Anybody Want to Play War? by Tommy B. Smith


Anybody Want to Play War? by Tommy B. Smith
Publisher: Seventh StarShadow
Genre: Young Adult, Suspense/Mystery, Historical
Length: Short Story (141 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Brutal injuries can leave scars.

As the teenage survivor of a savage dog’s rampage, it’s a lesson Bryce Gallo will never forget.

Struggling to cope with his damaged appearance, along with a newfound fear of dogs and mounting anxieties at home and school, he flees his suburban home into the moonlit streets of St. Charles.
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Along the roads of suburbia and through the shadowed heart of the city, he encounters Wheels, a maintenance worker for a series of apartment buildings; Paloma, known to some by the moniker of Lady Luck; and a woman in a dark house who is, as far as Bryce can fathom, like no one else he has met before.

His new life is not without obstacles or enemies, he learns. The future is a battlefield. Fire and smoke loom on the horizon, and his dangerous course may see the lives of his family and friends forever changed.

Some days are impossible to forget.

Bryce’s character development was incredibly well done. He’d been through a terrible experience that caused both emotional and physical trauma. His recovery was a slow and difficult one, especially when it came to how he responded to his memories of that awful day and the reactions of other people to his many scars. I had so much compassion for this character even when he was acting out. Many teens would behave the same way in his shoes, especially if they lived in the early 1980s when fewer people understood how trauma works and when medical treatments for this sort of injury weren’t as advanced as they would be today.

The mystery subplot could have used more development. I had some trouble following its developments, especially in the beginning when Bryce knew nothing about what was going on. There simply weren’t enough hints to show what was happening or why it was happening. A few more of them would have been very helpful.

One of the most interesting parts of this book for me was Bryce’s troubled relationship with his mom and stepdad. Their conflicts were incredibly complex and rooted in disagreements that had been going on for a very long time. Not only was this where the main character found a lot of opportunities for personal growth, it was also where some of the best plot developments came from. While I was satisfied with the ending, I sure would like to see a sequel that explores what their relationships were like hen Bryce was a few decades older. There was so much more room here for future storylines.

I’d recommend Anybody Want to Play War? to anyone who is interested in the 1980s or realistic depictions of mental illness after a traumatic event.

Penguin’s Christmas Wish by Salina Yoon


Penguin’s Christmas Wish by Salina Yoon
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Genre: Childrens, Holiday, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (32 pages)
Age Recommendation: 3+
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Penguin can’t wait to celebrate Christmas with his family and friends. But when things don’t go exactly as planned, Penguin learns to find holiday magic in the most unexpected places.

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All of the penguins were adorable. I enjoyed seeing how they worked together to decorate their Christmas tree at the beginning of the plot. They were so cute as they figured out how to carry the candy canes and decorations deep into the forest where their chosen tree was waiting. When something happened that ruined their plans, their responses to it only made me like them even more.

Christmas means different things to different people. I adored the focus on spending time with loved ones and enjoying the simple things in life with this particular family. It’s a message that can be appreciated by everyone no matter why or how they celebrate this holiday. That inclusiveness was a wonderful thing to find, and it’s one of the many reasons why I rated this book so highly.

There was so much kindness woven into every other scene as well. Penguin, the main character, was a huge fan of Christmas and wanted to share it with everyone he knew. His reason for doing so was simply lovely. He wanted everyone to feel joy on that day. There was something so pure and innocent about his wish that I couldn’t wait to find out if and how it might come true.

Penguin’s Christmas Wish was a beautiful, heartwarming tale that should be read by anyone who loves this holiday.

Dasher by Matt Tavares


Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever by Matt Tavares
Publisher: Candlewick
Genre: Childrens, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Holiday, Historical
Length: Short Story (40 pages)
Age Recommendation: 6+
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Dasher is an adventurous young reindeer with a wish in her heart. She spends her days with her family under the hot sun in a traveling circus, but she longs for a different life — one where there is snow beneath her hooves and the North Star above her head. One day, when the opportunity arises, Dasher seizes her destiny and takes off in pursuit of the life she wants to live. It’s not long before she meets a nice man in a red suit with a horse-drawn sleigh — a man named Santa. And soon, with the help of a powerful Christmas wish, nothing will be the same.

