Book Review: "Circle of Three" by Erica Farber and J.R. Sansevere

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Both Niko and Aurora are orphans raised by their guardians in a land called Sunnebeam. But both of their lives change forever when they lose their homes and discover both are involved with an ancient prophecy, involving the empress of Sunnebeam and strangers from another world.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Aurora is a young gypsy who has strange abilities that she would rather keep secret. She makes vague references to a mother who had a tragic end and a lost brother.

Niko has spent his whole life away from society, alone in a castle with his adopted father. He is eager to prove himself as a warrior.

Walker is the only character from our world. Not much is known about his past, other than that his parents' are divorced. Nothing seems too unique about him and it's not clear as to why he was summoned by one of the stones.

Lord Amber is a rather cryptic man and unfortunately, he isn't in the story much. But he is an important person, as it's revealed that he could be a possible regent for a future ruler.

Castor La Croix is the main villian, making an appearance in the beginning. He is a cousin of the empress.

THE LORDS OF TIME

It turns out an old nursery rhyme that everyone knows is actually an ancient prophecy that speaks of heroes that come from world. These nine people can be summoned with nine stone charms. The ryhme also speaks of a chooser and a protector. The Chooser has silver eyes and a silver sword (the one that Niko chose from the weapon's room). And the Protector will have the Sign of the Dragon's eye (a mark on Aurora).

LORD AMBER-SPOILERS

When Niko sneaks into a secret room, he finds a room full of weapons. It shocks him, because in all of his training, he has never been allowed to use real weapons. Lord Amber shows up, and instead of lecturing him and punishing him, he makes him choose a weapon.

They fight and Niko loses, which isn't surprising. What is surprising, is that Lord Amber reveals that he has trained all of a group of soldiers called the Dragons as well as their leader, Janus. And another man he refuses to name but who he implies fought Janus and it didn't end well.

LORD AMBER AND NIKO

Lord Amber is barely in the story. I understood it was necessary to move the story forward but it also caused me to become detached from the relationship between him and Niko. At least he was in the story, as Titi (Aurora's adopted mother) is not.

We mostly get told about Lord Amber, and not even that much. The most insight we gain into his character is when Niko sneaks into a weapons room and his master reveals his secret history. Perhaps this sudden harsh attitude (he say's he could easily kill Niko) is a hint at what is to come so Lord Amber is taking the kid gloves off. But either way, the reader learns a great revelation about a character they don't even know. So they don't get to be shocked.

Perhaps it would have been wiser to slow the pace of the story and show months and years going by in a matter of pages. At least then we could get some idea of how Lord Amber and Niko formed a relationship. Maybe get some idea how adequate or inadequate he was as a father figure.

THE DRAGONS

The Dragons are a group of fighters that have been disbanded since their leader, Janus died. From Aurora, we learn that they were banished before she was born, but they showed back up again when she was four. So they really haven't been gone that long. And she suspects that they are why the country of Kasmania violated their treaty and crossed the border to Sunnebeam.

INCOMPETENT NIKO & AMAZING AURORA

When Aurora first meets Niko in the forest, he's rude. He says that the castle is no place for a girl but she points out that she saw Dragons on the bridge. But they decided to leave for a moment so Aurora could later be useful when they came back five seconds later. She notes that Niko is a bad climber and catches up, missing a few times until she gets him.

To be fair we are given a reason, because she climbs trees in her camp and those are even harder to climb. I guess her skirts don't get in the way.

She pulls Niko down with all her might (even though she already had a grasp and he had to notice) so he falls into the marsh. There is conveniently another sound nearby so the dragon's rush off and don't hear Niko splash. Niko isn't grateful and instead annoyed, saying he could have handled it himself.

Then Niko's hawk shows up, named Topaz, and Niko warns her not to touch him because he is a bird of prey. But Topaz loves Aurora and even starts cooing. Does Aurora have a history with birds? Or any animals? Not as far as we know.

This entire scene was contrived to introduce two characters and make it so Niko would see her value but it makes him look stupid and arrogant.

Why do we have to tear down Niko just to show that Aurora has value? Aurora may be doubting herself, but I highly doubt that Niko really believes he can do it all alone. We just don't see inside his mind. Last we checked, he was shocked and terrified.

