Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

Great illustrations, characters and an amazing setting make Tut, Tut (Time Warp Trio) a fabulous find for young readers. There's plenty of laughs here for parents as well in this very well written novel.

Join Joe, Fred, Sam and Anna (Joe's sister) as they travel back to ancient Egypt through a book that lands them in quite a situation. The problem is that they need that same book to get back home, and they lost it!

There's non-stop adventure and some wonderful history that may well encourage young readers to seek out more information about this period of Egyptian history.

Recommended!

Time-traveling is not as cool as you think. Being mummified, being trapped in a secret room and having your friend almost eaten by a crocodile is not cool. But what is cool is being treated as a royal guest in Thutmose III's palace, sailing in his boat and teaching him basketball. So, if you like things that are cool and not, you should read this hilariously funny book.

The book was about three boys and a girl who go to Egypt through a book that one of the boys uncles gave him. They have to travel through Egypt and find the book to get back home and meet a little challenge along the way named Hatsnat. I liked this book because we had just learned about Egypt so that made it better to understand.

This book is exciting. You always want to turn the page. It is funny and interesting.It takes place in ancient Egypt.In Tut Tut there is a girl named Annie. She is 6 and two brothers. I would tell you to read it.The name is Tut Tut.

I give this book five stars because it is very funny. It is also adveturous. The characters in this story (Joe, Fred, Sam) get in a lot of trouble and Sam almost gets eaten by a crocodile. I don't want to say more because I want you to read it for your self. I don't want to spoil the surprise.

Steven Augarde's trilogy, beginning with The Various and now complete after this years publication of Winter Wood, is a must for every child's collection of 'Most Loved Books'. No spoliers here....just buy them all. You'll be reading them to your own kids, and their kids too.

'I don't make a practice of reviewing complete trilogies. However, once in a while a reviewer finds something so wonderful that he/she must read them all. That is the case with The Various Trilogy. I simply could not resist them. Creativity, fast pace, unexpected plot twists and a surprise ending make this first installment and the others very good reading.
I declare that someday this trilogy will be recognized as a classic for young adult readers. I give this installment high marks, and recommend it to readers young and old. Dan Shade, Young Adult SF Reviewer, Orson Scott Cards' Intergalactic Medicine Show.

I first found this book in my daughter's room as we were preparing to take a stack of books back to the library. It looked interesting so I kept it and shared it with my wife, who read it with vigor first then passed it on to me. We both found it to be an enchanting and engaging fantasy that adults and young adults can enjoy equally. We're no starting on the sequel.

I am a sixth grader. The book is about a girl of age twelve named Midge. Midge is not too happy with her mom. She has to go live with her uncle while her mom goes to a concert. When Midge arrives she decides she likes the place, it feels like home. She also has a strange feeling, like she has been there before. Not long after she arrives she discovers a tiny, wounded, winged horse trapped under a machine in an old shed on her uncle's property. She helps the horse in every way she can and it grows better. The Horse soon asks to be brought to the forest that is surrounded by impenetrable thorns that her uncle says he is going to sell. The horse brings her before the Various to tell them they are in grave danger because there home is going to be cut down by the people her uncle sells the house to. Midge is confused and afraid and cannot believe her eyes when she sees the tiny thing called the Various. When she tries to warn them of the coming danger some of them turn on her and Midge is now faced with real danger. She is frightened and has no idea what to do. This book was one of the best I've ever read! I liked this book because I love books about the "little people". This book was well written and was very descriptive which made it all the better.

A previous reviewer commented that the ending of this book was flat, but had he/she done research it would've been clear that The Various will be a trilogy series, the next installment coming out in November. I found the story engaging and hard to put down. I constantly wanted to know what would happen to Midge and her enchanting friends and enemies. The plot was suspenseful, gripping, and action packed. I think that this would be a great read for junior high and high school students. I highly recommend this book and cannot wait for Celandine to be released in the U.S.

Whispering to Witches by Anna Dale was a truly enchanting story for all ages. If you or your child like The Wizard of Oz then you most likely love this book. A pure bewitching tale with lots of magic.