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This story handled the sad parts of its plot beautifully. In the opening scene, Dasher and family were owned by a man who did not always treat them kindly. The details of their lives were kept to an age-appropriate level while still allowing older readers to pick up on subtle clues about why that traveling circus was not a nice place for a reindeer to live.

I was thrilled to have a female protagonist in a Christmas story! Most people assume that all of Santa’s reindeer were male, so it was refreshing to have a female reindeer running the show. Dasher was a wonderful role model no matter what was happening around her. I also appreciated the fact that her gender wasn’t made a point of conflict in the plot. She simply existed and went about doing all sorts of heroic things without giving a second thought to the reader’s assumptions about the creatures who pull Santa’s sled.

Speaking of Santa, I adored the scene that showed how he and Dasher first met. Not only was it wholesome, it added so much joy to a storyline that hadn’t included a great of joy up until that point. Seeing how his mere presence made Dasher’s life better brought a smile to my face. I already loved Dasher by that scene, but all of the characters became unforgettable after it.

Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever was a heartwarming tale that I can’t recommend highly enough.

January Book of the Month Poll Winner ~ Blind Sympathy by Roberta Bombonato


Blind Sympathy by Roberta Bombonato
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Full length (239 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy
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Vafara is a blind composer who creates new symphonies for the world. Alone in a cabin with only her service dog, she’s not concerned in the slightest for zero cell phone reception in a secluded in the woods. This is her special time where she can be free to let her musical compositions speak to her.

Israfel is a demon one assignment short from graduation: possession of an innocent soul. He’s always known he was different from others of his kind, and meeting the pure Vafara confirmed it.

Will he be able to possess the passionate musician when all he wants to do is hold her? Or will he throw it all away and risk an Angels and Demons war to save her innocent soul from the dark fate that awaits?

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!

Ruby’s Christmas Gifts by Nancy Oswald


Ruby’s Christmas Gifts by Nancy Oswald
Publisher: Filter Press
Genre: Action/Adventure, Historical, Holiday, Childrens
Length: Short story (30 pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Aloe

It’s Christmas time in 1896 Cripple Creek, Colorado, and Ruby May Oliver and her donkey, Maude, roam the streets in search of Maude’s missing foal. Along the way, Ruby comes upon four people in need of gifts—gifts she discovers she can give. This gentle tale, enhanced by the evocative illustrations of Nathaniel Jensen, is a great read-aloud or independent read for grades 2 thru 4. Readers who have enjoyed the antics and adventures of Ruby May Oliver and her donkey, Maude, through the award-winning Ruby and Maude Adventure series, are in for a treat with this heartwarming story as Ruby enters more and more deeply into the true spirit of Christmas.

Ruby is getting ready for Christmas. Her father has gone to town to get a surprise so she bundles up and goes out to look at the stars in the sky. She’s having fun naming the star constellations and then their mule gets upset and interrupts her. When she checks Maude out, she finds Willie is missing. She takes Maude and her cat on the hunt for the baby mule.
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She finds Willie has headed into town. She leaves her father a note and heads out. When they reach the town, she and Maude help an old lady take her luggage to the hotel. The woman gives her a pin shaped like a Christmas star. She meets a young girl who is sad because they have no money for presents. Ruby makes a present of her hat.

A young boy is picking up trash but his hands are cold. She gives him a present of her gloves. And a disabled miner gets her silver dollar.

You’ll never guess where she finds Willie and her cat. She’s even more pleased about her surprise.

This is a well told tale with a common theme of kindness. Just what we all need at Christmas as well as all year long. Ruby would make a good friend.

Thunder by Dylan James


Thunder by Dylan James
Publisher: Deep Hearts YA
Genre: Young Adult, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (199 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Grant Peters is sixteen and wants nothing more than to just compete in calf roping at rodeos and keep winning gold. But there are two obstacles in his path.

The first is Logan Summers, also sixteen, and also into calf roping. Logan is Grant’s only real competition and every time Logan wins, he gives Grant a smug little smirk that sets Grant’s blood boiling. Deep inside, though, Grant knows that his hostility toward Logan is about more than that smirk; it’s about feelings he’s not ready to acknowledge.

The second is Grant’s parents being close to selling the family ranch and moving to the city, away from rodeo, and away from his horse, Thunder.
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So when Grant discovers evidence of a deadly cougar stalking the ranch, he decides to take it upon himself to hunt down what would undoubtedly kill the little business his family has left if word got out. Of course, as soon as he sets off into the woods, he runs into Logan, who is undertaking the same hunt to save his own family’s ranch.

