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Expendables 2 If you’re looking for an exciting actions movie, look elsewhere. If you are a fan of comic book movies and have fond memories of 80’s action flicks, you will be entertained. I’m glad Norris got his camera time, but I wouldn’t be disappointed if he was not in the next one. It would have been nice for Li’s character to have more time as his fight scenes are always entertaining. Statham and Van-Damm showed off their skills. Stallone, Willis, and Schwarzenegger were entertaining yet showing their age. I think Couture is doing pretty good crossing over from fighting to acting. Some of the blood effects were a little over the top for my taste, but other than that I really liked the movie.

I preferred The Red Pyramid

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Percy Jackson has ADHD, dyslexia and a knack for finding trouble. He sees things no one else sees—like ladies who turn into bats and pens that turn into swords. And then he finds out he might be the son of a Greek god and monsters of the Underworld are after him—well at least that explains a math teacher that turned into a bat.

The Lightning Thief is an interested story (though I preferred The Red Pyramid). I liked that Percy prefers to do his own thing—which sometimes gets him in trouble but also helps him survive. Christians may be bothered by prayers to the gods and burnt offerings.

I would recommend this to older middle grade readers or the young adult crowd.


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These bears aren't so cute and cuddly

The Quest Begins by Erin Hunter
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Kallik is a polar bear. Toklo is a young Grizzly and Lusa is a black bear. There is a lot of folklore of the stars and where the spirits of the dead go woven into the story.

I found this to be a sad and depressing story. While it was interesting to view the world from the perspective of three different types of bears, experiencing so much death and abandonment made me wonder what the point was. I realize death is part of nature and animals dying is normal, but to have so many bears die in the first few chapters I found depressing.


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Puzzles and secrets

The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amy and Dan Cahill knew they had a big and varied extended family, but until their Grandma Grace died, they didn’t know how extensive and interesting. Their parents died years ago and their Great-Aunt Beatrice hired and fired au-pares to take care of them on the other side of town from her. At Grace Cahill’s funeral they and other relatives have the opportunity to set out on a scavenger hunt quest to discover family secrets. But everywhere they turn there seems to be a relative looking over their shoulder trying to rob them of the clues and get to the ultimate prize first: the key to the Cahill family power.

This is a fascinating read that is hard to put down. There are puzzles throughout that the reader can try to solve along with the characters.


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For enterttainment only

New Kid Catastrophes by Bill Myers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

TJ has moved from Missouri to Californiaand is trying to adjust. Unfortunately that is nearly impossible when everything that could go wrong does—like when two surfer dudes from the 23rd century show up to study her and try to help her.

For entertainment value, it is a clean and funny story. Lots of crazy things happen. While this is Christian fiction it is only blatant in one short scene. But for literary value, it falls short. The overall premise and character arc are weak. It is a good idea poorly executed.

If you’re looking for clean and funny for an 8-12 year old, it works. In fact, I just handed it to my 10 year old.


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It was a little creepy for my taste

Showdown by Ted Dekker
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The laid back town of Paradise, Colorado seemed stuck in a rut. A monastery hidden deep in a canyon seemed isolated from the outside. Yet Dekker entwines these two in a story that straddles reality and fantasy.

Something happened in Paradise years ago that was swept under the carpet. In doing so the heart of soul of the townspeople began to grow cold and hard—and Father Yordon the preacher is in the middle of it.

David Abraham is the head of the monastery, a project to see if the innocence of children could be cultivated and encouraged in a pure and loving environment.

This story borders on allegory as many scenes bring to mind Biblical events or scenarios: choices, sacrifice, worms and characters. As a thriller, however, it is not for the faint of heart. More than once I was tempted to quit as certain scenes were described in such graphic detail. But there was a twist halfway through that had me hanging on for dear life.


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Kind of like an Egyptian Harry Potter

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sadie and Carter Kane are brother and sister but have lived worlds apart ever since their mother died. Carter travels the globe with his anthropological dad and Sadie lives in England with her maternal grandparents. Carter and his dad are allowed two visiting days with Sadie each year. It is on one of those visiting nights that their world blows up in so many ways. Their dad disappears, they have to run for their lives, and decided whom they can and cannot trust among people they’ve only just met. They learn about each other, their family history and a lot about Egyptian mythology.

The Red Pyramid is similar to Harry Potter as they young people learn they are descendants of Pharaohs and have magic, but instead of witches and wizards there are Egyptian gods and goddesses.

I enjoyed this read and recommend this to anyone who liked Harry Potter.


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