Fantasy

Background

Book 2 of the Fablehaven series, published in 2007, we see a revisiting of Seth and Kendra to the world of Fablehaven. This time around, Seth is tricked to bring back a powerful demon who gets stronger and stronger until he has devoured Seth. However, this is just the start of the ploy to take down Fablehaven itself.

My Thoughts

This book was a fun read like the book before it. The author has an easy style which is relaxing and yet keeps you engaged.

Recommendation

This is a great book for young readers

Background

Fablehaven is one of several preserves which house mystical creatures are alive and well and kept in check by a treaty which keeps them from running amok. Fablehaven has a human caretaker, Stan Sorenson, who tries to keep the peace along with his wife Ruth and other helpers at the preserve.

Fablehaven is the first of 5 books by Brandon Mull and was first published in 2006.

My Thoughts

Great book. My sons have read the series so this was one of several books I read just to make sure I knew what they were reading. It was a lot of fun. It is full of teen angst and general goofiness. The one thing I had a hard time getting use to throughout the series is how quickly people get over other folks and creatures dying. A main character will pass away and everyone just kind of moves along…

Recommendation

If they like fantasy, they will love this book.

Background

This is the last of the Percy Jackson series and he and his friends square off against the earth itself in the form of Gaia. It was released on October 7, 2014 and Disney Book Group announced they were going to print 3 million copies for the first run.

My Thoughts

Just like the others in the series, it was a good read and kept me entertained. It reads like you would expect a young adult book to read with a good reflection of awkward moments pretty much all youth experience at some time or another.

There were a number of “demi-gods” that we followed through their journeys so there were at least 2 stories going on at the same time. I think it was an effective way to represent teamwork and I liked that Percy wasn’t the only one in the limelight.

Recommendation

Good read for the kids. Make sure to start the series with the first book though.

Background

The third and final of the Mary Poppins’s’s’s. This time, Mary pops in with and through the fireworks. She puts the house back in order in her own particular way.

My Thoughts

It is still hard to rationalize and understand a snippy vain Mary Poppins. However, she certainly is that and more. I think these books are getting lost in time. Our modern world is getting further and further away from what was proper at the time these were written. Travers has a great imagination and they were an easy read. However, some of the situations and character interactions were discordant with more contemporary sensibilities.

Recommendations

Not the most enjoyable read but at least you can tell your friends you read it.

Background

This is the sequel to Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers. Mary Poppins pops back into the lives of the Banks children as quickly as she left the first time. However, this time she comes down the string that Michael Banks sent up on a kite.

My Thoughts

I was not happy with the “Mary Poppins Returns” that came out recently as a sequel to the first. (With the exception of the cameo by Dick Van Dyke.) Anyway, I was surprised how many things that happened in the movie actually happened in these books. Going into the pottery, the floating laughing uncle and so on. Mary Poppins is a conceded vain know it all who gaslights others when they see something was amiss. I didn’t really get that feel from the Disney films.

Recommendation

It was a good easy read. I appreciated the chance to learn more about the Pre-Disney Mary Poppins.

Background

The House of Hades is the next book following the Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan. The seven heroes are racing to the gates of death. Percy and Annabeth have entered Tartarus and are coming from the other direction while the others are fighting through the ancient lands so they can hold both sides…

My Thoughts

Another solid read from Rick Riordan. Reading these books make me want to know more about the mythology of Greece and Rome. I am continually surprised at the staggering amount of names and stories I should likely know but I just don’t…

Recommendation

This is a part of a series and does not stand on its own. I do recommend the series but start with The Lightning Thief of Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

Background

This is the original Mary Poppins from P.L. Travers. Ms. Travers (Golf). This particular book started a series of other books in which Mary Poppins is the protagonist.

My Thoughts

The first thing I noticed is that there were 4 Banks children. The youngest were John and Barbara who were twins. Mary herself is called out as “vain” and admires herself in every reflective surface she can find. In short, there were a lot of things I didn’t anticipate.

Recommendation

I’m glad I read it and I will be reading the following books.