Now, these two teenage rodeo nemeses have to overcome their hatred for each other and their uncertainty about themselves if they have any hope of coming together to save their families’ businesses.

Not every adventure announces itself ahead of time.

Grant was a well developed main character. He was kind and intelligent. Even better than that, one of his biggest flaws had to do with how he handled emergencies. He preferred to fix things himself instead of asking for help even in situations that really could have used extra people working on them. Seeing how this flaw impacted the course of his story only made me like him more. There was something very relatable about someone who struggled with something that was hard to overcome and that had a serious impact on his life. Grant felt real to me, and I always get excited when I meet characters who fit that criteria.

As much as I liked Logan, I found it confusing to have two narrators. His persona was so similar to Grant’s that I had trouble telling them apart. The fact that some scenes switched between them without clearly letting the audience know that was happening only added to my confusion. He would have made an equally good sole protagonist, but I think this story would have worked better if only one of them had explained what was happening in it.

The romance unfolded nice and slowly in this tale. I always appreciate slow-burning relationships, especially for characters like these that had a lot of other stuff on their plates when the audience first met them. It made perfect sense for them to focus on more pressing matters before spending much time thinking about their love lives.

I’d recommend Thunder to anyone who loves horses or nature.

Wild Horse Rescue by Nancy M Bell


Wild Horse Rescue by Nancy M Bell
Publisher: BWL Publishing Inc
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (161 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Chamomile
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Laurel Rowan is happy to be home in Alberta and excited that Coll Hazel is coming from Cornwall for a visit. She’s looking forward to showing around him the ranch. The visit doesn’t turn out as she imagined when the plight of a band of wild horses comes to her attention. Laurel is angry and frustrated that her childhood friend Chance, the boy on the neighboring ranch, and his father are determined to round up the wildies and send them to the meat packers. Laurel, Coll, and Chance’s sister, Carly, embark on a mission to rescue the horses and find a protected place where they can live wild and free.

This story starts off with a rescue mission, and the action and excitement never let up! Laurel’s friend Coll is visiting from Cornwall, but her plans to show him around the ranch are thrown in disarray, as a local herd of wild horses are in danger of being rounded up and sold for meat! Like many other horse focused series, this feels a bit like the type of plot expected in The Heartland Series, or for younger watchers The Saddle Club.

I really enjoyed this style, and read this one quickly, which was made easier as this story plays out like a show, and the detail and characters were both realistic and vivid enough that I read most of this in one sitting! The story does deal with some more mature issues teens face, other than the ‘meat packers’ there’s also issues of physical and alcohol abuse and some teen/YA type sexual awakening dealt with in the story. It’s nothing not mentioned in other books or shows, but still isn’t a completely ‘clean’ read either.

As mentioned above, I really liked the writing style used, and look forward to reading more like this from Ms. Bell’s work! While this is YA, adults can enjoy this too, and this actually is one of those stories that doesn’t really feel ‘too young’ if you enjoy The Heartland Series type TV show, then this has a similar feel!

It’s Raining Bats & Frogs by Rebecca Colby


It’s Raining Bats & Frogs by Rebecca Colby
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Holiday, Historical
Length: Short Story (40 pages)
Age Recommendation: 3+
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A little witch named Delia has been looking forward all year to flying in the annual Witch Parade. When the rumors of rain come true and the other witches start complaining, Delia takes action. Using her best magic, Delia changes the rain to cats and dogs. At first this goes over quite well, but she quickly realizes the animals cause a few issues. She must change the rain again! This time to hats and clogs. And finally, she tries bats and frogs. But each new type of rain brings its own set of problems. How will Delia save the day?

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The spells in this story were absolutely adorable. Delia had the best of intentions when she first changed the rainstorm into cats and dogs, but she couldn’t have predicted how her interference would make things worse. Her attempts to fix things only grew funnier over time, and I looked forward to every new spell she came up with to solve the problems that the last one caused. She had such a creative way of weaving words together every single time she cast a new one.

One of the most delightful things about this story was how all of the witches interacted with each other while they were having their parade. They really seemed to care about each other, and this was shown in all sorts of little ways as the main character kept trying new ways to change the weather. I had such a good time reading their comments as they adjusted to the various animals and items that were falling from the sky. There was a lot of room for humor here, and they took advantage of that fully.