When Aurora is later revealed to be the Protector, you might use that to justify everything. But again, we don't need to tear down Niko, in order to show Aurora's usefulness.

I wouldn't call Aurora a Mary Sue yet but she is definitely in that territory. And her feeling bad that Niko doesn't like being protected by a girl, doubting herself and crying later, doesn't negate that. .

AURORA'S GIFTS-VAGUE SPOILERS

Aurora has many abilities. In the start of the story, she moves an item with her mind. Not long after, a secretive woman shows up and Aurora suddenly has a vision upon making skin contact with her. And when she does the cards for Castor Le Croix, she is about to make up words to tell him when she suddenly blurts out a prediction without meaning to.

When Niko breaks down and refuses to leave the bodies of friends, she takes her fear and pushes it into him so he can see it. It's kind of unclear. But then she sees his memories, where the deceased woman and man helped raise him.

On another note, Niko is finally useful after this. He uses his knowledge of a secret passageway that he used earlier to help him and Aurora escape. Now back to Aurora.

After this, she uses the “power of the spices” to summon fire from the smoke so her and Niko can escape the Dragons. Then she uses her knowledge of the forest and the constellations to guide Niko.

She saves Niko from the Dragon, Jah, by jumping on him.

WHO DIED?-SPOILERS

When Niko returns to Castle of the Seven towers he finds the dead bodies of Ruah and Mal, an older man and woman who helped raise him and take care of the castle. Niko is then seen holding a blue robe with a crest on it.

Later on, Aurora says she is sorry about what happened to Lord Amber. It was only then that I realized he had indeed, died.

In the only scene that Lord Amber was in, there a sentence revealing the color of his robe and his crest. Which I completely forgot. It wouldn't have taken much effort for him to say his master's name, as he did of the two servants.

It felt like a mistake to write what would be a very important and personal scene for Niko...and then write it from a disconnected third party, like Aurora.

Later, Walker meets an old man with torn up, blue robes. So Lord Amber never died. And there was no body for Niko to mourn over. But why didn't the authors point that out? Why didn't Niko search frantically for the body? Wouldn't he want to know where it was?

ENTER, WALKER

The modern day character, Walker, is introduced in the prologue. But isn't shown again until about halfway through the story.

I have to admit, I actually forgot about him. He ends up in the training camp of the novices who wish to be Dragons (he comes out of a secret passage there). He tries to explain he isn't supposed to be their but the instructor refuses to believe him, seeming to have a beef with him.

It didn't really make sense to me. If the Dragons are so elite, wouldn't they have a list of names of who had enlisted? Or are they so hard up for novices that they won't let anyone leave who wanders in? Or are they supposed to be a secret, so they can't let him leave? That would make sense, but it's never revealed.

AURORA AND NIKO SEPARATED

When Aurora and Niko find a sailboat, they fall asleep. When Niko wakes up first, he drags the boat to shore. He is still resentful of having a girl as a protector. He wanders off for a few minutes, and then gets kidnapped.

He ends up with the Novices. Apparently some recruits for the Dragons are kidnapped. Maybe since they are no longer supposed to exist? It would explain why the guy in charge is so awful to Walker and doesn't care if he says it's all a mistake.

But it does beg the question, why didn't Walker take someone aside (who could talk) and ask if they wanted to be here or why they were? One could have easily explained he was kidnapped. And then the confusion would be eradicated. And later on, all of the pages are excited to become dragons. If some were kidnapped, wouldn't there be less enthusiasm?

NIKO & WALKER

For the first time in the series, Niko is useful. He remembers advice that Lord Amber gave him. It's kind of vague, more about philosophy than fighting but it helps him get the red stone back from a bully. He uses more philosophy to find a secret passage. It isn't believable but at least Niko has a purpose.

CALLIOPE-SPOILERS

When Aurora is feeling bad that she lost Niko, a strange being shows up, that seems to be a spirit. She calls herself one of the sisters of Kuxan-Sunn. Turns out she lives between worlds and can see the future. She explains that the New Lord of Time has been summoned.

She tries to explain the “eternal present” which is the past and present combined, as to why Aurora is more powerful than even her (kinda Mary Sue-ish). She says to beware others like her (but not why) before she disappears. Also to remember her dreams. So Aurora thinks back to her recent dream of the empress and her baby.

