Book Review 20: The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail by Michael P. Spradlin

So, I am not really into the whole "Templars" and Holy Grail kind of story. But it was interesting enough. I could see how kids might get into it. I do have a complaint that several of the books I've read leave off. Yeah, I understand it is good to have sequels and keep kids reading, but this one ended right in the middle of major action!! Very frustrating for me. So, not sure this was a favorite. The main character is Tristan, who is an orphan left with monks and a mysterious note when he was a baby. So we get the idea he is someone special. The Templars stop by the monastery he is living at, and he draws the attention of Sir Thomas who wants Tristan to become his squire and train as a Templar. Unfortunately Sir Hugh also notices Tristan, and Sir Hugh is basically a bully, but maybe more as we find out further on. They go to the Holy Land under King Richard the Lion Heart. When the town they are in gets surrounded by Saracen, Sir Thomas gives Tristan the Holy Grail and tells him to make for safer land. On Tristan's way out, he runs into Robard who is a former member of the king's guard, and they are attacked by a band of assassins. They knock one out as the others run away. Tristan feels they must help this person, who turns out to be a girl, Maryam. She is grateful that they've helped her, so she helps them find their way. The book ends on a ship as they try to get to England, in the middle of the storm, when Tristan falls off the boat and begins to sink. Yeah, I know right, what a major cliffhanger.

My next book I started tonight, is called Boost by Kathy Mackel, it's a sports book, female basketball player I think. Not starting off well, I'm kind of bored so far.

Book Review 19: Shifty by Lynn E. Hazen

After Gone I needed a "realistic" fiction type of book, plus, this book I couldn't renew, it had a hold on it, along with some others on my lists that I hadn't read yet. But since I knew this was next, I decided to go ahead and read it, and maybe I can return it before school tomorrow and not have a fine? We'll see.

Anyway, Shifty, or Solomon, prefers to be called Shifty or Soli. He's a foster child, or as his foster mom puts it, a child in a foster home. Marge is his foster mom, and she is also taking care of a little girl named Sissy and a crack baby named Thaddeus, or as they call him, Chance. Shifty is only 15, yet driving. And his driving tends to get him in trouble, parking in handicap spots, flat tires, almost getting towed. There are lots of issues with his family, as you would imagine in this type of situation. Overall this was a good book, and I think there are kids who will relate to this. However I wonder if they like to read this kind of book, or if it would be too hard for them. Not sure what I'll rate this. It was good, but kind of hard and sad to read. I basically read it in one day, and my next book is "The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail" by Michael P. Spradlin.

I also have a new "tentative" goal. I am now on book 20. I'm hoping to finish the Truman books before October if possible. Let's see, 6 more books, 8 more days this month? Well, maybe in the next two weeks I can do it, if not by October 1st. I'd love to get them as close to being done before November as possible, because then maybe I can do NanoWrimo again this year. I have an idea both for a new novel, as well as maybe going back and working on my first one I started, Digging Up Love, and maybe finally finishing that one.