Military Kids: On the Move by Kevin B. O'Brien

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MWSA Review

In his chapter book Military Kids: On the Move, Kevin O’Brien addresses a subject near and not so dear to the heart of every military family: relocation. Job changes are challenging for adults and even more problematic for children who must leave friends, schools, and home.

O’Brien shares valuable lessons from his family’s experiences with military moves in his story. Emma and Jake’s parents’ optimistic attitude helps alleviate their children’s fears and stress. They encourage the children to talk about their emotions and embrace change’s positive elements. This allows the children to focus on the adventures waiting to happen, opportunities not to be missed, and new friends to be made.

Their journey takes them on a cross-country road trip with stops at national treasures, natural landmarks, and a visit with extended family. Upon reaching their destination, the children learn valuable life lessons and find that the move is not as terrible as they feared.

Though some sentences are long and use advanced vocabulary, with adult help, the story is a valuable read for military kids and other children “on the move.”

Review by Sandi Cathcart (February 2025)
 

Author's Synopsis

"Military Kids: On the Move"

In this heartwarming story, siblings Jake and Emma face the challenges of being part of a military family with courage and resilience. Just when they've settled into their beloved school and neighborhood, unexpected orders arrive - their family must move across the country.

With a mix of sadness and anticipation, the kids say goodbye to dear friends, embarking on an epic cross-country road trip adventure full of breathtaking landscapes and quirky attractions. Through heartfelt conversations with locals, they discover the rich diversity that makes up the fabric of America.

Arriving at their new hometown, Jake and Emma must navigate unfamiliar territory - a new house, new school, and the task of making new friends. But they soon realize home is not defined by walls or an address; it’s the warmth in their hearts when they’re with those they care about. By embracing fresh opportunities like joining a soccer team, art club, and celebrating with classmates, the siblings gradually plant their roots.

This poignant tale reminds us that while life's journeys can be tough, opening your heart to new experiences allows you to grow. With their parents' unwavering support, Jake and Emma learn that home can bloom in surprising places when you carry it within you.

Full of adventure, laughter, and resilience, "Military Kids: On the Move" is an inspiring story that will embolden young readers to face life's challenges with optimism and brave self-discovery.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Children's Chapter Book

Number of Pages: 50

Word Count: 3185

Desert Tough by Katie Bonecutter

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MWSA Review
 Diego Martinez is an eleven-year-old military child. Every few years he moves with his family to a new base somewhere in the world because of his Marine father’s assignments. In Desert Tough, author Katie Bonecutter gives the reader a peek into Diego’s life at Twentynine Palms Marine base in Southern California. It is a desert location, quite different from other places where the family has lived.

Diego has grown adept at being the new boy in class. Many of the kids in his middle school are also military children, and they know how it feels to be the new student. On the first day of school, one of these boys, Dante, befriends Diego; they become fast friends. They run together, explore the desert after school and on weekends, and play endless games with Diego’s best non-human friend—his Belgian Malinois dog, Radar. Radar flunked out of the canine police training academy, yet he is a loyal, loving, protective, and intelligent pet.

Nathan, a neighborhood toddler, exercises a penchant for taking unauthorized walkabouts around the neighborhood, much to the chagrin of his mother, whose husband is deployed overseas. Nathan has fallen in love with Radar, Dante, and Diego, as well as with Diego’s younger sister, Lily. Despite the age difference, the children include Nathan in many activities.

Diego loves science and nature. He hung on every word a ranger said at a school assembly about the beauty of the desert and its dangers. Diego takes the ranger’s word as gospel and learns how to equip himself for desert adventures. When something unthinkable happens, Diego, his friends, and Radar must apply all their skills to save a life.

Desert Tough highlights how adaptive a military child can be, and how close a military family is to its members and other military families. This novel provides middle-grade adventure, solid friendships, and a remarkable dog.

Children around the same age as Diego will find this story engaging and informative, as will their parents.

