Jazzy Reads

The Black Stallion Returns – Book Review

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In The Black Stallion Returns The Black Stallion’s owner, Abu Ja’ Kub ben Ishak, turns up and takes the Black all the way back to Arabia back to his original herd.

Alec Ramsay is devastated by the loss of his beloved horse until one day when Mr. Volence, owner of Sun Raider, shows up.

Mr. Volence is in search of new stallions to race.

Alec convinces him that Abu ben Ishak would probably have the horses he’s looking for.

Not long afterwards, Mr. Volence heads to Arabia with Alec and Henry to find the great Abu ben Ishak and the Black.

But along the way their guide is murdered by a mysterious killer.

Mr. Volence, Henry, Alec, and Raj, their interpreter, are left stranded in the great desert with no food, little water, and one camel.

Together, in one last attempt to survive they head towards the mountains.

They reach the mountains just barely in time.

There they meet a young chieftain and his men riding majestic Arabian stallions, who show them the way to Abu ben Ishak’s tribe.

Walter Farley continues to thrill readers in this amazing tale of a boy’s love and endurance to find the horse of his dreams.

Book Details

When I bought my book I just got a used copy, so my cover is different than the most recent edition.

Author: Walter Farley

Publisher: Yearling; Anniversary edition( August 20, 1991){At Amazon}

Series: Book 2 of The Black Stallion

Age Range: 11-13

Media Type: Kindle, Paperback,

ISBN-10; 0679813446

ISBN-13; 978-0679813446

 What to Expect: Adventure, Thrill, Excitement, Danger, Hardship and Some Violence;

Character of the Day:

I think that the character of the day for this one is Alec.

When Abu Ja’ Kub ben Ishak takes the Black back to Arabia, Alec doesn’t give up.

Instead, he finds a way to see his beloved horse again.

Then, just after he arrived to Abu Ishak’s home to see the Black again, the Black is kidnapped.

While Abu Ishak is preparing his men for battle for the Black, Alec and Raj find out a terrible secret, which puts the Black and Alec in grave danger.

Only their friends can save them but will they get there in time?

What I liked about”The Black Stallion Returns”

I liked”The Black Stallion Returns” because it has lots of adventure and it also has some mystery.

One of my favorite parts is when Alec and Raj are spying on these Arabian guys and end up finding out where the Black is.

I also liked some other pretty cool things which I won’t tell so as not to spoil the book for you.

What I didn’t like about”The Black Stallion Returns” 

One of the things I didn’t like about”The Black Stallion Returns” is that the real excitement and adventure didn’t start until after I had reached the middle of the book.

Of course it’s not that big of a book.

Other Books You Might Enjoy:

      Book 1: The Black Stallion

      Book 3: Son of the Black Stallion

      Book 4: The Island Stallion

BrotherBand Chronicles – Book Five – Review

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In this thrilling adventure, Scorpion Mountain, Hal and the crew finally get to meet King Duncan of Araluen.

When they get there, King Duncan sends them on a special mission of great importance.

A man named Ikbaal has payed the Shurmel of a tribe in Arrida to put a Tolfa on King Duncan’s daughter, Cassandra.

(For those who don’t know what a Tolfa is, it is basically when this certain tribe hires themselves out as assasins to kill someone.

It is based on their belief that it is what their goddess wants them to do.)

With the fear that any day his daughter might get assassinated, King Duncan sends Hal and his crew, along with  Gilan, to destroy the tolfa by any means possible.

But at the same time, Hal is astonished to find that Ingvar plans to leave the Brotherband, for good.

Can Hal somehow manage to change Ingvar’s mind?

Can the Heron Brotherband and Gilan stop the Tolfa and save King Duncan’s daughter?

In this amazing adventure of the Herons you will find danger, excitement and much more.

Enter into the Heron’s world in this fifth adventure, Scorpion Mountain, and be prepared to be amazed.

