Author: Bergers Book Reviews

Author and book reviewer.
children, health

The Allergy Buddy Club

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Cindy Rice Andrea
Illustrator: Stan Jaskiel
Publisher: Dining in the Light Publications
Genre: Children / Food Safety
ISBN: 978-0-9842717-6-4
Pages: 24
Price: $8.99

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Ollie the Elephant is allergic to peanuts! What is he going to do, since all the other elephants around him love peanuts? He meets Bernie the Brown Bear who’s allergic to fish, and Maleeka the Mouse who’s allergic to cheese. Together they form the Allergy Buddy Club, as a support group for animals who have food allergies.

The Allergy Buddy Club teaches members how to stay safe from the foods they’re allergic to by learning to read food labels, using allergy cards to provide to restaurants, and carrying medicine in case of accidentally coming into contact with a food that causes anaphylactic shock. The club grows, as they discover other animals just like them.

Food allergies are an unfortunate fact of life for many kids. Knowing how to protect themselves from illness or even death is essential. But it’s also important for other kids to understand that these allergies are real and can be life-threatening. The Allergy Buddy Club explains food allergies in a way kids can understand and relate to. If your child suffers from allergies, this book would be a great resource to help him understand and manage his condition.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Topsy-Turvy Town

Bergers Book Reviews


Author & Illustrator: Luc Melanson
Publisher: Tundra Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-88776-920-7
Pages: 32
Price: $17.95

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In Topsy-Turvy Town, broccoli rains from the sky, buildings can go for a walk, and robots take baths with children. One little boy can see all of these wonders, but some of his relatives are skeptical and don’t believe they’re real.

In this delightful romp through a boy’s imagination, magical things can happen in the most ordinary places. Whimsical illustrations accompany the text, bringing this highly unusual town to life.

Living in a world of imagination is fun, but it’s even better when you have a partner to join you. Lucky for this little boy, his mom can see everything, too. Children will love visiting Topsy-Turvy Town, and maybe they’ll even find some new surprises yet to be discovered where they live.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

health, inspiration

faith, hope & healing

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Bernie Siegel, M.D.
Publisher: Wiley
Genre: Inspiration / Health
ISBN: 978-0-470-28901-3
Pages: 240
Price: $24.95

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The thought of cancer strikes fear into the hearts of most people. Yet many who have gone through the process of healing have found that the cancer taught them something important about themselves that they needed to discover. Dr. Bernie Siegel has compiled some of these inspiring stories of survivors and caregivers of cancer patients in faith, hope & healing.

Broken down into three sections — faith, hope and healing — people who have gone through the process of dealing with cancer in themselves or loved ones share their stories. After each, Dr. Siegel shares his thoughts on how they may have helped or hindered their journey through recovery.

Dr. Siegel is one of the pioneers in using words and thoughts to facilitate healing, and knows how powerful an inspiring message can be for someone who’s still in the midst of recovery. In reading these wonderfully uplifting true stories, you’ll find some of the faith and hope that others discovered, which may help in your own healing process.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

philosophy

Moments of Forever

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Dr. Bill R. Path
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 978-0-595-53209-4
Pages: 168
Price: $15.95

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If you’ve ever wondered if your life had any purpose, you’re not alone. Dr. Bill R. Path has also pondered this question, and he shares his thoughts in Moments of Forever. When we can see our lives as part of the forever continuum, our small contributions to society become much larger than we could imagine.

This forever perspective refers to the great human connection, and it spans all our lifetimes strung together. Our lives are a link in the endless chain of human life, and we have so much more power for positive good than we realize. By determining how we can make the most of our lives and then living according to that direction, we can influence forever.

