Cragbridge Hall: The Impossible Race

A review copy was provided

CRAGBRIDGE HALL: 
THE IMPOSSIBLE RACE
by Chad Morris
Published by Shadow Mountain

Abby and Derick and their close friends have had to guard many secrets of their grandfather's inventions.

They have also had great fun... and a few hardships at their school, Cragbridge Hall.

Now it is time for the annual race...

A race that will take them through some pretty amazing challenges...

And this year's prize is a "carefully guarded school secret."

Could it be another one of grandfather's secrets?

Could it be safe to have just anyone get a hold of that secret?

Abby and Derick know that this could mean big disaster...

So they gather up a team and enter the tournament.

When Derick gets a message from the future telling him the outcome nerves get frayed.

They will be called upon to use all their skills with avatars, and virtual reality.

They will have to use their minds as well as their strength.

They will have to travel in time and space...

But most important of all...

They will have to work together to see this through to the end.

Is the future really set or could their choices change their destiny?

Amazing creativity!

Fantastic writing!

LOVED this series!
A GREAT book for the whole family!

GET IT HERE | ADD TO GOODREADS

About the Author

Chad Morris would love to be able to control animal avatars, see history in 3D, and show everyone how he imagines stories. Since the inventions that would make that possible currently exist only in his imagination, he settles for reading, writing, playing basketball, rappelling down an occasional slot canyon, dating his wife, and hanging out with his five awesome kids. Chad speaks Portuguese, can play the Phineas and Ferb theme song on the guitar, and does decent impressions of a velociraptor and Voldemort—but not at the same time. He isn't very good at fixing his car, shopping for anything, cooking, or growing hair.

The Lazarus Game

A review copy was provided

Book Details

Author: Stephen J. Valentine
Release Date: February 2015
Publisher: Sweetwater Books
Genre: Middle Sci-Fi

Do you love to play video games?

Carter Chance is a genius...He is also a little bored.

So when a new video game store comes to town he takes a look.

But things don't seem quite right.

While investigating Carter is offered a job to mastermind a new version of The Lazarus Game.

The Lazarus Game is amazing and everyone wants to spend hours playing it.

Only one problem...

As they do they are also giving up their very souls to bring back geniuses from the past.

Can Carter stop the madman before it is "game over?"

This is a FUN book with lots of action, adventure, and intrigue.

It really makes you think about some of the video games out there!

While the humor is geared towards a middle-grade boy...this is a PERFECT book to be read by the whole family.

AMAZON | GOODREADS

About the Author

Stephen J. Valentine received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Utah State University. He is Senior Program Manager for FamilySearch International, responsible for the online publication of billions of historical records. Stephen loves history, hiking, cooking, reading, and traveling, especially to Disneyland. Stephen resides in Utah with his beautiful wife, talented children, brilliant Schnauzer, and massive J.R.R. Tolkien collection.

10 FUN FACTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR

1. The movie theater/game store in “The Lazarus Game” is based on the Capitol Theatre in Brigham City, Utah, where I grew up. It is still in operation today, one of the few old elegant movie theaters still in business.

2. My favorite book is “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The recent announcement of an additional book by Harper Lee was about as astonishing to me as if they’d found human life on another planet!

3. I’m also a huge J.R.R. Tolkien nerd (way before the movies!) and have collected dozens of editions of his famous trilogy, including editions in Russian, Spanish, German, French, and Canadian (Frodo has an annoying habit of adding “eh” to the end of all his statements).

4. I started writing at the age of four. You can still find lots of four-year old humor in my books.

5. I have traveled to 48 of 50 states in the U.S; 49 of 51 if you count Canada as a state. (I love Canada, by the way—but I have many Canadian friends and love to tease them.)

6. My favorite places to write are in public places—airports, libraries, etc. The surrounding noise is like white noise to me.

7. The worst thing when writing is to be interrupted—potty breaks, eating, and loved ones are all huge distractions while “in the flow” of the story. All you authors out there know what I’m talking about.

8. My favorite place on earth is Disneyland with my family. We have more fun standing in line than most people have on the rides!

9. I’m tired of dystopian novels. Does the future have to be dark and nasty?

10. If “The Lazarus Game” were made into a movie 20 years ago, the perfect actor for Carter Chance would be Matthew Broderick. Think of a blend Matthew’s roles in “War Games” and “Ferris Bueller.” Perfect, right?

Cragbridge Hall: The Avatar Battle w/ Book Giveaway

Book Details
Author: Chad Morris
Release Date: March 2014
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Genre: Middle Sci-Fi

This series is so WONDERFULLY WONDERFUL!

Fast-paced action! Intriguing inventions! Friendships! Courage! It's all in there!

Abby, Derick, Carol, and Rafa are attending the most amazing school in the whole world!

They get to first-hand witness history by traveling back in time.

But this is not just a history lesson...this is a full-out fight to protect history...even if it means bad things must repeat themselves.

There are only a few members of the elite Council of Keys and now someone is attacking them and taking their keys to gain control of 'the bridge' between our time and the past.

