The Orpheus Plot - Christopher Swiedler

 

Net Galley - 

"Lucas Adebayo grew up on a small mining ship in the asteroid belt, but wants to join the Navy and become the best pilot in the galaxy. The Navy has never accepted a Belter cadet before, but Lucas’s skills secure him a place on the training ship, the Orpheus.

Life in the Navy couldn’t be more different than life in the Belt, and Lucas struggles to find his place. As a Belter, he’s an outsider among his peers; as a Navy cadet, he doesn’t quite fit in at home anymore, either. Lucas is caught between the worlds of his past and his future when a Belter rebellion puts everyone’s lives at risk. Only he can lead the way to peace."

Wow. I just read this book and it was amazing. I really loved how Lucas came from nowhere and got somewhere. I also liked how the book focused on a smaller group of three main characters and included other important but not as important people in the story. Another great thing about this book is that 98% of important characters developed and grew as a person throughout the story. In my opinion even though Lucas comes from nowhere he is given enough tools and abilities to succeed without it being too easy or too hard. I think that the book was very well written, and  I would give it a 5 out of 5.

You can find The Orpheus Plot HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

The Kingdom of Ink and Paper - Matthew Newman

 

From Net Galley -

"Every book you’ve ever read. Every story you’ve ever heard. What if they were all true?

When high school student Will Morgan goes on a school trip to Boston, he doesn’t expect to witness a murder. But when best-selling novelist Arthur O’Neill is found dead, Will realizes there’s more to this writer’s books than just words.

After O’Neill’s death, Will receives a mysterious package: a copy of The Redstone Keep, one of O’Neill’s famous novels. Upon reading the book, Will passes out and is introduced to a man named Tam Desmond, The Redstone Keep’s protagonist. Tam explains that he is a resident of the World of the Written, a universe parallel to our own where everything ever published by humans comes to life.

Through his conversations with Tam, Will learns that something was targeting Arthur, and that same force is now after him. Armed with his new powers and a magical sword, Will sets out on a journey to solve the mysteries surrounding the murder; however, all the while, Arthur’s death may have just been the start of something much more sinister."

In my opinion the quality of this book was fair. While the plot and characters were interesting, it reminded me of Here There Be Dragons, and there were several smaller plot holes. In the story the characters gain their powers much too quickly, and there isn't much of a real challenge. However, I did like the involvement of Characters, or people from the story that the Writers are in. Overall I would say that there was not a lot of character development outside of powers/abilities. I would give Kingdom of Ink and Paper a 3 out of 5 stars.

You can find Kingdom of Ink and Paper HERE.

You can find Matthew Newman HERE.

The Extraordinary eTab of Julian Newcomber - Michael Seese

Julian Newcomber has moved yet again because of his dad's crazy inventions. He now needs to learn to fit in again at a new school. But then when his 20-year-old self comes back from the future they must find the power source to his eTab (the invention 12-year-old Julian,s dad is working on) so he can go back to his time and they won't be left to fight over the top bunk forever.

I liked this book once things got explained (chapter 4) and I knew what was happening. I think it is a good book to read if you like shorter chapter books and have the stamina to wait for the backstory. I liked that his dad's inventions were wacky and either exploded or worked.

I give this book a 4-star rating. I think that it was an interesting book but was not my favorite. I might read this again.

You can find The Extraordinary eTab of Julian Newcomber  HERE.
You can find the author's page HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

The Boy from Tomorrow - Camille DeAngelis (Freddy)

In The Boy from Tomorrow, Alec and Josie are 100 years apart but are the same age. They quickly become friends but when Alec finds a headstone with their last name on it the two must find out how to get Josie's little sister Cassie away from the house so she can live.

I thought it was a great book because the characters were really entertaining and the author ended the book really well. I also enjoyed the idea and thought the characters were very realistic. The author made me worry about the characters when the suspense started. I recommend this book to kids who like science fiction.

I give this book 5 stars and would really enjoy reading this book again because of the intense plot.

You can find The Boy from Tomorrow HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

Teddy note to parents: This book contained scenes involving a ouija board, which I had not caught in our reading of the original summary before choosing it to review.

Introducing FREDDY!

We have exciting news here at Reading with Teddy G!  My son, known here now as Freddy, is joining the blog!  As Teddy, I will continue to review mainly Christian Fiction, but Freddy will add a fresh voice and a new genre - Middle-Grade Fiction.  Freddy is 11 years old, and currently in 5th grade.  He has been a voracious reader since he could read for himself.  His first chapter book was The One and Only Ivan, and he hasn't slowed down since.

Some of his favorite books have included Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and The Bone series, although he has been known to read all over the middle-grade genre.  He is hoping to read and review a book a month, but he is sure to be reading much more than that.

We hope that you enjoy the addition of Freddy and Middle-Grade book reviews to the blog!