Category: Fantasy - Blazer Tales

Blazer Tales

There are 4 ways to use this blog: 1) Scroll through to see a variety of books; 2) Click on the 3 lines at the top left to get a drop down menu of books broken down by grade levels; 3) Go to the search box and for title, genre, or subject; and 4) Go to Categories and search by subject matter.

***These reading levels are just a guide to help if needed. Please, please, please do not let any of these numbers deter you from reading whatever you want!!!***

Reviews Published

Professional Reader

10 Book Reviews

The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste

12/2/2018

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 4.6

Imagine that you live on an island that is shrouded with tales of monsters that live in the forest. Now imagine that you are forced into those woods and you come face to face with one of supposably imaginary creatures. This is exactly what Corinne is facing. She is not afraid of anything so when two annoying little boys tie her dead mother's necklace to a gouti and send it racing into the woods, she doesn't even have to think if she is going in after it. After she retrieves the necklace and is trying to get out of the woods she encounters a creature that she had only imagined in her mind. Corinne doesn't understand what she has encountered until a strange, new woman shows up in town and then later in her own house. Severine is a very beautiful woman who is first spotted in town talking to the elusive island witch and then later when Corinne comes home this same woman is cooking dinner for her father. Corinne soon learns that Severine is one of the mythical Jumbies that live in the forest. Severine tries to get Corinne to join her in her quest to overtake the people that live on the island. When Corinne refuses, her father is put under a spell that will become permanent in three nights, and the townspeople are under nightly attacks. Can Corinne and her friends fight and defeat these very real creatures to save the town and her father? Will Corinne find out things about herself and her mother that can help in the battle, or will it be her downfall? Read this amazingly magical book to find out who wins the battle!

Evangeline of the Bayou by Jan Eldredge

11/21/2018

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 5.7

Would you like to be in the business of chasing monsters and spirits? Evangeline is from a long line of haunt huntresses and fighting these demons is in her blood... or so she thinks. Whenever she tries to go off on her own things don't always go as planned and she seems to make things worse. Plus, every haunt huntress gets a familiar, some type of animal that is fiercely loyal, and Evangeline still has not found hers yet. She is beginning to doubt that she even has haunt huntress powers. Then her Gran accepts a job in the big city of New Orleans to help a family whose wife/mom is very sick. It is not long before they realized that Mrs. Midsomer has been bitten by a rougarou, a human that turns into a werewolf-type beast. At the next full moon Mrs. Midsomer will turn into a rougarou and if she makes her first kill, then she can never turn back. But if Gran can kill the alpha rougarou before all of that happens, then she will be released. This task seems impossible when Gran falls, breaks her leg, and is taken into surgery right before the moon is full. Gran's last words before she is knocked out is for Evangeline to run away back to the bayou. This is Evangeline's plan when she realizes that she is not a haunt huntress, but that is not what happens. Does Evangeline really not have any haunt huntress powers? Will Mrs. Midsomer turn into a rougarou and make her first kill? Is there anything that Evangeline do to save Mrs. Midsomer and her son, Julian? Read this high-paced, action-packed, slightly funny about family, friends, and finding yourself.