THE BLACK ASHA

A huge horse is captured from the desert and brought into Black Rock (the training camp). Another novice explains the story about the five black Ashas, mares who followed the Lords of Time into battle.

I didn't mind the idea of another part of the myth nor a rescuer for Walker. What bothered me was that there was no set up. I wish I had learned of this myth earlier. Maybe from Aurora and Niko, so Walker could be confused about the horse and their relationship but the reader would know. Instead of instantly knowing she was his rescuer, when she is calm with him.

SECRET WARRIOR?

After Walker manages to mount the mare, he gets taken to a room where he is interrogated. Apparently, because he can ride a crazy horse, which is a secret skill, he must have other secret skills. Secret fighting skills. So his superiors proceed to beat it out of it.

The General just kind of looks stupid. What would have happened if they had chopped off his head? So much for secret skills.

After almost killing him, they punish him by making him serve dinner and warn him they will be keeping an eye on him.

CLARITY

I find there are a few spots of the story that lack clarity. I already mentioned the one about Lord Amber's cloak, but there not being an actual body but that doesn't get pointed out. I honestly just assumed it was lazy writing.

When it is revealed that he is alive, it's not because the man introduces himself to Walker, but because he has a slashed up blue cloak.

I understand not wanting to spell out everything to your reader but I never felt it was making me think. It just made me confused. Because I missed the one sentence that would have clarified it for me. Even if I hadn't missed it, why couldn't Lord Amber tell his name to someone as important as a summoned Lord of Time?

SENSE OF DIRECTION

For the most part, Aurora and Niko are just trying to get away from the Dragon that is hunting them. They have no set plans. Aurora follows the stars to take them to a river. They find a boat. Niko goes missing and Aurora meets a spirit who says to remember her dreams. Which means the Empress. She never points out where she must go.

It just shows her arrive in the city, which is where the Empress lives in her palace. She hopes she isn't too late. There isn't any planning, by the way. We just cut off and end up with her in some sort of waiting room in the palace, hiding. You would think we would see her sneaking in, or telling some lie, but we don't.

COINCIDENCES-SPOILERS

After Aurora is still hiding in the palace, Castor Le Croix and the Empress happen to walk in. She figures out this Empress is a fake and one of the Sister of the Kuxan-sunn (because of her eyes). But Le Croix doesn't know this. So Now Aurora knows a secret, because she snuck into the right room. Because the story calls for it.

But lots of things seem to merely happen because the story calls for it.

Walker overhears exactly why he was brought to this world, that he is a Lord of Time. Because of this, he later knows that the Asha is here for him, after the others explain the myth.

Walker and Niko learn that the wrong name has been put in the box that chooses a regent. Not through any investigation on their part, but because they overhear a conversation.

Aurora walks into a huge city for the first time and just happens to run across the man who murdered her mother. Who just happens to be apart of a gang that keeps on eye on the port. Which happens to be the way she entered the city with a boat. Which happened to have a royal sail on it. I can believe almost all of this, except when she runs into her mother's killer. That was too much.

And the Emperor happens to die the moment that Le Croix threatens Aurora with execution, so all hell breaks loose and she sneaks out through the crowd. And then she happens to end up in the chambers where it's announced who the new regent is. She gets the imporant plot information (not like she couldn't have learned it later as it would have been announced) then runs. I understand she has to be in the palace in order for her to get caught but she could just have easily overheard this news being spread.

CLIMAX-SPOILERS

Walker faces a temptation to give his stone away, with a promise he will be sent home. After overcoming it, he awakens Niko and prevents him from dying. Aurora gets arrested and taken to Black Rock.

CONCLUSION

The story wasn't exactly original but I have no problem with that.

When it comes to the characters, both Aurora and Niko have distinct personalities and start off as quite likable. Unfortunately Aurora dominates the first half of the story, while Niko trails along, mostly helpless and without any redeeming qualities.

As for relationships, Aurora and Niko spend the most time together. Their tension is mostly brought on by Niko not wanting her help. He never gets over his pride to appreciate her.

The relationships that should be important, such as Niko and Lord Amber, and Aurora and Titi are in short supply. We get one scene with Lord Amber, and are only told about Titi.

