Reading With John : The Adventurer's Guide to Successful Escapes by Wade Albert White

A new school year is upon us and so is a new installment of Reading With John! It was a long summer with very little reading done that didn't involve re-reads of Wimpy Kid books and lots of comics ... but as the start of school started to get closer I nabbed a couple of books on NetGalley from him that I thought looked good. The first he picked was Wade Albert White's The Adventurer's Guide to Successful Escapes, which is set to be released on September 13th.

He's a bit out of practice with writing neatly and completely -- he said a lot more about the book than he wrote -- but here's his "review" sheet:

Title: The Adventurer's Guide to Successful Escapes
Author: Wade Albert White
Year Published: 2016
# of Pages: 384
Stars: 4 1/2
Main Setting (Time/Place): Future/Tiers
Main Characters: Anne, Penelope, Hiro, Matron Jocelyn, Jeffrey, Nana, Rokk ("The picture is of Rokk since he's my favorite" - John)
What Happened In The Story: First Jocelyn gives Anne a gauntlet and Ann activates a quest. ("Really, first they were in the orphanage at Saint Lupin's and it was horrible. I didn't really like that part. I felt bad for them." - John) Then, Anne, Penelope and Hiro go to the tower with no door. Next, they meet Rokk. Lastly, Saint Lupin's is turned into an Academy.
Why Did You Give It The Rating You Did? Why I gave 4 1/2 stars if both Shard's and Matron's deaths because they were distrubing. [Also] the ending with Oswald was just weird.

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It was a fun book for the most part -- in spite of John being confused at the end and freaked out so much by the "black smoke stuff" that he took half of a star off. He's already looking forward to the next book in the series so he can see his new book friends again, though, so that half of a star obviously isn't very detrimental in the grand scheme of things.

Reading With John : Jonny Jakes Investigates the Hamburgers of Doom

From John:

From Mom: We both absolutely loved Jonny Jakes Investigates the Hamburgers of Doom by Malcolm Judge and illustrated by Alan Brown -- set for release on March 1st. We received our copy for free from NetGalley but that never influences our opinion.


Jonny Jakes is not the main character -- but it is the main alias of the main character, a loner student who writes a newspaper for his school that mainly focuses on uncovering scandals. He also uses the alias of Fiona Friend as the editor of the paper. MY John thought that it would be fun to do his review under his girl alias of Ann Dalso, which we came up with since he uses the phrase "and also" a lot. When a new principal is suddenly hired for the school, Jonny sets out to get the scoop on the newcomer and makes some unexpected friends in unexpected ways in the process. All in all it was a fun story that had us both roaring with laughter on several occassions and we can't wait for the next book in the series!

Reading With John : Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye

We were going to hold off and post this for Teaser Tuesday, but just couldn't hold in our excitement any longer for tomorrow's release of Tania del Rio & Will Staehle's Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye from Quirk Books. We're so thankful that NetGalley made it available to us to read early and that Quirk accepted our request to do so!

(I may still link it up to Teaser Tuesday when it goes up tomorrow because it's too good not to share repeatedly!)

John and I both loved the book. The artwork has an eerie Victorian feel to it and the pages are laid out with two columns per page which I bet is absolutely gorgeous in hard copy. The copy we got was an e-ARC and not all of the artwork was there yet so we'll definitely at least be picking it up at the library to see what we missed, but it was delightful enough that we may buy it outright as a "keeper."

We were originally drawn to it over the hotel aspect since John's father and I both work at hotels so they've been a part of his life forever. The Warren Hotel is a bit different than the places he's been used to, though ...

And now a word from our sponsor ... errrr ... John!

Reading With John - I'm An Alien And I Want To Go Home

John recently finished Jo Franklin's I'm An Alien And I Want To Go Home thanks to NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group, and Clarion Books. It's set to be released this Tuesday, November 10th, and John thinks it definitely worth buying!


From Mom:
Daniel doesn't look anything like his family. He's tall and awkward and when his sister tells him it's because he's an alien and not really part of the family at all he believes her -- especially when they only thing he finds in the photo album where his baby pictures should be is a newspaper clipping about a meteor crashing nearby on the same day he was supposedly "born" to his Earth parents. With the help of his two best friends, Eddie and Gordon, Daniel sets out to get home to his "real" family. It's not the deepest middle grade book we've ever read (that honor still goes to The Goblin's Puzzle for me), but some lessons are learned about friendship and family and bravery ... even in the midst of "thin-crust laptops" and fart jokes.
Five Things From John: * I liked the pictures (by Marty Kelley). They were really detailed and funny. * I liked when Dan rescued his parents because he was really brave. * I did NOT like that Dan's parents were kidnapped by the wackos. It was mean. * I liked the staring contests over the laptop. * I liked when they tried cryostasis on Dan his mom freaking out.
And one more thing from John: * I like being able to read books before other people can!