Comet Rising by MarcyKate Connolly

10/22/2018

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 4.8

What would you do if you thought you were safe from the enemy that tried to kidnap you, only to find out that she was a lot closer than you thought and your safety is in danger? Emmeline is now staying with Lucas and his parents since she has run away from home. All seems safe right now, especially since they are hidden from Lady Aisling, the evil woman who kidnaps children for their talents. Emmeline is a shadow weaver and Lucas is a light singer. Lady Aisling wants their talents very bad. The other good thing they have going for them is that Emmeline's once shadow, now human "friend" Dar is locked in an escape-proof cage in the attic. Despite her endless tricks and mind games to get away, she is safely tucked away so that she can not cause anyone harm. Everything seems fine until one night the comet that gives these magical abilities shoots across the sky twelve years too early. They know this is the evil workings of Lady Aisling to gain more talents. The problem is, when the comet gets off course it will affect all of the celestial beings to change course, and that is not good. They know they need to defeat Lady Aisling so they go in search of other children with talents to help go into battle with them, only to find that Lady Aisling has taken each one before they can get to them. In the meantime, Dar has escaped. Will she use her powers for good or evil? Will Emmeline and Lucas be able to battle and defeat Lady Aisling by themselves? Will they be able to find the sky shaker and set things right before the sun, moon, and stars collide? Or will Lady Aisling get to them first and have all of the talents for herself? Do not miss this exciting, action-packed finale in the Shadow Weaver series.

A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig

10/6/2018

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 4.8

How do you think you would feel if you father had to go on a trip and you were left with nasty, ugly, abusive aunt? This is what has happened to Nicholas. Nicholas's dad is a woodcutter, Nicholas's mom died when he was when he was younger, and they are extremely poor. Nicholas's most prize possession is a doll made out of a turnip. When Nicholas's dad find out about an expedition that will pay lots of money, he jumps on the chance. While he is gone Nicholas's aunt has come to stay with him. She immediately kicks him out of the house and makes him sleep outside in the cold. After months have gone by, Nicholas decides to run away to search of his father. He is heading north in the middle of winter with very little food or clothing. When all seems lost, he befriends a stray reindeer who helps him with his search. With him freezing and starving to death, he all but gives up and decides to just die, but an elderly elf finds him, saves his life, and infuses him with a little bit of elf magic. Nicholas find Elfhelm, the land of elves, but is met with some very angry elves and put into prison. The head elf, Father Vodol, hates humans and anything that is happy so he has made the normally cheerful elves reject happiness and outsiders. Nicholas soon finds out that his father has been there and kidnapped a young elf names Kip. Nicholas escapes and is determined to find little Kip and return him home. With Blitzen's help, Nicholas does find his father's hunting party and little Kip. Can Nicholas save little Kip from the hunter's cage? Will Nicholas's father give up all of that money just to save an elf? Will Nicholas have to go back to his horrible aunt? Read this intriguing book about a boy named Christmas because he was born on Christmas Day

This book is such an unusual book about how Father Christmas became Father Christmas. I loved the twist and turns, the offbeat humor, love and compassion despite unbearable circumstances, and reaching ones dreams. This is an incredible book no matter the season!

Ghosted by Leslie Margolis

9/14/2018

Interest Level: 5-8; Reading Level: 4.7

Do you think it would be awesome to be the most popular girl in your middle school? Would you love to have all the girls want to be your friend? Ellie Charles is this girl and she plays her role as mean girl perfectly. Ellie can have any friends that she wants and she can make them do her bidding. The worse she makes people feel, the better she feels. She loves her life as the reigning queen of Lincoln Height Middle School, or at least she though she did until the accident. It is the day of the Winter Dance and she has made sure that her dance committee has everything amazing so this is the best dance in the history of dances, and she has been ruthless to achieve this. What she doesn't expect is to have an accident that causes her "friends" to think that she is dead. Even Ellie thinks that she is dead when she is standing and looking at lifeless body on the gym floor. She is watching the whole scene unfold but no one can she her "ghost". She is confused when a girl in black begins talking to her and sweeps her away to her past. She goes back to when she was eight-years-old and her father left her and her mom. This was a very hard time for Ellie but at least she has her best friend, Marley. Fast forward to when Ellie is eleven and the mean girls who run the school make fun of her and she is devastated. She will do whatever it takes to never feel that way again, even if it means jeopardizing her best friend. Finally, Ellie is taken to the future to see her senior prom. Ellie is beginning to realize that her life is not as great as she thinks it is. Does any of this make a difference in Ellie's life? Is her need to be a mean girl greater than doing what she knows is right? If Ellie does realize that she wants to turn her life around, are the injuries to her physical body too bad to be saved? Read this incredible coming-of-age story about friendship, loss, and love. Don't miss it!!