Book Details

Author: John Flanagan

Publisher: Philomel Books

Series: BrotherBand Chronicles book 5

Name: The Scorpion Mountain

Age Range: 11 and up

Media Type: Kindle, Audiobook, Paperback, Hardcover;

ISBN-10; 0399163565

ISBN-13; 978-0399163562

What to Expect: Action, Adventure, Danger;

Character of the Day;

Of all the characters in the Brotherband Chronicles, Ulf and Wulf are the ones that bring a lot of the humor into the story.

Ulf and Wulf are constantly arguing with each other over the most crazy and ridiculous things ever.

For example, Ulf might say something like, Wulf is ugly as a dead deer and then Wulf will say something equivalent to that about Ulf.

They are identical twins. In fact, they are so alike that no one can ever tell them apart.

They often use this to their own advantage.

What adds even more to the humor is when Hal will tell Ingvar to throw one of them overboard.

John Flanagan did a good job adding humor in the right places in his books.

In Scorpion Mountain, Wulf and Ulf are shown a little bit more.

Well, at least, it seems to me that they are.

It is kind of ironic how they will argue with each other but the minute someone threatens one of them the other will be there defending him in a heartbeat.

Another character who is in Scorpion Mountain is one of the legendary rangers of Araluen named, Gilan.

Gilan was in the previous book, Slaves of Socorro, as well.

What I liked about Scorpion Mountain;

I like Scorpion Mountain because it is full of action and adventure. And it also has a good amount of humor.

One of my favorite parts in Scorpion Mountain is when Hal is working on one of his new inventions while the others go to an abandoned arena. Except for Jesper that is.

That particular part definitely made me smile.

I also like that Gilan is in Slaves of Socorro and in Scorpion Mountain.

It definitely gives an added perspective to them.

What I didn’t like about Scorpion Mountain;

In Scorpion Mountain there is some fighting and bloodshed in it.

Which to be honest, I’m not that crazy about.

In the book, there will be sword strokes called out or maybe it will say that someone fell down dead with a shocked look on their face, but it isn’t gory.

So there is definitely some of that in there. Though a good bit of the book they aren’t fighting.

The Brotherband Chronicles in order;

Book 1: The Outcasts

Book 2: The Invaders

Book 3: The Hunters

Book 4: Slaves of Socorro

Book 5: Scorpion Mountain

Book 6: The Ghost Faces

Book 7: The Caldera

Mama’s Bank Account – Book Review

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Mama’s Bank Account is about a Norwegian immigrant family who lives in San Francisco.

They are poor, but always seem to manage to make it through the rough parts of life.

Of all the characters in this book, it is Mama whom all the others look up to in times of need.

Living in the city can be hard and frustrating and even fearful for children growing up in a poor family.

But despite all of this, Mama is determined to raise her children without them having the fearing poverty.

Mama’s Bank Account is a story revolving around this one loving mother’s determination to keep her family together and happy without the fear of the world.

This story, based on Kathryn Forbes own childhood is one you won’t want to put down until the very end.

Book Details

Author: Kathryn Forbes

Publisher: Harcourt Inc.

Age Range: 10 and up

Pages: 147

Media Type: Paperback, Hardcover,

ISBN: 0-15-656377-0

What to expect; sweet family type story, humorous

Character of the day:

One of my most favorite characters is Katrin.

Mama’s Bank Account is written from Katrin’s perspective.

Often, one of the stories will be about some jam or pickle that she got herself into and then can’t seem to find a way out.

The problem only continues to get worse until finally she tells Mama all about it.

And only then with Mama’s help, does the problem ever get better.

The book starts when Katrin is a young child and then continues as she gets older.

She tends to be a bit dramatic and is not a girlie girl so much.

It is funny to read her thoughts in some of the stories.

Kathryn Forbes did a good job in portraying Katrin’s family’s humor and love for each other.

What I liked about Mama’s Bank Account:

I like Mama’s Bank Account because it is very sweet and endearing and it is also funny.

One of my favorite parts is when one of the little girls gets sick and gets taken to the hospital.

She has to have surgery right away so Mama tells them to do it.

But at the time Papa is away at work and when the surgery is done they won’t let her see her child.

Mama insists that she sees her little girl.

After several attempts to go see her, Mama finally comes up with the most daring plan of all.

She decides to go and pretend she is a janitor.

