The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre

By: Gail Carson Levine

Genre: Young Adult/Middle Grade Fantasy

Pages: 385

Published: 2017

Told In: First Person

Compare to:

Goose Girl, Shannon Hale

Shadow Spinner, Susan Fletcher

The Seer and the Sword, Victoria Hanley

In a nutshell:

Perry, raised in a war driven culture with prejudices against the serving Bamarre, doesn’t know that she is actually of Bamarre descent. Learning the truth about her heritage brings new challenges and the desire to free her oppressed people.

What you may enjoy:

This book has great themes and fun characters. Levine creates a beautiful world. Perry inspires readers by making big changes through small actions. Heartwarming and fun!

What you may NOT enjoy:

Not one of Levine’s best books. While enjoyable, there is no push to keep reading. Some parts seem arbitrary and unnecessary.

Note: Although this book is placed in the same world as Levine’s “Two Princesses of Bamarre,” both books can stand-alone. (Although, readers may recognize the name of one common character)

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Man loses leg below the knee; Woman hit in the chest by a horse and dies; Men hit over the head; Boy kills a man; Woman’s throat cut open, laying in a pool of blood; Ogre stabbed in the leg and bleeds; Woman slapped; Woman punched; Man whipped; Children killed; Gryffins stabbed and killed; Gryffins shot with arrows; Ogres killed; Woman stabbed in the shoulder; Man convulses and dies

Sex and Nudity:

Boy and girl kiss

Language and Profanity:

None

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Open Season

By: C.J. Box

Genre: Crime/Modern Western

Pages: 278

Published: 2001

Series: Joe Pickett Series, #1 of 17

Compare to:

The Poacher’s Son, Paul Doiron

The Eagle Catcher, Margaret Coel

Gator Aide, Jessica Speart

In a nutshell:

Joe is a game warden in Wyoming. When three men are murdered in the woods something about the investigation doesn’t seem right to him. As he conducts his own investigation, Joe learns that the murders affect his family far more than he expected.

What you may enjoy:

This book feels real and plausible. The characters are well developed and realistic. Watching the Pickett family grow closer together is tender. The writing is excellent and consistent throughout.

What you may NOT enjoy:

There is a fairly large amount of language. Some of the comments about the women’s bodies in the book can be slightly graphic. A man’s pedophile-like comments can be slightly disturbing.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Dead man covered in blood; two dead bodies lay, chewed on by a wild animal; man shot in the face; man shot down; boy steps on glass; boy dies in a drunken car crash; woman shot and bleeding; man’s arm shot off; man’s knees shot out; man shot in the hip.

Sex and Nudity:

Man’s erection discussed; naked woman walks by; woman’s genitalia described graphically; man and woman talk about sex; man talks about women’s bodies non-graphically; men’s affairs mentioned; husband and wife discuss whether or not they will have sex; mentions pictures of a man’s genitals; man touches young girl’s bottom; mentioned that husband and wife have sex (two times); naked woman’s breasts described.

Language and Profanity:

Forms of the F-word (19 times)

Forms of Sh*t (13 times)

H*ll (23 times)

B*tch (3 times)

Forms of G*dd*mn (12 times)

G*d (7 times)

Forms of J*s*s Chr*st (7 times)

Forms of D*mn (10 times)

*ss (2 times)

Pr*ck (3 times)

B*st*rds

D*ck

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Cyrano de Begerac

By: Edmond Rostand

Translation: Lowell Bair

Genre: French Play/Classic Literature

Pages: 240

Published: 1897

Compare to:

The Princess Bride, William Goldman

Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare

The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas

In a nutshell:

Witty and brave Cyrano is in love with Roxane, but feels unworthy of her because of his “grotesque” nose. Roxane’s love for the dim witted Christian grows as Cyrano secretly tells Christian what to say.  

What you may enjoy:

This book is a unique classic! It contains humor, romance, history, and action. Cyrano is a timeless, endearing character. The story is fun and reads quick and light.

