Category Archives: Children’s Fantasy

One Giant Leap – Review

Litercurious Book Review

One Giant Leap - Ben Gartner
TitleOne Giant Leap
AuthorBen Gartner
PublisherCrescent Vista Press (February 21, 2023)
FormatKindle, Hardcover
Pages304
GenreChildren’s Action & Adventure / Children’s Sci-Fi /
Children’s Dystopian / Children’s Survival Story
LanguageEnglish
ASIN#B0BHRDBKZ2

AUTHOR

To find out more about Ben Gartner and what he is up too, check out his website here.

SYNOPSIS

Written mainly through the eyes of Fin, the teenage main character, One Giant Leap is his story. He starts by talking about how he is drifting through space with a leak in his suit and water from his cooling system seeping around his face and mouth. He knows he is about to die drifting forever in the dark void, but then he goes back in time and tells the story of just how and why he ended up in this particular predicament.

Four teenage kids, Fin, David, Kal and Mae, win the ultimate worldwide competition and the grand prize: an all expenses paid trip into outer space!

After all of the physicals, psychological assessments and training; Fin, David, Kal and Mae are on their way to the International Space Station (ISS). Mission plan: stop and resupply the ISS, then move on to the Gateway outpost orbiting the moon to drop off two astronauts, and then slingshot around the moon and head back to earth.

After visiting the ISS the four kids move back into their launch vehicle, Aether, to await the adults; then BAM! The whole space station is turned topsy turvey and sent spinning out of orbit. With holes in the space station, air leaking out and the whole thing spinning uncontrollably the kids are on their own. Separated from the flight crew and their guardians, the kids have to work together and think fast to save themselves and hopefully, the adults.

Will they make it? Can they save themselves? What about the adults trapped on the ISS slowly falling out of orbit to burn up in Earths atmosphere? How long can the astronauts survive on the ISS with all of the oxygen slowly leaking out into space? Can Fin, David, Kal and Mae save themselves? Can they save the adults? Can Mae even fly a spaceship? Will Fin’s body drift forever in the cold dark void of space?

CONCLUSION

One Giant Leap is Space Camp (1986) meets Gravity (2013). It is an intriguing tale of heroism, overcoming insurmountable odds, faith and courage. Ben Gartner has once again written a story that ignites the imagination and fuels the passion.

It is obvious that Ben did a lot of research for this book. The story plot is solid and the characters are well rounded and established. The interplay between each character is stable and believable. There is plenty of suspense, thrills, sorrow, excitement, danger and mystery in the story to keep the reader riveted to the book.

I not only enjoyed the story, but I really enjoyed all the little tidbits of education that is strewn throughout the book. Ben includes a section at the end that separates the facts from fiction and a glossary. He discusses future space missions and mentions some of the important milestones in space exploration. This book is not only enthralling, but it is educational as well. I highly recommend this book to young and old alike.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Ben Gartner and Crescent Vista Press for affording me the opportunity to review One Giant Leap.

OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR

MY GIRLY UNICORN – REVIEW

Litercurious Book Review

My Girly Unicorn - J. Pedicini
My Girly Unicorn  J. Pedicini
TitleMy Girly Unicorn
AuthorJ. Pedicini
IllustratorCono
PublisherNewhall Publishing Co (June 7, 2022)
FormatKindle, Paperback
Pages34
GenreChildren’s Fiction, Children’s Fantasy
LanguageEnglish
ISBN 10/130962743631 / 978-0962743634

AUTHOR

Graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. Former freelance writer for the Philadelphia Bulletin.

Excerpt taken from Amazon.

SYNOPSIS

In a far away land up in the clouds, a herd of young unicorns play and laugh out loud. But one little unicorn so sad and shy, was left all alone when the other unicorns went by. They would not play with the Girly unicorn, she had a great big purple horn. Then one day the clouds turned dark and grey, the rain threatened to wash them all away. The Girly unicorn danced and danced, she chased the clouds away as if by chance. All of the other unicorns were so happy and glad, they hugged the Girly unicorn and she was no longer sad.

CONCLUSION

A cute book well animated. The colors are bright and the pictures are great for young children. The plot is pretty much Rudolph the Red Nose reindeer adapted for a girly unicorn instead. The story is told through rhyme and is quite short. A good bedtime story for children 2-5 years old.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank J. Pedicini, NetGalley and Newhall Publishing Co for affording me the opportunity to review My Girly Unicorn.

SECRETS OF THE LOOKING GLASS – REVIEW

Litercurious.com

Audio & Book Review Site. Why watch when you can read?

The Lost Wonderland Diaries Vol. 2 - Secrets of the Looking Glass
 J. Scott Savage Children's Fiction Children's Fantasy & Magic Book
Secrets of the Looking Glass
J. S. Savage
TitleSecrets of the Looking Glass: Volume 2 (The Lost
Wonderland Diaries)
AuthorJ. Scott Savage
PublisherShadow Mountain (September 13, 2022)
FormatHardcover
Pages368 pages
GenreChildren’s Fantasy & Magic Books
LanguageEnglish
ISBN10/131639930442 / 978-1639930449

AUTHOR

Author J. Scott Savage is the author of 19 published novels. He has been a teacher and presenter at writing conferences for adults and youth, and has developed Common Core-aligned projects for elementary school writing curricula. He has presented at more than 3000 schools across the country, inspiring students to read,

write, embrace their own creativity, and change the world. He is represented by Michael Bourret of Dystal, Goderich, and Bourret.

Scott is the author of The Lost Wonderland Diaries, which is the Juvenile Fiction Bronze Medalist for the 2020 Foreword Magazine Indie Book of the Year.

Scott lives in Utah with his wife of 34 years, Jennifer. He has four amazing children, and nine perfect grandchildren. He enjoys reading, watching movies, camping, traveling, and spending time with his family.

Excerpt taken from J. Scott Savage website.

SYNOPSIS

The Secrets of the Looking Glass is the second installment of The Lost Wonderland Diaries series. In this episode our protagonists, Celia Lofton and Tyrus Weller, are tricked by the Bandersnatch and part of their id’s are stolen. Celia has all of her logic taken and Tyrus loses his imagination to mirror images of themselves. The Bandersnatch whisks the two doppelgängers through the looking glass into another dimension.

Celia and Tyrus follow their mirror images and the Bandersnatch through the mirror and find themselves in a strange and conflicted world. In order to become whole once again, they have to convince their other halves to rejoin with them. What follows is an adventure across another dimension, a war between the White and Red Queens, a trip across the uncharted seas and a journey through dangerous mystical lands.

Celia and Tyrus have to overcome a continuous array of obstacles in the search for their other halves. Not only must they pursue their doppelgängers, but they have to keep themselves and their images alive long enough to reunite. Can they do it? Read the book to find out.

CONCLUSION

Secrets of the Looking Glass is another exceptional book in this series. The author has outdone himself once again in this installment. He has created another world full of imagination and imagery. He filled that world with suspense, thrills, charismatic characters, and a hefty dose of conflict and tension. The plot is well thought out and proceeds along an established, yet exciting pathway. Along the way there are several side plots that have to come together in order to not only save the characters but to also save the Looking Glass world.

If you have not read any books in this series, I strongly recommend that you do. The Lost Wonderland Dairies (Book 1) is a masterpiece in itself. These books will appeal to all reading ages. WARNING! Once you start reading it is very difficult to stop.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank J. Scott Savage, Shadow Mountain and NetGalley for affording us the opportunity to read and review Secrets of the Looking Glass: Volume 2 (The Lost Wonderland Diaries)

OTHER PUBLICATIONS BY THIS AUTHOR

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