Joe Binks is just your ordinary boy living with dad as mum has remarried. Being quite ordinary it is fun when on his way to mum's for Christmas holiday he is singled out by a witch and given a special item of which he has no idea of having such a thing.

Twiggy is a little girl witch who is in training and the witches in her coven totally under estimate poor little Twiggy's powers. Doing menial jobs is supposed to be a learning experience for her but she doesn't really seem how. Twiggy has the curiosity of a cat and seems to have their nine lives also with the little fixes the cutie gets herself into.

The whole mysterious caper starts out on the train that is taking Joe from London to Canterbury and continues right up until the end of the book with lots of magic and who-done-its. Lots of spells and potions, strange ingredients and places along with fairies and animals help make this witchy tale absolutely delightful.

I accidentally came across this book and am ever so glad I did. The author has done a wonderful job at giving us a pure clean tale without scaring us. This book is simple enough for an eight year old but enchanting enough for adult. Not only will it keep your interest but you will not want to put this book down until the very last word.

I really believe this is a book that elementary teachers across the globe should encourage their students to read.

if you can get your hands on a copy, get it!!!!! The whole book is based on the fact that sometimes things happen for a reason and are worth the wait. this has been one of the best stories i've ever read!!!! wish i could find more like this.

I purchased this book for a children's book club (ages 8-10). We read the book over a 4 week period (we meet every two weeks). The kids all really enjoyed this book (we don't find many titles that every member likes, so this is a big deal). The story was fresh and new, and it had lots of twists and turns the kids could follow and appreciate. The chapters went fast (always a plus with kids!). There were a lot of small details that I thought the kids may have trouble noticing and/or remembering, but they did as well (if not better) than the parents! The main characters were very likeable, and their adventure was very extraordinary. If I had to categorize the book, I'd say it is like a shorter, less complicated Harry Potter... but DEFINITELY not a copycat title. Our group really enjoyed this book. (Note: the children in the group are a little advanced for their ages, may not be for all 8 year olds level-wise).

This is a good book. I read it. It was a little hard to get into.

Dale's Whispering to Witches is fantastic. The Interesting Cover caught my attention in the library, and then I was winded into Joe's adventure. Perfect with rats, cats, a missing page, and of course, witches, I loved it from the start!

I purchased the Sweep series for my 13 year old daughter in the hopes that maybe she would read. "She hated to read." Well I was amazed, and could not get her to go to sleep, as she would spend the whole night, with a night-light on reading these books. She enjoyed them so much, and could not stop talking first about Cal and then Hunter, that I had to see what all the fuss was about.
Well after two weeks, a book a day, for a girl who hated to read, it sparked my curiosity, so I started reading, and was surprised to find out how enjoyable a Teen book about Teen Witches could be. I am not really into Wicca, but these books are really enjoyable. I am on my fifth book, and my daughter read each twice, and is know on the Circle of Three Series. I have to highly recommend these books to those parents who can not get their daughters to read. These are excellent stories, full of fantasy, horror, and fun.

This one is also good...just like the other ones. Morgan is still trying to understand her powers, but doing well when she has Cal with her. But, something strange is happening that is making Morgan scared. What could it be? You will have to read and find out, just typing this review temps me to read it again. GO get this book, you wont regret it.

Morgan is a blood witch. She was adopted. Morgan's life has been changing and is changeing still. THen Hunter another blood witch enters her life. From the very first moment she saw him she disliked him but now she absolutely hates him. Hunter is saying things about Cal that hurt her. Then things take a turn for the worst and Morgan is to blame. What did she do? Read this book and find out!

Morgan's seventeenth birthday is approaching and she should be very happy. But the rest of her life is not a wonderful as it should be. Cal is great, and her anchor. But now she has learned more about her mother and her clan. Her coven is losing some members and might be losing more. Bree is still distant and is mixed up with a strange witch. Who are the strange witches and what do they have against Morgan and Cal?

Most of these questions are answered by the end of the book which culminates on the night before her birthday.

Another fine book about a girl coming to terms with the changes in her life (adoption, love, witchcraft, friends, etc.).

