Category: Friendship - Blazer Tales

Blazer Tales

Welcome to BlazerTales... where it's all about the book reviews.

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

Hollow Dolls by MarcyKate Connolly

1/13/2020

Interest Level: 5-8; Reading Level: 6.6

What would you do if you could read people's minds, but you can't remember things from your own mind? Simone is finally free from Lady Aisling's twisted control but she is lost because she can't remember anything about her past except the name of a nonexistent town. Since she is all alone, she is living with her best friend, Sebastian, and his sister. Sebastian and his sister, Jemma, want to help Simone find her family so they decide to go to The Parillan Acrhives so search the records. On the way Jemma is taken over by a body walker, a talent in which the body walker can take over another person's body. Simone and Sebastian have to flee and hope to meet Jemma at the library. On the way they meet a lady who is also searching for her family so she accompanies them to the library. Maeve becomes almost like a stand-in mom for the kids. When Jemma doesn't arrive after several weeks, the kids become very worried. Then when Maeve goes missing they know the body walker has struck again. Simone and Sebastian go searching for Maeve but what they find will shake them both to their core. Will Jemma ever make it back to the kids? Will the body walker threaten Simone and Sebastian? And what will happen when Simone loses Sebastian to another evil? Will Simone be able to handle what she finds out about her past? Read this fast-paced novel to find out all of these answers and so much more. Set in the same fantasy world as Shadow Weaver duology, this fantasy book will leave you wanting more!

Shadow Weaver and Comet Rising are two of my favorite books! When I found out MarcyKate was making a new series in the same fantasy land, I was beyond excited! And Hollow Dolls did not disappoint!! This new series is full of secrets, magic, suspense, and an unbreakable friendship! This book will leave you wanting so much more!!! Do not miss this one!!!

Jinxed by Amy McCulloch

12/24/2019

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 6.6

How would you feel If your pet was also your phone, a computer, a map, and even your friend? Thanks to the MONCHA, the largest tech firm in North America, you can have just that. MONCHA is the company that has created the "baku", a customizable smart pet. You can get a a simple level 1 up to a rare and exclusive level 5. Lacey Chu wants to be a companioneer for this amazing company. The only way her dream will come true is if she can make it into Profectus, the elite academy for cutting edge technology. Lacey is one of the tops in her class and is sure she will be accepted. When she gets her letter that she has been rejected, she thinks her hopes and dreams are over. She doesn't have a lot of money, so she has to settle for a level 1 beetle. On the way to buy her beetle baku she and her best friend, Zora, encounter a nasty kid from their school. Carter and his friends with their level four bakus cause Zora's baku, Linus, to tumble down an embankment towards the railroad tracks. Lacey went over the metal railing and down the ravine to rescue Linus. While she is down there she finds a level three cat baku that has been badly damaged. Lacey takes him home and suddenly she is accepted into Profectus with her registers level three cat baku. Lacey works on her baku, Jinx, all summer and has him ready right before she starts to school. Lacey soon finds out that her baku is not like other bakus. Normal bakus obey their owners and only do what they tell them to do. Jinx rarely does what Lacey tells him to do and makes many decisions on his own. Another shock for Lacey is when she, as a seventh grader, is chosen to be on a battle team. She proves very worthy for her team until Jinx does something to cause her to get kicked off the team. Will Lacey lose the friends she has just started to make at her new school because of Jinx? What will Lacey do when she finds out that some very important people are searching for the lost prototype baku? And what will happen when Jinx is stolen from her? Read this fast-paced novel to find out what happens to Lacey and Jinx!

This story Is so Incredible and it keeps you on the edge of your seat at all times. There are also those moments in the end where your mouth drops open from shock. When this book ends it makes you crave book two!! Do not miss this one!!

Nobody Likes a Goblin by Ben Hatke

12/7/2019

Interest Level: K-3; Reading Level: 2.5

What would you do to save your best friend? Goblin and Skeleton were best friends. Skeleton lived in the treasure room. One day Goblin was wearing skeleton's old crown and pretending to be the Goblin King when they heard footsteps. Adventures stormed the dungeon and stole everything in it, including Skeleton. Goblin was determined to save his friend so he went on a search for him. When he asked a farmer if he had seen his friend, the farmer began chasing him with his pitchfork because nobody likes a goblin. What will Goblin do? Will he ever find his best friend? Or will Goblin's time come to an end? Read this precious story full of determination, devotion, and friendship. The illustrations are precious and you will be cheering for the cute Goblin throughout the whole book!

