I
was so grateful to get a chance to pre-read this great book--
the first in a series of family-friendly adventures. It came out on
March 5th, and I'm so excited to share my review with all my readers!
The story is about twins Abby and
Derick, grandchildren of famous inventor, who are entering an
exclusive, new school called "Cragbridge Hall." The
innovative lessons at the school immerse the students in learning in
amazing ways! While Derick is confident and ready for any challenge,
Abby deals with feeling inadequate and unworthy to attend the
exciting, advanced school named after her grandfather.
As the
students settle in to their new surroundings, tragedy strikes and the
twins have to face their dangerous, new challenges with courage--
something that seems easy for Derick, but daunting for Abby. The
twins need help, but don't know who to trust. Who will help them face
this dangerous struggle?
I really love that the book is written
for a younger audience! The danger the characters found themselves in
was real, but not too graphic or frightening for children. Even
though things were toned down for the younger readers, it was still
exciting and engaging enough for adults and teens. This is a BIG plus
for me, as we like to read books like this out loud as a family, and
I really appreciate not needing to "edit" out the really
scary stuff while I read!
The author is great at engaging
EVERYONE in my family-- and we have listeners from adult down to
toddlers. His use of humorous dialogue kept us laughing out loud, and
the fascinating inventions used in the school were easy to picture
and marvel at. Now we all want to learn history in 3-D!
I also really enjoyed and appreciated
the author's use of great people and events thoughout history. There
were several historical personalities and events we were completely
unaware of-- and this book made us all curious to find out more about
them! (This homeschooling mom LOVES books that do that!) We found
ourselves almost as immersed in history as the students of Cragbridge
Hall. It was awesome!
My favorite part of the book is how we
were able to relate to the character of Abby. She embodies human
feelings of inadequacy so well! And yet, she finds that her love for
others gives her the strength to do extraordinary things. This was a
great lesson for myself, personally, and for my children, as well.
We love this book at our house! It is a
great adventure story that kept us all engaged and excited to read.
It also teaches some great lessons and made us thirst for more
knowledge about great people and places. This mama gives it five
stars and two big "thumbs up." I know my readers will love
it as much as my family did. We look froward to the next book in the
series!
{Disclaimer: I received an Advance
Reader Copy of this book free in exchange for an honest review.
All opinions presented in this post are my very own. :-) }
Love,