Moments of Forever is a positive reminder that we have a higher purpose in living. This book is philosophical in nature, and at times the author’s reasoning may seem too difficult to understand fully, but then a phrase or sentence will suddenly jump out, resonating deeply with something we may feel inside. Reading it will change your view of your life, and even your own mortality, hopefully for the better.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Give Me the Moon

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Roxane Marie Galliez
Illustrator: Cathy Delanssay
Publisher: Hammond
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0841-671386
Pages: 40
Price: $14.99

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Ava secretly admires Marcello, the boy who plays the violin so beautifully. But Marcello never says a word to her, although he admires her from afar. Vincent is also in love with Ava, and declares that he will give her the moon if she will run away with him. Torn between her feelings for Marcello, and the hand Vincent offers her, Ava must decide.

This old style romance of a lady choosing between two suitors takes place in Venice, and explains the origins of the cello. Cathy Delanssay’s charming illustrations bring this fairy tale to life in vibrant colors, vividly expressing the emotions of the lovers through their eyes and body language. Give Me the Moon will transport the reader back to old Italy, to a place where love is complex, but life is simpler.

This beautiful picture book is one of Hammond’s new line of children’s fiction. I’ve been privileged to review several of these delightful books, and I’ve enjoyed them very much. Expanding their focus from maps, Hammond is now bringing the world to us through their stories from around the globe. Children will love these beautiful oversize picture books with gorgeous illustrations and cultural tales.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

chick-lit

How Perfect Is That

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Sarah Bird
Publisher: Pocket
Genre: Chick Lit
ISBN: 978-1-4391-2308-9
Pages: 336
Price: $15.00

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Blythe Young is recently divorced, broke, and running from the IRS. When she finds herself at Seneca House, the tenement house she lived in while at college, she turns to the only friend she knows she still has left. But although Millie Ott is still the sweet woman Blythe remembers, Blythe has changed, and Millie isn’t quite as trusting of Blythe’s conniving ways as she used to be.

Blythe has come a long way since her trailer park upbringing, and she’s determined to stay in the Austin society she married into, even though she no longer bears the right last name. If that means lying, cheating, and playing one socialite against the other, she’s willing to do it. But her game comes to a halt at Seneca House.

Suddenly, Blythe finds herself making visits to homeless men in the park and street teens who are desperate for direction. And in the process of helping these people, she finds herself, albeit reluctantly. Although she never quite reforms, Blythe learns to use her scheming ways to everyone’s best advantage.

In How Perfect Is That, Sarah Bird shows us the other side of high society. Blythe is a difficult woman to relate to, if you’ve always lived on the right side of the law, yet she’s endearing in her own way. While we may not relate to her struggles to fit into the right circles, most women experience desperation at some point in their lives, and we never know what sacrifices we’d be willing to make to survive. Ultimately, Blythe faces her debt to society and attempts to repay it with some good. Now, how perfect is that?

Reviewer: Alice Berger

mystery, sports

Dead Ball

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Michael Balkind
Publisher: Pero Thrillers
Genre: Mystery / Sports
ISBN: 1-56315-453-6
Pages: 218
Price: $14.95

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Reid Clark is once again caught in the middle of an investigation, but this time his partner and good friend, Bob Thomas, is dead. He calls in Jay Scott and his team, knowing these guys are the best, and they’ll be sure to find Bob’s killer.

As CFO of AllSport, the non-profit training facility for underprivileged athletes, Bob needed to keep an eye on an accounting department that processes a high volume of donations. But Bob recently had a fight with the auditors who monitor things, and a few other suspects come to light. Dead Ball takes place two years after the events of Sudden Death, and Reid thinks that maybe someone from his past wants to get to him by killing Bob.

Jay’s investigation sends his men into some dangerous places, but they manage to come out alive. And finally, at the end, the killer is brought to justice. The action is fast-paced, as they follow leads, but some of the scenarios felt false, and I wondered if gangs or the mafia would act as Balkind suggests. And while the final clue pointed directly to the killer, I also found it unlikely that a non-profit facility would take the measures needed for such a clue to come to light.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, fantasy

Quasar and the Eye of the Serpent

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: T.K. Reed
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Fantasy
ISBN: 978-1-4401-2751-9
Pages: 166
Price: $11.95

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Mathew and Sue are playing in the forest when a strange man approaches. When he begs them to come with him to help save the Great Wolf, Quasar, they are quick to agree. Now they have only twenty-four hours to collect the things he needs to break an evil spell.