Review by Pat Walkow (January 2025)

Author's Synopsis

 Imagine starting over as the new kid every one-to-three years. Eleven-year-old Diego Martinez, son of a US Marine, doesn’t have to imagine this reality; he lives it. His dad has recently been transferred to a remote Marine base near the small city of Twentynine Palms, California and the Joshua Tree National Park. In Desert Tough, Diego endeavors to find his new sense of normal—sorting out a new base and a new school—all while trying to make friends and to navigate the unforgiving natural environment of the high desert. Diego faces the hardships of this transition as he always does, with courage and grit. The friendships he makes are forged from the shared experience of life as a military kid and highlight the toughness gleaned from their lives of transitions and unique challenges. Understandably, then, when a local boy goes missing in the desert, Diego and his friends step forward to help search for him. Aided by Diego’s dog, Radar, they come together to successfully rescue the missing boy.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Middle Grade Chapter Book

Number of Pages: 144

Word Count: 27,900

A Stroke of Magic: The Dinosaur Woman by Brunella Costagliola

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MWSA Review

Seven-year-old twins Ella and Alex meet Layla, a six-year-old, on their first visit to Discovery Casa retirement home, where their mother, a nurse, works. Boredom encourages the three, out of curiosity, to wander into the room of a new resident named Art to get a closer look at a rather unusual and incorrect painting they spotted through a partially open door: three dinosaurs on a beach, with a woman in the foreground. Award-winning author Brunella Costagliola continues the fast-paced story with Art entering his room unexpectedly, catching the three interlopers. Art was wearing a paint-covered smock with a magic, talking paintbrush named Emet, emerging from a pocket. The extravagant and knowledgeable magic paintbrush, Emet, soon created a colorful whirlwind, which pulled the three friends into the painting, depositing them on the beach next to the woman. Mary Anning, the woman in the picture, they learn, is the famous 19th-century British fossil hunter whose findings contributed to changes in scientific thinking about prehistoric life and the history of the Earth. Mary Anning demonstrated to the threesome how to search for fossils, thus creating a stimulating wonderment in the children. Emet, the paintbrush, returns the trio to Art’s room with another rainbow whirlwind, leaving each child filled with exciting new knowledge and awe. Full-page drawings by illustrator Valerio Mazzoli are left uncolored as invited by the author to “add your stroke of magic” and send them to the author (with instructions at the end of the book).

Review by Tom Beard (April 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

Ella and Alex are seven-year-old Italian American twins who often go to Discovery Casa, a retirement home where their mother works as a nurse. One day, while there, they meet Layla, a six-year-old Afro-Panamanian girl who goes to Discovery Casa to visit her Abuelita, who tells the three friends that there is a new resident named Art–but nobody knows anything about him because he doesn't speak to anyone. Curious, Ella, Alex, and Layla go on a mission to find out who he is and they soon discover that he is an artist who painted a rather unusual and, at first glance, incorrect painting: three dinosaurs on a beach, with a woman in the background. What is a woman doing among dinosaurs? They wonder.

Before they know it, Art steps into his casa, wearing a white coat and a paintbrush in his pocket. Through a series of colorful and magical events, the paintbrush begins shimmering and shining, creating a glittery vortex that pulls the three friends into the painting and lands them on that very beach. This is when the real adventure begins: Ella, Alex, and Layla have traveled back in time thanks to Emet (which means Truth in Hebrew), the flamboyant, sarcastic, and knowledgeable paintbrush who, with a stroke of magic, will take them on many adventures throughout the series, where the children will meet pivotal figures that history has forgotten.

In the first book, the pivotal figure is Mary Anning, the female paleontologist whose findings on England’s Jurassic Coast contributed to the theory of evolution put forth by Charles Darwin and uncovered secrets about dinosaurs. However, many of her discoveries were unfairly credited to male paleontologists because of her gender, and as a result, history has overlooked her pioneering role.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Chapter Book

Number of Pages: 81

Word Count: 8,000

One Small Spark by Jackie Minniti

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MWSA Review

One Small Spark invites readers into the life of a young boy living in New England during the turbulent times of the American Revolution. Author Jackie Minniti crafts a tale of interest to readers of all ages. Her historical descriptions demonstrate meticulous research and truly place readers into the scenes. She also shows her understanding of combining humor and fun into a serious story to keep young readers engaged.

