Tag archives for Action
Posted by BOOK NAME: Scorpia Rising
AUTHOR: Anthony Horowitz
15-year-old Alex Rider, teen super spy, has been a vital asset for the British intelligence agency MI6. For about a year, MI6 has dispatched Alex on numerous missions throughout the world to thwart the plans of maniacal, nefarious men who’ve attempted to carry out their diabolical plans. But now, Alex has had enough of dangerous missions and has “retired” in order to enjoy the luxuries of being a teenager. However, his retirement is soon cut short by the arrival of an old enemy: Scorpia. Alex had already defeated this ruthless terrorist organization twice in the past, but Scorpia has returned in order to restore its shattered reputation and has its attention turned towards the Middle East. Alex is forced to go undercover under the orders of MI6 and halt whatever Scorpia is trying to accomplish. Can Alex defeat Scorpia a third time, or will he have finally met his match?
Scorpia Rising by Anthony Horowitz, was a superb book fraught with suspense, action, and memorable characters. The author definitely ends the Alex Rider series well with this book and at the same time, gives readers a taste of what a true action-packed book should be like. Scorpia Rising contains several commendable “positives.” For one, the action surpassed that of the previous books in the series. Readers will be hooked onto the book while they read about Alex’s daring exploits as he races to stop Scorpia’s operations in the Middle East. From narrow escapes from burning boats to epic fistfights, readers will be caught in the thick of the action. Suspense also accompanies the action in the story by allowing smooth transitions between certain sections of the book. The author also tinkers with the plot section of the story and not only crafts an intricate, eventful storyline, but also makes the characters themselves appeal to the reader. Scorpia Rising introduces new characters while also including returning ones. An example of a returning character is Julius Grief, one of Dr. Grief’s clones in the second book of the series, while a new character includes Razim (the primary antagonist of the book).
This book did not contain many negatives, but one particular one might be the complex plot. Some readers may find it difficult to understand what is going on, but fortunately, the action and other positives of the book will make up for plot confusion. On a scale of 1-10, I’d give this book a 10, as it clearly represents what an outstanding thriller should be like. I’d recommend this book to any action/adventure reader who’s scouring the library shelves searching for a perfect thriller.
Posted by BOOK NAME: Masters of Disaster
AUTHOR: Gary Paulsen
Hey guys it’s me Reed. This time I’ve got an action and comedy book. Gary Paulsen is an amazing author, and you can read my interview with him. In this book he’s just amazing.
Henry, Reed, and Riley are best friends. Henry is the leader of the three. He also comes up with some of the most wacky ideas ever. He always uses Reed as a test dummy. Riley is always doing the research and he also is always prepared.
Here is an example of a crazy idea Henry came up with. A house in their neighborhood is perfect for an extremely high bike jump, and it also has a pool. The owners of it happen to be out. So Henry decides he’s going to try for a world’s record. He dresses Reed up in a lot of protection and even ties his hands to the handle bars. Riley says Reed can ride down the roof, hit the diving board and bounce really really high. He hits the diving board perfect on the first try. On the second bounce after hitting the diving board, he skids off at a 45 degree angle and slides into the back alleyway where he runs into about 4 trash cans. He got covered in baby diapers. And as Reed says later in the book: “The smell doesn’t come off. It gets worse.”
The book isn’t about one single story. It’s a mix of different stories like the one above.
This is another masterpiece by Gary Paulsen. You should definitely read it. And it’s not very long, only 102 pages!
Posted by BOOK NAME: Ranger’s Apprentice: The Kings of Clonmel
AUTHOR: John Flanagan
Welcome to the last DogEared book club meeting of June! We just finished The Kings of Clonmel by John Flanagan. It’s the eighth book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. So we don’t give anything away to people who aren’t following along, click “See More” to keep reading this post.
If you don’t want to read any spoilers, don’t keep going!
Warning–we’re talking about things that happen at the end of the book! If you haven’t read it, STOP HERE!
Read the whole post »
BOOK NAME: Ranger’s Apprentice: The Kings of Clonmel
AUTHOR: John Flanagan
Welcome to today’s DogEared book club meeting! We’re continuing to read The Kings of Clonmel by John Flanagan. It’s the eighth book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. So we don’t give anything away to people who aren’t following along, click “See More” to keep reading this post.