Abby and Derick are caught up in the power struggles of adults while trying to maintain their school grades..not an easy feat...

They will be given tests of 'choice and consequence' and will be asked to do hard things.

But Abby and Derick are not ordinary teenagers...they are the grandchildren of the inventor and designer of 'Cragbridge Hall.'

And Derick and Rafa as skilled with the avatars! (Wait until you read how those come into play :)

SO. SO. SO. GOOD!
A GREAT read!
Keeping your interest and leaving you wanting even more!

Shadow Mountain has graciously offered a

BOOK GIVEAWAY for MY followers :)

(US address only please)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

| Deseret Book | Amazon | Book Depository |

About the Author

Chad Morris would love to be able to control animal avatars, see history in 3D, and show everyone how he imagines stories. Since the inventions that would make that possible currently exist only in his imagination, he settles for reading, writing, playing basketball, rappelling down an occasional slot canyon, dating his wife, and hanging out with his five awesome kids.

Chad speaks Portuguese, can play the Phineas and Ferb theme song on the guitar, and does a decent impressions of a velociraptor and Voldemort--but not at the same time. He isn't very good at fixing his car, shopping for anything, cooking, or growing hair.

For those who have been following Chad Morris, you will remember that last year when he should have been celebrating the coming of his first book Chargbridge Hall: The Inventors Secret, he was at the hospital with his nine-year-old daughter who was fighting a brain tumor.

At the time his daughter requested mustache pictures to help her laugh and feel better...pictures poured in and many people came to the aid of Chad and helped push his book forward.

Chad reports that is daughter is doing well...

thanks to everyone involved!

(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Cragbridge Hall: The Inventor's Secret

Book Details:
Author: Chad Morris
Release Date: March 2013
Publisher:  Shadow Mountain
Genre: Middle Reader Sci-Fi

Book Description:
Imagine a school in the year 2074 where students don't read history, but watch it happen around them; where running in gym class isn't around a track, but up a virtual mountain; and where learning about animals means becoming one through an avatar.

Welcome to Cragbridge Hall, the most advanced and prestigious school in the world.

Twins Abby and Derick Cragbridge are excited as new students to use their famed grandfather's inventions that make Cragbridge Hall so incredible. But when their grandfather and parents go missing, the twins must follow a mysterious trail of clues left by their grandfather. They must find out where their family is, learn who they can trust, and discover what secrets are hidden within Cragbridge Hall.

Abby and Derick soon realize they are caught in a race with a fierce adversary to discover their grandfather's greatest secret — a dangerous discovery that could alter both history and reality.

My Review:
I REALLY REALLY LOVED this book!
Fun, creative storyline told so well you will stay up way past your bedtime reading it!

I LOVED all the inventions:
History class: you "watch" what really happened.
English: a student sits in a 'chair' and while reading the other students 'see' the story.
Gym: you get to literally run up a virtual mountain.
Zoology: you become an avatar of the animal you are studying.

And the challenges Abby and Derrick have to go through to save their parents and grandfather...just wait until you read all about that...SO GOOD!

I REALLY HOPE they make a movie out of this book :)

Amazon * Deseret Book * GoodReads

About the Author:
Chad Morris grew up wanting to become a professional basketball player or a rock star. (Inspired by Animal from the Muppets, he’s been banging on drums since he was eight years old.) After high school, he wrote and performed sketch comedy while going to college, and eventually he became a teacher and a curriculum writer. He lives in Utah with his wife and five kids.

Chad would love to teach to Cragbridge Hall. Unlike Oscar Cragbridge, however, he wasn’t really invented anything, though his son once sketched out blueprints for a machine that would turn celery into cookies.

(A review copy of this title was provided by the publisher for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

The Creature from My Closet: Wonkenstein

Formula:
Take Willy Wonka + Frankenstein...
Then turn him into the "monster-in-the-closet"...and you have a very fun, creative story :)

Rob hates to read!
His books get tossed into the closet!
But when two characters combine together and come out of the closet...Rob has his hands full of trouble!

CUTE, CUTE book!
Strong emphasis on helping children want to read :)

 

 

Texting Through Time: John Taylor and the Mystery Puzzle

What a FUN concept!

Micah and Alicia have a really, really smart phone.

In fact this phone is so smart that with a push of the PAST, PRESENT or FUTURE screen Micah and Alicia can time-travel.

Time and place this trip?

John Taylor, Third Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Boyhood.

With that Micah and Alicia are swirled back in time to when John Taylor was a boy.

Their adventure continues on through John Taylor's lifetime and the many things he accomplished.

Each time they "travel" with President Taylor the phone requires them to "text" their journal of the experience back home.

The only glitch with the phone...they must solve a puzzle by taking pictures at different times of their journey before they can go back home.

This book has wonderful illustrations of the different pictures and how they fit into the puzzle.

Wonderful way to re-tell the life of a prophet especially in today's technology-filled world.


(A digital review copy of this title was provided by the author for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)