You will have to read it if you want to know how that one ends.

The whole book is filled with stories where something bad will happen and Katrin and her family can’t find a solution.

Then in walks Mama, with her abounding love and compassion she always seems to find a solution for every problem.

What I didn’t like about Mama’s Bank Account:

Mama’s Bank Account is a wonderful story but I definitely don’t agree with all of their morals.

Like when Katrin’s friend went to some sort of Catholic service just so that Katrin would get good luck for the problem she was in.

Other books you might like:

Little House in the Big Woods:

Sarah Plain and Tall:

More Stories from Grandma’s Attic:

Black – Book review – one of Ted Dekker’s best

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Thomas Hunter is a Jack of all trades who has done many different jobs over the course of his life.

His sister, Kara, works as a nurse and he, himself, works at Java Hut. Both of them are just trying to live normal lives.

Until one fateful day, when it all changed.

The day he began to dream.

Thomas Hunter was returning from work when bullets crashed into the brick wall next to him.

He runs down the nearest alley where he manages to take out one of the men chasing after him.

But just as he tries to escape, a bullet grazes his head and he feels himself beginning to fall as he goes unconscious.

As soon as he is knocked unconscious, he finds himself dreaming of a world split in half.

A world with two different forests one full of evil and malice the other with beauty and pure paradise.

Thomas quickly finds himself in the middle of a battle for survival between two different worlds.

In the world where he and Kara live, he unknowingly gives away the secret to the most lethal virus the world has ever seen to a terrorist group with strings around the world.

In the world in his dreams he finds himself living in paradise where all evil is kept separate.

There he is told that he is simply from a distant village and that all that he sees is real, that the world where Kara lives is just a dream.

All of it would be perfect if it weren’t for his mysterious memory loss.

The more he dreams though, the more he begins to see that the perfection and beauty of the Colored forest is in danger.

As time goes on Thomas Hunter quickly realizes there is more to the story than just mere dreams.

The fate of two entire universes rests on him, two different worlds so different and yet so similar.

Book Details

Author: Ted Dekker

Series: The Circle Trilogy; Book 1

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Age range; 12 and up

Media type: Kindle Book, Hardcover, Paperback, Audio Book,

Pages: 560

ISBN-10; 1595547304

ISBN-13; 978-1595547309

What to expect: Danger, Excitement, Fantasy Meets Other Worldly, Adventure, Romance;

Character of the day:

Probably one of my favorite characters in Black is Thomas Hunter.

I like how in the book he is funny but how he can also fight using karate or something like that.

I can’t remember the exact form of fighting that he does but it’s something like karate.

I also like how he takes care of his mother and sister. His humor, at times, is hilarious to read.

What I like about Black:

I like Black because it has action.

Like when Thomas Hunter is being chased down the alley with armed men coming after him in the beginning of the book.

Black also has adventure all throughout the book, there is hardly a dull moment.

In Black, Thomas Hunter is constantly going back and forth between the two realities of our modern world and that of a future world.

In addition to all of the adventure, excitement, and danger there is also romance.

Black is an unique mix of all of the above but it is done in such a way as to not be overbearing or melodramatic.

Ted Dekker’s creativeness and skill in writing this series is absolutely amazing.

What I didn’t like about Black:

In the beginning of Black they have Thomas Hunter being chased by these black furry bats who are biting him.

And at one point they say that his clothes get basically reduced to nothing so that he is only wearing a loincloth.

And another part says that his bottom gets bitten.

Those are definitely not my favorite parts.

You are not entirely sure what you’re getting into when you read those particular parts.

But besides that, Black is awesome.

Other books like Black:

Book 2; Red

Book 3; White

Book 4; Green

BrotherBand Chronicles – Book Four – Review

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In this book, Slaves of Socorro, the Herons have returned from chasing Zavac and have finally found a place where they belong.

As the days go by though, the Herons begin to miss the adventure and excitement of the old days.

Until that is, Oberjarl Erak gives them the special job of being the Araluen king’s ship.

This means that if the King has any special messages to be delivered or a special mission he needs done he would simply send for the Heron’s.

