Friday, August 10, 2012

The City of Ember

By: Jeanne DuPrau

Imagine that life on earth was in great danger.  A small group of people go underground with supplies to last several hundred years.  They plan to leave instructions on how to return home once it is safe - but those instructions are lost.  This is what has happened where Lina and Doon live.  Their home, Ember, is running out of supplies.  Neither one knows that they need to look for the lost instructions, but they both start to find important clues and some awful secrets.

Mrs. Senechal says:
This book has a gloomy setting since the people are underground - and have been for so many years.  That made me hope that the characters would be successful in finding their way to the surface!  Lina and Doon are faced with some tough decisions.  You won't know the results in this book, though - it's just the start of their adventures in this series!  I'm ready for book #2!

The Serpent's Shadow

By: Rick Riordan

In this, Kane Chronicles - Book #3, Sadie and Carter are once again faced with saving the world.  They have known of their magical powers for less then a year, but have faced many evil creatures from the ancient Egyptian world.  In this book, Sadie and Carter must involve some of their new friends, and they are reunited with several friends from the past who they had thought were hopelessly gone.  They must figure out how to stop Apophis, the god of chaos, before he destroys the world.

Mrs. Senechal says:
As in all of Rick Riordan's fictional mythology stories, this book is filled with suspense and adventure.  Brother and sister, Carter and Sadie, are great characters because they care about each other and can still tease and have fun with each other.  I love that the author takes readers to places all over the world - and even some places that exist only in Egyptian mythology.  I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!