Jazzy Reads

BrotherBand Chronicles – Book One – Review

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My brother started listening to The Outcasts, and knowing me, he told me about some of it and how I would like it.

I decided to give it a shot. I love fictional stories in the medieval settings.

So when I started reading it I could hardly stop!

The BrotherBand Chronicles is a wonderful series full of adventure and excitement.

If you’re like me you won’t want to put it down.

BrotherBand(The Outcasts): Book Review

Book Details

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

Author: John Flanagan

Publisher: Philomel books

Series: The BrotherBand Chronicles, book 1

Age Range: 12 and up

Media Type: kindle book, paperback, audiobook

Pages: 452

ISBN: 9781101545393

What to expect:
Vikings, Humor, Fighting, Bullies,

Introduction:

This is John Flanagan’s fictional map of Skandia!


Hal Mikkel, is a young teenage boy who lives in Skandia.

His father died when he was young.

With his mother being an Araluen, Hal continually faces rejection as an outcast.

This fact is even more evident when he shows up for BrotherBand training.

BrotherBand training is when the boys who are turning sixteen form into their own teams.

Each team is trained in the use of weapons, ship navigation and teamwork.

This prepares them for life in Skandia.

The boy chosen as the leader of his team is also Skirl when they are on the sea.

(A skirl is a captain of a ship.) Each BrotherBand competes against each other.

The team with the most points wins.

A celebration is held for the winner.

The winning team is honored by being allowed to guard the most sacred treasure of all of Skandia, the Andomal.

The losing team will then carry a sense of shame they will work to overcome.

Hal along with the other outcast boys are left standing by themselves while all the the others are chosen into their own BrotherBand teams.

Erak, the Oberjarl of Skandia, seeing this, delegates the remaining boys into their own BrotherBand team.

(For anyone who doesn’t know who an Oberjarl is, it’s the chief or leader.)

The other boys elect Hal as their leader.

But can Hal and his friends win against such overwhelming odds?

Or will they continue to be outcasts forever looked down upon?

What I liked about the BrotherBand Chronicles, The Outcasts:

This is Hal’s ship, the Heron.

I liked how the different boys in the crew worked together as they try to win.

I also like when the boys are teasing each other.

Their arguments are amusing to read and I enjoy the humor.

And then there’s Thorn, a raggedy old seawolf who watches out for Hal.

(A seawolf is basically a sailor and a warrior.)

Thorn tends to be gruff and sarcastic but cares deeply when it comes to Hal and his friends.

Although he does tend to keep them on their toes.

What I didn’t like about BrotherBand(The Outcasts):

In chapter 20 and 21 it briefly describes a statue of a boy urinating as a water fountain.

I felt this was fairly inappropriate.

There are some fighting scenes, but the ones that are there are not gory.

If you don’t like fighting then this book is not for you.

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 Ghost Faces

Book 7: The Caldera

BrotherBand Chronicles – Book Six – Review

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When my brother first told me about the BrotherBand Chronicles (available here on Amazon.com), I just had to read them.

Since then, I can barely put them down.

Once I start reading I am almost instantly transported into the world of the Heron, and its’ crew.

It is full of adventure and humor. John Flanagan certainly knew what he was doing when he wrote the BrotherBand Chronicles.

Book Details

This is the title cover on my Kindle.

Written By: John Flanagan

Series: Book 6 of the BrotherBand Chronicles

Age range: 12 and up

Publisher: Philomel Books

Media Type: Kindle Book, Paperback, Hardcover and Audio book

Pages: 400

ISBN: 9780698174597

What to expect: Humor, Fighting Vikings, Sailing Boats, Romance,

Introduction:

Hal, Skirl of the Heron, is returning home with his crew only to be caught in a life threatening storm.

(Okay, if you’re like my Mom, here’s a tidbit.

A Skirl is a captain of a ship and the Heron is, you guessed it, a ship.)

The storm takes them further away from home than ever before.

They eventually find a harbor were they are safe for the moment. But are they the only ones there?

This is Hal’s ship, the Heron.

Once outcasts and now honored warriors, Hal and his friends must find a way home.

But while they are there a series of unexpected events continue to delay them.

Will Hal and his friends ever get back home?

THE GHOSTFACES, written by John Flanagan is book six in a series of thrilling adventures that you just do not want to put down.

