This is the first half of a doubleshot review. Check back this afternoon for ?wazithinkin's take on the same book.
Reviewed by: BigAl
Genre: Middle Grade/Fantasy/Mystery
Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words
Availability
Click
on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or
Smashwords store
Author:
A school
teacher turned freelance author, Michael Thal has had over seventy articles
published by magazines and newspapers including Highlights for Children and The
Los Angeles Times. This is his third book, the others being The Legend of Koolura (the first in the
series) and Goodbye Tchaikovsky. (Did
I mention he was also one of our Pals?)
For more,
visit Michael’s website.
Description:
“Koolura
has the ability to teleport, levitate, heal, and even fly. But at Camp
Saddleback, Koolura wakes up drained and powerless. Who or what has stolen her
psychic powers?
As Koolura
searches for the truth about her power loss, she and the Chumash Girls have to
deal with pranksters ruining their cabin and destroying their summer. Campers
plan revenge but problems escalate as lives are threatened. Will Koolura and
the Chumash Girls solve the mystery at Camp Saddleback?”
Appraisal:
Koolura is cool.
Part of this is because she has superpowers, although she keeps those hidden
from most people. But mostly it is her personality and approach to life which
is appealing to both the adults around her and her peers. She’d be cool, even
without her powers.
This is a fun
read for middle graders with some adventure and a few mysteries to be solved.
Plus, what kid that age isn’t into super powers? But amid the mystery and
adventure are some subtle life lessons for kids to learn without realizing
they’re doing so including some schooling on trust, empathy, and the importance
of accepting people for who they are, even those who are different from you.
FYI:
Although
the second in a series, enough of the backstory needed to understand this book
is given to read it as a stand-alone book.
Format/Typo Issues:
A small
number of proofing and copyediting issues.
Rating: **** Four stars
No comments:
Post a Comment