What you may NOT enjoy:

Written in play format, making it difficult for some readers to follow or imagine. Some of the characters that seem important at the beginning never appear again.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Man slapped; man kicked in the groin; man falls dead; man shot and killed; men wounded and killed in battle; man hit over the head with a wooden plank

Sex and Nudity:

Man and woman kiss

Language and Profanity:

G*d (13 times)

@ss

D*mn

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The Maze of Bones

By: Rick Riordan

Genre: Young Reader Adventure

Pages: 220

Published: 2008

Told in: Third Person

Series: The 39 Clues, 1^st of 11

Compare to:

The Name of this Book Is Secret, Pseudonymous Bosch

Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket

Charlie Bone Series, Jenny Nimmo

In a nutshell:

When Dan and Amy’s grandmother dies she leaves her descendants two options: accept 1 million dollars or take the first clue towards becoming the most powerful person in the world. Dan and Amy take the clue and compete with distant relatives for the family secret and their lives.

What you may enjoy:

This is a fun book for both boys and girls. The story combines the perfect amount of fiction with fact to give the story a realistic feel. The action and mystery move the story along at a steady, engaging pace.

What you may NOT enjoy:

The series as a whole is geared toward mass marketing, so the characters are shallow and the plot simple and “as to be expected.” Each book is written by a different author and feels episodic.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Heavy box crashes into people, knocking them down; man punched in the face; several people fist fight; men electrocuted; people knocked unconscious; explosion puts kids in a hospital.

Sex and Nudity:

None

Language and Profanity:

G*d

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Wander

By: Lewis Bright Rees

Genre: Dystopian/Horror

Pages: 535

Published: 2017

Told in: First Person

Compare to:

World War Z, Max Brooks

The Immortal Rules, Julie Kagawa

I Am Legend, Richard Matheson

In a nutshell:

In a destroyed world, after a plague left behind “Feelers”, people of heightened emotion that torture and kill for pleasure, Wander has been alone for years, just surviving. But everything changes when she decides to help Dagger and together they work towards one of the last remaining civilizations.

What you may enjoy:

Good writing with an exciting story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. There is not a dull moment in the book. Equal parts thrilling and horrifying.  

What you may NOT enjoy:

There is an unnecessarily large amount of language throughout the book. Some of the violence is disgustingly graphic. Littered with typos.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Men kick a naked boy; girl’s limbs cut off and fed to her; people eat human flesh; people mutilate their bodies (graphic); woman shot in the head; people’s mutilated bodies described (graphic); man shot in the head, spraying blood; woman shot in the back; man shot in the leg; man stabbed in the leg; man shot in the chest; man shot in between the eyes; woman kicked in the face; woman shot in the face; man beats boy; man shot in the stomach; man’s head shot off (graphic); man shot in the head; bullet goes through man’s skull (graphic); man stabbed in the armpit; people eating from a human corpse; scalpel cuts through boy’s mouth (graphic); girl hit in the face; boy slices up girl’s hand; girl’s fingers cut off (graphic); people killed with a meat cleaver; man stabbed in throat with a scalpel; girl kicked and beaten; boy’s gaping cheek stapled together; man beaten to death; woman shot; man’s throat slit with a hatchet; woman falls, breaking bones; rotting corpse of a woman described; girl shoots man in stomach and head; woman shot in the throat; man shot in the head; woman’s head slammed against a wall; girl shoots woman’s hand; woman shot in the head; people shot with a crossbow; man shot in the head; woman shot in the head; corpses hanging by their entrails; corpses crucified with barbed wire; mutilated bodies strewn about.

Sex and Nudity:

Man kisses woman; two boys kiss

Language and Profanity:

Sh*t (25 times)

H*ll (51 times)

Bullsh*t (3 times)

Forms of d*mn (15 times)

Forms of F*ck (20 times)

J*sus (6 times)

G*dd*mmit (13 times)

Forms of b*tch (2 times)

G*d (7 times)

*sshole (3 times)

Chr*st (3 times)

Sh*tty (6 times)

*ss (5 times)

B*st*rd

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