Morgan is still trying to piece her life together. Bree has deserted her and her adoptive family can't even begin to understand her. The only person she seems to trust and have on her side is Cal. Cal her wonderful boyfriend who believes they are murin breatha dans, soulmates. But then Hunter comes and shakes things up. He claims that he is Cal's half brother and a member of the International Council of Witches. He says that he has been sent to investigate Cal and Selene who are believed to be practicing dark magick. Morgan denies this and refuses to believe him. But she does feel that something dark and strange is going on and if she doesn't figure things out soon she could face hte same tragic death her parents did.

The best thing about this book is that throughout the story you're never really sure which side Kane is playing for, and the fact that he's a barbarian and smarter than everyone else in the book at the same time makes him all the more interesting.

1) I label this is dark fantasy. The main character is not a good guy and thus does things that most "protaganists" won't do.

2) I got hooked on Kane from the Wagner book Dark Crusade. Kane as a character does carry the entire story because he is so good at everything...and believably so.

3) I like how this book reveals a little about Kane whereas Dark Crusade didn't say much of anything. Kane's mystery still stands even after this read making you want more in order to truely understand who he is and where he comes from.

Fun read. Wagner is great with action scenes and creates a wonderfully likeable "bad guy" type character here.

When a strange bloodstone ring is accidentally unearthed from where it has lain for countless centuries, it marks the reawakening of an evil of elder Earth. And when that ring falls into the hands of the mystic warrior Kane, it marks a dark day for all of mankind. Kane, with his vast experience, is playing a game, a game that only he sees the end of, and even he might just have miscalculated.

Karl Edward Wagner (1945-94) was an American author of some of the finest horror and fantasy literature to have been written, and one of his most interesting creations was the man Kane, an undying warrior and scholar. Overall, I found this book to be a positively gripping read. I found the setting to be quite interesting, and the characters to be absolutely fascinating. If you like such fantasy literature as Robert E. Howard's Conan, then you will love this book. I know I did. I highly recommend this book.

Karl Edward Wagner's character Kane is a great blending of Moorcock's tragic hero Elric, with his sorcerous powers, and Robert E. Howard's Conan, with his enormous physical strenght and skilled swordsmanship... Kane is a great hero, with some of the best sci-fi stories I've ever read- and I've read just about all of 'em... Give Kane a try- especially Bloodstone, Night Winds and Death Angel's Shadow...

I don't like swords & sorcery, but I read the Kane stories over and over again. Why? Imagine what Conan would be like if he had brains, class, and a believable reason for being so tough. These are rip-roaring adventure stories that still manage to make you think. And Kane is one of the most colorful and fascinating characters you'll ever read about. Piecing together his history from a hint in one story and a clue in another novel is an adventure in itself. And Wagner is a writer of such gifts that he can make you like and empathize with a character who is as much villain as hero. It's a shame these books are not easy to find, but trust me, they're worth the effort.

I think this was my favorite volume in the series so far. The first two were fun and entertaining, but in this one the plot becomes thicker, more complicated, and we start to see glimpses of a rich backstory behind the characters Grandma Ben and Thorn. People who liked the first two books will be sure to like this one, too.

This is my 1st Graphic Novel that I have read. Jeff Smith is a great author and illustrator. The words along with the pictures tell a great story. Jeff uses many story elements in his book Eyes of the storm. His plot has several conflicts in it. He uses mainly person-against-person, with it being the Bone cousins and village people against the rat creatures. Jeff Smith uses flashbacks and foreshadowing in dreams to let Thorn know what her past was like. He uses cliff hangers to make the story more suspenseful. Amongst all of this, Jeff Smith knows how to lighten the atmosphere by putting humor in the right places. This book kept me wanting more. I can't wait to get a hold of the next volume. This will not be my last graphic novel that I read.

The Bone books are the gratest comics I have Ever read

check em' out ;)

This book I just read is about a boy named Bone. Bone's friend started a cow race, and convinced everyone to bet on a cow that didn't even exist. So now they have to wash dishes at a bar to pay back what they destroyed. They have weird dreams about their past. So they spend days trying to figure out what their dreams were about. There are furry creatures in the woods trying to kill them.
Bone was the main character in the story he is the coolest and funniest in the book. There grandma reminds me of my grandma from when I was 3. She told me that there as no such thing as ghosts. I figured out that there was such thing as ghosts when I was 5. My favorite part in the story is when Bone realized that their dreams where real. If you like comic books then you will like the Bone series. This book was made to be read by kids 11 and older.

