The Secret of Maggie's Swamp

 

The Secret of Maggie's Swamp

by Paul A Barra

ISBN: 978-0986865756

$ 11.95 (paperback)

About the book:

In this middle-grade mystery-adventure, a twelve-year-old girl discovers a grave injustice in the 1980s South when a neighbor is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. Penny must find the courage to use her unique gift – her uncanny ability to foresee the future – to thwart a crazed desperado and find a treasure that will prove her neighbor’s innocence.

Poor Penelope Andrews. Her neighbor is being hunted, her friend is comatose after encountering a rogue alligator in a black-water swamp, and her mother has formed the wild impression that Penny has some sort of special gift from God! What else could go wrong? Oh yes: the FBI wants to speak with her. And, a dangerous criminal is stalking her.

My thoughts:
The Secret of Maggie's Swamp left me with quite a few feelings after I finished reading it this evening. When I first began reading this and realized how slow the book was going to be I truly thought I wasn't going to like this book ~ but as the story continued, the intrigue built and the mystery of where $500,000 cash went I found I connected with each of the characters in the book & I ended up loving it.

Maggie's Swamp reminds me a LOT of To Kill a Mockingbird (which I hated) - the story is based in the South, it's very slow and the language in the book are what made me connect the two books. While Mockingbird deals with racism in the 1960's South, this book is set in the 1980's (although as I read I thought it seemed more like the mid 70's) and it deals with someone who is accused and sentenced for a crime he didn't commit. Penny decides to solve the mystery and help this man who has lost his freedom, his family and respect due to one bad decision. 

This is an outstanding book & would make a great read for a teen book club or for family discussions in the evening during read aloud sessions. The only thing missing from the book is a series of discussion questions. (I really wish I had been able to feature this book during our Middle Grade Summer Book Club - it would be great for guys or girls.)

Parents Note: This book references the Main Characters "Gift". Penny has the ability to "sense" things. She isn't fully aware yet what her true gift is and her mother is supportive but doesn't make a big deal of it. It seems like she is supposed to be Psychic - or at least has some sort of "sixth sense". The author does show how Penny "opens her mind" to let the gift happen but that is really about it. 

It's an exciting read for children ages 8 through 12. Available in bookstores, on Amazon.com and from Brownridge Publishing. 

About the author: 
Paul A. Barra is a decorated war veteran, a teacher and a freelance journalist. He previously was a reporter for local newspapers and won numerous awards from the South Carolina Press Association. He was the senior staff writer for the Diocese of Charleston and won numerous awards from the Catholic Press Association, a national organization. Earlier publications include four independent science readers (Houghton Mifflin), a novel (“Crimson Ring,” Eagle Press) and a nonfiction book about the formation and success of a Catholic high school, despite diocesan opposition (“St. Joe’s Remarkable Journey,” Tumblar House). He is under contract for the publication of a historical novel called “Murder in the Charleston Cathedral.”(Chesterton Press).


Visit Paul’s website at www.paulbarra.com.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book to read and review on CCB through the Pump Up Your Book Blogger Program. I was not required to have a positive review and no money exchanged hands.

Spring into Books Hop & Giveaway!

Welcome to the Spring into Books Hop hosted by eReading on the Cheap and Beck Valley Books. The hop lasts from March 20 - March 31st at 11:59 PM EST. Each blog participating has at least a $10 book related Prize.

War of the Seasons

Book 1: The Human

by Janine K Spendlove
ISBN: 978-0983656708
Age 15 to adult
Purchase: $14.99 (paperback)
                 $4.99 (kindle)


About the book:
The Human is the story of a 17 year old girl, Story, who finds herself in a strange world after falling during a spelunking accident. Drawn deeper and deeper into this new world as she searches for a way home, Story finds herself at the center of an ancient feud between the elf and fairy races who are struggling for dominance. This is a tale of love and self-discovery and coming to terms with a terrible loss.

Eirnin's silver eyes, now showing hints of bright yellow, widened in astonishment as he stared, transfixed, at the red blood dripping from the wound on Story's foot.

"What are you?"

A simple question with a not-so-simple answer for 17 year old Story, who finds herself, a lone human, thrust in the middle of a war between creatures she once thought only existed in faerie tales.

My thoughts:
To be honest, I didn't expect to read this book yet. I'm about 2 months behind on my reading (actually about 6 weeks, maybe) and I certainly didn't expect to read this in one night - it's 363 pages long! But well, I received this package in the mail and thought I'd read the first paragraph and get an idea what's it about and I got hooked!!

This is the story of a 17 year old girl named "Story". She's angry, furious at the world, thinking about quitting school and missing the direction and stability her father gave her before his and Story's younger siblings were killed in a car accident. She decides to go caving with a friend - the only one that has stood behind her - and ends up falling into another world.

Ailionora is a world of elves (now you know why I was hooked), faeries, gnome's and sirens (dryads). The faeries are bad and there is a war between them and the elves who have lost their immorality and are dying off. The faeries however are immortal also and like to create mischief especially against the other citizens of Ailionora ~ but with "wards" or spells they can be held off so they can't hurt others and are forced to leave others alone.

In The Human, Story is the tool that the elves can use to remove the curse of mortality. The scales are turned and the war begins.

I do want to caution you about only letting older kids read this book. It's not the violence and I didn't notice any bad language in the book - but there is some heavy petting and certain thoughts rolling through Story's mind and you can guess what those are. There is no action though - so if your younger kids 13+ do pick up the book don't panic. This is definitely a book for older teens and adults.

I am very much looking forward to reading Book 2 The Half Blood. The final draft is in the final stages and we can look forward to this new installment in War of the Seasons. I did ask the author how long this series is going to be and she thinks it will be a trilogy with several short stories throughout. So you can expect to enjoy this series for a while. =D

Read an excerpt.

Order The Human by clicking here. It's available as a paperback, Kindle, Nook and as an iBook.

You can also read: The Girl which is the story of Story's father. Do keep in mind that this book is for adults only. Click here to order for $9.94 Click here to read a sample of the book.

Be sure to visit the other blogs in the blog hop - there are 93 of them! You'll find a little something for everyone... Kids, Adults, Dark, Middle Grade, Non-Fiction and more! The linky is under the rafflecopter form. Good Luck!

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The Magic Warble~ Book Review

The Magic Warble
by Victoria Simcox
Cover Art by Amanda Swanson
ISBN: 978-1935097174
Available on Amazon for $13.22

About the book:
Dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals, and an evil queen all these and more can be found in The Magic Warble, an enchanting tale of adventure and friendship.

Twelve-year-old Kristina Kingsly feels like the most unpopular girl in her school. The kids all tease her, and she never seems to fit in. But when Kristina receives an unusual Christmas gift, she suddenly finds herself magically transported to the land of Bernovem, home of dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals and the evil Queen Sentiz.