Plot wise, the story relies upon lots of coincidences. Every important plot point is overheard by the main characters who are always hidng in shadowy halls nearby.

And lastly, sometimes there is a lack of clarity which I honestly took to be lazy writing, rather then clever or cutting through unnecessary scenes (which I think it was sometimes intended).

It's not a terrible story, but it's not good either.

I give “Circle of three” two stars.

Book Review: "Horton's Miraculous Mechanisms" by Lissa Evans

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When Stuart's family moves to a new town just when summer starts, he is left without any friends or anything to do. Then he learns about his great uncle and his mysterious past. Suddenly Stuart finds himself investigating the past, a missing person and a missing workshop.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Stuart is an only child of two smart, if slightly eccentric parents. He is short and kind of sensitive about it. He has a curious nature and is willing to put himself at risk to learn. I found him likable because he had so many instances where he was embarrassed or worried about being seen as silly. Like when he accidentally locked himself out of his house and when he gets covered in mud.

April is a next door neighbor. She and her two indentical sisters run a newspaper. She can be rather nosy and blunt. At first she just wants something to do to stem off the boredom but eventually she comes to sincerely want to discover the truth about Horton. Also she is crucial to the story as she helps Stuart out multiple times.

Leonora is an older, blind lady. She is the sister of Great Uncle Horton's fiance and is kind to Stuart. She is also a retired teacher. She is important to the story by revealing history and by helping April near the climax.

Jeannie is a magician and a teacher to Clifford. She is bossy and rather mean to him. She serves multiple roles in the story, including informing Stuart about the fire that destroyed a factory. As well as being the antagonist.

Clifford works for Jeannie. The burly man isn't too bright but wants more than anything to be a magician.

PACING

The book is a mystery book of puzzles, not an action story. Even so, after a brief introduction, Stuart is learning about his Great uncle Horton through a box with a secret compartment. So he goes off to investigate the old house.

From there he goes place to place, from a library, an old phone booth, and even a museum. In any moment where you are not finding a clue or looking for one, crucial information is learnt, like when Stuart is on a trip with his parents.

There are also a few clinghanger endings of chapters and paragraphs that help with the pacing as well.

HINTS OF MAGIC

There are hints that magic may exist in this world, not magic tricks. Early on in the book, Stuart visits a telephone booth, but he realizes it's broken—and it rings anyway. Also when Stuart learns about the Well of Wishes and that his Great-Uncle Horton vanished, it's mysterious enough to make you wonder if the cause is magical.

DAD & SON

The first clue we get is when Stuart see's a gift that his father got from Great Uncle Horton. I thought it was interesting that it all starts with his dad, and then Stuart finds a letter that was meant for his dad. But he feels that it was really meant for him because he was the one who found it.

Arthur doesn't come off as dramtic and narcisstic but instead we see a different side of him. A side that isn't practical like his parents, but actually quite inexplicable.

THE HORRENDOUS TEA PARTY

Because he has no friends, Stuart's parents arrange for him to hang out with his neighbors. Of course, they don't know that he has already had a run in with them, and it didn't exactly go well. But April shines in this moment; she steps up to defend Stuart when her sisters make fun of his parents.

APRIL'S MISTAKE-SPOILERS

When April comes along with Stuart to sneak into where another clue is located, he puts his trust in her. He gives her one of the special coins he has. But because of how dim it is, she doesn't realize when she puts the wrong size in the hole.

She ends up bending it and is furious at herself. She actually starts to cry. I thought how Stuart handled it was kind and mature, especially considering his previous feelings towards April. He admits to himself that he is mad at her, but knows expressing it won't help.

AN UNEXPECTED TRIP-SPOILERS

On the weekend before Great Uncle Horton's house is about to be demolished, Stuart's parents decided they are going on an inpromptu trip. Leaving April to enter a code in a safe before time is up. Suspense is added when Stuart realizes he made an awful mistake.

USE OF HUMOR

There were multiple points in the book where I found myself smiling. I loved the idea that April's sister's think she is the quiet one (when in reality she comes across as invasive and extroverted).

The whole scene near the climax with the bandstand was quite hilarious. The performances by the children sounded outright ridiculous and I couldn't help thinking how much fun Miss Evans had coming up with possible performance ideas.

