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.
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
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