Month: December 2010

science-fiction, tween

The Prometheus Project: Stranded

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Douglas E. Richards
Publisher: Paragon Press
Genre: Science-fiction
ISBN: 978-0-9826184-0-0
Pages: 320
Price $7.95

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Ryan and Regan Resnick are excited to spend a weekend with their parents and other Prometheus scientists on the planet Isis. But as soon as they arrive, one of their team abandons them, taking a hostage and leaving the rest stranded. When the animals of Isis turn predatory, the scientists have little hope of making it home alive.

Luckily, Ryan manages to escape and attempts to get help for the stranded party. He and Regan can communicate telepathically, and the two share ideas and strategies in dealing with their unique situations. They will need to use some determined effort and quick thinking to survive. And when the girl Ryan admires suddenly gets herself caught up in their problems, things get more and more complicated.

Once again Douglas E. Richards has crafted a well-written and enjoyable science fiction novel. All of the information these two smart kids need is provided in the storyline, well before they need to know it. So when they use their reasoning ability to figure out what to do next, the reader already has the knowledge along with them.

I continue to be impressed with the suspenseful story-telling and great characters in The Prometheus Project. Science, logic, and adventure all come together in these wonderful books. I highly recommend this series.

See reviews of: Trapped and Captured

Reviewer: Alice Berger

cooking, memoir

Mary’s Place

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Mary J. Pelzel
Publisher: North Woods Publishing
Genre: Memoir / Cookbook
ISBN: 978-0-615-34837-7
Pages: 192
Price: $12.95

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Mary J. Pelzel wasn’t always a “Mountain Woman.” In fact, there was a time she was quite content to be a city girl. But one day she and her husband made a visit to a little cabin in Washington near the Wenatchee National Forest, and they both fell in love.

City girls don’t transform into Mountain Women overnight, and Mary has some tales to tell about the process. Facing bugs, snakes, critters and snow, she learns that Mother Nature is stronger than she is, and she needs to adjust. So when Mother Nature gets tough, Mary fights back with a delicious meal or dessert. After all, every Mountain Woman needs to keep up her strength.

Mary’s Place is a humorous part-memoir, part-cookbook, describing life in the North Woods. Mary now runs her own tea shop, featuring her own homemade jams, jellies, breads, soaps, and other goodies. Try some of her own recipes for yummy gourmet fare, or stop by when you’re in town and let Mary pamper you. Either way, you’re sure to enjoy some good times and good food.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

self improvement

Total Law of Attraction

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Dr. David Che
Publisher: Blue Note Books
Genre: Self-help
ISBN: 978-1-878398-26-0
Pages: 168
Price: $19.00

Author’s website
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The Law of Attraction is a hot topic these days, with countless books and films detailing its wondrous results. From the Bible, to The Science of Getting Rich, to The Secret, these principles have been carried with us through the ages. But many false assumptions have been made by those who try to follow this law.

Some of the teachers tell us that we only need to visualize the end result clearly to have something manifest in our lives. But while we certainly do need to focus our thoughts on our goals, there are other things we need to be conscious of in using the Law of Attraction.

Dr. David Che has read nearly all that’s been written about this law, discovering what really works in the process. In Total Law of Attraction, he has distilled this wisdom from many sources into a comprehensive and simple book.

Like Dr. Che, I’ve also read quite a bit about this important law, and I’ve found that many authors simply repeat what’s already been said. They preach a “magic bullet” approach, which seems far-fetched and unrealistic. While Dr. Che hasn’t come up with any new ideas, what he has done in this book is show us only the best and most effective tools in working with the law. He explains why thoughts alone won’t work, and what we can do to make sure our dreams manifest in our lives. If you only read one book about the Law of Attraction, Total Law of Attraction will provide all you need to know.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

The Deadly Sweet Cupboard

Bergers Book Reviews


Author & Illustrator: Hedley Griffin
Publisher: DangerSpot Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9546565-0-8
Pages: 32
Price: £5.99

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It’s Harey the rabbit’s birthday, so he and his friends decide to have a party. Harey doesn’t always think before he acts, and he nearly hurts himself and his friends with his carelessness. But when Harey finds the “sweets” in the medicine cabinet, he sends himself to the hospital in an ambulance, lucky to have survived.

