Review: The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck by Emily Fairlie

 

 Tuckernuck Cluckers, 

brave and true!

 




Tips for solving the treasure challenge created by your crazy school founder over eighty years ago

By Laurie Madison and Bud Wallace, Grade 6

1. Be suspicious of student journalists. And maybe janitors, too.
2. Make friends with your ancient school librarian. If her blue hair freaks you out, get over it.
3. Be prepared to sing like an angel or, at the very least, like a pirate.
4. Never underestimate the usefulness of furry rodents (especially flesh-eating ones).
5. Avoid the English wing. Seriously. You don't want to go there.

Using a unique blend of notes, lists, and classic prose, The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck tells the story of Bud and Laurie's quest to find the infamous Tutweiler Treasure. They're hot (or at least lukewarm) on the trail of clues, but time is running out—the school board wants to tear down Tuckernuck Hall. Can Bud and Laurie find the treasure before it's lost forever?

Emily Fairlie's memorable caper combines timeless mystery with humor in a treasure trove of wry wit, thrilling adventure, and undeniable heart.

(barnesandnoble.com) 
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review
This is an enjoyable middle grade read that includes humor and mystery. With a chicken for the school mascot (the Tuckernuck Cluckers!) you know there are going to be some funny moments. Laurie and Bud are new 6th graders at this unusual school and not off to a very good start.  In fact, Laurie is planning to transfer to another school as soon as possible but coming from a family of Clucker alumni makes that tough. When she and Bud as forced into an unlikely partnership they discover the first clue to the school's hidden treasure. As an exciting adventure unfolds, Laurie develops a new outlook on the school and their quest is off at a frantic pace with a deadline looming for demolition day. 

The details of the treasure hunt are quite interesting and the characters begin to adapt and grow. The more they learn about the history of Tuckernuck Academy the more their priorities change and the less selfish their motives become. The references to famous authors and artists, as well as the illustrations and copies of notes and emails, were a fun addition. The quirky humor was my favorite element. This is an enjoyable story for adults as well as young readers! 

Author
Publisher 
Thank you to HarperCollins for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Release date: 9/25/12
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Pages: 256 (hardcover)
Type: Children's fiction/middle grade

Review: Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis

 

Take one part magic, two parts adventure, and a dash of cross-dressing, add two unwed sisters, a bumbling father, and a stepmother with her petticoats in a twist, and you're in for an unlikely adventure through nineteenth-century England like Jane Austen never dreamed it.

Katherine Ann Stephenson has just discovered that she's inherited her mother's magical talents, and despite Stepmama's stern objections, she's determined to learn how to use them. But with her eldest sister Elissa's intended fiancé, the sinister Sir Neville, showing a dangerous interest in Kat's magical potential; her other sister, Angeline, wreaking romantic havoc with her own witchcraft; and a highwayman lurking in the forest, even Kat's reckless heroism will be tested to the upmost. If she can learn to control her new powers, will Kat be able to rescue her family and win her sisters their true love?
(Goodreads.com) 
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Review
I haven't read a book like this in a long time. Jane Austen isn't quite my cup of tea so I wasn't sure if I would like it but I was hooked from the first page. It brought me back to my childhood with it's whimsical, magical story and adorable, colorful cover. The characters had interesting personalities rather you liked them or not. Some were extremely annoying but that provided contrast to how much I enjoyed Kat. She is the ultimate tomboy in a time where that is not tolerated. She longs for adventure and although she is usually in trouble for her unladylike behavior or disobeying the rules, she is extremely loyal to her family and very brave. Her older sisters have their own problems and are often frustrated with Kat but they know when to put family first as well. When Kat bumbles attempts at magic that is apparently inherited from her dead mother, a chain of events are put in motion and chaos ensues. What fun for the reader!

Although aimed at middle grade readers this is fun for all. Filled with action, adventure and romance, the story lagged a bit for me in the middle but picked up steam again. The ending provided a nice set up for the next book in the series. I look forward to reading more from the feisty, snarky Kat!


Renegade Magic (Kat Incorrigible #2)  4/3/12
 stephanieburgis.com





Thank you to Simon & Schuster for an ARC to review. (My apologies for the late date. I thought I had posted this already.)

Release date: 4/5/11
 Publisher: Antheneum (Simon & Schuster)
Pages: 304
Type: childrens fiction

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at the Metroreader this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Boy am I behind this week! With blogging, reading, housework - you name it I should have done more, but I have been busy helping with the grandkiddos and I'm loving it! The other stuff can wait. Of course that was always my excuse when my own kids were little so maybe I will never get caught up...

I did get a few goodies recently and of course lots of free ebooks.

Cows Can't Quack by Dave Reisman
From author for review

Broken

Scrourge

Ebooks by David H. Burton

Won from The Cheap

The Second Coming

Simian's Lair

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

My name is Lucy Parks Hamilton and in addition to being paranoid, unshowered emotionally detached, and a liar, I am also a stay-at-home mom. Ten years ago, I would have met the idea that I would be going on playdates and walking around with streaks of snot on my shoulder with absolute indignation. Nowadays it's possible for me to wear the same pair of jeans for seven days in a row and not to get too worked up about it.

~page 4
Original Sin by Beth McMullen