Chace, Harley, Will, and Cherise  are eighth graders  on the west coast.  When Harley's family's B & B guest, Professor Raleigh asks them for help in looking for thundereggs, they enthusiastically agree.  They find an thunderegg, but quickly agree that it is more egg than rock. They decide to keep the egg hidden from the Professor, but do bring it to their science teacher, Mr. Behr.  The egg eventually hatches revealing something unexpected- a dragon.  Steria the dragon immediately bonds with all the kids, now they have to figure out how to care for a dragon and keep Steria safe from Professor Raleigh. 


An exciting middle grade adventure-with dragons! Taking care of the egg and Steria is a great test of the group's friendship as they navigate a totally unique situation.  My favorite character by far was Steria herself, calm and trusting- but playful at heart.  Like many middle grade stories, the parents were left out of a lot, however, at least there was an adult involved with Mr. Behr.  The tensions rose as Professor Raleigh  is constantly on their tails and Steria needed more and more food.  As we learned more about Professor Raleigh, it seems that he may not be the villain that everyone thought.  I did really like the solution that the group found for Steria at the end, although it doesn't seem like it will last very long.  Hopefully the next book will come up with a better solution.


This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

A rip in the space-time continuum has been wreaking havoc in a small town on Oregon's Coast.   Kajri, a Unicorn has found herself ripped out of her own world and into one with animals that look similar, but are lacking a horn.  When middle-schooler Daisy goes out to find her two appaloosa horses in the pasture, she is surprised to find another horse with them.  Daisy is amazed to find that the third horse has a horn and can speak to Daisy through her thoughts.  Daisy lets her friend Ana in on the secret as well.  The girls try to keep Kajri safe as they learn of a poacher that wants Kajri for her magical healing horn, but they will need help from Professor Raleigh and some friends who have been in a similar situation.  

A fun middle-grade fantasy with unicorns!  This book takes place soon after An Unexpected Adventure and it is helpful to have read that book beforehand in order to know the importance of Professor Raleigh and Will, but not necessary.   I liked Daisy's character and how her confidence and strength grew around the horses as well as Kajri. The friendship between Daisy and Ana was refreshing as well.  Even as Ana was facing family issues that Kajri could have easily solved, she knew that her friends were there to support her.  Kajri herself was amazing as well, gentle and calming even though she was in a completely different world than what she knew.  I do wish there were a few more details about where Kajri came from and her powers.  I liked that there was a little more adult involvement in this story, however I didn't get the sudden inclusion of religion.  I am glad that there is a happy ending for Kajri and I am still hoping for a similar solution for Steria from the first book!


This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

The small coastal town of Myrtle Beach, Oregon has been a known hot spot for mythical creatures.  The portals that open up have caused several creatures to come through to our world.  So far, several teens with the help of NSA agent Winston Raleigh have helped the creatures.  Now, 16 year old Franklin stumbles through a portal on a hunting trip and befriends a sasquatch.  Before Franklin can return home, he learns about the world of Shinwano, all the creatures that live there and begins training on how to protect the portals when he returns home.  However, promptly upon Franklin's return to his world, Jack Collins, hunter of mythical creatures forces Franklin to show him the portal.  Luckily, Agent Raleigh and Franklin's friends aren't too far behind and can help Franklin defeat Jack and the evil forces in Shinwano while protecting the beings that live there.

In the final book of the Myth Coast Adventures series, a middle grade fantasy adventure, we finally get to see where all of the magnificent creatures came from.  I really enjoyed exploring Shinwano with Franklin and learning about how the portals work.  My favorite part of the story was when Franklin was training with Ladaku, a sanraksaka, or Sasquatch.  Through Ladaku, Franklin learned about the strength within himself`and how to use his bhala.  I did notice that the religious undertones that had been set in the previous two books have now come full force as the fight of good versus evil erupts in Shinwano.  The excitement and danger was amplified in this installment as Jack Collins is unleashed in a land with creatures that he wants to kill for their body parts.  To stop Jack, they use teamwork, creative thinking and their beliefs.  I also loved the consequence that Jack has to face at the end.  My only complaint was that there were a lot of new Shinwano words introduced all at once and it was difficult for me to keep track of new names for creatures that there are already words for.  Overall, a satisfying end to an enchanting trilogy.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
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Eleven-year old Ruby Tabeata is growing up in Greenwich Village in 1958.  She is part of the Beat generation and lives a slightly different kind of life than those around her.  Ruby loves poetry and writes some herself, her biggest dream is to hear Jack Kerouac perform.  However, her parents aren't exactly married, her house isn't the cleanest and she doesn't attend a normal school.  All of this plus being mistaken for stealing from a market stall gets Ruby in trouble and gets the attention of a social worker.  The social worker does not approve of Ruby's home life and takes her to a children's home.  While there, Ruby does whatever she needs in order to return to her mom and home.

The Beat on Ruby's Street was a very interesting look into the life of a child of the Beat generation.  I really don't know much about people who did consider themselves Beatniks, and never thought about the children that they raised.  I was very interested in Ruby's way of life and I adored her poetry.  I thought it was very interesting that they were treated without respect because of their different way of life.  However, I didn't like that the social worker was portrayed as a villain rather than someone who came to understand a different way of living.  I was very happy that Ruby did finally get to meet her poet and perform her poetry.  Overall, an inspiring piece of historical fiction for middle grade readers. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Twelve year old Ruby Tabeata is ready to have a fun summer. However, she finds out that her best friend Sophie is forced into hiding with her mother after her mother attended a Communist meeting.  The House Un-American Activities Committee would like to serve Sophie's mom in order to have her turn in other people who have  attended meetings as well.  Ruby wants to help Sophie and her mother after her mother loses her job and goes on the run, but after last year's run-in with a social worker, Ruby's mom has set some rules for her.  Ruby decides to chase Sophie all the way to Illinois along with her brother's girlfriend JoJo.  Although, her intentions may end up hurting more than helping.


An exciting and dangerous middle grade adventure in the 1950's.  Fool's Errand picks up soon after book 1, The Beat of Ruby's Street leaves off and I would highly encourage reading that first in order to get to Ruby. Through Ruby, I learned a little more about America's hidden history of the House Un-American Activities Committee and the Hollywood Blacklist that Sophie's mom was placed on. Ruby's adventure was also a coming-of-age journey for her where she expanded out of the Beat society and learned that her actions had consequences.  Ruby also learned more of the rules of society that she didn't always experience as a Beat and gained maturity as she learned to trust others and that not everything will go the way you think. 


This book was received for free in return for an honest review.