Accompanied by Sir Wilfred, the man from the forest, the children visit magical places and solve puzzles to retrieve the necessary items. But they have no idea what form of chaos the breaking of the spell might bring.

Mathew and Sue are kind children, willing to help out a being in need. But I never felt a real kinship with them, since their personalities were not fully revealed. They seemed to solve the riddles a little too easily, going quickly from one puzzle to the next.

I would have preferred a little more information early on about Mathew and Sue’s family life. Although the author jumps right into the plot, I would have understood their mother’s absence a little better had this been explained earlier in the story. I also found the presence of the “revolutionaries” confusing.

Troll-speak and the various creatures they encounter give Quasar and the Eye of the Serpent a magical feel, as does the glowing orb that becomes an important part of their quest. But a little more character development would enhance this fantasy.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

In Search of Happiness

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Juliette Saumande
Illustrator: Eric Puybaret
Publisher: Hammond
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0841-671416
Pages: 34
Price: $14.99

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In the land of Prudence, people are never unhappy. Rather than risk something bad happening, they simply never try anything new. But Alexander still isn’t happy. When the magical bird, Paradiso, tells him about a Land of Happiness, Alexander immediately follows after him.

Over the next year, Alexander explores places he’s never dreamed about. Places where he can have good and bad sweets, where all his wishes are answered, and where he can play and get bruised and meet lots of interesting new people. Alexander is finally living a complete life.

But one thing is missing. Alexander wishes his grandfather was with him, and he sends him lots of postcards about his adventures. He hopes maybe someday Grandpa will accompany him on his visit to the Land of Happiness.

What child can resist the lure of happiness, when everything seems so hum-drum? But all adventures lose their appeal when we realize the important people in our lives haven’t come along with us.

Alexander’s magical journey comes alive in oversize scenes by award-winning artist, Eric Puybaret. In Search of Happiness will bring joy to all who read it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

science-fiction, teen, tween

SpaceCoyotes and the Secret of the Blue Planet

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Paul Fredrics
Publisher: Matador
Genre: Science Fiction
ISBN: 978-1906510-374
Pages: 344
Price: £13.99 (import)

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Forty years ago, an Anilar expedition to the Blue Planet (Earth) failed. Had this been any ordinary mission, fourteen year-old JoJo would never have given it a second thought. But one of the men on the spaceship was her grandfather, and she is now being denied her dream of becoming a SpaceCoyote because of him.

Jimmy Green’s rock band, Applejuice, was destined for greatness, until their lead singer unexpectedly moved out of the country. Now Jimmy is forced to endure Apple Valley’s spoiled darling’s attempts to sing, while his band grimaces in pain.

JoJo convinces her little brother 2B to come with her on a clandestine visit to the Blue Planet, but suddenly finds her ship crash-landed on its surface. All she wants to do is get home, and Jimmy’s band may well be the answer to her problem. But Jimmy may have more answers than either of them could ever expect.

JoJo’s spunk and determination to try to clear her grandfather’s name are admirable. Whether it’s hacking into top secret computer databases, stealing a spaceship, or fighting off evil grommets and CoyoteBots, nothing will stop her from succeeding at her mission. And Jimmy’s extraordinarily compassionate and helpful nature finally prove to JoJo that Earth isn’t the evil place she’s been led to believe it is.

SpaceCoyotes and the Secret of the Blue Planet is a fast-moving adventure through time and space. In a situation where nothing is as it seems, it’s hard to tell the good guys from the bad. I highly recommend this enjoyable science fiction story.

Reviewer: Alice Berger