Friday, September 30, 2011

Disney in Shadow by Ridley Pearson



Disney in Shadow by Ridley Pearson
545 pages
    After narrowly escaping from thier last batele with the Overtakers, the Kingdom Keepers realize that Amanda and Jess need to be part of their group. They quickly turn the girls into DHIs so it is easier for them to help.
    Now they need to find Wayne, their mentor, who has gone missing. They know he is being held by Maleficent, but they do not know where. Following clues left by Wayne, the Kingdom Keepers see that the Overtakers have a plan that no one had ever expected.


From the moment Finn took off running, he was afraid. He hated snakes. Any kind of snake gave him the weebies. A python as thick around as a basketball and nearly twenty feet long was the stuff of his worst nightmares-he's never even had a dream that bad. Somewhere inside him he understood how stupid he'd been to offer to play the decoy.
    Somewhere inside him he understood how fast a snake that big could travel across level ground and how if there were any small piece of him not fully crossed-over when the snake couaght up to him-for it would catch up to him no matter how fast he ran-that he would be caught, crushed, and consumed. But he ran straight ar the snake, as fast as his legs would carry him.
                                                                          ~Disney in Shadow by Ridley Pearson

*Book 3 in the Kingdom Keepers series*
Previous book: Disney at Dawn
Next book: Power Play

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The Son of Neptune: New Characters Revealed

Several new characters from the Heros of Olympus have been revealed. There parents have not yet been revealed, but it is fun to guess who they are:

Octavian:

Reyna:

Frank:

Ella the Harpy:

Thanatos:

Hazel:


What rick riordan says about each new person:
Hazel- 'Meet Hazel, a girl with a complicated past. Demigod? Yes. Is that horse important? You bet. Hazel has powers you have never seen before, because her godly parent is on the Roman side. But (major hint) she is related to a character you know well from the Percy Jackson series.Which one? I think that will surprise you.'

Thanatos- 'You will meet many gods in The Son of Neptune, but here's a fellow most mortals would prefer not to meet: Thanatos, the god of death. What part will he play, and what's up with those chains? For that, you will have to wait for the book.'
Ella- '. . . This week we meet Ella, a very special harpy who might hold some valuable secrets. But what secrets, and will she be willing to share them?'
Octavian- '. . . Time for another character reveal from The Son of Neptune! Meet Octavian and his unfortunate collection of stuffed animal friends. What Octavian's story? You can get some hints at the Heroes of Olympus website, but only time will tell if he's friend or foe, and what part he will play.'

Reyna- 'Time for our second character reveal for The Son of Neptune. Meet Reyna, with her automaton hounds Aurum and Argentium. Reyna's godly parent? Hint: it's a god you haven't met yet. Is Reyna powerful? Yes. Are those hounds deadly? Yes. Will she be friend or foe to Percy Jackson? Ah, that's a good question.'

Frank- 'Who is Frank's godly parent? What are Frank's powers? You may be surprised. In fact, Frank may be surprised. But he has a very important part to play in The Son of Neptune.'


So, who do you think their parents are? Post your guesses below and we will see who is right on 4 October
when The Son of Neptune releases!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Disney at Dawn by Ridley Pearson



Disney at Dawn by Ridley Pearson
377 pages

    There is a giant parade on the day the five DHI kids return to Disney World. Everyone is thrilled. It seems that everything is finally the way it should be, but then the kids notice something strange about Cinderella's Castle. When they check it out, they find the Maleficent has escaped. Now they must recapture the villain. But something else is strange as well.
    The Overtakers have messed with the DHI server system. Now, if any of the teens fall asleep, they will not be able to wake up. They have also made a second server to create an animal army. But the teens soon discover that Meleficent is not the one in charge: she has a master, someone even more powerful. Can the Kingdom Keepers stop them?



    Maleficent stood in the open window, her robe fluttering, the fireworks flashing colors in the sky beyond her. "Silly boys!" she said in a raspy voice. "The end is near."

**Book 2 in the Kingdom Keepers series**
Previous book: Disney After Dark
Next book: Disney in Shadow

Friday, September 16, 2011

Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson



Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson
296 pages

    It seems that Adrianne Keynnman's life cannot get any worse. Her father died years ago and his fortune is gone, so the Keynnmans are now poor. Adrianne's Aunt Minnah hates her and her mother is afraid to stand up to her. One night, she finds her sister, Cecily stranded on a rock on the beach. As Adrianne goes out to rescue her, she sees the Windwaithe mermaid trying to take her sister into the sea. She stops the mermaid from taking Cecily, but discovers later that the mermaid is really after her. Adrianne soon realises that the mermaid's call is hard to resist. Will she give in and leave her mother and sister who need her?

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Across the Great Barrier by Patricia C. Wrede



Across the Great Barrier by Patricia C. Wrede
339 pages

    Eff is asked to travel past the Barrier Spell and into the unprotected territory of the far west. She finally convinces her mother to let her go. At first, it seems to be no dangerous trip, since they have magic to protect them. But then they see weird things. Wild cats hanging out in unusual places in unusual groups and plants growing in strange places. These may be just a result of teh mirror bugs from the season before, but a frightening and stange discovery tells them otherwise.
    When they stop to camp for the night, Eff and Professor Torgeson find stone statues of animals that are perfectly carved-a little to perfect. Is some unknown creature turning thae animals to stone? Will it be a threat to the settlers, or is it something from a long time ago?



*Book 2 in 'Frontier Magic'*
Previous book: Thirteenth Child

Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede


Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
344 pages

    Eff is the thirteenth child in her family, so everyone thinks she is unlucky. Her Uncle Earn is especially mean about it. Eff's twin brother, Lan, is the seventh son of a seventh son, so everyone thinks he is lucky.  People want Lan to learn magic, so he can be a powerful magician, but no one lets Eff learn. But when the family moves out west to the frontier, everyone's lives change.
    Eff can learn magic, and no one knows that she is supposed to be unlucky. But Eff still has problems. She feels that everything bad that happens is her fault. When a sudden problem comes up, can Eff realize that she is not destined to fail?



*Book 1 of 'Frontier Magic'*
Next book: Across the Great Barrier