The Land of Neverendings by Kate Saunders

9/2/2018

Interest Level: 5-8; Reading Level: 6.1

How would you react if your toys started to come to life? Would you think it is fun or would it freak you out? Emily has experienced this and it started off fun but turned bad really quick. Emily's sister and best friend, Holly, had a disability, had a seizure one night, and died. When Holly was buried she had her favorite blue bear, Bluey, with her. Three months after her sister's death Emily has been going through a lot of changes. Her best friend has started being very distant and hanging around with some mean girls, Emily has been cast as the lead role in the school play, and her toys have started coming to life. When the toys tell her tales of the land in which they live, Emily knows these are the same stories that her and Holly made up. Then she finds out that Bluey is there and even possibly, Holly. Emily will do whatever it takes to go to Smockeroon to find her. However, things are beginning to go terribly wrong in Smockeroon and it is starting to spill into the real world. Can Emily and her friends make things right before everything goes wrong? Will Emily get to see Holly again? Read this incredible story of friendship, love, and incredible imagination.

I just loved this story! Emily has gone through so much heartache in her young life. When the toys come to life she actually gets hope that keeps her going when her friend lets her down. Through this process Emily finds new friends and she also finds herself. Don't miss this book!!

Nightbooks by J.A. White

8/17/2018

Interest Level: 5-8; Reading Level: 6.4

How cool would it be to live in an apartment that had a magical library that had thousands and thousands of books? Dream come true, right? Wrong! Not this apartment and not this library! Alex sneaks out one night to destroy a book of his writings that he loves so much, but on the way he gets tricked to go into an apartment in his building, the apartment of a witch named Natacha. There is one other child there, Yasmin, who tells him there is no escape from the enchanted apartment and his only hope of survival is to tell Natacha scary stories. He still has his own horror stories that he has written, but they are too painful to read. Natacha sets him up in her magical library and he is given a pencil and paper to write more stories. Alex gets sidetracked by looking at all of the books. When he comes across a warning from a previous child who was there, Alex now has hope of escape. Can Alex and Yasmin find more messages to help break them out of the apartment? Or will Alex run out of stories and out of time before Natacha does away with him? Read this incredibly scary story about scary stories and friendship!

I absolutely loved this story! The kids in my library are always looking for more and more scary stories. I can't wait to put this one in their hands. Who wouldn't love a book about witches, magical cats, scary stories, and friends! Don't miss this one!!

The Last (Endling #1) by Katherine Applegate

8/17/2018

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 5.0

What if you found out that you were absolutely the last of your kind on earth? Your family and tribe has just been taken and you are the last? How would you feel? This is exactly what happens to Byx, a dog-like creature called Dairne. When her family and tribe are murdered, Byx is the only Dairne left in existence, but she has heard rumors of others hidden away on a mystical island. Byx has no one else to live for so she decides to set off to search for more of her kind. Along the way she makes friends, both animal and humans, to help her on her mission. Little does Byx know that there is a reason her species has become extinct and other species are the next target. The land of Nedarra is being controlled by an evil ruler and little do Byx and her friends know that they are caught up in the middle of it. Will Byx, Tobble, Khara, Gambler, and Renzo survive with The Knight of the Fire after them? Will they be able to find this mysterious island where there are supposably more Dairne in hiding? Read this incredible story of fantasy, magic, family, and friendship.

This book is magnificent! Byx faces such heartache that you will be heartbroken with her and when her heart begins to mend and heal you have all the love for her new friends/family with her. This story is full of action and adventure that will have you on the edge of your seat. My favorite theme from this whole story is that big things can come in little packages. Don't miss this amazing story!! And this is just book one... I cannot wait for book two to come out!!