(NOTE: I can’t remember the correct word for their job in the book.

But this explanation is essentially correct. You will have to read the book to get the rest of the details.)

When they get there everything seems to go fine, they even meet one of the legendary Araluan Rangers.

They are getting accustomed to their new surroundings when slavers attack a nearby town.

They steal away twelve Araluans before setting sail for the slave market of Socorro.

Hal and his friends set chase after them following them all the way to Socorro.

In a valiant attempt to release the Araluens, Ingvar is left behind in the slave market.

There he is to wait and warn the Araluens of Hal’s plan.

For Hal and the crew of the Heron the stakes are higher than ever before.

For not only must they rescue the twelve Araluens but Ingvar as well.

One mistake, one wrong move and Ingvar could be lost to them forever.

Slaves of Socorro is an exciting and adventurous book. Once you start reading you won’t want to put it down.

Book Detail

This is John Flanagan’s fictional map of Skandia!

Author: John A. Flanagan

Publisher: Philomel Books

Series: The Brotherband Chronicles; book 4

Name: Slaves of Socorro

Age range: 11 and up

Pages: 482

Media type: Kindle book, audiobook, hardcover, and paperback,

ISBN-10; 0142427268

ISBN-13: 978-0142427262

What to Expect: Danger, excitement, Loyalty, Adventure

Character of the Day:

One of my favorite characters is probably Ingvar.

No matter what happens he is always loyal to Hal, even when things get rough.

When Ingvar is put into the horrible slave cell in Socorro he is still able to keep a stiff upper lip.

He draws strength from the bond he has as a crew member of the Herons.

What I liked about the Slaves of Socorro:

This is Hal’s ship, the Heron.

The Slaves of Socorro is a very interesting and exciting book.

It is the first one in the series where they are not chasing Zavac and returning the Andomal.

This is also the book where Hal finds Kloof.

Kloof is a giant mountain dog who is forever chewing things up.

Although to make up for it she is tremendously helpful when it comes to a fight.

And to top it off, the Herons end up meeting one of the mysterious rangers of Araluen.

What I didn’t like about the Slaves of Socorro:

In Slaves of Socorro there is definitely fighting. A good bit of the bad guys end up dying, but it is not gory.

So if you’re not okay with fighting or anything like that. Then this book is probably not what you want.

A list of the BrotherBand Chronicles:

Book 1: The Outcasts

Book 2: The Invaders

Book 3: The Hunters

Book 4: Slaves of Socorro

Book 5: Scorpion Mountain

Book 6: The Ghostfaces

Book 7: The Caldera

BrotherBand Chronicles – Book Two – Review

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The Invaders is the second book in The Brotherband Chronicles and just as good, if not better, than The Outcasts.

Hal and his friends have lost Skandia’s most priceless treasure, the Andomal, to a ruthless pirate named Zavac.

Now they face rejection for the rest of their lives, unless they can return it.

Quietly, Hal and his friends sneak away before a raging storm makes it impossible for them to escape.

After being at sea for days, they finally find a cove and set up camp.

As they wait for the storm to pass, Thorn continues to train the boys for battle.

Meanwhile, Hal and Ingvar work on a mysterious machine.

When the mysterious machine is finished Hal and his friends begin their search for the evil pirate, Zavac.

As they are sailing they spot a rowboat drifting on the water.

In the distance, they see a someone waving toward them.

When their boats are side by side they are stunned to find that the figure is a beautiful girl named, Lydia.

When asked why she was out so far on the sea in a rowboat, she tells them that the city of Limmat, where she lives, has been attacked by pirates.

They go back to the island away from the pirates on the hope of seeing who they are.

On further inspection, the Herons find out that the pirate is none other than Zavac and his merciless crew.

On the way back to the ship Hal, Stig and Lydia stumble across some escaped villagers who are trying to set up an army to fight Zavac.

The Herons attempt to rid the town of its invaders but even with the villagers and Lydia’s help they are still badly outnumbered.

The Invaders is a remarkable story full of adventure and excitement.

Book Details

This is Hal’s ship, the Heron.

