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

Giveaway - Haole Wood by Dee DeTarsio

When San Diego weather caster, Jaswinder Park, is mysteriously summoned to the island of Maui in Hawaii to help her grandmother, she ends up losing her job. This fair-haired, light-skinned foreigner, called haole by the natives, decides to stay in Maui for a couple of days until she can figure out what to do with her life. She realizes that her quick trip to Maui may not be all she’s hoping for when:
-She has to bail her Hawaiian/Korean grandmother out of jail for possession of pakalolo.
-The only thing she can understand her grandmother say is: “Not that.
-She can’t decide which hurts worse, her sunburn, hangover, or memories of the night before.
-She’s labeled the “Liquor Licker” on the front page of the Maui News in a photo that shows her doing a shot of tequila with a hunky Hawaiian who’s been found dead.
-It seems she’s had orgasms that have lasted longer than her career.
-She scrapes the bottom of the barrel to find her guardian angel.

Beautiful fabric found in her grandmother’s closet unfolds a future for Jaswinder as she designs sensuous silky wraps called sunshminas that provide sun protection. She tries for a Hollywood connection, but her company, Haole Wood, has some growing pains. From trying to find a killer, to selling her sunshminas, to lusting after Dr. Jac, the island dermatologist, to trying to ignore her so-called guardian angel, can Jaswinder learn to embrace the island way of life? Aloha!
(Goodreads.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Giveaway
Thanks to the author I have three ebooks to give away!

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- Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter.
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms by Lissa Evans

 Magic, mystery &  a

very strange adventure

The exciting launch title of Sterling's middle-grade fiction list:
HORTEN'S MIRACULOUS MECHANISMS Enter a wonderful world filled with real magic, mystery … and danger.
As if being small for his age and also having S. Horten as his name isn't bad enough, now 10-year-old Stuart is forced to move far away from all his friends. But on his very first day in his new home, Stuart's swept up in an extraordinary adventure: the quest to find his great-uncle Tony--a famous magician who literally disappeared off the face of the earth--and Tony's marvelous, long-lost workshop.  Along the way, Stuart reluctantly accepts help from the annoying triplets next door… and encounters trouble from another magician who's also desperate to get hold of Tony's treasures.
A quirky, smart, charming page-turner, Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms will enchant young readers--as well as teachers, librarians, and parents. 
(Goodreads.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~
Review
This was such a fun story! Stuart is a curious, intelligent but bored young boy who is alone in a new town. Since it's summer vacation he doesn't even have school to meet new friends. With nothing to do and no one to do it with anyway, he is thrilled when a small mystery turns into an amazing adventure. The blurb on the book describes it as "Willy Wonka-like" and I agree that it has the same delicious flavor but is it's own, more sinister, tale. 

The setting is a combination of modern England and fifty years prior during the highlight of great-uncle Tony's career. The Great Hortini (Uncle Tony) was famous for his clever gadgets and illusions but he disappeared without a trace. Now Stuart seems to be chosen to piece together the clues of this family mystery. As he becomes more involved, the adventure becomes dangerous and the pages fly by. This may be a children's book but I was caught up in it from the beginning and I enjoyed every minute. This is the kind of story I craved as a child. The characters are eccentric, humorous and  interesting with the perfect mix of heroes and villains. And the whimsical black and white drawings at the beginning of every chapter add the perfect touch. The ending is very satisfying and answers several questions while nicely setting up the next book.

Delightful, creative and magical - so cliche but so true! This is just the beginning of a new series that I can't wait to continue. The sequel is coming in the fall of 2012.

Thank you to Sterling Children's Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
 facebook.com/StuartHorten 

Release date: 4/3/12
Publisher: Sterling Children's Books
Pages: 272 (hardcover)
Type: middle grade fiction

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!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If only he'd been there the day of the accident instead of sick at home. Surely he could have done something to help her. At the very least he would have seen the snow and ice accumulating on the road and reminded her to put on her seat belt. How he wished he could go back in time. 

~page 24 

Wonder Struck by Brian Selznick

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 get too worked up about it. 

~page 4

Original Sin by Beth McMullen

The Spy Who Came To Christmas by David Morrell

I adore Christmas books and often spend most of December reading as many as I can get my hands on. They are usually short and often sappy but that's all part of the magic. I will try almost all of them and like the majority of them. I was very anxious to try this story The Spy Who Came To Christmas by David Morrell. It sounded like an interesting story and was written by "the father of the modern action novel". Although I don't usually chose spy stories it sounded like a good combination.

This book plays off the traditional Christmas story of the birth of the baby Jesus and an undercover agent who is protecting an infant they are calling The Child of Peace. Paul Kagan is on the run on Christmas Eve in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is injured and seeking refuge for himself and the baby. The cities annual light displays and holiday celebration draws in many people and allows Paul some temporary cover as he is being pursued by the Russian mafia. But soon he is forced to chose a hiding spot and in doing so he involves an innocent family. A mother and her young son are enduring their own hardships from domesticate abuse when Paul uses their home for shelter. He is reluctant to involve them but has no choice. Now he must enlist their help to keep them all alive.

I did like the suspense throughout the story and enjoyed how the author used the main character to retell the story of Christ's birth with a new twist. He included spies in his version to explain some elements of the Christmas story. I did find some aspects of the original story too convenient and unrealistic. It may have been because the story was only about 230 pages and there may not have been as much time to develop some of the points I had issues with. One example was whenever Paul needed any type of tool, or anything for that matter, it was always right at his fingertips. Need a hammer? It's in the drawer on your left. Need wire? It's in the drawer on the right. Tape? Tin foil? 20 piece socket set? Crock pot? Lawn mower? In the drawers here, here and there. OK, I might have exaggerated a little but only about the tape. Seriously, we can never find a roll of tape in our house no matter how many rolls I buy! Which brings me back to my point. Even under the best of times it's hard to find certain items on demand but these people were under duress and they still didn't have to move to get to anything. That's hardly a major problem but it's the details that were mishandled at times in my opinion.

It was also hard to believe some of the quick personality changes of the characters involved. I don't want to give anything away but there were some instant changes at critical moments that were hard to believe. It felt like it was more about tying up loose ends than staying true to the characters. I'm not familiar with the author's regular work but I have a feeling that in his full length spy novels he has the time to work out details like this in a more realistic fashion.

All and all it was an enjoyable and intense story that kept me turning the pages. I'm glad I tried something different this year. It did have a nice message and some very likable characters. I think I'll read a sappy one now since it's still vacation!