Lincoln Pierce: Big Nate Lives it Up (2015)

    Principal Nichols wants Nate to be buddies with new kid Breckenridge Puffington III and show him around. But that’s no easy task when Breckenridge is a plant-doodling total fun-sponge. There’s also something strangely familiar about this guy. . . (Goodreads).

    A decent 7th book of the series, however the Breckenridge/Nate conflict is resolved a little too quickly, in just one or two chapters. The writing, as usual, is written as though by an eleven year old, however Peirce manages to pull off a decent book, although he may be running out of ideas for this series. 6.5/10

Norton Juster: The Phantom Tollbooth (1961)

    For Milo, everything’s a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he’s got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem different (Goodreads).

    Filled with hilarious puns and jokes based on the English language and numerical system, The Phantom Tollbooth is an enjoyable read, however by the end of it the jokes wear a bit thin and readers are left looking for an actual plot (however finding Rhyme and Reason is a great play on things). The first chapter gets readers right into it and does not give much room to get to know the protagonist, and Milo does not change much throughout until the very end in a satisfying finish that still leaves readers wanting more. The rest of the cast is quite flat although their various quirks make them endearing still. While sometimes confusing, The Phantom Tollbooth is an entertaining and hilarious read. 6.8/10

Gareth Roberts, Douglas Adams: Doctor Who: Shada (2012)

    The Doctor’s old friend and fellow Time Lord Professor Chronotis has retired to Cambridge University—where nobody will notice if he lives for centuries. But now he needs help from the Doctor, Romana and K-9. When he left Gallifrey he took with him a few little souvenirs—most of them are harmless. But one of them is extremely dangerous (Goodreads).

    Even for a non Doctor Who fan (which I am not), Shada would be a very enjoyable read, one needing only the most basic background knowledge of the television series. Gareth Roberts is excellent in making sure that Douglas Adams' classic storytelling is not all lost, however it still manages to not be completely ridiculous like the Hitchhiker's Guide. It is a testament to the greatness of this novel that you can really see this episode in your head while you are reading. Excellent characters of Romana, Chris, Clare, and of course the Doctor himself shine in this novel, while a dynamic antagonist in Skagra (although a tad boring) features wonderfully here. Although the title of the novel is really only explained about three-quarters of the way in, Shada is a light and enjoyable read. 7.6/10

Ray Bradbury: The Illustrated Man (1951)

    In these eighteen startling visions of humankind’s destiny, unfolding across a canvas of decorated skin, living cities take their vengeance, technology awakens the most primal natural instincts, and dreams are carried aloft in junkyard rockets (Goodreads).

    This collection of short stories by Ray Bradbury delivers on several levels. Subtle symbolism in every story hints at the darker aspects of human nature while interesting characters add thoughtful dialogue along with surprising bits of dark humor. However like most short stories, the reader does not get to enjoy the characters or the setting as much as they would in longer stories, however Bradbury's exceptional language does do much to combat that. Some of the stories are a little bit too similar, and although it is interesting to see small bits of connection in some, all in all it may be a bit repetitive. The actual illustrated man premise here is also a bit pointless, mostly just serving as a segway between stories, however Bradbury has done it once again with excellent stories. 6.9/10

S. Andrew Swann: Dragon Princess (2014)

    Frank is left stranded in the Princess Lucille’s body, halfway across the kingdom. The understandably angry Princess Lucille finds herself inhabiting the body of the dragon. In order to set things right, they will have to team up and face down thugs, slavers, elvish bookies, knights in shining armor, an evil Queen, and the hordes of the Dark Lord Nâtalc (Goodreads).

    From the first page, Dragon Princess regales readers with hilarious commentary from the anti-hero of Frank Blackthorne, and contrary to many other dragon-related books, confrontation with the dragon in question is not merely limited to the climax. In fact, it makes up most of the novel. An interesting, albeit not an entirely original, concept forces many humorous moments throughout, however subtle moments of darker humor is also evident. One con of this novel is the fact that there are not many moments in between action, and with every victory, there is another obstacle to take its place. So much does this happen that it almost seems like a collection of short stories. However, with an excellent supporting cast, Dragon Princess is a book that I would read again. 7.8/10

D.J. MacHale: The Merchant of Death (2002)

    Bobby is slowly starting to realize that life in the cosmos isn't quite what he thought it was. And before he can object, he is swept off to an alternate dimension known as Denduron, a territory inhabited by strange beings, ruled by a magical tyrant, and plagued by dangerous revolution (Goodreads).

    Although the final climax was actually fairly interesting, that's about the only positive note I can give this book. The cliche 'young teen finds new world he is destined to save while old man gives him really pointless information' storyline here is in no way made original. Bobby's narration is quite uninteresting and unrealistic, considering it is supposed to be a journal. Bobby's character itself is so brutally flawless (meaning he uninterestingly has no faults), however he puts himself down with such regularity to combat this. After a pointless first chapter, which I believe is supposed to make readers engaged with the characters (it does not), we find out the main antagonist almost right away, and yet we don't see much actual conflict from then on. One character who may actually have made this book the slightest bit better would have been Mark, however his parts in the book were also literally pointless, I mean, the only useful thing he did was give a backpack full of banned objects to Bobby, and Bobby, being who he is, doesn't bother letting Mark or his (also spoiled) love interest help him out at all. In the end, The Merchant of Death could have been a satisfying read, but lack of originality and dynamics spoiled it. 4.2/10

J.R.R. Tolkien: The Two Towers (1954)

    The Fellowship was scattered. Some were bracing hopelessly for war against the ancient evil of Sauron. Some were contending with the treachery of the wizard Saruman. Only Frodo and Sam were left to take the accursed Ring of Power to be destroyed in Mordor–the dark Kingdom where Sauron was supreme (Goodreads).

    Once again Tolkien brings in descriptive language and ever interesting characters to the world of Middle Earth. Much more fast paced than The Fellowship of the Ring (even with the ents), The Two Towers starts off by pulling at the heartstrings of readers and eventually shows wonderful character development, with all four of the Hobbits clearly growing in courage and in Merry and Pippin's case, stature. Aragorn as well is filling out to be the King he is destined to be, and in Gandalf's situation, his character even changes colour, along with gaining authority. Surprisingly, this novel is also filled with several laugh-out loud moments to go along with the excellent dialogue (see Legolas and Gimli's banter), including one line that would likely maker most junior high students chuckle: "Where did you get the weed you villains?" Another very satisfying addition to the trilogy is the Gollum/Smeagol internal conflict, which adds a whole new dynamic to the overall plot. 8.9/10