Author: John Flanagan

Publisher: Philomel Books

Series: The Brotherband Chronicles, book 2

Name: The Invaders

Age Range: 12 and up

Pages: 464

Media Type: Kindle book, Audio book, Paperback

ISBN: 978-1-101-57227-6

What to Expect: Adventure, Excitement, Danger, Fiction and Fantasy,

My Favorite Character:

One of my favorite characters is probably Lydia.

This is the first book that she is in. I really like how there is a girl in the story and it’s not just boys.

I also like how she has a really cool weapon and can take care of herself.

She is pretty funny at times and completely unaware of her own beauty. She adds a new sphere of things to the series.

What I liked about The Invaders:

This is John Flanagan’s fictional map of Skandia!

I like The Invaders because it is full of excitement and humor.

For example, one of my favorite parts is when Thorn is training the boys.

He is forever full of amusing sarcastic comments.

The author did a really good job in making the characters realistic.

I like how they’re not these perfect saints who can do anything.

What I didn’t like about The Invaders: 

In The Invaders they use their own curse language based on their fantasy gods.

It is not vile but simply added to make the reader laugh. Which personally, I feel is not the greatest but does add a good amount of humor.

A list of the BrotherBand Chronicles:

Book 1: The Outcasts

Book 2: The Invaders

Book 3: The Hunters

Book 4: Slaves of Socorro

Book 5: Scorpion Mountain

Book 6: The Ghostfaces

Book 7: The Caldera

Book Review – The King’s Equal

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The King’s Equal is a thrilling tale about a poor farmer’s daughter.

She must leave her father in order to save herself and the few possessions they have left before the greedy prince’s agents take them away.

She goes to live in the mountains where she meets a majestic wolf who becomes her friend.

But at the same time, the arrogant Prince of all the Kingdom realizes that he can not be truly happy until he has his father’s crown.

He can only have the crown when he marries a woman who is his equal in everything.

The King’s Equal is a wonderful book that will keep you interested until the very end.

Book Details

Author: Katherine Paterson

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 56 plus 6 pictures

Media Type: Paperback, Audio

Age Range: 7 to 11

ISBN: 0-06-442090-6

What to expect: This book has a bigger print which makes it pretty easy for young readers to read.

It has elements of love and adventure.

This book also teaches that money cannot buy everything. This book is absolutely one of my favorites.

This is an example of one of their pictures. Isn’t it awesome?

Favorite Character: My favorite characters are Rosamund and the Wolf.

I like how the wolf is Rosamunds friend and basically her protective  guardian.

Rosamund, herself, is very kind and compassionate and full of wisdom.

What I Liked about The King’s Equal:

When I first read this book, I was completely enthralled with it.

The King’s Equal has a kind of a folk tale feel to it with an underlying moral theme.

This book also has fantastic pictures. That are quite fun to look at.

It has a bit of humor. But not a ton.

It mainly focuses on Rosamund and her wise wolf friend as well as the prince.

What I didn’t Like About The King’s Equal:

When I first read this I loved it. I love books with a medieval setting.

But the older I get, the less enthralling it feels to me. It is definitely a book best suited for younger children.

Other Books You Might Enjoy:

The Sword in the Tree: 

Lawn Boy:

My Book Categories Explained

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Alright, you’re probably wondering what kind of blog this is?

Well, I decided to write a blog about book categories.

I have just started blogging and I have been coming up with my own classifications that I want to use as I go, with a few that are the most common.

Until I realized, that maybe no one will actually know what I am talking about.

So I decided to do a little research and write a blog about book categories or at least some of the more known ones.

Adventure: A book that is under Adventure is probably a book filled with twists, turns and lots of action. Like for example, The Brotherband Chronicles (The Outcasts) by John A. Flanagan, is filled with action and and adventure.

Drama: A book that belongs to the Drama category is likely to be filled with emotion or excitement.

(Oliver Twist) written by Charles Dickens, is probably a good example of drama, excitement and much more.

Romance:  A book with romance always has something to do with love. Essentially, romance is the story of love.

A romance could have mystery or adventure but it usually revolves around love. Like, The Witch of Blackbird Pond.