Wildfire by Rodman Philbrick

11/30/2019

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 4.4

Do you think you have what it takes to survive on your own in a disastrous situation? Sam Castine had never thought about it until he was forced into a life and death situation. Sam was at summer camp when a wildfire broke out and the whole camp had to evacuate. Sam was in line to get on the bus when he realized that he left his cell phone in his cabin. He is sure that he has time to run back and get it before the busses leave, what he wasn't counting on was the fire to spread so fast and put up a fire wall between him and the busses. He is forced to run away and flee into the woods. Sam's instincts kick in and he remembers all of the survival strategies that his late father taught him. It seems that every time he gets ahead of the fire, something happens to make him stumble and get back into harms way. What Sam was not expecting is for a girl to burst out of the woods looking for help. Delphy was at a camp of her own when the fire erupted. Together, Sam and Delphy work together to get out of this dire situation. When they see two guys on four wheelers actually setting the fires, they have more to battle than just the fire. Can Sam and Delphy outrun the wildfire and find a way out of the woods? And what about the dangerous brothers who are committing the crime of arson - what lengths will they go to to cover up their crimes? Read the story that will have you on pins and needles with every turn of the page!

Wildfire Is an amazing survival and friendship story! Rodman Philbrick does a fantastic job of weaving these two kid's lives together to make them come together to just survive. He also does a tremendous job of making you think that just when you think they are going to be safe, a curve ball is thrown and you have no idea what is going to happen next. This one is going to fly off of my library shelves! Don't miss this one!

Friend or Fiction by Abby Cooper

11/3/2019

Interest Level: 5-8; Reading Level: 5.7

Have you ever had an imaginary best friend? What would you do if that friend came to life? Well, Jade doesn't have to imagine anymore. Her imaginary best friend actually came to life. Jade lives in a town in Colorado where people come and go all the time. Every time she thinks she has a best friend, they up and move and never stay in touch. She is so tired of being alone that she decides to write about the perfect best friend, Zoe. Jade and Zoe go on all kinds of adventures and are always there for each other. But one day when a boy from Jade's class, Clue, takes her notebook for the weekend, Jade feels lost. How can she survive the weekend without her stories about Zoe? When she goes for a walk she happens to see Clue by the nasty pond with her notebook. He drops a few drops from the pond and viola - Zoe appears in the house across the street. Jade has never been happier in her life. She can actually do all of the things that she has written about with the real Zoe. Things seem great at first, but when Zoe starts to get a mind of her own and starts to make other friends, Jade become very jealous because she doesn't want to share her friend. Then things get worse when Jade's parents surprise her and her younger brother with a vacation. Her dad is battling cancer and this trip is with other families who have someone battling cancer. Jade does not want to leave Zoe with the other girls at school because she is afraid she will lose her too. Jade is shocked to find Clue on this trip too, and it is then that she realizes that maybe she has had her nose in her notebook for far too long. Will Jade lose Zoe to the "sparkle girls" at school? Will Clue send Zoe back where she came from so that he can bring someone back to life? Will Jade and Clue realize that the friend they both have been longing for could be right in front of them? Read this incredible book about what it truly means to be a best friend!

I loved everything about this book! I was drawn into Jade's world from the first page and her loneliness broke my heart. And on top of that her sadness over her dad's illness made my heart wrench for her even more. I was so happy when Zoe came along for her, but I quickly realized that Zoe did not know what it meant to be a best friend. I loved how Abby Cooper worked her magic in this story of love, loss, family, and friendship. Don't miss this one!

The Tornado by Jake Burt

11/2/2019

Interest Level: 5-8; Reading Level: 5.6

Have you ever been bullied? Have you ever seen someone else being bullied? Bell Kirby is very familiar with this. Parker Hellickson has bullied Bell so severely that Bell's parents have talked about homeschooling him, but except for Parker, Bell loves school. He has friends and he has Creator Club, a group in which he can channel all of his creative inventions. But Bell's notebook is his greatest creation - it holds all of his strategic plans on how to get from one class to another without crossing paths with Parker. He has routes for every situation and contingencies in case of something unusual. Bell was doing alright through fifth grade, that is until Daelynn came blowing into into his class. Daelynn has been homeschooled her whole life but because they had to move, she now has to go to public school. Daelynn is nothing like Bell has ever seen. She wears loud, crazy clothes and spiked, colored hair. Bell's plan is completely blown when his teacher makes him show Daelynn how to get to music class. Daelynn has Parker's attention and is also drawing his attention to Bell. Bell has to shut this down and get back to his original plans. But when Daelynn accidentally makes an enemy of Parker, he now has a new target, and Parker's bullying is brutal. Throw in the fact that Parker's father is the principal, he can get away with anything without getting into trouble. Bell is happy that Parker's attention is on someone else, that is until Bell can't take it anymore. He has got to find a way to stop Parker, but how? Does Bell risk himself for some new girl? And now that Parker thinks Bell is against Daelynn also, does Bell partake in the bullying? Read this amazing story of friendship, endurance, and standing up for yourself and others.

