Keepers by W. J.Madsen-5 stars

Madsen, W.J, Arkeeper #1: Keepers. Little M Books, 2012. Pgs. 128.

On the day of her birth, Alexa’s grandfather disappeared. Years later, when Alexa and her older brother, Jake go to their grandparents’ attic to find Rex, the family cat, they discover a magnifying glass. Not just any magnifying glass, however. A glass that can take you to different misadventures to solve crimes. In this episode, Jake and Alexa are called upon by the Keeper of Time, Delbert to find the stolen Bell of Time. Without, time will cease to exist. The clues lie within Delbert’s home, the  Museum of Time, and are somehow linked to 5 knight ghosts who know what has happened, but can’t talk. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the two detectives and their cat, Baron von Snodgrass is hot on their trail and wants their magnifying glass for his own evil purposes. Someone within the castle is working for him and will stop at nothing to  keep time stopped. Will the two siblings and their cat find the bell and restore time or will the Baron win?

  
The characters are well-developed and entertaining. My favorite was the cat and his humorous comments about everything. The plot moves at a good pace, is well-developed, and keeps the reader’s interest with some fun plot twists. Readers who like fantasy, dimensions, science fiction, and adventure mixed with a mystery to solve will enjoy reading this book.

5 stars, Grades 5 to 9

Firecracker by Charles R. Verhey-5 stars

Verhey, Charles R., Firecracker. CreateSpace, 2003. Pgs. 340.

Aideen “Cass” Cassidy is a pyrokinetic who can’t hold a job. As a last ditch effort at finding a way to pay rent, Cass tries to get a job with PsychTeam, a team of eccentric psychics who solve cases the police can’t solve. Shortly after starting, Cass starts dreaming about a young girl who needs her help and a weird shadow starts coming after her and her PsychTeam mentor, Li Hung, wanting them dead. If the shadow succeeds, many will die and the world could very well end. Can Cass and Li save themselves as well as the world?

This book is humorous and action-packed. The characters are well-developed and likable. The chapters are short and the plot is fairly complex, fast-moving,and suspenseful. My favorite part was when Cass’ new personal trainer shows up and her face and Cass ends up setting his sleeve on fire when she gets mad at him. Readers who like saving the world, psychics, assassins, and adventure will enjoy reading this book.

5 stars, MS, HS