When Stuart accidentally breaks something at a museum, his father's deadpan response was amusing as well.

TONY & LILY

Lenora serves as an imporant part of the story, as she reveals information about Horton and her sister, Lily. She tells of World War II and the air raids, how Lily and Horton both had hot tempers and about the Well of Wishes.

APRIL'S STUNT-SPOILERS

While Stuart was on his way to the old House, April decided the only way to preserve the safe was to prevent the construction workers from destroying it. She blocked the house and stood up on the roof while her parents pleaded with her to come down. Stuart ends up quite amazed at the bravery of his new friend. It's obvious he didn't expect it.

STUART'S WISH-SPOILERS

When Stuart finds the well of wishes, he daydreams about being taller. He imagines it would fix all of his problems but his dreams are cut short by April's cries.

He ends up having to make a decision whether or not to use the wish for himself or to find out what happened to Lily and Horton.

When April realizes what he is going to do, she is concerned that he won't be able to make it back. I thought it was a sweet scene between them, showing April's growth as a character as well as Stuart, who easily discards his own wish.

THE TRUTH ABOUT JEANNIE-SPOILERS

It turns out that Jeannie isn't just a a master magician, she is also the mayor of the town. I was surprised and I couldn't help but wonder if I missed any hints. It felt out of the blue to me, and I wasn't sure what it added to the story. I suppose it made Jeannie more threatening, to realize that she was powerful and respected by everyone.

CLIMAX

Stuart finds the workshop and then Jeannie shows up. April plays a part in bringing Leonora to the workshop while Leonora plays a part in keeping them from being exposed to Jeannie. Then they find out what happened to Lily and Horton.

MISSING JEANNIE-SPOILERS

After the conclusion of the story, we see an old newspaper speaking of an incredible new magician who appeared in the same time period that Stuart visited. It's obvious that it's Jeannie, who was left behind.

I think it was an implying a sequel. Or else why would we care that Jeannie became famous in the past? Perhaps someday she could travel to the future. Or maybe she already had some influece on the present.

CONCLUSION

This mystery has two likable main characters in Stuart and April. Both characters go through in arc in their relationship with one another as well as their own personalities.

April learns to stand by Stuart at her own cost, at first from her sisters' jokes, but eventually from a construction crew. A pretty big leap. But it's believable because we see that April isn't an ordinary girl and is rather resourceful.

Arthur develops from a boy who just wants to be taller and fit in, to a boy who is willing to make himself look foolish (multiple times) to find out the truth about his Great-Uncle.

The backdrop of characters are amusing from Arthur's parents to June and May. The only character I found slightly cartoonish was Clifford.

Going from clue to clue to a key was never dull and was well paced. And there was plenty of humor in the story.

My only criticism are that I would have liked the climax to be slighlty more interesting, as it felt rushed. Also I would have liked some hints about Jeannie's other job.

I give “Horton's Miraculous Mechanisms” three and half stars.

Book Review: "The Beasts of Clawstone Castle" by Eva Ibbotson

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When their parents get a job overseas, Madlyn and Rollo are sent to live with their great uncle at Clawstone Castle. But the castle is old and falling apart and when the kids find out the real reason why it's being taken care of, they promise to help grow the business.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Madlyn is the eldest of the siblings. She is pretty and popular. She is more outgoing than her brother.

Rollo prefers animals over people and he is more quiet than his sister.

Sir George is an elderly man and the kids' great uncle, who runs the castle.

Miss Emily is an elderly woman who tries to make souvenirs for the castle, but she isn't very good at it. She is very sweet and does her job the best she can.

Mr. Howard is an older man who happens to be the kids' cousan. He keeps himself hidden away, as he is rather shy. He has a secret and the kids come to him when they need help saving the castle.

Lord Trembellow is the wealthy owner of a huge, nice castle. He doesn't' much take notice of the Clawstone Castle as it barely makes any profit and is no competition.

PACING

The story is not an action orientated plot. Although it's not overly slow, as we learn about the cows rather fast, by chapter four (and the chapters are small).

HUMOR

Ibbotson has her usual sense of humor throughout. The only time where I felt it wasn't quite funny was when it came to the villains. They just seemed very two dimensional.

