The Road to Somewhere

The first book I read this year is called The Road to Somewhere by Carlos E. Asay. This book is written to young men and young women about the importance of setting a destination. He warns against blindness of mind and hardness of heart, and also cautions the reader to pay attention to the highway signs of life. Following this formula leads to both success and happiness in this life.

Although this book was largely dedicated to spiritual matters, he also applied the principles to any goal that we set. He emphasized that it is pleasing to God to set righteous goals, even if they don't seem connected to the Gospel in any way. For example, the author told of an experience of when he set a goal to play basketball in Madison Square Garden, and actually got to achieve this goal many years later. I believe that he is right. God is pleased with goal setting. He is pleased with us whenever we try to improve ourselves in every way possible. I really enjoyed this book. The only reason it's the first book I read this year is because it is also the first book on my shelf, but I thought it was very appropriate to read at the beginning of a new year.

The Search for the Red Dragon

The series continues in a spectacular sequel to the first book. A single act, with little thought behind it, leads to a catastrophe with consequences that affect the past, present, and future. Something has gone horribly wrong. Children have begun missing. There is a sound, a sweet, beautiful, melodious sound that calls the children away in the night. A little girl hears it, faintly, for her ears are plugged. But even that faint sound is enough to fill her with longing to join it. Tears stream down her face as she hears the pipes calling to her, but she cannot follow them. When she gets up the next morning, the other children are gone.

Who is this Pied Piper? What does he want with the children? One person knows the answer, and this one person has sworn to protect his children, children that are lost. Now, if Peter Pan wants to defeat this enemy, he must rely on the Caretaker. And so he sends his little girl, letting her fly to England to find the Caretaker of the Imaginarium Geographica. The girl arrives to find John, Jack, and Charles, only to tell them that she is looking for somebody else, another Caretaker who swore to never again return to the Archipelago of Dreams. John, Jack, and Charles must recruit this other Caretaker and plunge themselves into the thick of danger yet again if they hope to save the children, and Peter Pan.

Ok, if a book has Peter Pan in it, it's guaranteed I will love it. And yes, I love this book! I would even say it is better than its predecessor. If you know a lot about literature and you love fantasy, then this series is a MUST!

Here There Be Dragons

I have owned this book by James A. Owens for a few months, but I finally determined this last week that I was going to read it. It is INCREDIBLE!!! I had to write the author last night to thank him for such a delightful story!

The book begins with a murder of a professor. His enemies are looking for something, but he tells them that he has already given it away. Shortly after the murder, three people who knew the professor arrive: John, Jack, and Charles. They are strangers to each other, but are quickly united in a dangerous quest. A short man named Herb arrives and tells John that the professor was training him to be the new Caretaker of the Imaginarium Geographica, a book of maps of the most magical place in the world: the Archipelago of Dreams. This place has been ruled by descendants of King Arthur, until the royal line was recently destroyed by one who calls himself the Winter King. The three men are plunged into an adventure that seems almost over their heads as they learn the meaning of truth and fiction, not in lands only, but also the truth and fiction that lies within the soul.

Former caretakers include Jules Verne, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and other great writers. They all knew of this magical place and wrote of it, each putting their own twist to it. The companions are surprised to meet Captain Nemo, talking badgers, and elves and dwarves. Now they must discover the courage within themselves to protect this new place that is somehow connected with our world. If the Archipelago falls, so will our world. Do these three men from Oxford have what it takes? Read these pages, and they will take you to the ends of the earth on one of the greatest adventures you've ever known!

Kingdom Keepers II: Disney at Dawn

The first book took place primarily in the Magic Kingdom. This book ventures into the Animal Kingdom. Suffering a setback in the first book, the Overtakers are determined to foil Walt Disney's plans and ruin the Kingdom Keepers forever. The Overtakers are using the Kingdom Keepers' own technology against them; they have created DHIs of their own. The boundary between real and imaginatory is more difficult than ever before. Worse--if the Kingdom keeprs fall asleep, they can be captured by the Overtakers and trapped forever.

Finn and his friends must recruit the help of the mysterious Amanda to save the parks from their deadliest threat ever. But why is she so mysterious? What secret is she hiding? Who is she? As if their predictment was not already bad, Wayne has gone into hiding and can interact only a little with them.