The Splintered Light by Ginger Johnson

7/23/2018

Interest Level: 5-8; Reading Level: 5.8

What if your whole world was gray-just gray- no color whatsoever. What would you think if you were in your barn and all of the sudden you see a rainbow of something bright and colorful and you don't know what it is? This is exactly what happens to Ishmael. He doesn't understand what he is seeing, but he doesn't understand a lot in his life. His father is killed in a freak accident that Ishmael thinks is his fault. His older brother has gone missing and at eleven-years-old he has to be the man on the farm. Ishmael is very frustrated because his mother won't answer any questions about where his brother has gone so he decides one day to go looking for him. He wants him home to help his widowed mother. When he finds his brother he is blown away by what he finds. He learns that his brother is a color keeper and has no plans to ever go home. Ishmael can not believe, until he stays for a few nights, and then Ishmael has doubts that he will ever be able to go home. Will Ishmael go back home to help his mother, or will he stay where he knows he belongs? Read this incredible story of family, friendship, and finding your place in life.

This is a great story about finding yourself and where you belong in the world. It also is a fantastic story to show kids that sometimes when you work together you can accomplish more than being alone. Don't miss this book that has called "reminiscent of The Giver".

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty

7/7/2018

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 5.9

Imagine that you have to live your life secretly living in the basement of a massively beautiful mansion. Now imagine that you are a twelve-year-old girl whose main job is to be the Biltmore Estate's CRC, or Chief Rat Catcher. Sound like a job you want? Yeah, me neither, but it is the perfect job for Serafina. She lives in the basement of the historical Biltmore Estates with her Pa, hidden away from everyone. No one except her Pa knows that she exists. Her Pa's main job is to work on all the machinery that keeps Biltmore Estates running. Serafina is not like other humans - she see in the darkness, she can move around without making a sound, and because her body and bones are different she can hid in the smallest of spaces. Serafina uses this to her advantage when she is catching rats, she just didn't know that she would have to use it to catch a murder. Someone is taking the children of Biltmore Estates and when the men of Biltmore and the police can't come close to solving the mystery, it is up to Serafina to catch the rat. Serafina, who has never spoken to anyone but her Pa, is forced to befriend the Estate's owner's nephew, Braeden. Together they try to fight this magical demon wearing a black cloak. Can Serafina and Braeden solve the mystery of where the children of Biltmore have gone? Can they bring them back safely? Can they even survive the attacks from the Man in the Black Cloak? Read this fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat mystery to find out.

Serafina and the Black Cloak is a yearly read aloud to my 6th grade book club. When it is time to stop they always moan and groan because they want more. This book brings history alive to students in a mysterious and scary way. Don't miss this first book in Robert Beatty's Serafina trilogy.

Also, don't miss out on the Serafina and the Black Cloak PowerPoint that you can purchase through my TpT store. This PowerPoint has 120 slides and asks students comprehensive and thought questions chapter by chapter. It also has pictures of the different rooms described in the book. The students will learn so much about the Biltmore Estates. Click here to go directly to my TpT store or scroll down to access it. If you read this book as a read aloud, this PowerPoint is a must!!

Serafina and the Black Cloak PowerPoint

$10.00

Do you want a fantastic read aloud? This is the book for you!! Serafina and the Black Cloak is a high action, high suspense (maybe a little scary) book. I read this book every year to my 6th graders and they never want me to stop. This book is addictive! Don't miss this one! It is in PowerPoint form. The questions go along with each chapter and the slides have animation so that the answers are not revealed until you click. There are also pictures that go along with the book to show students what various parts of the Biltmore Estate look like. This way they can have a visual as they read the book. The font is Apple Chancery size 28. If you computer does not have this font you may need to adjust the font and size to go along with your software. The background is at transparency 80%. For the preview it looks like there is no transparency. When you download this product if the background is not light enough to read the words you need to lower the transparency.

***Click below to purchase***

Serafina and the Black Cloak PowerPoint