If you don’t want to read any spoilers, don’t keep going!
Arrr! Here be spoilers! Turn back now if you haven’t finished chapter 36!
Read the whole post »
BOOK NAMES: Secret Agent Jack Stalwart: Quest for Aztec Gold (Mexico) and The Deadly Race to Space (Russia) (Books 9 and 10 in the series)
AUTHOR: Elizabeth Singer Hunt
Jack’s back!
Remember how much DogEared blogger Parker loved the earlier book, Pursuit of the Ivory Poachers?? Pwilly pew poo? (Phew! Tongue-twister!) Really you do?
For those of you who have been reading along in the series about the 9-year-old secret agent, books 9 and 10 are here. Jack continues to travel the globe in search of his missing older brother Max. He’s also still solving international crimes along the way as a secret agent for the Global Protection Force. This time his adventures take him to Russia and Mexico.
In The Deadly Race to Space, Jack must travel to Russia to rescue the chief engineer of the Mars space program–his dad!–um, without letting his dad discover that he is a secret agent.
And in The Quest for Aztec Gold. Jack has to stop the world’s most dangerous treasure hunter from stealing Montezuma’s gold. He travels to ancient temples to track down the thieves. Still plenty of cool gadgets, including the awesome Flyboard to keep each book action-packed. Plus, cool plot twists to keep you guessing what’s gonna happen next!
You don’t need to read ‘em in order to enjoy. Each one is a story within itself.
Posted by BOOK NAME: Secret Agent Jack Stalwart: The Pursuit of The Ivory Poachers
AUTHOR: Elizabeth Singer Hunt
Jack is a 9-year-old secret agent who lives in England and works for the Global Protection Force. He has a small globe named Whizzy that tells him where to go on each adventure. In this book, which is the sixth in a series, Whizzy tells Jack that he’s needed in the country of Kenya, which is in Africa. Jack goes there and meets Chief Abasi, who show him how people are shooting and killing elephants for their ivory tusks and skins. Jack finds these people, who are called poachers, and uses transformer dust to turn them into different endangered animals, like elephants and rhinoceros. The dust only lasts for an hour, but Jack wanted them to know what it was like to be hunted. When they turned back into people, they were hauled off by the police.
I think Jack Stalwart is really cool because of all the magic gear he gets to use as a secret agent, such as his watch phone, his special backpack, his transformer dust and Whizzy. I also liked all the action in this book. I want to read some of the other books about Jack and I would suggest reading this one, if you haven’t read a Jack Stalwart book yet.
BOOK NAME: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
AUTHOR: Robert C. O’Brien
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is about a mouse named Mrs. Frisby who lives on a farm. Every year Mrs. Frisby has to move or else the plow will kill her family. She was married to Jonathan who died last summer.
Mrs. Frisby’s son Timothy was sick and wasn’t strong enough to move, so their friend, a crow named Jeremy, took her to the owl who told her to go to the rats where she met Brutus and Justin. The two rats knew Jonathan because once they lived by a farmer’s market and everyday the rats would get food there. One time, they got captured and taken to NIMH – a laboratory with rats and mice, where they got shots which gave them super-long lifespan and super-smarts…they could even read and write!. One day the rats found a way to get out – through the air conditioning – and they took the mice with them. When the strong air conditioning blew, all the mice blew back, except for two, Jonathan and Mr. Ages.
The rats helped the Frisby family move, but Mrs. Frisby got captured by the farmer, and Justin helped her escape. They eventually did move the house and that’s the end of part one.
The scientists from NIMH went to find the rats who lived under a rose bush. The scientists mowed down the rosebush and shot a poison gas into the rats’ hole. Brutus fell and two brave rats went to help Brutus who breathed in the poison. Mrs. Frisby saw Mr. Ages helping Brutus and went to help. Finally Brutus got better and they all moved to Thorn Valley. Once Timothy was better they moved to their summer home where Mrs. Frisby told all of her kids the story of the Rats and NIMH.
I liked the book because with every twist you don’t know what’s going to happen. If you liked the other book I reviewed, Despereaux, then you’ll definitely like Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.
