Reader Views

Tales of Deserts and Demons

“Tales of Deserts and Demons” by Faiz Kermani is three fantasy stories. “The Demon and the Three Beggars” was my favorite.  It was about three disfigured beggars.  One was purple from head to toe, one had half the face of a monkey, and the last one had a snout instead of a nose. When three friends were once again kicked out of the town that they had been visiting, they wandered into the cave of a demon who said that he would kill them unless they told him their stories about how they were disfigured. Will they live to see another sunset or will they die in the cave?

Even though the title “Tales of Deserts and Demons” sounds scary, it is really more funny and clever than scary.  I would not classify this as a scary book, but many of the characters are demons or creatures.  All the stories had elements of trickery and just rewards.  I think even my mom might like this book!

I would recommend “Tales of Deserts and Demons” by Faiz Kermani to people who like short stories.  It is nice to pick up a good book and finish an entire good story in way less than an hour.  The entire book is less than 80 pages – but a very enjoyable 80 pages!


Tales of Deserts and Demons
Faiz Kermani
Faiz Kermani/Lulu (2012)
ISBN 9781105499937
Reviewed by Evan Weldon (age 10) for Reader Views (4/12)

How Maji Gets Mongo Off the Couch!

Max’s comments:

“This book is about two dogs.  One is named Maji and one is named Mongo.  Maji likes to run around outside and play.  Mongo likes to sit on the couch and watch shows.

Maji goes to Mongo’s house and asks him to play.  Mongo goes out to play and likes it.  That is good because going outside to play is good for you.

My favorite part was when they built a fort with the big rectangle rocks.  That was a cool fort and they got really strong lifting all of those rocks and stacking them.  I think they got big muscles from that.  I liked the part when Maji was like a tornado running to all of the things in the playground too!

I didn’t think it was a good idea when the dog jumped in front of the truck to save the turtle!  It is not good to jump in front of a truck.  He could have gotten run over!

‘How Maji Gets Mongo Off the Couch!’ is a good book to tell kids to go outside and play.  Playing outside is fun.  It is bad to sit in front of a TV for a long time.  That is not very healthy to do that.  I think kids that do that should read this book so they can see how much fun you can have outside.”


How Maji Gets Mongo Off the Couch!
Dr. J. Renae Norton
Robert D. Reed Publishers (2012)
ISBN 9781934759608
Reviewed by Max Aures (age 5.5) and Mom for Reader Views (3/12)

Spy Family: Book 1

“Spy Family: Book 1” by James Rahfaldt is about when thirteen-year-old twins Elizabeth and James took a vacation with their parents from Illinois to Italy to see the sights.  But, as they were going through airport immigration in Italy, Luke, the dad, was taken into a room and handcuffed to the table with no explanation.  Finally, CIA agent Tom Howard entered the room.  Luke had met Tom once years before in Washington, DC when Luke and his family had been touring the White House. Tom took him aside and asked him to go to a dinner and talk to a man named Silvano.  Luke and his wife Bianca went to the dinner and that was that.

But, now in Italy, Luke learned that the man named Silvano was a counterfeiting crime boss.  At that dinner long ago, Silvano invited the Wards to meet again for dinner someday.  Now the CIA was eager to contact Silvano and the Ward family was their key.  Tom asked Luke to serve his country and use that long ago dinner invitation to contact Silvano.  It all sounded so simple.

I’ll tell you it wasn’t that simple!  It was hair-raising, action-packed and exciting.  It was one of the best books I’ve read.  There were a bunch of characters and I felt like I got to know them all.  I suggest that readers don’t get to like the bad guys too much.  The plot was well developed and very suspenseful. 

The book is only 180-pages long but the type is small and the margins are narrow, so the book took longer than I expected to read.  The book has some violence so people that don’t like that sort of thing might not like the book.  But, I savored every word.  I will recommend “Spy Family: Book 1” by James Rahfaldt to everyone I know.


Spy Family: Book 1
James Rahfaldt
Matcole Properties (2011)
ISBN 9780984927807
Reviewed by Evan Weldon (age 10) for Reader Views (3/12)

Buddy Check

Summer camp is one of the quintessential American summer traditions.  In this novel, Jenifer Brady follows the summer camp of a group of friends, seasoned campers, who volunteer at a Christian camp in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. All of these camp counselors are high school seniors about to enter college, or, are already college students. Intertwined in her story are camp romances, arguments with the director of the camp, fear about the unknown, and happiness at being with friends for the summer again.

