You definitely don’t want to buy this one unless you already have or are intending to also purchase the rest of the series. This is definitely one of those series books that needs the rest of the series to complete it. As a stand-alone book this one lacks any sense of beginning-middle-end. You definitely feel like it’s all part of the middle of something bigger. There’s enough explanation offered along the way to allow the reader to more or less follow along, but it’s clear you’re missing out if you haven’t read what came before, and it ends with a cliff-hanger that leaves you feeling incomplete. It opens with two kids (the main characters) racing for their lives through some city they have just mysteriously found themselves in, being chased by bad guys. On the run and in hiding, they need to contact their adult companion while avoiding the supernatural evils who are after them, because there’s been some sort of rift opened between the world of the dead and the world of the living, and they need to put it right. It’s got an online game coordinated with it as a gimmick which will appeal to some.

This book manages to do something I appreciate but often fail to find: though it is the 6th book in a series, it stands on its own two feet, as a satisfying story itself. It has a clear beginning, middle and end of its own, and the author offers enough backstory explanation woven into this one that as a reader who has not read the rest of the series, I was able to enjoy this one just fine; I could tell these characters had had previous adventures and relationships, and reading this one gives me the hook to want to go read those others, but I did not feel like I was wandering through this story blindfolded. It opens as a slapdash “pack” of wolves, bears, and an owl find themselves compelled to leave their homeland and brave crossing a dangerous ice bridge into the unknown, as their only hope of survival. It tells of the dangers they face throughout their journey, some from nature itself, some from an enemy pack on their trail. It also tells of the friendships and discoveries made along the way.

I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve written a book review for a book I didn’t finish. I tried. I forced my way through 100 pages to give it a fair shot and see if it was going to finally get better. But I gave up. It’s slow, and rambling, and boring, with nothing offered to make the reader care about the characters or what is happening. In reading the translator’s afterword, I learned that it was originally published in the 1930s in Poland, as a serial, at a time when little was available in the way of stories written for children. This edition does not succeed in bridging the cultural gap between 1930s Poland and 2000s America. I don’t know of any child who will stick with this book past the first 10-20 pages. When I read in the afterword that, “We shall also never know if the story ever had an ending,” I thought I could never justify asking a child to slog through something that was never even going to come to conclusion. What’s the point?

It’s a book you only want to buy if you already have, or intend to purchase, the first two books, as this is the last part of a trilogy, and it doesn’t really work as a stand-alone story. It does offer a blurb on the back of the book directing readers who are unfamiliar with the previous books to a website where they can get filled in, as well as to additional extension activities and games. While I appreciate the bonus of offering the book/tech connection, I would rather the story didn’t depend on readers having access to the tech piece in order to make sense of the book. Not all students have easy access to technology, and some who do might not read the back to know about it. It would have been nice if the book did a better job of providing the necessary background bits within its covers, either with a prologue, or extra explanations/reminders woven into the main body of the text. Students aren’t always careful about making sure to read series books in order, and this one really needs to be. It picks up after some sort of previous disaster has left a high-tech town full suspicion toward their many robots, and has left a young boy so desperate to bring his parents back from some sort of digital trap that he’s willing to break the diabolical bad guy out of prison and work with him because he’s the only one who has the power to bring his parents back. You can imagine how that works out. Never trust the villain when he says he’s changed.

It’s a sequel the The 14 Fibs of Gregory K., but it works well as a stand-alone story. I haven’t read the first book, and there were just some hints in this one that made me suspect there was more that had gone before, but no holes that left me confused. It tells a story that will be dear to many students’ hearts: a seventh-grade boy who is feeling overwhelmed by the amount of time he must spend on homework, and the personal pursuits he’s missing out on, decides to take on the system in protest. I really liked that the characters all seemed believable, and his journey was not entirely smooth. The ending was satisfying without being unbelievable.

I am using one blurb to share about three ABDO Kids books, as they all come from the same publisher and author, and they share several characteristics.  They have a large format with full color photos that dominate each two-page spread so that they are visually appealing.  The text to accompany each photo is limited to a few sentences in a large font, so as to not be overwhelming for young readers, yet the information is not weak.  The text is simple and straightforward.  The topics are ones of interest to small children.  The binding is sturdy.

I am using one blurb to share about three ABDO Kids books, as they all come from the same publisher and author, and they share several characteristics.  They have a large format with full color photos that dominate each two-page spread so that they are visually appealing.  The text to accompany each photo is limited to a few sentences in a large font, so as to not be overwhelming for young readers, yet the information is not weak.  The text is simple and straightforward.  The topics are ones of interest to small children.  The binding is sturdy.

I am using one blurb to share about three ABDO Kids books, as they all come from the same publisher and author, and they share several characteristics.  They have a large format with full color photos that dominate each two-page spread so that they are visually appealing.  The text to accompany each photo is limited to a few sentences in a large font, so as to not be overwhelming for young readers, yet the information is not weak.  The text is simple and straightforward.  The topics are ones of interest to small children.  The binding is sturdy.

Not too bad as a craft idea/instruction book.  The space rover looks pretty cute.  But pretty limited on actual science.  Mostly it’s a product placement advertisement to encourage kids to by art supplies.

Accessible text, but not weak on information, this book provides solid information on four animals known for their migration patterns (Wildebeests, Monarch Butterflies, Leatherback Sea Turtles, and Arctic Terns).  Each chapter also offers a “Compare It” page, sharing information about lesser-known migrators.   Color photographs and highlighted captions are used throughout to support the text and add visual appeal.  It’s got all your basic non-fiction text features, and packs in solid information without being overwhelming or dry.  Did you know that Arctic Terns migrate all the way from one pole to the other and back again every year?!