If you are looking for book one or any of the others look down at the bottom for a list of the BrotherBand Chronicles in order.

What I liked about BrotherBand (The GhostFaces)

This is John Flanagan’s fictional map of Skandia!

I like the BrotherBand Chronicles series because it’s full of excitement and humor.

The BrotherBand series is not only full of adventure and daring acts of bravery, but the author also has them looking out for each other.

As if they really were brothers.

I like how each character is different.

Each one of them brings their different talents together to help one another.

One of my favorite characters is Lydia. I like how she’s funny, and humble about her own beauty and fighting skills.

The parts where she is teasing Thorn are full of humor. Her sympathy when one of  her crew mates is hurt is sweet.

And then there’s Hal, captain of his ship, the Heron.

Once an outcast and now respected as one of the finest helmsman there is.

He is definitely one of my favorite characters.

As he sails across the Stormwhite Sea he leads his crew with a boldness that few ever have.

With him is his second mate, Stig, who with help from his friends and BrotherBand training mastered his once fiery temper.

Not only is he first mate aboard the Heron, but he is also one of the best fighters on board.

And with Stig is Thorn, guiding Hal whenever he needs it.

Thorn is a shabby sailor who is tough and full of sarcasm but as soft as a teddy bear when it comes to the crew of the Heron.

Other BrotherBand Chronicles Books you might like:

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 FacesBOOK 7: The Caldera

The Sherwood Ring – Book Review

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I had to read “The Sherwood Ring” for school (available here from Amazon.com).

The book looked so interesting, I actually read it ahead of time.

I’ve enjoyed the book so much, I have probably read it at least 5-6 times.

The Sherwood Ring Book Details

Written by Elizabeth Marie Pope

Illustrator: Evaline Ness

Age Range: 12 and up

Paperback: 266 pages

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company

ISBN: 0-618-17737-x

What to expect:

Mystery, Romance, Orphan, Ancestral Ghosts, History, Early American

Introduction:

The main character’s name is Peggy Grahame.

Her mother died when she was born.

Her father is an artist who sends her to as many camps and schools as he possibly can, so he can do his work.

Her father also dies, making Peggy an orphan.

Peggy goes to live at her uncle’s house, where she is completely ignored.

She is visited by her ancestors who come and tell her events from the past that slowly reconnect into her own life.

What I liked about The Sherwood Ring:

I like all the plots and twists. You never know what is going to happen until the very end of the book.

Things happen that you had no idea would happen.

It’s interesting how the romance from the past reconnects to the romance of the present.

The ancestral ghosts know what is going to happen to her, so they help her with the different events in her life.

The chapters go between the past and the present.

I like this because it switches between the main story and the past.

The past takes place during the Revolutionary War.

It’s nice that the house in the story has artifacts from George Washington’s time.

There is one chapter that has some codes and ciphers, and I liked this because it gives you an idea of how you might be able to use codes if you were just playing.

They give you everything in the book so that if you wanted to you could use the information from the book to make your own codes to play with.

There is some funny humor in this book.

There is an old dumpy car called Betsy. The author says that “Betsy tried to jump the fence”, almost like the car was a horse.

The car is always broke down and Pat has to tinker with it to get it to work.

The illustrations are very interesting. It definitely makes you look twice.

The author almost makes you like the bad character.

He is a British terrorist during the Revolutionary War.

He is raiding George Washington’s war supplies.

George Washington sends an arrogant young man.

Who tries a series of things to get the bad guy, but fails every time.

Both characters battle with their wits.

What I didn’t like about this book:

I like practically every part of this book.

I didn’t like the fact that there were many places where the author took God’s name in vain.

I just used a black marker to cross out those words.

I almost wish there was more to the story so that I could know what happened to the characters.

Overall, there wasn’t much that I didn’t like about this book.

My book recommendation:

I really like The Sherwood Ring.

As I mentioned at the very beginning, I have already read this book 5 or 6 times.

It’s a great book and I think you should read it. You can buy a new or used copy of The Sherwood Ring here. (Amazon.com)

If you liked The Sherwood Ring, you might also like…


The Witch of Blackbird Pond: This book also has an orphan girl and is from an earlier time period. No ghosts in the book. Also has romance.


The Secret of the Sealed Room: This book is about a girl and a boy who work together and are both misfits. They are trying to solve the mystery of a secret sealed room.