Four Challenges Finished!

After going through my list of books read and listing a bunch of alternatives, I am proud to announce that I have finished four challenges:

1st in a Series
Back To History
What An Animal
Young Adult

Now I get four free books:)

Wild Magic (book review)

Wild Magic, by Tamora Pierce, is the first in the epic Immortals series. The heroine, Daine, has always had a knack with animals, but it is not until she joins up with the horse trader Onua that she learns it's magic. With her wild magic, Daine can talk to animals and make them obey her. She travels with Onua to the city of Tortall, where she becomes an apprentice to the mage Numair. When war threatens Tortall, she is the only one who can save herself...and everything she holds dear. But Daine has a dark secret to hide, a secret that drove her from her home in the first place. What will happen when it comes to light?

I enjoyed this book as much as the first two I have read by this author. I love her writing and I can't wait to get my hands on Wolf-Speaker, the second book in the Immortals quartet. The characters were funny and engaging, and Daine's unique kind of magic made the book even more interesting. I would recommend this book to animal lovers, fans of the author, or anyone who is looking for a good read.

This book was for the First in a Series Challenge.

So You Want to Be a Wizard (book review)

So You Want to Be a Wizard, by Diane Duane, begins when twelve-year-old Nita runs into her local library to hide from a gang of local bullies. As she is running her hand along the shelf, something stops her. It's a book titled So You Want To Be A Wizard. Nita takes the book home and reads every page of it. At the end of the book she takes the wizard's oath and becomes a wizard herself. She soon meets a fellow wizard, a young boy named Kit. During their first spell, Nita and Kit accidentally transfer a white hole named Fred from his world into theirs. Having found no way to return him to his own universe, they take him in as a friend.

Soon, Nita, Kit, and Fred are running off on a new adventure, this time in a horrible parallel world where cars, helicopters, and even fire hydrants are living--and carnivorous--creatures! Kit, who is a natural with vehicles, soon befriends a predatory sports car, which he had helped out of a fix. With their newfound help, the young wizards soon restore this strange world--and their own--to order, but not before they all make terrible sacrifices and learn more about themselves than they could ever have hoped to know.

I think this was a great start to what I suspect is a wonderful series. The world Duane created was fascinating and dangerous, and there was a great variety of characters. I absolutely can't wait to read the next book in the series, Deep Wizardry.

Sandry's Book (book review)

In this book by Tamora Pierce, four outcasts come together. There is Sandry, a spunky noble; Briar, a street boy; Tris, a girl who, at her old boarding home, is labeled the "fattie", and Daja, a shipwrecked Trader girl. When they are all brought together at the Winding Circle community, they discover that they have powers they never imagine. Sandry can weave threads together and create light. When disaster strikes Winding Circle, the only place she has ever been accepted, Sandry must weave together all four kinds of magic to save herself, her friends, and their whole community.

Although I enjoyed this book, it wasn't as good as the other book I have read by this author, Terrier. I will still want to read the rest of the series, however, and I was excited to find that there is actually more than one series featuring these same characters.

Northlander (book review)

Northlander, by Meg Burden, is the story of sixteen-year-old Ellin Fisher. She's with her father in the harsh Northlands, risking the Northlanders' hate to heal their dying king. As she stays in the castle, she befriends the king's sons. It is with them that she discovers the powers she has. She can talk to people in their heads, hear their thoughts, and control them! But she doesn't know that she is being watched by powerful Guardians who want to make sure that she never gets a chance to use these powers. Ellin will face betrayal, hate, and pain as she crosses the Northlands, trying to find a place that is safe for her.

I really, really loved this book, and I impatiently await the next book in The Tales of the Borderlands series! I would recommend Northlander to anyone who wants to read a tale of sorrow, adventure, and fantasy! Ellin was a very believable character who faced many hardships. She's the kind of character that you find yourself cheering on from beginning to end!

The Divide (book review)

This book is also for the 1st in a Series Challenge.

The Divide, by Elizabeth Kay, is the story of Felix. He's always had a severe heart problem, and he hates never knowing what day will be his last. Then, Felix wanders off in the jungles of Costa Rica. He faints on the Continental Divide--and falls right through it!
When Felix awakes, he finds himself in an upside-down dimension where mythical beasts are real and humans are mythical! He befriends Betony, an intrepid elf girl, and Ironclaw, a griffin who absolutely adores math. Can they help him find a cure for his illness and return home?

At the same time, Betony's sister and brother, Tansy and Ramson, along with friends Agrimony and Digger, are sparking a revolution in their world. Their mission is to stop the villainous pixie Snakeweed from poisoning the magical creatures of the world! The two groups will meet, and each will unknowingly help the other. In a world where science and magic collide, anything can happen!

This book was even better than the last one I read, The Fire Within. I'm glad that there are two more to go in this series! The unique and varied characters and settings provided for an amazing story!

The Fire Within (book review)

This book is also for the 1st in a Series Challenge.

The Fire Within, by Chris D'Lacey, is the story of twenty-year-old David. He is currently living with Elizabeth Pennykettle and her eleven-year-old daughter, Lucy. Liz's specialty is pottery, and she delights in making clay dragons. She makes David his own special dragon, named Gadzooks.
Gadzooks inspires David to write a story about squirrels, as Lucy loves them. But what starts out as a fantasy is beginning to become unnervingly true. Now, David sets out to discover the truth behind the mystery, but to solve it he will have to master the magic of the fire within, within his hands and his heart.

