Is There Any Escape?

Soren is home in his nest high in the forest. He may only be an owlet, but he's learning so much form his parents and it won’t be too much longer before Soren knows how to fly. For now, he loves talking with his little sister, though his older brother is a bit of a grump. One night when his parents are off hunting, Soren’s thrust out of the nest and lands on the forest floor. He thinks his life is over and that he’ll be dinner for a larger animal. But then the owls come and seem to rescue him, only they’re not rescuing him. Soren realizes they are capturing him. He is taken to St. Aggie’s and he meets Gilfey almost immediately. They become fast friends, and it isn’t long before they start to realize that something very bad is going on there. Owls are made to chant their names over and over again. Each is also assigned a new number to go by and questions are forbidden. The leaders of St. Aggie’s force all the young owls to stand in the light of the full moon for three nights straight. This can cause a lot of damage to owlets and Soren and Gilfey worry they’ll forget who they are and what they believe. They haven’t even learned how to fly and it’s forbidden at St. Aggie’s. Is there any way that they can escape? Being sent to separate places to work makes it even harder for them to devise a plan. Can they come up with something that will work? You’ll have to read this interesting fantasy story to find out!

I recently saw a trailer for the movie The Guardians of Ga’Hoole and it made me curious about the books. I decided to pick up the first one in the series, The Capture by Kathryn Lasky. I listened to the audiobook, which I highly recommend because the narrator did a wonderful job with the different voices and bringing the story to life. I like the friendship between Soren and Gylfie. Both characters have their strengths, and I think they do a great job supporting each other. Being at Saint Aggie’s sounded scary to me, so I could understand why they wanted to leave. I felt nervous for them about the dangerous situation they were in, but enjoyed reading the story from the owls’ points of view. It would be a perfect read for anyone in fourth grade and up who likes a story with a variety of characters and a more complex plot. Since listening to the first book in the series I have already finished the next three. I’m waiting for book five to arrive at the library. I thought there were eight books in the series- but just heard there are sixteen. I am looking forward to reading more of the series- but with that number of books it could take a while.

Has anyone else read The Guardians of Ga’Hoole: The Capture? Or have you seen the movie? Or have you read another book by Kathryn Lasky? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!
~L

Answer to Fairday's Riddle: Watchers in the Woods...

Excellent guessing, Riddlers! This week will be a hoot. Tune in Friday for Lizzy's book review and find out how the answer ties into the story. See you all around the book block. 😉~ F










Not what they seem by mystical lore; rustling feathers silently soar. Gold eyes open at night fall, echoing out those who call. You may get a note that tells of magic or a strange omen that's possibly tragic. Minerva knows this calling sign, it's woven into story time. 

What am I referring to? Answer: Owls!

Fairday's Riddles: Volume I 

Make time to riddle and rhyme!

62 original riddles and illustrations

Available in all e-book formats

Take A Halloween Ride Into October!

We're excited to kick off the season with a little chill to your bones. Enjoy this spooky guest post and take a halloween ride into October! 

Sammy the teddy bear is Gregory’s best friend in A Gregory Green Adventure series. In their latest adventure, Halloween Ride, Sammy befriends a witch’s broom. Only to Sammy does the broom reveal it has a face in its handle, and only for Sammy will the broom communicate.

How does a broom communicate, you ask? It taps it’s handle on the floor for yes or no, of course!

Sammy: Hello, Broom! I know you don’t have a voice, so knock once for “yes” and twice for “no,” okay?

Broom: *knocks once* Yes

Sammy: Were you always a magical broom?

Broom: *knocks twice* No

*Sammy gasps* Sammy: You were an ordinary broom once?

Broom: *knocks once* Yes

Sammy: Did the witch buy you from a store?

Broom: *Knocks twice* No

*The broom hops over to Gregory’s desk and points its crooked handle at the trash can*

*Sammy covers his mouth with his paw*

Sammy: You were in the trash?

Broom: *Knocks once* Yes

Sammy: Was it because your handle is crooked?

Broom: *Knocks once* Yes

*Feeling sad, Sammy pats the broom*

Sammy: So, the witch found you, saw you were special, and made you magical?

Broom: *Knocks once* Yes

Sammy: Did it hurt when the witch made you come to life?

Broom: *Knocks twice* No

Sammy: It didn’t hurt me when I came to life, either.

*Sammy looks toward the bedroom door*

Sammy: Ssh. I haven’t told Gregory that story yet. But I’ll tell you, and it’ll be our little secret.

*whispers to the broom*

NEW RELEASE

One Halloween night, Gregory and his teddy bear Sammy go trick-or-treating, hoping for lots and lots of candy. But Sammy is scared of everything and is constantly asking, “What’s that?” Gregory gets annoyed until one of those things turns out to be a flying broomstick. And this broom wants them to go for a ride. Where will it take them? 

*Story picture book Ages 4-8.

EBOOK 99 CENTS:

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Print:

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ALSO ON SALE FOR 99 CENTS!

Pea Soup Disaster: Amazon / Nook / Kobo

Doctor Mom: Amazon / Nook / Kobo

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Elaine Kaye is the author of A Gregory Green Adventure series. She first created Gregory Green after her son, who loved her homemade pea soup.

Kaye has worked as a library assistant and teacher's assistant in elementary schools in the Sunshine State. She currently lives in Florida, but she has called Michigan; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Okinawa, Japan home.

She is a grandmother of three boys.

Website / Goodreads / Amazon / Instagram / Facebook

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Fairday's Riddle: Who Is It?

Hello, Riddlers! Can you guess our theme this week? They're typically among my favorite characters in stories. 😉~ F

Not what they seem by mystical lore; rustling feathers silently soar. Gold eyes open at night fall, echoing out those who call. You may get a note that tells of magic or a strange omen that's possibly tragic. Minerva knows this calling sign, it's woven into story time. 

What am I referring to? Stop by Wednesday for the answer!

I gave you a clue!

Margo's Musings: Everyone's an Inventor!

Margo and I love picking out books from our local library. Today we discovered a beautiful board book and it has only been out a few weeks. What a treat! Little Heroes: Inventors Who Changed the World by Heidi Poelman is a book that families and schools should definitely add to their collections. I can already tell we’ll be reading it over and over again.

This is the inspiring book about a wide assortment of inventors and how they made their mark on the world. Some of the people featured were men and others were women. They lived in different places and times throughout history. I learned a lot while reading about some of the most important contributions each person made to society. I knew about some of the inventors, like Marie Curie, and the Wright Brother. But others like, Cai Lun were new to me. I had no idea he invented the first piece of paper! Lots of interesting tidbits about inventors including: Leonardo da Vinci, Marie Curie, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Grace Hopper, Mary Sherman Morgan, and Cai Lun.

The book is written in a way that's easy for young children to understand, but the facts and information can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Margo loved the pictures. They're so bright and bold they pull the reader in. I especially liked how the artist, Kyle Kershner, drew the faces. 

Reading this story made me happy that these wise men and women were able to ask questions and they didn’t give up on their passions. I think Margo wants to be a scientist now- or at least she does this week. She keeps taking my magnifying glass and looking at everything. Her curiosity is awesome! Who knows what she’ll discover. 

Little Heroes: Inventors Who Changed the World is a wonderful book for people who like to learn about history in an interesting way. It's a book that will inspire. I bet you will learn something new too!

Happy reading! ~ F