The book is packed with mystery and intrigue, with interesting and well-developed characters. Readers watch the transformation of the protagonist, Benjamin Pembrooke, as he grows from sheltered boy to young man. The story shares the impacts British rule had on law-abiding colonial citizens, and in many cases, the colonists’ struggles between loyalty and independence. A helpful Afterword includes true facts about characters Minniti portrayed in the fictional book, and a glossary explains historical terms used within the text.

One Small Spark is highly recommended for young readers to provide a brief and realistic snapshot into life early in the tough and hard-earned fight for American independence. 

Review by Valerie Ormond (March 2020)

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Author's Synopsis

 It is 1769, and Boston in turmoil, but Benjamin Pembroke, the sheltered 11-year-old son of a wealthy merchant, is unaware of the growing unrest. His biggest concern is how to achieve his dream of one day joining the British army when his father expects him to become part of the family business.  

An unexpected visit from one of his father’s business associates piques the curiosity of Benjamin and his twin sister Abigail after they eavesdrop on a cryptic conversation. Benjamin becomes even more intrigued after finding a mysterious scrap of paper referring to a shadowy group calling themselves the Sons of Liberty. He becomes determined to learn more about them, and, with the help of his more adventurous sister, sets out to learn who they are and what they’re up to.

During a visit to the home of Grizzell Apthorp, a wealthy widow, Benjamin spies a strange boy he finds surprisingly compelling. When the boy arrives at Benjamin’s home the next day, Benjamin learns that he is Christopher Seider, one of Mrs. Apthorp’s servants who shares Benjamin’s dream of becoming a military hero. This begins an unlikely friendship that will change Benjamin’s future, as well as the future of the country.

A series of escalating incidents involving raids by British soldiers, led by an unscrupulous Customs agent, makes Benjamin realize why so many Bostonians are yearning to be free from the jackboot of King George. Even Benjamin’s father, a former Loyalist, begins to waver in his support for England. When Benjamin discovers Christopher’s connection to the Sons of Liberty, he decides to join forces with the patriots in their fight for freedom. This decision changes Benjamin's life - and the course of our country's history - forever.

ISBN/ASIN: ISBN 9781947327269, ASIN: B07J4T4Z6K
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Chapter Book
Number of Pages: 196

Kato's Grand Adventure by Jasmine and Jim Tritten

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MWSA Review

Jasmine Tritten has written a wonderful story for children in her book Kato's Grand Adventure. The story is about a cat, Kato, who is adopted by a nice family. The day before the family adopted Kato, his sister disappeared from the home in which they were staying while awaiting adoption. Kato is happy with his new home and family, but knows he must leave and search for his sister. In setting forth the trials and adventures Kato experiences in his attempt to find his sister and then return to the safety of his new home, the author spins an interesting tale for any child who likes to read or be read to. The use of a variety of animals to befriend Kato and help him during his adventure adds depth to the story. I recommend this book for all children.

Review by Bob Doerr (January 2019)

Author's Synopsis

 An adventure story written from the perspective of lost kitten. Kato is the cutest little gray/black striped young male cat with white paws and a rusty colored nose. He sets out to look for his missing sister. In the process he gets lost in the woods by a rushing stream. With the help of a rabbit, then an owl, and finally a coyote he overcomes many obstacles on his journey. Assisted by newfound friends, Kato is reunited with his sister and arrives safely at home. Kato’s Grand Adventure is a perfect to be read-aloud to children and grandchildren at an early age. It can then be a first chapter book for anyone with a 4th or 5th grade reading level. Original illustrations by the author.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1722769222; B07FRNLSCQ
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Chapter Book
Number of Pages: 60