I absolutely loved this book, and I would run to a store and buy the sequel if I could! It was fantasy with a pinch of mystery, and that made for the perfect combination! I would recommend it to anyone who likes dragons, squirrels, and/or animal fantasy.

Over Sea, Under Stone (book review)

This book is also for the Full Circle Challenge.

Over Sea, Under Stone, by Susan Cooper, is the story of the three Drew children. One holiday in Cornwall, Barney, Simon, and Jane find themselves in a fantastical mansion called the Gray House. The Gray House, which belongs to their uncle Merry Lyon, is full of hidden doors and secret passages. As if by chance, the children stumble upon an old map. It is more special than they know. Their map is the key to finding a grail, a grail that can help them fight the forces of evil known as the Dark. However, there are some people (if you can even call them people) who are determined to find the grail and use it for Dark purposes. The three children have to beware, because the Dark is rising.

I loved the book's sense of adventure, suspense, and fantasy. It's relation to the story of King Arthur made it even more interesting. I'm already reading the next one in the series.

Terrier (book review)

Terrier, by Tamora Pierce, is the story of sixteen-year-old Beka Cooper. Beka has just joined the police force of Corus (capital city of the land of Tortall). This force is called the Dogs. Beka, as a Puppy, is assigned to the two famous senior Dogs, Clara Goodwin and Mattes Tunstall. She'll have to learn quickly, because she's assigned to the Lower City, a dark place filled with murderers, pickpockets, and drunks. As if Beka isn't busy enough, her eerie magic tells her that there two sinister plots are going on right under the Dogs' noses! It's up to Beka and her friends to make sure that the culprits are caught before it's too late.

I loved this book and I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out! It was neat how the book was a mix of thriller and fantasy. Beka's magic was also different and interesting, but you will have to read the book to see what I mean.

Ender's Game (book review)

Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, is the story of Andrew (Ender) Wiggin, a six-year-old boy taken from his home to join Battle School, a place where children practice fighting against fake enemies to prepare them for careers battling in space. Earth has been invaded twice before by alien, insect-like buggers, and it's preparing for the Third Invasion. All the commanders from the First and Second Invasions are too old to fight now, so who is going to take their place? Children.

Meanwhile, while Ender is training hard at Battle School, Ender's siblings, Valentine and Peter, are becoming two of the most well-known people in America. But their identities are kept a secret, and they are known only as Demosthenes and Locke. They have an important part to play in the battle that's going to take place on Earth.

Ender doesn't know it, but the world is counting on him to defeat the buggers. He is the commander of the force to fight the Third Invasion. Is Ender up to the challenge?

Ender's Game was a story with a complex plot and complex characters. It is now one of my all-time favorite books, and I can't wait to read the sequel!

A lot of new challenges!

I'm joining a ton of new challenges this year! I only have two books left for the Four-legged Friends and two for the Book Awards Challenge, so I should have plenty of time for these new challenges! I'm not posting my list for the What's In A Name Challenge here because I already have a separate post for that.


First, there's the Sci-Fi Experience, hosted by Carl. This isn't really a challenge, but I'm looking forward to reading lots of good sci-fi books!






Second, there is the Mythopoeic Award Challenge, hosted by Lenneth. Here is my list:



Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett

A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

Tithe by Holly Black

Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson

The Giver by Lois Lowry



Third, there is the Young Adult Challenge, hosted by Joy. Here is my list:


Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Swan Sister edited by Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow

Beauty by Robin McKinley

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

Finishing Becca by Ann Rinaldi

Maximum Ride: School's Out--Forever by James Patterson

Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce

Underworld by Catherine Macphail

Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan

Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt

The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison



Fourth, there's the Back To History Challenge, hosted by Shannon. This is my list:





Finishing Becca by Ann Rinaldi

Number The Stars by Lois Lowry

The Coffin Quilt by Ann Rinaldi

On The Edge of Revolution by Deborah Kent

Air Raid Pearl Harbor by Theodore Taylor

Amelia's War by Ann Rinaldi

Seeds of Hope by Kristiana Gregory

The Plague by Philip Wooderson

Burning Issy by Melvin Burgess

I Am Regina by Sally M. Kehn

West To A Land Of Plenty by Jim Murphy

What Was Watergate? by Pamela Kilian

Alternates:

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji-Li Jiang

11,000 Years Lost by Peni R. Griffin

Two Girls Of Gettysburg by Lisa Klein

Robert E. Lee by James I. Robertson Jr.

Ulysses S. Grant by Steven O'Brien

The Seer of Shadows by Avi

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

Lucy and Her Times by Paseal Pieg and Nicole Verrechia


Fifth and finally, there is the First In A Series Challenge, also hosted by Joy. Here's my list:



So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane

Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce

Sandry's Book by Tamora Pierce

Larklight by Philip Reeve

The Fire Within by Chris D'Lacey

Northlander by Meg Burden

Triskellion by Will Peterson

Terrier: The Legend of Beka Cooper by Tamora Pierce

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

The Divide by Elizabeth Kay

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper


That's all!