Mystery:  Mystery books tend to start with an unusual event, like a car crash or a robbery.

Then the hero of the story has to figure out how it happened, why, and how to fix the problem.

For instance, The Secret of the Old Clock, is the first book in the Nancy Drew series and is full of mystery.

Children literature: Children literature (ie., kid’s books) is literally just that, books for kids.

The age range goes from around five to twelve.

Examples of this would be The Kings’s Equal, Junie B. Jones Is a Party Animal, and Lawn Boy.

Fantasy:  A fantasy book is a book that has made up things in it, like, unicorns, trolls, and anything else the author can come up with.

An example of this would be C.S. Lewis’s, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Poetry: Poetry is basically a bunch of words put together to either rhyme or to convey emotion of some sort.

Like, The Slave’s Dream by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807-1882. Or Sweet and Low, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1809-1892. Both can be found in Classic Poetry An Illustrated Collection.

Science Fiction: Science Fiction is almost like Fantasy but not completely.

Basically, Science fiction books are about things that could possibly happen in a future world or something like that.

Science fiction could be about a time machine, space travel or even some new quirky devise from the future.

An example of this would be, The Homework Machine

Biography: A book that has been put into this category means that it is a book about someone’s life.

But what makes a Biography unique is that it is written by someone else.

Usually the writer knew the person they wrote about, maybe a relative.

Or they simply studied a lot on this person’s particular life.

A book like this would be, Frederick Douglass Abolitionist and Reformer.

Autobiography: An Autobiography is a book on someone’s life written by that person.

Like, A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett.

Religious: A book that is in this category usually means that it has something to do with a belief in some sort of religion.

Or maybe it is a book about spiritual guidance.

Some books like this would be, Quiet Talks on Prayer by S.D. Gordon and The Ultimate Proof  of Creation resolving the origins debate by Dr. Jason Lisle.

Young Adult: Books in the Young Adult section are books that have been written for kids in their early to late teens.

Examples of this are, An Angel by Her Side and Anne of Green Gables. 

I am going to add one more category, (this one is my own by the way), I think it is at least.

General Book Information: If something is under this category it means it helps someone how to do something or other.

Like, a recipe, or a handbook to do something,(like how to make a fire.

Book Review – The Witch of Blackbird Pond

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This is the cover of my book, but it may be different in some areas. I really like this cover!

The Witch of Blackbird Pond is a thrilling tale of fiction.

It is set in the early American settlement of Connecticut before the American Revolution.

Katherine Tyler also known as Kit, was living in the Island of Barbados.

Until the unfortunate death of her Grandfather.

She is then forced to leave her luxurious lifestyle to go live with her uncle’s family in the colony of Connecticut.

When she gets there, she finds that the lifestyle of her relatives is drastically different than what she is used too.

Instead of having the servants do the work, she now has to work from morning till night.

She has to help her aunt and cousins cook, clean, and provide for the family.

The longer she stays, the more she feels unwanted.

She meets a strange woman named Hannah Tupper, who becomes one of her few friends.

The rest of the town thinks that Hannah is a witch. Kit continues to find friends who don’t quit fit in like herself.

Then one dreary night, all the work she has done to at least, somewhat fit in is destroyed.

Will she ever be accepted in America, or is she destined to be alone and an outcast forever?

Book Details

Awards: John Newbery Medal

Author: Elizabeth George Speare

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Age Range: 11 and up

Pages: 249

Media Type: paperback, hardcover, audio book

ISBN; hardcover: 978-0-395-07114-4

paperback:  978-0-547-55029-9

What I liked about The Witch of Blackbird Pond:

This is the back of the book. While I love the cover of this book it has absolutely no pictures inside it.

I liked The Witch of Blackbird Pond because it is a sweet story full of love and sacrifice.

During Kit’s stay with her Uncle, not only does she deal with the rigors of every day life, but also the swirling drama of her cousins love lives, as well as her own.

This book is full of danger, drama, and romance.

Once you start reading The Witch of Blackbird Pond, it is hard to stop!

My favorite character:

I think my favorite character in this book is Kit.

I like how Kit doesn’t give up and she keeps on trying.