Reading With John (with a ramble from mom): Andrew Chilton's The Goblin's Puzzle

Tuesday afternoon John and I finished reading Andrew Chilton's The Goblin's Puzzle thanks to Random House, Knopf & NetGalley. It's set for release here in the US on January 19th. You can pre-order it from Amazon by clicking HERE or on the cover (and, as always, it's an affiliate link so if you do buy it we'll get a little smidgen of money in our account which will likely go towards more books. Or laundry detergent. Whatever.)


What a wonderful book this was! It was funny and exciting and oh-so-thoughtful. We haven't read very many middle-grade books together that I would consider "deep" but there were definitely some pretty deep and profound messages in this one. I wasn't really sure that John would pick up on them as he's only nine, but after he gave me his "Top Five Things" about the book I was pleasantly surprised that he seemed to get it.

Without further ado, the John part of today's Reading With John:

Now it's my turn to do my mom-ramble.

The third thing on John's list was the one that really struck me. Without giving too much away, a great deal of this story is about just that -- overcoming pre-conceived notions about who you are. Sometimes those notions are held by others. Sometimes those notions are held by yourself. You know that when you're told enough that you're this or that you start to believe it. When the things that you're told aren't necessarily positive they can really put a damper on, well, everything.

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this here, but John is a "special needs kid." He's been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and is on the Autism Spectrum. He gets therapy in school to help with expressing himself in social situations. He sometimes breaks down or freaks out or acts up over things that normal kids probably wouldn't. He'll opt out of certain field trips or school assemblies that normal kids get excited about.

(I despise the word "normal," by the way.)

John's also an amazing artist. He builds amazing structures and models out of Legos or clay or whatever else he can get his hands on. He's absolutely brilliant with math (he says he has a calculator brain thanks to his "wiring" being different). He loves to read and make up stories and songs. BUT, because his wiring is different and because of the sometimes abnormal reactions to things he's sometimes conceived to be "odd" or "strange" or "goofy." Because he DOES have ADD and Autism he's sometimes conceived to be "less than" that dreaded "normal." We try incredibly hard to make sure that those conceptions don't sink in.

When I requested The Goblin's Puzzle from NetGalley, I admit I had a pre-conceived notion about what I was going to get. I imagined a "normal" fantasy tale to be enjoyed by young (and, maybe, not-so-young) readers. We certainly got the "normal" fantasy tale aspects with kings and queens and sorcerers and ogres and so on and so on. We also got puzzles to help solve and adventures to get excited about and, most of all, life lessons about fate and conceptions and confidence.

The ditz can be a brilliant leader.
The loser can be a champion.
The monster can be a good friend.

and the unwritten but still felt:

The "special needs kid" can be absolutely anything.

Reading With John : The League of Unexceptional Children

Thanks to NetGalley we just finished the amazing upcoming release by Gitty Danshvari, The League of Unexceptional Children.


Instead of writing a normal review this time, John opted to make a diorama and do a short vlog about it:

Reading With John : Secrets of Droon # 1

Every year our favorite library has a huge book sale and a couple of years ago I grabbed the first two Secrets of Droon books for John in case they were something he would ever be interested in. We read the first one this week in 2 days and he's excited about reading the rest of them at some point!

For this review he asked for another fill-in-the-blank or form, so form it was! I made it at work Friday morning and that afternoon he got to work filling it out!

Title: The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet Author: Tony Abbott Year Published: 1999 # of Pages: 80 ***** Main Setting (Time/Place): Plud/Droon and Eric's house (forgot time! "It's 1999, Mom!!!") Main Characters: Eric, Julie, Keeah and Neal What Happened In The Story: In the beginning, Eric, Neal and Julie go to clean Eric's basement. Then Neal kicks the soccer ball in the closet to Droon. After that, they meet Keeah and save her from Sparr. Why Did You Give It The Rating You Did? I loved reading it because it was funny and exciting and I loved the flying carpet and sound effect words like "zam" and "fwap."
Being a big fan of drawing he was rather pleased with the box for a picture. I told him he could draw anything from the book he wanted to in it and he chose the character of Max.

Teaser Tuesday # 22 & Reading With John - Dead Boy

This week we're doing a two-fer with Teaser Tuesday and the latest Reading With John!