THE COWS

Turns out (If you can't tell by the cover of the book) that white cows are the reasons that the castle is operating. They are a rare breed that need to be looked after. Rollo, loving animals, becomes happy to help the castle after finding out the truth.

GETTING GHOSTS

After finding out why their uncle and aunt run the castle, the kids turn to Howard. They ask him to help find some ghosts that would be willing to help out. This leads to a funny segment where we get to meet some ghosts.

A MYSTERY

Trouble is caused, thanks to Lord Trembellow. And the cows are taken. But instead of it being quite clear cut, the truth ends up being a mystery that leads the kids and ghosts on a trip in search of them.

BANSHEES-SPOILERS

One of the ghosts says the cows were not killed, and not buried where they were supposed to be. But it's not until the banshee's show up and reveal this that the kids finally realize the truth.

THE HOGGART

In the beginning we learn about something called the Hoggart (no one knows what it is). And it comes back into the story near the end in a surprising way.

THE KING

There is a story about a king from a far away land, who gets his own little backstory. I felt it kind of pulled me out of the story. I didn't need a specific reason as to why animals were being abused. It was obviously to make money.

THE MUNDANIANS-VAGUE SPOILERS

When the kids go to see the cows, they realize it was all a misunderstanding. Then they meet the workers on the island, a group of refugees. They find out the violence in their country has ended and their finally going home. They celebrate going home and tell the kids an important truth about the island.

LADY TREMBELLOW

The wife of lord Trembellow isn't treated very well and is unhappy throughout the book. But she is barely in it and like I said, the villains are shallow. Even so, it was nice to see her doing good in the end.

CLIMAX

The kids learn the truth about the cows and attempt a rescue mission. With the help of the ghosts, they succeed. Aunt Emily and Uncle George finally show up.

CONCLUSION

The story is silly and funny but the characters don't have much depth, although they do have personalities. The strength lies in Ibbotson's humorous narration, as well as the mystery regarding the cows. I give “The Beasts of Clawstone Castle” three stars.

Book Review: "The Ogre Downstairs" by Diana Wynne Jones

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When Caspar, Johnny and Gwinny's mom remarries, the kids can't stand their new stepfather and call him “the Ogre” behind his back. The ogre's sons, Malcom and Douglas, don't much care for their new step-siblings either. But when both sets of siblings receive a chemistry set as a gift, they discover it's no normal gift. And soon they are learning how to do amazing things, all while keeping it a secret from their parents.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Johnny is the younger son. He is more emotional and prone to acting without thinking.

Caspar is the oldest child of Sally.

Gwinny is the youngest child of Sally. She is less set on disliking her new family members and admits she used to like the Ogre. She is easily influenced by her big brothers.

Malcom is the younger son of the Ogre.

Douglas is the older son of the Ogre. He loves music and often borrows his step-siblings records

PACING

It's not really an action story, so the pacing is slower. But not to the point of dissuading you from reading. We get the kit right away, and not long after learn of what happens when its used.

DOUGLAS TO THE RESCUE?-SPOILERS

Due to their flying powder wearing off, the kids get stuck far from home. Douglas eventually decides to help out. He flies home and gets them the powder. But on the way home, his wears off. He has to come in through the door, so the Ogre finds him. He is furious...at the guys he helped.

I was confused. Douglas was the one who decided to help them. If anything, this event had been caused due to his kindness. All he had to say was that they owed them, or say nothing at all. This could have started some respect between the kids at least.

IS THE OGRE THAT BAD?

I read the book thinking there would be hints that the Ogre wasn't as awful as they thought. Some times where he was misunderstood, or it was obvious he regretted his actions. But this never happens. Instead he beats up his own son and gets mad at Sally for trying to stop him. He lost his temper pretty much every five minutes and basically had no good qualities.

SUDDENLY MAGIC

I thought it was funny that no one was shocked to find that magic was real, as this was clearly not science. Nor did they have any tough questions for the man who sold it the the Ogre. You'd think they'd be eager to learn more. But I kind of got the feeling that this was ordinary magic to them. Kind of weird.

A MAGICAL WORLD

A strong point of the story is all of the details regarding the consequences of magic. Items come to life, then refuse to be contained. There are floods, melted candy and messes created by flying. Gwinny is charming and sweet how she worries over her new “people”.