Children have no idea of the dangers lurking around the home, and everything is fun and interesting. So they need to be reminded of the disastrous results of trying to eat things they shouldn’t. In The Deadly Sweet Cupboard, kids will read about Harey’s hare-brained behavior and the consequences of his actions. While giggling at the situations he finds himself in, they learn an important lesson without any preaching from parents.

All DangerSpot books include stickers to place on dangerous items as a reminder for kids to stay safe. These books also include practical tips at the end, so parents can be sure no one gets hurt.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Christian

Mercy Rising

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Amber Robinson
Publisher: Beacon Hill Press
Genre: Christian
ISBN: 978-0-8341-2497-4
Pages: 192
Price: $14.99

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The average American woman has a full schedule keeping up with family, job, and household responsibilities. Adding social activism to the mix would become burdensome, although at times she may feel she should be doing more to help others. Amber Robinson realizes the pressures women feel, and she’s written Mercy Rising as a guide for the busy woman to be active in ways that fit her lifestyle.

First, Robinson asks us to pick just “one thing” that we’re most passionate about. This may be world hunger, sanitary drinking water, sweatshops, or human trafficking. Whatever it is, we should focus on this “one thing” to get started. Once we’ve discovered our passion, she provides a wealth of information on researching the integrity of charitable organizations and businesses, as well as individual charities that support the causes we believe in.

As with any book that provides extensive internet listings and websites, this information may go out of date, as charities close and websites go inactive. The very first link I tried to access was dead. But even though charities themselves may come and go, the causes continue, and simple searches would reveal the organizations that have taken their place.

Amber Robinson is passionate about the organization she works for and the cause of social justice. As she leads and guides others to also feel her passion, it’s almost impossible to resist the pull to get more involved. Mercy Rising is a well-written and well-researched book that can’t help but inspire you to want to find your own “one thing” and make a difference in the world.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Amber Robinson is an advocate for children, and works with Compassion International. Sponsor a child today!

children

Hurricane Mia

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Donna Marie Seim
Illustrator: Susan Spellman
Publisher: Peapod Press
ISBN: 978-0-9826911-0-6
Pages: 157
Price: $12.95

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Mia is very unhappy to be spending the summer with Gram and Gramps, especially since her little brother Jack will be there, too. She was supposed to go to camp with her best friend, but now she’s isolated on a Caribbean island with no cell phone and no friends. And she worries about her mom who’s very sick with leukemia back home. But one day she meets Neisha, an island girl, who tells her about Auntie Cecilia and her magic tea that cures everything.

Gram and Gramps would never let Mia get the tea from Auntie Cecilia, so she needs to come up with a plan to get it without them. So while her grandparents sleep one afternoon, the three children make their daring journey by themselves. But plans that aren’t thought out well often go awry, and an unexpected storm catches them by surprise. Now Mia not only has to worry about her mom and the tea – she also wonders if they’ll ever be rescued from their predicament.

While I certainly understood Mia’s frustration at being sent away from home, I found her behavior to be extreme. She seemed almost a brat at times, yet I know that children under stress of possibly losing a parent can act out. But I didn’t really see the connection between her actions and any thoughts she might be having about her mother. I also found her Gram’s meanness to be unusual and unexplained.

Proper safety is extremely important in kids’ books, and it greatly disturbed me to see the children on the boat on the cover of this book with no life jackets. They only put them on in the story after the most dangerous part of their journey was over.