The first chapter of this book is very confusing and not placed in the correct order.  The information presented in the first chapter would have been better placed, if it was placed in the fourth or fifth chapter, where Kate and her friends’ adventure at camp really begin. The list of camp terminology at the beginning was very helpful and the definitions were very clear and concise.  A list of characters would have been helpful as well since there were many characters that were playing large roles, so it was a bit confusing to keep them all in order throughout the book.  The cover image of the book did not really portray what the story was about.  Gimp bracelets maybe could have captured more the spirit of the story, since it was something that was referred to repeatedly in the story. Another possible idea could be a group of girls and their counselor making gimp bracelets, especially since the title of the book is “Buddy Check.”

The tensions between the characters at the time are so much that the book was no longer compelling to read because there were too many negative emotions running through the story.  The romantic relationships that made up the storyline were interesting and added some spice to the novel, but Julie’s character and how fast she went through relationships seemed a bit out of place for a Christian novel and Christian counselors and camp.

The prayers that were included in the book helped to solidify the Christian theme and message.  Mark was mentioned a lot in this book, but it was mostly repetitive information; there was nothing new about Mark that was added each time he was mentioned.  Each time it was about how he was one of the greatest counselors and that Christian was his best friend and that it sucked to have such an amazing older sibling at camp because then no one would know your name.

This novel would be great for young adult Christians who are either in a confirmation or religious education class, but it might be too long for some students. “Buddy Check” would also be a good book for someone on a retreat to read and reflect on because there are some very interesting questions that could be asked after reading this book.  Overall, “Buddy Check” was an interesting read and I am looking forward to reading more of her novels.


Buddy Check
Jenifer Brady
CreateSpace (2011)
ISBN 9781452888033
Reviewed by Theresa La (age 17) for Reader Views (10/11)

Duffy: The Tale of a Terrier

“Duffy” is about a bull terrier that was born in a hayloft in a barn. When he was just born, he jumped out of the hayloft and ran out of the barn and ran free onto the street. While he was walking down the side of the street, a couple picked him off the road and took him to a shelter. The lady at the shelter decided to call him Duffy. Soon later, a young couple was at the shelter one day, looking for the “Lively Bull-Terrier” that was “Pet of The Week” in the newspaper. The lady who worked at the shelter opened Duffy’s cage and he ran out to the couple. Duffy licked their hands and yipped happily. Then the man picked him and took him to the front desk to adopt him.

Okay, so I just told what this book was about totally backwards. It actually starts when Duffy arrives in Heaven and decides to write a book about his life and send it back down to earth for not just his owners to see, but for the world to see. Duffy has some help with another dog in Heaven named Rex. Rex sends out letters to publishers with a couple of the first chapters of Duffy’s book. So basically, that paragraph up there is the first chapter of Duffy’s book.

I really thought “Duffy: The Tale of a Terrier” was fun and cute to read. I liked how it seemed like a dog wrote this book. I liked the illustrations at the front of each chapter. My favorite chapters of the book would probably be the ones where Duffy goes to obedience camp and the last chapter too.


Duffy: The Tale of a Terrier
Gary Porter
Beaver’s Pond Press (2011)
ISBN 9781592983698
Reviewed by Madeline McElroy (age 10) for Reader Views (2/12)

Dancing on the Inside

Jenny Spark had always wanted to learn to dance ever since her parents gave her a DVD of “Swan Lake.” So now, Jenny is starting taking ballet classes, but when she gets into class, she realizes she is too afraid to dance in front of everyone. She thinks that if she messes up, everyone will laugh at her, so she tells the teacher she doesn’t feel so well, so she lets her sit out. When Jenny’s mom comes back, she asks Jenny, “How was ballet?” Jenny replies, “It was fine.” Her mom replies, “Are you sure? Because if you didn't like it, I can get a refund, but if you decide to take another lesson, I can’t.” Jenny nods and says, “Yeah, I'm sure.”

For the next couple of days, Jenny comes up with a risky plan. The next ballet lessons she has, she goes up to the teacher with a fake note saying, “Jenny was not feeling good the last few days and we took her to the doctors. They say she is too ill to dance but would it be ok if she sat out and watched for the next few weeks or so?” The teachers looked at Jenny and said, “You seem fine to me, I guess you can.” Jenny smiled on the inside. She was going to lie to her parents about ballet class, but would this plan work? Find out!