Although, quite frankly, I like most of the characters.

Those that are not so nice are actually a bit funny in some cases. S

o all in all this book is pretty cool.

The Grandmotherly way that Hannah Tupper helps Kit is endearing to read about as well.

This story has several twists and turns, all of them are interesting to read.

What I didn’t like about The Witch of Blackbird Pond:

The Witch of Blackbird Pond is an interesting story.

I really can’t think of much I didn’t like. There is one part that I can remember.

It is when Kit and her cousins are going to a corn husking. Who ever found a red kernel got to kiss somebody.

That was not my favorite part, but over all the book was very good.

Other books you might like:

The Sherwood Ring:

The Iron Peacock:

All right you know the saying” Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”. Well this book is way better than it’s cover. And I’m not just saying that. It is similar to The Witch of Blackbird Pond and just as good.

BrotherBand Chronicles – Book Seven – Review

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If you are interested in book seven (click on link here) of The BrotherBand Chronicles, you have probably read in book 6.

When Hal and his crew got lost out at sea and how they found a mysterious land.

Now in John Flanagan’s new exciting book, The Caldera, Hal and his friends find themselves visited by a surprise stranger.

He has a secret mission for them. Hal and his friends agree to the mission but find themselves encountering marauding pirates.

But time is ticking with a volcano about to blow. Can they complete this mission?

Book Details

This is the cover of my audio book. I got it from my library on my Fire Kindle. I love the colors in it. Oh, and by the way it’s just a picture so you can stop clicking it. It’s not going to play.

Author: John Flanagan

Publisher: Philomel Books

Series: The BrotherBand Chronicles, book 7

Age Range: 12 and up

Media Type: audio book, hard cover,

Pages: 432

ISBN: -10: 0399163581

-13: 978-0399163586

What to expect:

Humor, fighting, sailing, mystery, rescue mission.

And though they don’t say that the BrotherBand are vikings it definitely has a viking feel to it.

Introduction:

Hal and his crew are asked if they can help save a young emperor who has been kidnapped by pirates.

In order for Hal and his friends to save the young boy they must go where they’ve never gone before, Byzantos.

This is where the angry empress, Justina is waiting for her son.

This is John Flanagan’s fictional map of Skandia! Now because I did the audio book it didn’t have this picture but it is in some of his other books. And I decided that I would put it in anyways.

They quickly sail from there to Santorillos where the young boy is being held captive in a rocky fortress.

Hal and his friends try to help the young boy.

But their progress is checked by the  tremors that constantly are shaking the ground.

Can they get the young boy out in time? Or will the volcano get to him first?

The Caldera is a fantastic book filled with escalating highs, danger and much more.

Once you start reading The Caldera you won’t want to put it down.

What I liked about The Caldera:

I liked The Caldera because it was full of surprises.

Things kept happening that I hadn’t even really thought of.

This book captured my attention from beginning to end.

The last meeting between the stranger and Stig left me feeling a bit sad.

I am really glad that all of the original crew are still in it and haven’t died or anything.

I really enjoy reading the struggles of Ulf and Wulf, or rather the struggles of the crew as they try to deal with their incessant arguing.

It is always interesting when they enter the scene, you never quite know what will happen with them.

Well, besides the fact that they’re arguing all the time.

It is also hilariously funny how they always know what the other is up too.

And how they seem to always have a trick up there sleeves.

What I didn’t like about The Caldera:

This is Hal’s ship, the Heron.

The Caldera was good but there were some fighting scenes, but they weren’t gory.

It’s a little weird because there’s a bit of a time lapse.

Between the last few books it’s supposed to be a couple of years put together somehow.

But I always thought that everything happened in one year.

But then of course, that could just be me. I don’t know.

Overall I think that The Caldera was pretty good.

A list of the BrotherBand Chronicles:

Book 1: The Outcasts

This is the cover of the my book, in some places the cover is different.

Book 2: The Invaders

 

Book 3: The Hunters

Book 4: Slaves of Socorro

Book 5: Scorpion Mountain

Book 6: The Ghostfaces

Book 7: The Caldera