Jake Burt has a hit with this one! He pulls you into Bell's life and you feel like you are standing right beside him, through all of his ups and downs, his strategic planning, his ability to become invisible, and his loyalty. I wanted so bad to punch Parker in the gut because bullies shouldn't win, yet Parker always seemed to end up on top. I love these characters so much and the friendships that form are unbreakable. This is a must read story for everyone!

Dead Voices by Katherine Arden

9/20/2019

Interest Level: 5-8; Reading Level: 4.2

Wouldn't it be exciting if your dad won a trip to a ski lodge for the winter break? Ollie sure thinks so! When her dad wins a trip for five to Mount Hemlock Lodge, Ollie and her best friends, Coco and Brian, her dad, and Coco's mom head out for the trip of a lifetime... but first they have to make it there. They are driving in a blinding snowstorm at night and things are going okay until Coco screams for them to stop because someone was standing in the middle of the road. As they skid to a stop, they get out and no one is there. Who did she see? When they finally make it to the lodge, crazy things start to happen, Ollie and Coco both have scary nightmares, a stranger shows up out of the blue, the power goes out, and the generator quits working. As the sun goes down, the ghosts come out and things go from bad to worse. Ollie gets trapped on the opposite side of the mirror from her friends, Brian gets lost from Coco, and if they don't figure out a way to get Ollie back before dawn, they will all go to sleep and never wake up. Ollie, Coco, and Brian have been in a similar situation just a few months before when they had to battle The Smiling Man and his scarecrows. Can they work together again to get out of this horrific situation, even after being separated? Who is doing this to them? And can the ghost be trusted or should they not listen to the dead voices? Read this super scary, edge-of-your-seat book to find out if they survive or if they become one of the dead voices!!

Katherine Arden knows how to write a spine-tingling book that you will love to read in the dark! Dead Voices is the second book to Small Spaces and it is just as exciting and scary as the first one. Ollie, Coco, and Brian are three friends that will always look out for each other and stick together no matter what. In book one, these three seem like the most unlikely people to ever be friends, and now they are inseparable. I am so hoping that this is not the end of this trio's adventures!! Do not miss Small Spaces and Dead Voices!!!

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

9/10/2019

Interest Level: 5-8; Reading Level: 4.1

Do the things you read in books sometimes come true? Does history ever repeat itself? Eleven-year-old Ollie loves books so when she sees a woman trying to throw a book into the river, she knows she has to save it. However, when she starts to read it she gets more than she bargained for. The book contains friendship, love, loss... and someone called The Smiling Man. As creepy as it sounds, Ollie knows that it is just a book, that is until her class goes on a field trip to the local farm, Smoke Hollow. That is when Ollie finds out that the woman from the river is the same as the owner of the farm. Ollie knows something is just not right but she can't figure out what it is. As the bus is going back to school it breaks down and there is no cell service. When the teacher has to leave the kids to go walk back to the farm, things go all wrong. Ollie starts putting the pieces from the book to what is happening and she realizes she needs to leave the bus. Ollie bribes the creepy bus driver with some of her dad's amazing food and he gives her some very valuable advice - run away and stick to the small spaces. Ollie doesn't really have any friends so when a small girl named Cocoa and a popular, hockey star boy named Brian follower her into the woods, she acts annoyed but really she is thankful for the company. As soon as the sun goes down they heard the screams from the bus and the scarecrows come to life. Ollie can not believe it when comes face to face with the characters in her story, but in ghost form. The next day as the sun comes up they find their friends are scarecrows and that The Smiling Man is real. Can Ollie and her friends find a way to get out of this bizarre, alter-universe world that they are in and save their friends, or will they fall into the hands of a madman and become a scarecrow forever? Read this incredibly fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat, scary story that will have you wishing for daylight!!

Small Spaces is a frightening, hair-raising story that will have you turning the pages long into the night to see how it ends. This book, much like the book Ollie finds, is full of love, loss, unexpected friendships, and difficult decision that could be life or death. Don't miss this one!!