LIKE CATS AND DOGS

The two siblings get on like cats and dogs, but I couldn't really figure out why. They are shown yelling at each other over pretty stupid things. I get that Caspar and Johnny think Malcom and Douglas are proper and stuffy. But that doesn't seem to be an excuse to be such jerks to them. Not that they didn't come off unlikable, but so did Caspar and Johnny. They were all equally obnoxious. And since Douglas and Caspar have long been abused by the Ogre, I thought maybe there would be some sympathy for them.

CASPAR AND MALCOM-SPOILERS

Caspar and Malcom accidentally switch bodies. Through this ordeal Caspar learns that Malcom is bullied quite a lot, not just in school by his fellow students, but by his own brother. It was one of my favorite parts of the story, because it started to help Caspar feel sympathy for Malcom.

JOHNNY'S PRANK-SPOILERS

When Johnny decides he wants the Ogre to be gone for good, he tries to frame him for killing him. His brother points out that this will never work. So he kind of goes crazy and tries to hit the Ogre with a vacuum. It was kind of hard to feel any sympathy for Johnny at that point.

GWINNY'S DECISION-SPOILERS

When the kids think that Sally has been killed Gwinny decides to take things into her own hands. She bakes muffins and makes one with sleeping pills in it. But after she makes it, she panics, realizing how crazy that was (unlike Johnny). This is kind of extreme and uncharacteristic of her (she admits she used to like the Ogre). But she at least, develops slightly.

THE OGRE, A KILLER?-SPOILERS

The kids think the Ogre killed their mother, because she has vanished and the Ogre lied to them about her whereabouts. They eventually realize their wrong but their isn't any incident where they figure out that the Ogre isn't so bad. There is a moment where one kid realizes that the Ogre may be like Douglas, who is bossy but no real harm. And can't really help it. Not exactly insightful stuff.

CLIMAX

The kids prepare for their mom coming home but end up having to fight off some accidental creations. Leftover from the chemistry set is something that can help their financial problems.

CONCLUSION

The Story is coherent, unlike “The Merlin Conspiracy”. And it isn't so filled of details that you get lost in it like “The Dark Lord of Derkholm”. But the characters are not that likable and they feel rather two dimensional.

I never quite got why the Ogre suddenly stopped being so horrible. There was no moment where this occurred, suddenly they all just get along. I give “The Ogre Downstairs” two and half stars.

Book Review: "Peter and the Star catchers" by Ridley Pearson & Dave Barry

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Peter is forced, along with his fellow orphans, to board a ship and head for employment for a not-too-nice king in a far away land. On board, he meets Molly, a young girl who seems to know something about the ship's contents. Peter becomes determined to find out more, only to become involved in a dangerous mission.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Peter considers himself the leader of his group. Although he is not that close to them and even considers leaving them if he could. Later, he becomes a real leader, trying to provide food for them and keep them safe.

Molly is the daughter of a Starcatcher and from a wealthy English family. She is can be bold but when it comes her father she can also be quite fragile. She worries about him a lot.

Slank is the acting captain, since the actual captain of the Neverland is an idiot.

Black Stache is the captain of a ship called the Sea Devil. It's obvious he will become captain Hook because of his first mate named Smee.

Captain Leonard Aster, Molly's father, is a brave and kind man who tries to keep his daughter out of harm's way. He does his best to protect the starstuff.

PACING

The pacing is good because it goes back and forth between multiple stories. We get mostly Peter's view and Black stache. But we also get Molly's, some scenes from Leonard Aster's and from Slank and his crew.

THE ORIGINS OF THE STAR STUFF

There is a scene where Molly finally decides to tell Peter the truth. I found some of it fine and some of it cringe worthy.

Mainly the part about gods and goddesses and how these stories came about because of star stuff. And then it evolved into kings and queens who did great things...because of star stuff.

I had no problem believing people had used the substance to gain power and keep it. However the idea that mythology was true because of it seemed rather convoluted. After all, there is no evidence that these people ever existed in these myths.

MERMAIDS

Starstuff seems to have the ability to create intelligent life, but only from other already existing life. Molly already mentioned that star stuff creates centaurs when it comes into contact with horses. I did find that kind of convoluted but it only plays a small part in the story. And to be fair, it is necessary, as it causes fish to sort of evolve into mermaids. And these mermaids play a larger part in the plot.

