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When Ricky and his friends are offered a week at a ski resort in Colorado, it seems too good to pass up. They are supposed to be watching out for something odd that might be happening in the lodge, but they don’t know what might be wrong. Their first night there, a fire breaks out in the room where they are staying. Then they see the ghost of a woman who died in the area years ago. What is going on?

As readers, we get to strap in for another fun mystery. The plot is strong again, giving us twists and good clues before we reach the logical ending. The characters are so much fun and better than many we see in middle grade novels. Plus the humor sprinkled throughout adds a nice touch. There are some Christian themes woven into the novel as well, but all without preaching at us once.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/02/book-review-terror-on-kamikaze-run-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
LB
Lost Beneath Manhattan
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ricky Kidd’s class trip to New York City turns into a disaster when he has to take his six-year-old brother with him. Joel is always disappearing, even at home, so Ricky is worried that Joel will do that on the trip. When an encounter with a security guard at a museum frightens him, Joel takes off, and Ricky begins to search for him. Where will the search lead him?

Author Sigmund Brower does a good job of making the premise believable. Of course, it doesn’t take much in a middle grade series for readers to root for the main characters to solve the crime. The book takes a little while to take off, but once it does, it never lets go until we reach the climax. The characters are a lot of fun; they get a lot of personality for a short book. Ricky wondering how God can allow suffering adds some depth to an already solid story.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-review-lost-beneath-manhattan-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
The Mysterious Music Box (The Decoders #4)
The Mysterious Music Box (The Decoders #4)
Alba Arango | 2018 | Children, Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The mysterious Music box is a well-hidden game of lost and find. Though it not all easy to find the music box. There seems to be a reason for two other people trying to find this music box that belongs to a friend from school.

Though why would someone want to break in and take a music box that has nothing in it. There seem to be quite a bit of people wanting Rosa music box. Could there be something inside the box that can solve a mystery of some treasures that came from world war II Germany?

There seem to be two other people that are trying to find this music box. What could be so special about it? If you enjoy riddles and puzzles, then this book and series are for you. If you are looking for a good series or book for your children of middle-grade schoolers this is it. These books are good for them and they will learn a little bit as they read.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Apr 10, 2020  
"Edison Jones and The Anti-GRAV Elevator is a fantastic story that straps you in for a very exciting adventure throughout its pages."

Stop by my blog, and read my review for the Middle Grade/Young Adult action novel EDISON JONES AND THE ANTI-GRAV ELEVATOR by Author Michael Scott Clifton. Also, enter the #GIVEAWAY to #win a $15 #Amazon GIFT CARD, a bookmark, and/or a copy of the book!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/04/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-edison.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
Twelve-year-old Edison Jones is a prodigy with a passion for technology and inventions. Paralyzed from the waist down since the age of five, he hasn’t let his disability slow him down. Then his world changes overnight when his grandfather, a billionaire tech company owner, decides to enroll him in a public school. Algorithms, quantum physics, and digital engineering are easy. Finding his way in the bewildering world of boys and girls his own age is quite another thing . . . the biggest challenge of his life.
     
Super Puzzletastic Mysteries
Super Puzzletastic Mysteries
Various Authors | 2020 | Children, Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Twenty Great Puzzles and Mysteries for You to Solve
This book for middle grade readers features twenty stories by members of Mystery Writers of America. Each story provides the clues and puzzles you need to solve it along with the characters. In fact, the solutions are at the back of the book to give you time to figure out what is really going on before you see if you got it right. While a few authors feature series sleuths, most of the stories feature original characters.

And all of them are fun. Many are straight up mysteries, but some feature puzzles we can learn about and solve with the characters along the way. The stories average about 15 pages each, so they would work well for reading aloud and solving as a group. It might take a group to solve some of them. I figured a few out, but many left me stumped until I turned to the end. There isn’t a bad story in the bunch, and kids will certainly enjoy this collection as much as I did.
  
Boy From Berlin
Boy From Berlin
Nancy McDonald | 2018 | Children, Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Boy From Berlin is a well-written story of a family. It tells the story of a boy and his family journey from Nazi Germany. What a compelling tale. It is great for children to learn about Berlin and what happens to Jews during Hitler's time.

The way this takes us on Kafer's journey from Berlin to England. Young readers will enjoy the adventure. They will also learn about what it was like to be Jew or some escaped from Hitler. You are pulled along with Kafer and his family. I was having a hard time turning the pages. There are surprises and twists throughout the book.

This was historical fiction read but it great for any historical fan. It one that I would recommend to pick up for middle-grade children and readers. Great for young readers as well. If you are into spies and World War 2 then this is a good book to pick and read. It is based on the true story of Kafer and his family. Though there is some fiction to it.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Oct 3, 2021  
Sneak a peek at the middle grade historical fiction book ONCE UPON A CAMEL by Kathi Appelt on my blog, and watch an interesting short documentary about the US Army’s camel experiment which is referenced in the book. Enter the giveaway to win a signed copy of the book - three winners!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2021/10/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-once-upon.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
Zada is a camel with a treasure trove of stories to tell. She’s won camel races for the royal Pasha of Smyrna, crossed treacherous oceans to new land, led army missions with her best camel friend by her side, and outsmarted a far too pompous mountain lion.

But those stories were from before. Now, Zada wanders the desert as the last camel in Texas. But she’s not alone. Two tiny kestrel chicks are nestled in the fluff of fur between her ears—kee-killy-keeing for their missing parents—and a dust storm the size of a mountain is taking Zada on one more grand adventure. And it could lead to this achy old camel’s most brilliant story yet.