MMGM Spotlight: The Deliverers by Gregory Slomba

This week we're spotlighting an excellent middle grade series, The Deliverers. 

We connected with the author of the books, Gregory Slomba, some time ago, and we've been on the book block with him pretty much since the beginning of our own journey into the depths of the Begonia House. 

The Deliverers books have new illustrations that whisk you right off into the adventure, and the fourth book is in the works! 

Book 1: Sharky and the Jewel

Eric has never talked to birds before, nor has he heard of a land called Calendria.  All of that changes when an ordinary campout changes his life forever. After an owl named Stig asks him to go on an adventure with him, Eric is intrigued and agrees to go. They travel through a door to the Hallway of Worlds and the Gatekeeper gives them their assignment.  From there Stig and Eric enter a new world and meet a member of Calendria, Kate. She is convinced that they are “The Deliverers” from an old legend and that they have been sent to help her people get away from Sharky, a pirate that has been making life difficult for her village...

Continue reading this review 

Book 2: Order of the Crystal Lion

Eric and the rest of the Deliverers are back together on a new adventure. This time the Hallway of Worlds has sent Eric, Kate, Hallo, and Stig to a place where the people and beings are involved in a civil war with each other. A group of people called the Vynistri have been using a device, the Machine, to alter the DNA of the Chazum. The Vynistri is being ruled by the evil Chancellor Trelango. His brother, Selango, who claims to be the Crystal Lion spoken about in legends, is rallying the Chazum and their supporters. Two brothers fighting on opposite sides! It's up to the Deliverers to make sure that the Machine is destroyed and that peace is restored in the land...

Continue reading this review 

Book 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang

Eric, Stig, Kate, and Hallo are on another adventure to save a world under distress. The black mist from Eric’s recent nightmares seems to be connected to this new world, the Dragon Islands. Unfortunately, Eric isn’t sure what the mist is all about. Here the people rely on the Voice of the Dragon, a speaker who relays wisdom from Golden Dragon of Ang. Whenever a speaker dies, the next one is already announced and it must be a child between the ages of 12 and 15. But, not this time! The Voice is gone and no one is in line to take over. The governors from each of the five Dragon Islands are trying to figure out where the next Voice of the Dragon will be from, and they all want it to be the island they rule. With this unrest comes conniving and scheming in order to benefit different islands and bring them power...

Continue reading this review

Find out more about the author, Gregory Slomba!

Where did you get the idea for the The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion?

When I set out to write the sequel to Sharky and the Jewel I wanted to make it different than the first, so I made the setting a slightly futuristic sci-fi one. I actually wanted to make it more sci-fi than it wound up being, but as I wrote I kind of shifted back and forth between the future and the past. I don’t know if that was effective when all was said and done, but I think it made for a unique world.

Continue reading this interview 

Authors, Stephanie Robinson & Gregory Slomba

Visit Gregory's website to find out more about the books!

For other MMGM posts, please visit Greg Pattridge's blog.

Views From the Pond July/August/September

 

Well, my plan of posting one Views From the Pond post a month is not working out as planned. I take millions of pictures, but posting has been tricky. The last few months have been busy with family weddings, work trips, work, helping a friend move, and then I sprained my wrist when I fell at work. I am fine and the wrist is finally almost back to normal, but it is amazing how much life is altered when you can't type with two hands! 

So, this post will contain pictures for three months and then I will post three months in the beginning of January and I will hopefully be on track! Since it is three months worth of photos and activities- there is a lot to take in! I hope to be on a better schedule in 2024. Time will tell!

July

                         The brook had lots of grass growing in it. 

A family of deer which came daily for a while.

August

                                   (Our new weather station all set up)

                                                 (down the street)

                                       A visiting heron.

A short video of the heron (which I watched for a long, long time)

September

                                                (New grass growing in where we finally 

                                                  finished a project we started in May! We made

                                                  the space to walk to the pond wider- and it was

                                                  a lot of work, but well worth it!)

Thanks for coming by for a visit! I have so much fun watching the daily changes! Always amazing to me.  

Next Views From the Pond will be up at the beginning of January for October/November/December! 

MMGM: Bubba and Squirt: City of Bones by Sherry Ellis

 

Bubba and Squirt are siblings who have had some exciting adventures together. They may not always get along, or see eye to eye on a situation, but they are very loyal to each other and will do whatever they can to help the other one out. It’s been a awhile since their last adventure, but after a dream in which their great-great-grandfather comes to Bubba things move fast. Especially since the vision may send them on a path to find their missing father. They use their magic shovel and it sends them to the catacombs of Paris. While they are trying to figure out where they are, they meet new friends who tell them where they are and explain about all the bones. Although their main goal is to find their missing father, they witness something shady involving some artwork and they can't let the thieves get away with it. They four friends decide to follow the thieves to see if they steal any more art or lead them to any clues. Since Bubba's vision involved a door and artwork, they figure they are working on two cases at once.  When another burglary happens right in front of them- they are right in the mix of  everything. Danger is everywhere. What should Bubba and Squirt do? Is following the thieves worth it? How will they ever find the door Bubba saw in his dream? Will they ever find their father? You will have to read this fast paced adventure to find out!

Bubba and Squirt: City of Bones by Sherry Ellis is the third installment in the Bubba and Squirt series and it was especially fun! It certainly helps to have read the other books first, but this could also work as a standalone. I loved learning a little bit about some interesting Paris landmarks and getting to learn more about some of the big museums in the area. The back of the book includes a glossary and extra information about some of the places and things mentioned in the book, which is a great way to learn more!  I’ve been curious about the catacombs since I first heard about them and it was interesting to have them as a setting in this story. The action really gears up and I couldn’t believe all of the things that happened. I like that the siblings met some nice friends and they all worked together to try to solve the mysteries. The story is told in the present tense (unlike the previous books in the series) and everything isn't resolved in the end, so readers will need to grab the next book in the series to find out where Bubba and Squirt are headed next.  I recommend this book for kids in third grade and up who like adventure, mystery, and a little bit of scary in their books. Also- because this book is less than 100 pages  it will appeal to readers who are intimidated by a thick book or for those who are looking for a shorter read. I look forward to the next Bubba and Squirt adventure!

Has anyone else read any of the Bubba and Squirt adventures? Or have you read another book by Sherry Ellis? We'd love to hear your thoughts! 

Happy Reading!

~L

For other MMGM posts, please visit Greg Pattridge's blog.