These books are fantastic! I have two 7yr old boys that cry if I don't read this book to them at night.

Parents:
Imagine using, I won't read to you tonight if you don't stop right now, and it works...that's how good this series is. At first I thought the book might be a little too scary for them but they were hooked and it wasn't until book 4 that I had to consider sensoring some of the language (things like "idiot"). Any book that brings kids back to the well again and again is worth purchasing.

This product was received in a timely manner and in excellent shape. Was very satisfied.

My son fell in love with this books. Its a good way of having him improve his reading skill...

Book 6 of Jeff Smith's graphic novel Bone series, Bone: Old Man's Cave features a showdown between the Hooded One and the valley folk - and Bone and Phoney Bone at the center of controversy. A secret sacrificial moonlight ceremony threatens them in another fine Bone presentation.

I can see why Bone is so popular! This volume is truly a great continuation of the series. The plot continues to become more complicated and intriguing, and the characters are still as likeable and endearing as ever. I can't wait to read the next volume!

I'm a fanatic of bone products, so i think they are the most wonderful things i have ever bought.

When I was a child, no one ever wrote about Black children. We were still calling each other whenever a Black person was coming on TV, "Nat King Cole gonna be on TV tonight." Now, 53 and grandmother to a host of children, to them I can read a tale about Black girls and boys who have adventures, rise above their fears, and so help me God, save the whole wide world! And what a world! Faracadar, where the youngest child continues the bloodline and creatures do, literally, laugh themselves to death. Where people are green and blue, and music, MUSIC, saves lives and chases away evil. I had to wait 53 years before a Black girl could ride the white horse, only to have Ms. Wachspress bare the girl away on a tiger. What fun! How wonderful that a new generation of all children can read of adventures set in my culture. A children's book? Perhaps, but one that reminds us of how to live with and respect each other and the Earth, and of how to fight, and with truth and honor. The Call to Shakabaz is a true, true delight!

Reviewed by Brianne Plach (age 9) for Reader Views (6/07)

Do you want to read a good adventure book with a great storyline and no violence? If you do, you will want to check out this one. "The Call to Shakabaz" by Amy Wachspress follows four recently-orphaned Goodacre children on a mission to do something for their mother who died two months ago.

The Goodacre children named Doshmisi, Denzel, Maia and Sonjay, are living with Aunt Alice and aren't too happy about it. They were raised in the city with malls, computers, televisions and video games. Aunt Alice has none of that in her farmhouse on Manzanita Ranch. They wish they had some adventure. Be careful what you wish for, you might just find out that you have more danger than the boring countryside. The four children take along Bayard Rustin, a talking parrot who doesn't make much sense but has a mind of his own.

One midsummer day, they meet Amethyst who is the gatekeeper of Faracadar. They are armed with their amulets that were given them by Uncle Martin, Uncle Bobby and Aunt Alice. They are told to wear these amulets well and with ingenuity, creativity, compassion, courage and hunger for the truth. The amulets must never leave the neck of the children because no one can take them from them unless they would lose their life. Doshmisi is also given a healing book called Herbal which will magically open to the page of the recipe of something to heal the person.

I really enjoyed traveling with the kids to meet all the different people on their trip. There were parts of this book which were funny. Having a powder which will change you into a different color to hide you would be very fun to have sometimes. Of course, your true colors will come out anyway. There is only so much hiding a person can do. Amy Wachspress has a great imagination. I will definitely read this book again! I liked how there weren't violent scenes in the book like a lot of books out there. This book is terrific reading for ages 9-14. It is fun to see that kids our age can do something important too, even if it is a fantasy book. I could see teachers making this a part of their reading class. There is a study guide at the back of this book too. Answer "The Call to Shakabaz' and enjoy the adventure!

