Book Review - Invasion by Jon S. Lewis

Invasion by Jon S. Lewis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Colt McAllister is the youngest of eight brothers, the last still at home with his mom and dad, and the one they call Runt. The summer Colt turns 16 his world turns upside down and inside out. It starts when he is almost wiped off his surf board by a strange squid-like creature. It gets worse when a police officer shows up the same day to tell Colt his parents have been killed in an automobile accident. The next thing Colt knows he is living with his grandfather in Arizona and going to a new school. The one saving grace is his friend Danielle, or Dani for short. When Colt learns his parents' deaths were not as accidental as he was told, Colt begins to piece together information that leads him down a path only found in his favorite comic books: heros who fly jet packs; villains who are shape-shifting aliens; and gateways between our world and others gallaxies maintained and guarded by a secret military agency called C.H.A.O.S.

For those of us who love sci-fi, the C.H.A.O.S. series is a welcomed addition to the genre. Geared to the tween and teen reader, Invasion invites us into a world filled with old-school,comic book heroes who are given modern weapons and ultralight, flying motorcycles and sent out to fight inter-galactic villains. At the same time, Colt faces everyday teenage dilemmas such as starting at a new school, meeting and making new friends, and finding out the one girl he really likes is already dating someone else.

I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the C.H.A.O.S. series to find out how Colt deals with what is coming next. For readers 10 and up.



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Book Review - Too Many Pears by Jackie French

Too Many Pears by Jackie French

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Pamela likes pears. She likes green pears, red pears and stewed pears with ice cream. But with Pamela liking pears so much, nobody else on the farm gets any pears. (Did I mention Pamela is a cow?) What can Amy do to get Pamela to stop eating all the pears?

This is a very, very funny book! Pamela is an enormous black and white cow, very reminiscent of illustrations in Sandra Boyton's books. This book is a wonderful way to relate to children the results of over-indulgence and the benefits of moderation. Although, I am not sure Pamela truly has learned that lesson.

I would recommend this book for children 3 - 7.



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Book Review - Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith

Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


David wants to spend his summer just practicing shooting hoops, laying by the pool and hanging with his friend Tyler. This might even the be the summer of his first kiss. But when his mom and dad are called away for work, he is shipped off to Washington, in the middle of the wilderness, to spend the summer with his grandmother. Now David, who goes by the name of Scrub, fears he might as well submit an application for town freak, because David's grandma isn't just living in the eternal hippie's Summer of Love, she also runs the Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast, which has no cable, no internet and no cell phone reception. Can things get any worse? For David, the weirdness is just beginning.

At first, given the title, I was not sure if this book would be a good read or not. But after the first encounter David has with an alien (the strange gray man) I was hooked. This book was fast paced and never lacked for action. David's character seems to mature before our eyes as he comes to understand his grandmother and her strange, but fascinating, guests. I found the book enjoyable and a fun read.

I would reccommend it for children ages 8 - 12.



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