I really love “Dancing on the Inside” because I love to dance and I love ballet. It is a very interesting book and I think girls my age to at least thirteen would like this book. This is fun to read and some ballet moves they do in the book, you just have to look up!


Dancing on the Inside
Glen C. Strathy
iUniverse (2011)
ISBN 9781462018710
Reviewed by Madeline McElroy (age 10) for Reader Views (1/12)

Shayna Gladstone: In Search of the Scientist

This story may make you hungry in some paragraphs, because, in Terramanna, giant gingerbread men come from big eggs. Shayna Gladstone thought she was just somebody, but then a mysterious Balloon Lady takes her to a place called Terramanna! Everyone there thinks she is The Shayna of The Prophecy. She also meets some friends along the way. She soon figures out the Minnie Maudde has been captured! Her friends Marie and Dan help Shayna try to rescue Minnie Maudde. There are also the Sweet Suites, where there are marshmallow rooms, chocolate rooms, and all kinds of other candy rooms. There is also a beach with sugar instead of sand, you could build and eat sugar castles!

My favorite characters are Shayna and the Balloon Lady. My favorite thing about this book is the donut tubes in the raft tunnels. I suggest “Shayna Gladstone: In Search of the Scientist” by C.J. Murray for kids age 9 and up that like fiction books and enjoy fantasizing about candy!


Shayna Gladstone: In Search of the Scientist
C.J. Murray
iUniverse (2011)
ISBN 9781450289900
Reviewed by Sophia McElroy (age 9) for Reader Views (2/12)

Darla Jade and the Balance of the Universe

“Darla Jade and the Balance of the Universe” by D. L. Reynolds follows an epic fight against evil in an action-packed, fast-paced, fantasy novel. Darla Jade is called from the grave by Striker and sent to heaven to train in the Heaven Sent Academy to become a guardian angel. Among the other souls called up at the same time is Johnny who is sent to help. Darla finds a group of friends – they call themselves 'the guardians' – with whom she makes a pact to fight against evil. Meanwhile, hell is unbearable, and Johnny is determined to find a way to bring evil's wrath and destruction to earth in order to escape hell. The guardians must save the world from Johnny and Brimstone; otherwise, the balance will be turned to evil and the world will be overcome.

Reynolds painted a clear world. From descriptions of Striker’s (somewhat like the grim reaper) bony hands, or the sullen countenance to the keeper of the feather’s many years of work and struggle to hold the feathers, or the enjoyable class Leonardo DaVinci taught on restoring the earth, I was given a clear understanding and picture of the scene. Fortunately, the descriptions were not heavy handed nor did they leave the book full of pages of endless descriptions; the descriptions were often fit into dialogue or actions scenes, keeping the book fast-paced.

The plot was well developed and set up. Many times, small pieces of information, often hidden (just like the descriptions) in more exciting scenes, came back later to carry along an unexpected twist in the plot. “Darla Jade and the Balance of the Universe” as the first book in a series, left many loose strings for the next book, yet still managed to feel like a complete story, enjoyable without book two on the nightstand.

I do have one minor issue with the book. As a Christian, when this book presented certain beliefs which I disagreed with as ‘Christian,’ I felt misrepresented. My biggest concerns were twofold.

First, God was presented as a CEO trying to maintain the “balance” of good and evil according to certain laws, but largely removed from the gritty details. I believe in a God more kingly, glorious, good, and all-powerful, whose plans are for redemption, not just maintenance of a balance. In fact, the balancing concept felt more Jedi or yin-yang than Christian.

Second, I felt that the book present a works-based reality – you go to heaven (or hell) based on good (or bad) deeds. In heaven, success depends upon good grades and good behavior (the more demerits, the less capable of fulfilling duties). I believe the all-powerful God has, in mercy, provided us a way to become our god-created, perfect selves without counting good deeds and thusly producing a “nice and naughty list.”

Any other beliefs I would have disagreed with weren’t large enough to really bother me, and I saw how they added to the world and plot. Although I had some disagreements with the beliefs, I would still recommend the book – with a warning that I didn’t necessarily agree with everything – just as I would a book set in another religious system.

“Darla Jade and the Balance of the Universe” by D. L. Reynolds is an enjoyable epic tale. I would recommend book one of the Guardians series to most middle and high school students, particularly those who enjoy books pitting good against evil, with strong action.


