Fun Fiction Friday - October 20, 2017

Fun Fiction Friday
October 20th, 2017

Welcome back to Fun Fiction Friday. 

In my Fun Fiction Friday I share the books the older girls and I are reading, and a short review of a Young Adult or Juvenile book I have finished, if applicable. I will also ask the girls to tell me something they would like to share about at least one of the books they are currently reading.

I finished Generation One by Pittacus Lore earlier this week.

However, I didn't pick up that Land of Stories book. Instead I started reading The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau. It is quite intriguing, and seems like it could be one I can really get into. It is another dystopian book, the first in a trilogy. I loved that one of the endorsements said that, "The Testing is a chilling and devious dystopian thriller that all fans of The Hunger Games will simply devour." Yep, that caught my attention!

I still have these Novella compilations from the I Am Number Four series out from the library. I need to get to them.

Moving on...

Yes, we are still reading All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor and The Tanglewoods' Secret by Patricia St. John. All-of-a-Kind Family is a book that was listed in our My Father's World Creation to the Greeks Teacher Manual. We are learning about the Jewish feasts this year and this book includes several chapters in which the family celebrates the Jewish feasts. It is set in the early 1900's in NYC. The Tanglewoods Secret is another scheduled read aloud in our curriculum, however, it is not really connected to the lessons we are reading. So far the children and I are enjoying both of these books.

Tabitha is still reading Prince Caspian.

Amelia finished Voyage with the Vikings and surprised me by picking up The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell. I had taken it out for Tabitha. Amelia seems to be enjoying it though, so she gets to read it before her sister. She is still trying to make her way through Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. 

Don't forget to check out my reviews of the Secret of the Hidden Scrolls books (books 1 and 2) by M.J. Thomas and Imagine . . . The Great Flood by Matt Koceich.

Fun Fiction Friday

Book Review

Generation One by Pittacus Lore is the first book in a new series that takes place after the I am Number Four series came to a close. It is called: Lorien Legacies Reborn. 

If you have NOT finished reading the I am Number Four series, I would recommend not reading any further. (Talking to you hubby.)

If you have read that series, you will know that the Garde unleashed the power of Lorien throughout earth and humans are now getting Legacies, or powers. This series follows several different human teenagers who developed legacies, some during the war against the Mogodorians, some afterward. There is an Academy set up where they can be trained, where we see some of the characters from the original series, including Nine (now Professor Nine) and Sam's father Malcolm Goode. There is a brief appearance by John (Number Four), but other than that, this first book focuses on the teens who find themselves brought to the Academy. 

There are those who don't trust the new Garde, both in the government and normal people around the world. There are rules to follow, including attending the Academy. However, there are also those who are using the Garde for what appears to be more sinister purposes (the Foundation). At the Academy we are reintroduced to some of the human Garde who answered John's call at the end of the original series, Caleb, Ran, and Nigel. We are also introduced to Kopano, Taylor, and Isabela. All of these young people will become important in this new series it appears. And the Foundation is after at least one of them. 

It takes awhile for all the characters to get together, as we first have to learn the individual stories of Kopano and Taylor before they make it to the Academy. Then there is a lot of time at the Academy where they get to know each other and learn more about their legacies. At the same time, we see the Foundation people kidnapping other human Garde, and we have no clue why. And thrown into this mix are the Harvesters who think the human Garde are from the devil and need to be eradicated. 

There is a lot going on in this first book of the new series. I have to say, I am not in love with it the way I was with the original series. It is good. But it is not the same. One of the best changes is that it is not written in first person but in third person, making it a bit easier to follow. But I am missing the original characters and still trying to figure out exactly what is going on with this Foundation. With the original series we knew right away that the Mogodorians were out to kill the Garde and their Cepans. We knew they wanted to take over earth. At the close of the first book of this new series, we are still waiting to find out exactly what the Foundation is up to, along with Earth Garde. Those with legacies on Lorien were always good guys (except for Setrakus Ra of course), but now we have Garde, some who are good and others seem to be bad and are using their legacies for nefarious purposes. 

I'm looking forward to seeing where these books go, and hoping I start to like it more, like I did the original. Would I recommend it? Yes. But be aware, if you were a fan of the original series, there is definitely a different feel. And again, I do have to warn, there is some use of "bad/curse words" in the book, same as with the others. So, if you steer clear of that, you will probably not like the series. 

I'm sharing over at: