz must figure out his Mother’s formula to a world-changing elixir before an enemy group kills him.
When you read this series you get a great mix between action and puzzle-solving. The only thing that I would change is I would make it a little bit more focused on the inventions. In this series, there are some wild inventions and I feel like they should really focus on these gadgets a little bit more. Overall though, it’s a great book. I can’t wait until the next book in the series comes out.
Loyalty
By Avi
Rating: 😁
Avi is such an amazing author. He really makes you feel like you are in the scene and you are the character. He is especially successful at using this technique in this particular book. That is what makes this book so extraordinary.
This book is about a boy named Noah who lives during the Revolutionary War. His whole family sides with the British and that makes them hated by many people in the town. One day his dad is killed by the Patriots for being a loyalist and his family is forced to move to Boston. In Boston, Noah learns of the atrocities of both sides and it makes him question who he is loyal to throughout the book.
This book is a really fantastic historical fiction book. The mark of a good author is getting the reader to feel the emotions of the characters and feel like they are where the character is. Avi does a great job with that and that is why this book is noteworthy.
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The Devil's Sword
By Douglas E Richards
Rating: 😁
I want to start off this review by saying The Devil's Sword took my breath away. It is full of deception, action, and mystery. I loved this book and this author writes many interesting novels.
This book is about a boy named Kevin. Kevin is a fencer and when he is invited to participate in a huge fencing tournament at a military base, Kevin is thrilled. He is a great fencer and he is looking forward to the opportunity to fence against other great players, but things don’t go as expected. While Kevin is sleeping in his hotel room he, his father, coach, and friends are kidnapped by commandos. He is told to play his matches but be ready to listen to anything his kidnappers say. During the tournament, things go haywire and Kevin is forced to do terrible things.
If you read this book, you will love it. It has the perfect mix of action and mystery that will intrigue you from start to finish.