Darla Jade and the Balance of the Universe
D. L. Reynolds
Xlibris (2011)
ISBN 9781462887620
Reviewed by Madeline Sullivan (age 17) for Reader Views (1/12)

Finding Faith: A Novel

I think that C. E. Edmonson is trying to show people how Native Americans were treated in the early 1900s. You are shown this from a thirteen-year-old girl’s point of view; her name is Faith. It all takes place during the depression in 1934.

Faith Covington has everything she could ever have dreamed of - loving parents, a huge house, her parents were rich, and she acted like a young lady. All of this is destroyed when America is hit with the worst thing possible - The Depression. When Mr. Covington’s company goes out of business and the banks go bankrupt, Faith’s world is turned upside down.

The only possible solution is for Faith and her mother to go live with their Aunt Eva while her father stays in New York to try and find work. Faith finds Aunt Eva is a Lenape Indian making her part Indian too. She is faced with persecution and racism, things she had never been exposed to. After she and her mother have settled in and she has become accustomed to her aunt’s ways, things start to go bad. When an Indian named Red-Moon has his barn burned down, Faith and everybody else knows things aren’t right. The people are confused and worried and their fears are confirmed when the next day Red-Moon is shot in the head and Paul sees a pickup truck driving away from the scene.

This story is full of adventure and mystery. You also get to know what it would’ve been like for a teenage girl struggling to survive during the depression while experiencing the ups and downs of living in a new community and learning trust with the Lenape people. My opinion would be that this book is recommended for ages 12+ and for both genders.

I found it interesting when I could relate to the plants and animals. When Faith talks about seeing a black head sticking up out of the water I knew it to be a loon or when she talks about sweet berries growing close to the ground I recognized blueberries.

Finally, I personally loved this book. I have always found Historical-Fiction fascinating and “Finding Faith” is the perfect book to read. C. E. Edmonson tells the story and makes you feel like you are there, like you know Faith and Paul and Aunt Eva, and the setting is described with great detail so you can picture it in your mind. You learn about how a rich and spoiled girl turns into a girl who can live off of the forest, can fish, can garden, can make pottery and do so much more. She finally realizes that maybe the depression was supposed to happen; maybe she was meant to come and live in the wilderness and learn the ways of the Lenape. After all, she could never have done anything like that in the busy streets of New York.


Finding Faith: A Novel
C. E. Edmonson
WinePress Publishing (2011)
ISBN 9781414118673
Reviewed by Kristen Keiran (age 13) for Reader Views (2/11)

Elements: The Beginning

“Elements: The Beginning” by Kate Fuentes is the story of twins Talon and Gage as they follow a difficult path to find their lost mother and defeat the dark Emperor.  Up against a powerful evil, two extraordinary kids with special powers must face their enemies and triumph.  If they fail, the world falls to the dark Emperor.  Born with the powers of fire and water, Gage and Talon Thorn must face Maradati, a powerful demon who longs to control the world.  Will Gage and Talon be defeated, or will they triumph against Maradati?

When Gage and Talon were born their mother died.  Soon after that sad event their father started to notice strange things around the house such as objects moving without anyone touching them.  But with an entire ranch to take care of in addition to the twins, Gable (the twins’ father) was forced to hire a nanny to take care of the brothers.  When the nanny also began to notice the twins’ strange behavior, she suggested taking them to her uncle in New Zealand who was an expert in magical activities.  After meeting the nanny’s uncle, Gable decided that he wanted to move to New Zealand.  Later, when the twins had a strange dream in which an evil boy tried to kill them, they were not sure what was in store for them.  Are Gage and Talon safe, or are they in mortal peril from an unknown evil?

When Gage and Talon were thirteen they were taken to meet a strange old man who would help them harness the raw elemental energy within them.  He gave them each a strange stone that created a feeling of power within them.  The old man also helped them learn to control their various powers.  But faced against a supernatural enemy will this be enough?

I would recommend “Elements: The Beginning” to people who like adventure and magic.  This was not the most well written book I have read, but was still entertaining.  It was a rather uneventful book until right near the end.  Nonetheless, I finished it soon after I started it.  This is the first in a series and left off on a cliffhanger.


Elements: The Beginning
Kate Fuentes
AuthorHouse (2011)
ISBN 9781456758943
Reviewed by Ben Weldon (age 13) for Reader Views (5/11)