The twist at the end made me giggle. It was the perfect way to wrap up a memorable Witch Day parade, and it left me wanting more while also making me feel like I knew exactly enough about what happened on this particular day. Although I would definitely be interested in reading a sequel to this if the author ever decides to write one!

It’s Raining Bats & Frogs was a heartwarming tale that I’d recommend to Halloween lovers of all ages.

Talon, Come Fly With Me by Gigi Sedlmayer


Talon, Come Fly With Me by Gigi Sedlmayer
Publisher: Aurora House, Australia
Genre: Contemporary, Children’s Fiction
Length: Full length (238 pages)
Age Recommendation: 8+
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Chamomile

Inspiring story of a girl whose disability is her greatest strength and brings the important message of never losing hope in hard situations and using misfortune to look for an opportunity to be kind.

The story takes you into the Andean Mountains of Peru to a remote village where you meet a young girl, named Matica, who worries about being shunned by the tribal people because of her growth disability that makes her different from everyone else.
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One day she befriends two Condors she names Tamo and Tima. The village natives watch from a distance as her friendship and trust grow with the Condors. It only takes a short time before the entire village accepts the little girl for who she is when they find she can also communicate with them.

And then the adventures begin, changing her life in marvellous way. Matica is delightful, caring, and undaunted by these giant birds and their offspring, she and her father rescue from poachers.

A young child with a disability, finds her place in a South American village.

Matica — is a 9 year-old stuck in a toddler’s body, unable to grow. The people in the Peruvian village where her Australian missionary father lived with the natives, tease Matica cruelly for her differences. That’s part of what I struggled with. Matica’s character, even because her disability, was…odd, and the villagers’ mistreatment, would have easily been a reason for her father to leave, or find her a safe home where she could grow up and learn better behavior. I felt that the author also tried to be logical, but ended up losing that threat soon on and parts of the story lacked the focus and quality of others.

As mentioned, there was good, I did like that the author tried to highlight disabilities in a positive light, or rather more accepting one as Matica’s disability has little effect on her personality and quick mind. In fact, she might possibly have been the only character I liked throughout the story. I also enjoyed the condor/wildlife part, and seeing Matica again showing her strengths, despite her unfortunate growth defect, proving that her size does not define her.

The good and bad are about even in this one, but Matica’s enjoyable nature bumps my rating up a bit, and makes it easier to praise this story. I’d enjoy more of her story, but wish the book was a smoother read, and that it had more focus on plot, avoiding the choppy transitions. Still, this story is an interesting middle-grade read, that can be enjoyed by all ages, and has some good messages of hope and finding your place and purpose in life that are universal.

Women in Space by Karen Bush Gibson


Women in Space by Karen Bush Gibson
23 Stories of First Flights, Scientific Missions, and Gravity-Breaking Adventures
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Genre: Contemporary, Non-Fiction, YA
Length: Full Length (240 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

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Women in Space profiles 23 pioneers, including Eileen Collins, the first woman to command the space shuttle; Peggy Whitson, who logged more than a year in orbit aboard the International Space Station; and Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space; as well as astronauts from Japan, Canada, Italy, South Korea, France, and more. Readers will also learn about the Mercury 13, American women selected by NASA in the late 1950s to train for spaceflight. Though they matched and sometimes surpassed their male counterparts in performance, they were ultimately denied the opportunity to head out to the launching pad. Their story, and the stories of the pilots, physicists, and doctors who followed them, demonstrate the vital role women have played in the quest for scientific understanding.

Everything I thought I knew about the space program went out the window when I read this book.

This is a YA book, but it’s easily enjoyable by readers of all ages. The writing flows well and hooked me right away. I learned a lot about the women who’ve been to space. Not just that the US sent women, but the first women in Russia and across the globe. Sure, there is a large portion on US astronauts, but it’s balanced by plenty of stories about other female astronauts.

Each chapter is easily understood and well-written. I liked how the author made the women interesting and understandable. It’s not just a story where there is information and it’s presented blandly. Instead, it’s told in a bouncy way that drew me in.

I’m glad I read this book. I’ve wanted to know more about female astronauts and the space program, so this was a perfect piece to add to that puzzle. If you’re interested in the full story of space, this is one book you won’t want to miss.