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Monday, May 19, 2008

A Fantastic Book for Reluctant Readers

Title: The Secret Zoo
Author: Bryan Chick
Illustrator:

Publisher and/or Distributor: Second Wish Press
Publisher Website:
www.secondwishpress.com
Pages: 252
ISBN: 978-0-9791887-3-2
Price: $5.99
Publishing Date: Oct 2007
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5 hearts


This is an excellent book for reluctant readers. Four pre-teens (the Adventure Scouts) become involved in their town’s zoo, which they discover is connected to a very secret underground city designed to allow people and animals to live together in peace. In doing so, Megan mysteriously disappears and her brother Noah and friends Ella and Richie find themselves in this adventure of their lives that has earth-changing potentials. The riding of a huge polar bear and a sharp-horned rhino, as well as a giant penguin while being supported by birds and a colony of prairie dogs will fire the imaginations of young readers. Thrill to their conflict with a mysterious Shadow Man and a colony of evil Sasquatches. Discover a decades old secret that is protected by a secret society of humans and animals. We rated this book with a constant lightning pace five hearts.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

48 Demons of Tezuka

Title: Dororo Vol. 1
Author: Osamu Tezuka
Illustrator: Osamu Tezuka

Publisher and/or Distributor: Vertical, Inc.
Publisher Website: www.vertical-inc.com

Pages: 342
ISBN: 978-193428716-3
Price: $13.95
Publishing Date: 2008
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5 hearts


This Manga is yet another Japanese classic brought to us from the New York publishing house that is dedicated to bringing the best of Japanese literature to the United States. The first in a three-volume series. Its movie version grossed $30 million. This is the first time it has been rendered in the English language.

There is a battle on almost every page—definitely an action graphic novel. A samurai seeking to become warlord of Japan. He agrees to trade his soon to be born son’s 48 body parts as payment toward that end. When born, he throws the deformed baby into the river to drown. The boy is discovered by a doctor who makes prosthetics for the missing body parts and adopts him as his own. Grown now, our hero meets a wild bandit boy with whom he teams. Along the way, he kills demons and regains a missing body part for every demon he kills.

This is one of the most influential Manga artists in Japan’s history. We rated it a solid five hearts.