This was truly a wonderful book for the middle grade crowd .... and those of us who just enjoy really well written books even if we're decades older than the "written for" audience.  For something new I offered John the option of writing a letter to a character from the book. He more or less dictated it to me, but that works, too. They're still all his thoughts -- I just get them down on paper easier than he does right now.

First his letter, then the teaser!

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Dear Crow,

I loved the book about you: Dead Boy by Laurel Gale. My mom got it early from NetGalley. I liked being able to read it before it comes out for real.

I thought it was funny when your body parts were falling off and maggots were coming out of your mouth, nose and ears, but the Meera and its tests might have scared me. Were you scared?

I think the Meera might have morphed into a cat. My cat, Cheerio. He bites at me and dad sometimes. Maybe there are two collars and his is invisible? If he offers me a wish I would ask for all different types of toys and apps for my iPad.

Melody seems like she is nice and kind and a good friend. The other kids were kind of mean. I hope they are nicer now.

I hope you liked this letter. I also hope you don't die too early again and don't have to see the Meera again.

Maybe some day I will write my own book!

Your friend,
John

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The Tease & The Book

Dead Boy by Laurel Gale

(Because this is an ARC the text may be different in the final published copy.)

The Meme

Reading With John : Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher

The book  Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher was written by Bruce Coville.

It was published in 1991 and is 148 pages long.

The story takes place in Jeremy's home town during the present.

The main characters are  Jeremy and Tiamat

I liked Jeremy because he likes to draw like me and takes care  of Tiamat and other animals.

I disliked Freddy the Frog Killer because he is a mean and rude bully and tortures Fat Pete the cat.

At the beginning Jeremy finds a magic store when he is running away from bullies and a girl who wants to kiss him. He buys a colorful ball for a quarter. The ball is a dragon egg.

Then, he  helps Tiamat the dragon grow into a beautiful dragon and becomes friends with the girl that chased him. She can see Tiamat like Jeremy. No one else can.

At the end jeremy had to let Tiamat go to the dragon world but a part of her was always with him.

My favorite parts of the the book were Jeremy getting Tiamat, Tiamat flying with Jeremy on her back when she got big, and them talking with pictures in their heads.

I did not like when Jeremy was being picked on or when Tiamat went away.

I would tell a friend to read this book because it is a great book. It is fun and full of surprises.

Reading With John : The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Over the summer in order to keep John reading regularly and practice his writing, we've come up with a "fill-in-the-blank" form for book reports/reviews. I wrote out the template after he and I discussed what a good report should include and then he answered the blanks that we left. Those fill-ins are indicated with green text (since green is his favorite color).

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The book The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was written by C. S. Lewis. It was published in 1950 and is 189 pages long.

The story takes place in Narnia and at the Professor's house in England during World War II. The main characters are Lucy, Edmund, Susan, Peter, Aslan and the White Witch. I liked Lucy because she is gentle and kind. I disliked the White Witch because she is mean and rude.

At the beginning of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the kids (Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter) found Narnia in the wardrobe. Then, they work to defeat the White Witch who was doing bad things to Narnia. At the end, they grow up as Kings and Queens and go back through the wardrobe as kids again.

My favorite part of the the book was when they defeated the Witch because of Edmund's bravery. I did not like when Asland died because he did nothing wrong and it wasn't fair.

I would tell a friend to read the book The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe because it's fun and exciting.

Reading With John : Ghost Town at Sundown

It's been almost a full week since John finished Ghost Town at Sundown and we finally remembered to do Reading With John! Again, I wrote out some questions for him to answer based on the book:

Writing out his answers:

The Questions (& Answers):

1. How did Jack and Annie know the Magic Tree House was back?

Jack & Annie know the Magic Tree House [is back] because they see a long legged rabbit.

2. Where do they go this time?

The Magic Tree House takes them to Rattlesnake Flats or [a] ghost town.

3. Did you learn anything from the book?

I learned rustlers steal horses especially mustangs from a herder and leaves the slower ones behind.

[Karen's Note: When we were talking about the answer before he wrote it out he was much more detailed about how the young ones were abandoned and often left wandering about looking for their family because family is very important to mustangs.]

4. Cowboy Slim gave Jack & Annie cowboy nicknames based on personalities or traits. 

Give cowboy nicknames to two friends or family members and tell why they fit.

My dad's cowboy nickname would be Fluffy because he's fluffy. 

My dog's cowboy nickname would be Sleepy because she can't move.