Note from Brianne's mother: This book is a terrific fantasy book for kids. With the popularity of the Narnia series, "The Call to Shakabaz" could easily become a favorite for students and teachers. It kept Brianne very enthused about reading and she couldn't wait to finish reading it.

Head Start administrator Amy Wachspress presents The Call to Shakabaz, a fantasy novel for ages eight to eighty following four newly orphaned children who discover a surprising secret about their family. Accompanied by a pestering parrot, they travel to the faraway land of Faracadar, and seek the immensely powerful Staff of Shakabaz in hope of using it to end the tyranny of the evil enchanter Sissrath. Their adventure carries them over land and sea, into the dungeonlike depths of the Final Fortress, and each of them must discover their own talents and gifts in order to have any hope of survival, let alone success in their mission. Highly recommended.

Colour, music, scents and sentiment spill out of this pictureless fantasy novel and sweep us into a story of suspense, self-discovery and nonviolent resistance. Our girls laughed, swooned, quaked and cheered -- then happily chirped "Satyagraha!".

Doshmisi, Denzel, Maia, and Sonjay always thought Aunt Alice's Manzanita Ranch was a great place to visit, but they never thought they would have to live there. But when their mother died unexpectedly, that's where they moved to. It hasn't been very long since then, and the kids are bored stiff. It's a good thing they have the family Midsummer party to look forward to. Although without their mom, or even the cousins who are inexplicably absent, even that might not be much fun.

What starts out as a rather dull, depressing day gets a lot more interesting with a strange lesson in family history. It turns out that the two brothers and two sisters are "The Four." Descendants of a line of four brothers and sisters who can pass through their own dimension and into Faracadar. With their mother gone, the time of their mother and aunt and uncles have passed. It is up to the new Four now.

But what is "it"? Trust me, they want to know as much as you do. Unfortunately, one of the rules is that they don't get to know much the first time around. All they know is that they have to get the Staff of Shakabaz away from a guy named Sissrath. Who that is, how they do it, why they have to, and even what Faracadar is, they'll have to figure out for themselves. They'll have to work together, learning what each of their strengths are and how to use them, and maybe they'll be able to pull it all off.

THE CALL TO SHAKABAZ is richly imagined and incredibly detailed, both land and story. At first it's a bit like a modern version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia). But by the end of the tale you realize it's so much deeper than that. This is a book about finding personal strength, in all different forms, and appreciating the talents of others, and the strength in uniting different people, and so much more! I want to buy a copy for everyone I know, regardless of age, race, or sex. It's part fantasy, part history lesson, part real life -- I can't even describe it! But, it's beautiful, and it's kind of a picture of what I'd like to see our world look like. Although maybe without the greenish sun -- that might be a little weird.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

Centuries after an asteroid destroys Earth, the Mayflower lands and the last members of the human race awaken from hibernation in a strange new place.

If you were a fan of ABC's LOST during its first season, you can expect a similar vibe from this book. A group of strangers are stranded in a bizarre environment in the wake of a terrible tragedy. They don't know where they are, and they have no home to return to. The mysterious world they've awoken in is filled with danger and secrets, and characters die unpredictably. The group of twenty or so Remnants need to figure out how to work together to survive, but politics get in the way. The Remnants compete for leadership, make friends and enemies out of each other, and divide into separate groups as their numbers begin to shrink.

It's all the tension, suspense, mystery, and action LOST possessed early in its run before the show went downhill. This series only spans fourteen books, so the action, revelations, and plot twists are provided non-stop--there's little frustrating stalling and dropped storylines here. If you loved the premise of LOST but were disappointed with the show, if you're still a fan and are interested in a similar story, or even if you just like great suspenseful stuff, you should definitely check out Remnants. It's a thrilling series, and I highly recommend it.

I bought this for my son...and it was impossible to find at a local retailer. My son enjoyed it, but said that it was a bit depressing.
Part of an excellent series, apparently.

In the first book, we left off where the Eighty humans chosen to survive an asteroid (nicknamed The Rock)when it made impact started to hibernate, and we pick up 500 years later, and they are on this strange new "planet". Most of the Eighty are dead, and there are not many essential supplies on board the ship, then on top of that, these aliens are after the Eighty.(which is more like The Twenty) Will the human race become a thing of the past?