USE OF HUMOR

There is a good sense of humor used throughout the story. Little things like Molly messing up her porpoise and always saying “My teeth are green” as well as other aspects. The conversations between Black Stache and Mr. Smee are often silly but not overkill because they are few and far in between.

THE DOLPHINS

A dolphin named Amm plays a key role as he sends messages between Molly and her father. The dolphins also save someone who falls overboard.

MOLLY NOT BELIEVED

There is a scene where Molly tries to warn Slank about Captain Stache and is ignored. It could have easily made all of the adults look like idiots but it didn't. It didn't seem like a mere child would have this knowledge and of course, Slank later realizes that she was right.

MOLLY & PETER

Molly and peter's friendship starts off tentative. Molly warns him about trying to escape and he realizes she was right.

Later, she keeps him away from the trunk but gives him food for the boys. Eventually the two argue because Peter wants to know the truth. About the trunk, about the flying rat he saw, and about what she was doing with a dolphin. When she refuses his feelings are hurt because he thought they had formed a friendship. This leads Peter to being angry, determined to find out the truth without her.

Later on, they have another fight. This one about their priorities. Molly thinks the trunk is the most important, while Peter thinks his friends are. Because of this they actually separate.

What's nice about their relationship is that they make mistakes and learn from them, continuing to grow throughout the story.

MOLLY'S ROLE

Molly's main role is revealing the truth about the trunk and its contents. She also sends messages to her father to warn him and does her best to keep the trunk from being found. Another important role she has is when someone goes overboard she takes them to shore.

PETER'S ROLE

Peter becomes Molly's ally and helps protect the trunk when she finally reveals the truth to him. But eventually they work together to do more than that, as Peter's friends get in trouble. He risks his life not just for his friends, but for Molly as well.

THE MOLLUSK TRIBE

Upon landing on an island, we eventually come to learn that it is inhabited by a tribe. This tribe is called the mollusk tribe. It made sense to have an indigenous people instead of throwing in odd copies of Native Americans (which we all remember from the disney movie).

STAR STUFF-SPOILERS

The dust that makes you fly is not in fact Pixie dust, as there are no faeries in the story. Instead we get star stuff, which in itself creates an origin for Neverland, as well as the creation of Mermaids.

I liked how it was an original idea, but didn't take too many liberties with the original story. After all, we don't really know how James Barrie envisioned an origin story for the island, or even if he thought of one. But it was obvious that in a series about Peter Pan, we needed to see his beginning, as well as the islands.

FIGHTING PRAWN

This tribe has a leader who is actually an Englishman, or he was. Now he resides in the island with no desire to leave, as their leader. It turns out he was enslaved and forced to work for the navy, so he considers the English to be the barbarians.

I thought this was kind of silly to blame an entire society for one aspect which many had no control over. Especially since he now resides in a society where they haven't discovered the wheel.

I understood the main purpose, we needed to be able to communicate with the tribes in order to further the story. Without this ability they wouldn't have been able to play any real role.

But he came across just as barbaric as the English when he makes a decision that condemns innocent children to die.

CLIMAX-SPOILERS

Slank kidnaps Molly and threatens to kill her if Peter doesn't hand over the trunk. Peter does as he says but he takes Molly back to his ship. Eventually Molly manages to get off his ship after Peter attempts to save her, but fails. But there is a twist, Molly survives and the trunk is saved from Slank.

AFTERMATH

Revelations about Peter are given, and because of this, he decides to stay on the island, rather then returning. His friends choose to remain with him. Peter is given a gift by Aster that is a familiar sight to all Pan fans.

CONCLUSION

Barry and Pearson create an original origin story for Neverland and Peter Pan while at the same time creating likable characters in Molly and Peter with a relationship that slowly develops. Not to mention a fast paced story.

Their sense of humor is sprinkled throughout, so as not to overwhelm the plot but remind you this is a childrens' story that doesn't take itself too seriously.

My only real critique is portion Molly's star stuff origin story and Fighting Prawn's illogical actions (perhaps if he was given a more detailed backstory, this would have been believable. I give “Peter and the Starcatchers” four stars.