Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Guest Book Review: Five Stars to Four Fiends


Hello, Friends!

 Today we have our very first book review from Neighbor Girl's Mom (we call her "Cool Mom"). Enjoy!

 ~Katrina von Cat the Master of Wisdom and Knowledge (and Stanley)

Title: Four Fiends

 Author : Nikki Bennett

 Illustrator: Mr. Stephen R. Bennett IV

 Year Published: 2013
Description (from Amazon): Jinjing, an insecure and fearful girl living in Hong Kong, is about as far from a brave hero as you can get. But when a legendary golden dragon pulls Jinjing and three other kids—dishonest Pietro from Italy, moody Saburo from Japan and overconfident Kate from America--into another dimension, Jinjing discovers courage and strength she never knew she possessed. A group of horrible monsters—the Four Fiends—have kidnapped the Earth’s Guardians. These ancient protectors keep the world from harm, and while they’re missing, life on Earth will spiral into chaos. The Golden Dragon tasks Jinjing and her new friends to find the Fiends and rescue the Guardians. Now, Jinjing must unlock the courage hidden deep inside and lead the others through faraway lands in their quest to confront the Fiends. Can they pull together and save the Guardians? Or will their personal struggles overwhelm their combined strengths and doom the world?

 Review: What a fun book to read. 
I had three or four books "to be read" on my ipad and began reading the beginning of each of them to see which one would manage to capture my attention. Hands-down, the "Four Fiends" beckoned to be read in its entirely right away. 

Nikki Bennett combines mythology from different worlds by bringing together four characters, two girls and two boys, from different areas of the world. She forces them to work together by moving them around the world and through time to battle mythical creatures. Courage is gained and lessons are learned by all.


As a homeschooling mother, oh, oh, oh, there are so many jumping points for lessons in this book.  Geography, Mythology, History and more! I could see complete lesson plans developed around this book. This would be a fun read-aloud for younger kids as well. 


With the combination of characters I would easily assume that both boys and girls would find a character to identify with while reading the story. 

I give this book 5 stars without hesitation and look forward to the next book in the series. 



Ages: Maybe 8+ for reading alone but I do think younger children would enjoy having this story read to them.




Where to Purchase the Book: Great news! Four Fiends is currently available on Kindle for just 99 cents for a limited time! 

Connect with the Author Online:
Nikki Bennett's Website
Nikki Bennett's Facebook Page
Nikki Bennett's Twitter Account
Four Fiends on Goodreads
Disclosure: I downloaded the Kindle copy of  this book, Four Fiends, on one of its free days. I received no monetary or in-kind compensation for my honest review.
The Reviewer: Hi! I am a homeschooling mother (at heart) to one precocious tween daughter. Most of my reading consists of preparatory reading for upcoming history, math, science, geography, literature, (you get the idea) lessons. However, sometimes I am lucky enough to fit in a book just for fun and will review these "fun" books for my dear friends, Stanley and Katrina von Cat the Master of Wisdom and Knowledge. You may call me Neighbor Girl's Mom or Cool Mom. Note: We no longer homeschool but the homeschooling never leaves your heart. :) 

 Next Planned Book Review: Escape from the Forbidden Planet by Julie Anne Grasso

This post is part of 
Kid Lit Blog Hop


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21 comments:

  1. This does sound like a fascinating book. It could be used very effectively in the classroom as well to interconnect many topics and as a jumping off point to spin off cooperative learning groups.

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  2. Thank you for your comment, Barbara! The book definitely could be used very well in a classroom setting.

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  3. Your enthusiasm for this book is shining through!! You've got me hooked! :)

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    1. Thanks for linking into the Kid Lit Blog Hop! :)

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    2. My pleasure. This has been tons of fun already. Thank you for hosting it, Renee!

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  4. Thank you, Renee! I enjoyed it and hope you do, too!
    ~Cool Mom :)

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  5. What a great review! Thanks for the introduction to Four Fiends.

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  6. Great review Christine
    This is definately on my to read list as I read the excerpt too from Love Middle Grade actually and the story hooked me in.
    Best wishes, Julie

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    1. LOL I forgot my profile says Jambo, thanks for linking it into the kidlit blog hop, cheers Julie Anne Grasso

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  7. Thank you, Jeanette for stopping by and commenting. Thank you, "Jambo" also! It is a fun read and super creative.

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  8. At the risk of repeating other comments-you have me wanting to take a look at this story. Always on the lookout for interesting books to read aloud with my daughter.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Redpeffer. I hope you enjoy it!
      ~ Cool Mom :)

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  9. Looks like a fantastic hero quest book! Thanks for the thorough review and honest opinion. Found you via this week's Hop. Please swing by and see me at well at http://howtoteachanovel.blogspot.com.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Keith! I will definitely visit your blog. Have a wonderful day!
      ~Cool Mom ;)

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  10. Hi, all! Just testing out the new profile picture for posting comments. Thank you for stopping by!

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  11. I was struck by your comment: "Geography, Mythology, History and more! I could see complete lesson plans developed around this book." I've never read this story, but it sounds like it's a perfect classroom read. Thanks for sharing. Nice to meet you, too.

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  12. Thank you, Julia! It is nice to meet you as well! I hope to start visiting everyone's blogs this evening. I also look forward to reading your books eventually. So many books, too little time. :)

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  13. Great review and very enjoyable site. I've come over from the Kid Lit Blog Hop, but I'm full of awe for all you homeschoolers. In my 'professional' life I'm a climate change and energy efficiency nerd, with some earth sciences, pollution and recycling stuff thrown in. So if you ever need to chat ideas through, let me know. Otherwise, I'm a full-time indie author :)
    Jemima at Jemima's blog

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  14. Thank you, Jemima! Awww, no awe needed. :)Sometimes you just do what is best and figure it out as you go - that has pretty much been our journey with homeschooling. Wow! What a great resource you could be. I appreciate you sharing your expertise areas. I know our family has enjoyed getting to know you online through Love Middle Grade Actually.

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  15. Stopping by as part of the Kid Lit Blog Hop. This sounds like an amazing book -- thanks for sharing :)

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  16. Thank you for stopping by, Sibel. My pleasure. It was a fun book for my first book review!

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