Reading With John : Magic Tree House Dolphins At Daybreak

On Sunday John started reading the ninth Magic Tree House book, Dolphins At Daybreak. Monday after school he finished it. Tuesday after school I gave him some questions. And THIS is the latest installment of Reading With John!

The Questions & Answers:

1. What was strange about Annie's dream?
Annie's dream was weird because Morgan's note was in it and Jack had the same dream.

2. How do you think Jack and Annie felt when they saw the tree house again?
Annie and Jack felt happy when they saw the magic tree house.

3. What did Morgan Le Fay ask Jack and Annie to do? Why?
Morgan asks them to find something 'hard as a rock, plain as plain can be, but inside me there is great beauty' to become Master Librarians.
[Karen's note: the kid has a mind like a steel trap sometimes! I would have said "solve a riddle" and he gave the whole riddle from memory!]

4. What do you think was the scariest part of their adventure?
The scariest part was the hammerhead shark.

5. What do you think was the most exciting part of the adventure?
The most exciting part was meeting Sukie and Sam.
[Karen's note: they are the Dolphins At Daybreak & he had them in his lunch Tuesday!]

6. If you could take a trip with the Magic Tree House, which book would you pick to travel to?
I would like to go to Frog Creek Woods so I would pick up a Magic Tree House book.

7. If Jack and Annie had a book about Syracuse, where do you think they should visit first?
I'd want them to go to Ed Smith School.

Reading With John : Dr. Critchlore's School For Minions -- Part One

Note from Karen: John decided that rather than wait until the end of the book (it's a long one -- 39 chapters & 288 pages), he would do a partial "Reading With John" now that we're about a third of the way through. Of course, we'll wrap it all up once it's done. We received Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions for free from NetGalley and Amulet Books. The free-ness in no influences our opinions.

(The book is being released March 17th but you can still pre-order it by clicking on the picture! Trust us -- it's definitely worthy of a pre-order!)

Higgins is a werewolf, 12 years old, who goes to Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions. He goes to school with monsters. Some things are going wrong at the school and it worries Higgins a lot. I think it is really fun so far. I think Higgins will save the day.

Reading With John : How To Train Your Dragon

This past week John read Cressida Cowell's How To Train Your Dragon. He's seen the first movie and the cartoon television series and I was a little worried that he wouldn't enjoy the book as much. How wrong I was! It's pretty much a totally different story and by the end he was claiming that, while he loves the screen versions, "the book is better." (That's my boy!)

Reading With John : Judy Moody Gets Famous!

We've had a bit of a crazy week this week with me having to work long strange hours, horrible weather, and then John coming down with a nasty little stomach bug. I have tonight off from work and he's feeling a little bit better so it's time for another edition of:

Today John did his mini-review of Judy Moody Gets Famous!

We first got to know Judy because of her little brother, Stink. Last year John read several of the Stink books and decided that this year he would move on to Judy since she's in the third grade like he is. I tease him about how if Judy Moody were real she'd probably be his girlfriend. (One of several, I have to admit!)

(everything in parentheses with an asterisk was said but no written)  

Title: Judy Moody Gets Famous!

Author: Megan McDonald

Illustrator: Peter H. Reynolds

What type of book is it? (funny? scary? serious?) funny (*more funny than serious, anyway)

Who is the main character? Judy Moody

Who are the secondary characters? Stink, Rocky, Frank, Mom and Dad, Jessica

Where is the setting? school, home, town (*which includes everyplace else)

What happened in the story? Judy wanted to get famous like Jessica and everybody else.

Did you learn anything? Being good is better (*and more important) than being famous.

Did you like it? Why? I liked that it is part of Judy's life. I love when she fixed all the dolls. (*I don't want to say too much because it might spoil the story for someone.)

Reading With John - Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Welcome to a brand new feature here -- 

Reading With John (The Well-Read Pirate Prince)!

For those unaware, John is my 8 1/2 year old 3rd grade son. He loves to read and when I started this blog he started talking about doing his own reviews, as well. Today is his first based on the book we read together over his holiday break and finished on Friday -- Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

In order to make the review more fun for him (at least to start out), I came up with a little form that he filled out:

And here's what he had to say:

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Author: Jeff Kinney

Illustrator: Jeff Kinney

What type of book is it? (funny? scary? serious?) funny

Who is the main character? Greg Heffley

Who are the secondary characters? his family, his friend, his classmates and teachers

Where is the setting? school and home

What happened in the story? The whole school year in middle school, the Cheese Touch, getting chased on Halloween. It was his diary of everything.

Did you learn anything? Middle school is hard, and friends make it better. 

Did you like it? Why? Yes, because it was funny and told me about middle school.