Overall Hurricane Mia is well written and an interesting adventure novel. I just found it hard to connect with Mia and go along with her crazy scheme. Kids will probably relate to her better than an adult could.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Aaron’s Adventures

Bergers Book Reviews


Author & Illustrator: Amy Paulson
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-615-36693-7
Pages: 82
Price: $8.95

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Aaron the elf makes new friends easily, but his parents wish he wouldn’t always bring them home with him. Do they really need a frog, a mermaid and an alien living with them?  Aaron’s ideas aren’t always the best, although he tries hard. He just can’t seem to get things right.

Aaron’s Adventures includes six short stories describing this mischievous little elf’s experiences. Although the illustrations are well done, these tales are too tame to be called adventures. Aaron never finds himself in any danger, other than from the wrath of his parents, and he never leaves the safety of his home turf.  I would have preferred to see more excitement and less of his parents in these stories.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

fiction

A Boy Born From Mold and Other Delectable Morsels

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Lorin Morgan-Richards
Publisher: A Raven Above Press
Genre: Literary
ISBN: 978-0-615-35964-9
Pages: 75
Price: $20.00

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A boy comes to life, mysteriously born from some mold in an old quilt in the basement. Watching the family from a distance, he comes to think his name is Ruin (or Rune proper), and stays in hiding until a tornado forces him out.

A vampire named Zoog is allergic to blood. Fearing his parents’ displeasure, he drinks it anyway, with terrible gastronomical results. A woman feeds her 100 cats on a strict schedule and a precise diet, until one day she runs out of cheese. And a strange little man is mistaken for a garden gnome.

A Boy Born From Mold is an unusual look at some of the stranger things in life. Printed using soft acid free blue linen paper and faux leather, this book is completely handmade by the author.

In a style reminiscent of Edward Gorey, Lorin Morgan-Richards presents these gloomy tales of dark humor. They serve as a reminder that no matter how bad our lives may seem, they’re nowhere near as bad as they could be. At least we can still laugh at the absurdities of life.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

cartoon, nature

Green Pieces: Green From the Pond Up

Bergers Book Reviews


Author & Illustrator: Drew Aquilina
Publisher: Mariposa Press
Genre: Cartoon / Nature
ISBN: 978-0966689976
Pages: 197
Price $19.99

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Iggy: a turtle who suffers from claustrophobia
Radic: a dragonfly who likes to “bug” everyone, especially Iggy
Cabby: a frog with short legs and an overly enhanced brain
Roc: a rogue raccoon who always seems to find the trash

Green Pieces: The cartoon which somehow manages to bring these odd characters together, while also promoting care for the environment.

This comic strip takes a funny look at life at the pond, from the perspective of these four zany characters. Problems like turtle salmonella, a cartoon lawsuit demanding that these cartoon animals wear pants, and worries about how to survive hibernation keep them all busy. But ultimately preserving their little home is the most important thing to worry about, and they don’t take environmental issues lightly.

Green Pieces is a humorous look at life at the pond through the eyes of those who live there year-round. The pictures are well-drawn, and the clever plot lines keep the reader entertained, while often laughing out loud at some of these characters’ antics. I highly recommend this environmentally friendly cartoon book.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Meet the Malamites

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Jeffery Richards
Illustrator: Max Stasuyk
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4269-0597-1
Pages: 24
Price: $12.95

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The Malamites love to spend time together having fun, and there’s no better time to do this than on Family Day. King Monty and his son, Prince Marvin, spend the day visiting the sites on their hovercrafts, until they have an unexpected accident. They then travel with the speedy Snorse Malamites by land.

As they explore this beautiful countryside, they meet friends along the way. Drimble, the Trundle Malamite takes their hovercrafts for a tow. Huggy, the Shnapple Malamite says hello. And Brita the Gooba Malamite gives them treats.

Their travels are illustrated in bright candy-colored illustrations, demonstrating the rainbow goodness of this planet. Nothing goes wrong, everyone is kind to one another, and happiness abounds.

Meet the Malamites is sweet, wholesome fun. Although this story is pure fantasy, it’s great for kids to simply imagine life in all its perfection as these folks celebrate their Family Day.

Reviewer: Alice Berger