When the world ended, "The Mayflower Project" gave eighty people the chance for survival. Shot blindly into space the eighty Remnants of the human race have now landed 500 years after the end of the world. Jobs, 2Face, Mo'Steel, Yago, and some others have survived, but many weren't so lucky. Tamara, the pregnant marine sergant, has given birth to a baby mutant. Billy, the kid who stayed awake for all 500 years of their journey is in a coma and insane. Emotions are on high and the remaning people still have no clue where they've landed on. All they know is that the conflicting landscapes can't be true. Can they survive on this strange, new world all alone? This was my favorite Remnants book out of the seven I have read so far. Kept you guessing what was gonna happen next all the time. Some parts were kinda gross but that was just how the author imagined the planet to be. Can't wait to read further installments of Remnants!

The Remnants wake up from their hibernation, and find out they've taken a 500 year "nap". More than half the Remnants are dead. They are on a bizzare planet, where nothing is realistic. There are strange aliens, nicknamed "Riders", who seem to want nothing but to ...[destroy] the Remnants. And pretty soon they find out they are not on a planet, but a ship...

Windchaser is a fabulous book for kids who would love to fly. The story involves a boy who lost his father and a flyer who has lost something special to him. A young criminal bound for Australia has a parallel storyline as we watch how Dinotopia opens up new opportunities for them both.

Dinotopia is the place I would go to live in a "New York minute"...no crime to speak of, no bad language, friendly people who actually think of others before themselves are the norm, and playing with dinosaurs makes all characters understand what's really important in life. Boys will especially love this one from start to finish.

Wind Chaser


This book was great because it was about two kids that meet each other in a ship. And one kid which name is Hugh saved the other kid which name is Raymond from being thrown into the deep sea. Because the ship was taking some dangerous man to another place. But the criminals took over the ship when a big storm was taking place. But Hugh steeled things that are why he was in that ship. So he had to be taken to another place to put him in prison. And Raymond was in that ship because he was the surgeons' ships son. But one of the criminals killed his dad and he was about to be killed to but Hugh saved him. He told Raymond to jump into the sea. And than a dolphin came along and saved both boys by taking them to a land. In that land the two boys saw what they had never seen. There were people working with dinosaurs'. Every body got along with the dinosaurs. The people there did not use money to buy things instead they exchanged things. The boys learned many things in that land and had lot of adventures.

It was one of my favorite books. It had action with a twist. I liked how the dinosaurs and people made friends.

Raymond's father died trying trying to stop the prisoners from taking over the ship and fell overboard into a watery grave. Raymond was devastated for a long time. When he found Windchaser and talked to him, he discovered Windchaser lost someone too. They became great friends.

Hugh saw a rock in front of the boat and made Raymond jump overboard and saved his life. Hugh was older and was the best pick-pocket in London because he was very poor. When they got on the island they began to get hungry. Then they saw a fruit that looked like an apple. Hugh became a good friend to Raymond and everyone in Dinotopia.

It was one of my favorite books. It had action with a twist. I liked how the dinosaurs and people made friends.

Raymond's father died trying trying to stop the prisoners from taking over the ship and fell overboard into a watery grave. Raymond was devastated for a long time. When he found Windchaser and talked to him, he discovered Windchaser lost someone too. They became great friends.

Hugh saw a rock in front of the boat and made Raymond jump overboard and saved his life. Hugh was older and was the best pick-pocket in London because he was very poor. When they got on the island they began to get hungry. Then they saw a fruit that looked like an apple. Hugh became a good friend to Raymond and everyone in Dinotopia.

I loved this book. it was well written and it was a very fun to read. Dintopia Windchaser is a fun fast paced action adventure book. for any kid who has ever wished for a book with Dinosaurs, action and adventure this is their book. the book has a great life lesson. The power of friendship. the book is about two friends who get stranded on a island and learn how to fit in. when they are there they become very close friends and meet some new friends who help them on their journey. on their journey they faced very serious problems. but their friendship pull them through.