Serafina & the Seven Stars by Robert Beatty

6/6/2019

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 6.0

Do you always fear that there is danger around every corner? Serafina has been the protector of the Biltmore Estate her whole life. She started out as the CRC, Chief Rat Catcher, and her skills have grown from catching rats to a sorcerer in a black cloak to a conjurer with unbelievable powers. She has gone to battle to protect the people of Biltmore many times, but now she has a whole new battle, and this time she has to do it without her best friend, Braeden. She is having to fight things that don't even seem real to her - creatures with wings and sharp talons, snarling griffins with the body of an African lion with the head and wings of an eagle, and an extremely large wyvern with talons as sharp as knives. She doesn't understand why these creatures are attacking and killing the people of Biltmore. She also doesn't understand why they are targeting Baby Nell, Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt's daughter. By the time Serafina figures out what is happening, will it be too late for the Vanderbilts? Can she figure out a way to get Braeden to come back and help her? Will she find a way to save her beloved Biltmore and the people who live there, or will this be the final chapter that brings the estate to ruins? Find out by reading the fourth installment of the Serafina books!!! Don't miss out!!

I am a HUGE fan of Serafina!! I read these books to my 6th grade book club every year and they are as obsessed with these books as I am! I am over the top excited to introduce Serafina and the Seven Stars to my new group of 6th graders this year. With every book that Robert Beatty publishes, I think that he can't outdo the previous book, but he does. Every Serifina book is edge-of-your-seat exciting and this new one does not disappoint. If you have read my blogs before then you know that I am not a fast reader, so when I say I read this one in a day, that should let you know something about this book. I could not put it down!! Do not miss this book that is full of action, suspense, fantasy, magic, family, friendship, and most of all love!

Also, don't miss out on the Serafina and the Seven Stars PowerPoint that you can purchase through my TpT store. This PowerPoint has 168 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 & the Seven Stars Book Study PowerPoint

$10.00

I am a HUGE fan of Serafina!! I read these books to my 6th grade book club every year and they are as obsessed with these books as I am! I am over the top excited to introduce Serafina and the Seven Stars to my new group of 6th graders this year. With every book that Robert Beatty publishes, I think that he can't outdo the previous book, but he does. Every Serifina book is edge-of-your-seat exciting and this new one does not disappoint. If you have read my blogs before then you know that I am not a fast reader, so when I say I read this one in a day, that should let you know something about this book. I could not put it down!! Do not miss this book that is full of action, suspense, fantasy, magic, family, friendship, and most of all love!

This PowerPoint has 168 slides with pictures from the Biltmore and different objects from the book. Each slide with words has animation with each click, which means you can show the question before the answer is shown. The font is Calibri (Body) 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 22%. 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 & the Seven Stars Book Study PowerPoint

Lizzie Flying Solo by Nanci Turner Stevenson

4/27/2019

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 6.0

Have you ever just wanted to be invisible? Do you have something in your life that you want to hide from everyone? Lizzie St. Clair is trying to do just that. After her dad was put in jail for a white collar crime, Lizzie and her mom are forced to leave their home and move into Good Hope, a hope to help people get back on their feet. After losing her friends due to her dad's crime, Lizzie just wants to be invisible with the people in their new home and her new school. Lizzie thinks the one place she feels safe is the library... that is until she stumbles upon Birchwood Stables. Every day Lizzie sneaks over to the stables to watch the kids take riding lessons and to befriend a wild pony who she names Fire. When another new student at her school discovers her hiding in the woods he invites her to meet his horse. She is offered a chance to work at the stable in exchange for riding lessons. Lizzie falls in love with Fire and is determined to work odd jobs to get the money to buy him, but can she earn the money to buy him before time is up? Will Lizzie find a way to go from flying solo to allowing new friends into her life? Will Lizzie and her mom be able to get out of the shelter and get a home of their own? And will Lizzie find the strength to protect the ones she loves? Do not miss this incredible 2019 book!!!

I'm not going to lie when I say that this book made me cry an ugly cry more than once. The strength and determination that Lizzie shows when faced with adversity is amazing!! And I love the fact that Lizzie doesn't expect anything to be handed to her - she works so hard for what she wants. I think kids today need this very important message. Also, even though Lizzie was ashamed of where she lived at first, she does find her voice as she grows and matures. This is another positive message for kids to know that no matter their situation, there should always be hope. I loved, loved, loved this endearing story of love, loss, family, friendship, and determination!