The Kingdom Keepers must act on blind faith, skill, and wits. They must battle exhaustion. They must battle the invisible. If they do not act fast, the Overtakers will awaken the most terrible villain Walt Disney ever created--the all-powerful Chernabog!

Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark

I became a big fan of Ridley Pearson after I read Peter and the Starcatchers, which he wrote along with Dave Barry. But what really sold me to this book was the recommendation from my cousin Robin. After I read it, I had to buy the second book. It was very enjoyable!

Finn is an ordinary Disney-loving kid. He is one of five young people chosen to become a DHI--a Disney Host Interactive. They have holograms made of themselves in order to interact with the guests at Disney World. It seems like something innocent and cool. Their families get golden fastpasses. But Finn suddenly finds himself having strange dreams where he is in the park in hologram form. There he meets Wayne. Wayne tells him that he is the leader and he needs to unite with the other kids to fight a terrible threat. While they talk, Finn sees Goofy, Pooh, and Piglet. Wayne gets super excited. He cannot see them.

Finn returns with only two others the next night, all in hologram forms. They talk to Wayne again and learn that as DHIs, they can actually be part of our world, but also part of the animated world. While asleep, they can "cross over" and literally become their DHIs. As proof, Finn and his friends encounter Pirates from Pirates of the Caribbean. They are stealing cars from the Buzz Lightyear ride. When they fire a laser at Finn, it actually burns a hole in his shoulder, and is even there when he wakes up. Suddenly they realize how serious this DHI business really is, especially when Wayne tells them the whole truth.

When Walt Disney was making plans for Disney World, he knew that the power of belief was extraordinary. Things could actually come to life and exist if people believed hard enough. The problem is...so can villains! Finn and his friends soon find themselves battling very real evil forces, fighting to preserve the park and the world. Will they succeed? Do they have what it takes to be the Kingdom Keepers? This book gets FIVE STARS from me!

Inkdeath

The final volume in Cornelia Funke's trilogy offered everything that I could hope for. It was a great conclusion to the wonderful story that began on a dark night when three people were pulled from a book into our world. The story continues in the Inkworld as the night gets treacherously darker. The poor are oppressed more than ever and fear lives in the hearts of the people. Their only ray of hope is the White and Black hand of justice. The Bluejay and Black Prince live as gloriously as Robin Hood and his merry men, robbing from the rich to feed the poor. But their charade is quickly put to an end when the Piper, the silver-nosed villain, comes to the village and threatens to take away all the children to work in the deadly mines unless the Bluejay surrenders himself to the law.

Meggie and those she holds dear to herself are suddenly thrown in the face of danger again. More than ever loyalties are tried and tested. Betrayal roams among them like a deadly shark and they never know where it will strike. Who can be trusted? Does anything in this world really exist, or is it all just made of ink? At what point does someone's personal life become more important than the person's obligation? Or does it? Such questions are thoroughly explored throughout the book. It is masterfully written and extremely captivating. I would love to shake Cornelia Funke's hand and congratulate her for a very fine piece of work.

Inkspell

After reading Cornelia Funke's Inkheart, which I loved (in case you couldn't tell from my earlier blog), I had to read the rest of the trilogy. This book was better, if that's possible, than Inkheart. It explored so many issues!!! What is real and what isn't? What are the limits for abusing power? Are our roles pre-determined, or do we choose what roles we will play in life? What is the true meaning of sacrifice? Where does dedication end?

I won't spoil too much, but read the following at your own risk.

After being pulled into our world, Dustfinger finally finds a way back into the world of Inkheart, which is sometimes called the Inkworld. He leaves behind Farid, which makes him disappointed, but he is soon able to adapt into what he thought would be his normal life. But, to his dismay, a lt has happened as a result of his, Capricorn's, and Basta's disappearance ten years earlier. Even one of his daughters has died.

His life only gets more complicated when Meggie reads herself and Farid into the Inkworld, and later when the Magpie and Basta bring Mo and Resa into the Inkworld. The Magpie shoots Mo and leaves him for dead. Fenoglio tries to write everything back in order, only to have everything take a turn for the worst as they face a greater threat than Capricorn ever was. Friendships are tested as they must face death itself to save everything that means the most to them.

I became so involved with this book that I had to stop reading it at night or else I didn't sleep well and just dreamt that I was in the story. When I finally finished the book, I was so sad that I had tears in my eyes. I wish I could thank Cornelia Funke in person for such a wonderful book!