The Secret Files of Phineas Foster - G. B. Gurland (Review)

The Secret Files of Phineas Foster - G. B. Gurland

Genres: Middle Grace
Publication date:  October 31st 2016
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
Format: ebook, 133 pages
How I got it: Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd for an honest review
Buy it: Amazon 
My rating: 4/5 
 

Almost thirteen-year-old Gabriel Marx struggles with just about everything, from school, to relationships, to navigating between his divorced parents. He arrives in New York City for his annual summer visit with his attorney father who finds himself caught up in the mystery surrounding the murder of one of his clients. It is not long before Gabe finds himself smack in the middle of the intrigue and more determined than ever to prove himself to his dad. 

Gabe encounters various players in the unraveling mystery, learns to trust the friendship of eleven-year-old Alex, and that of the renowned, but now discredited, Professor Phineas Foster. Twists and turns and seeming coincidences reveal previously unknown family history and harrowing choices for Gabe. 

Will the children solve the murder? Will their determination lead to the truth? Will the professor be vindicated? Will the scoundrels who sought to corrupt the professor's lifelong work be brought to justice?

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My thoughts:

This is a middle grade book.  

This story follows Gabe who is traveling from CA to NY to stay with his Dad.  Gabe’s mother is a little over protective and nervous about him flying by himself.  On the flight in Gabe sits next to P. J. Foster who is a famous inventor.   Gabe doesn’t realize who the man is at first, but when he leaves a notebook he figures it out. Gabe starts to hunt him down he gets himself into a bit of a mess while attempting to find the inventor.

Gabe is a great main character.  He has trouble focusing in school and is always going from one thing to the next so focusing on this challenge is the perfect thing for him.  I like that he realizes he is struggling with school, but doesn’t know how to fix it.  Also, I like that both of his parents although separated you can tell feel a great deal for him and want him to succeed in everything he does.   I liked that we got to see the perspective of Gabe as well as both of his parents during the book.

I enjoyed how the entire cast of characters all became related while you are reading the book.  We have Gabe’s parents, but also then Gabe’s dad driver Peter and district attorney’s daughter Alex becomes involved.  Also, P.J. Foster has some family that all come together and are connected.  The author doesn’t reveal how everyone is connected right away.

The story flowed very naturally to me it was a complete adventure almost right when you start reading.  I enjoyed how everything pieced together while I was reading.   The author also did a great job setting up the action scenes since the entire book has a lot of action it was important to keep the story moving along.  The author can setup what is going on as well as provide us with enough details so we can visualize what is happening.

My major complaint with the story is there are so many POV’s that the story is being told with it was hard to follow along.  It would switch mid chapter and it almost felt like mid-sentence to another point of view and sometimes I couldn’t keep up.  I wish that either the POV switched by chapter or there was some way to distinguish what was going on.

I would suggest this as a nighttime read.  I felt there were a lot of natural stopping points that I could put the book down and pick it back up.  Also, it allowed me to digest what was going on.

I received a copy of this book from Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd to provide an honest review.  This does not affect my opinion of this book. 

Royal Day Out - Meg Cabot (Book Review)

Royal Day Out: A From the Notebooks for a Middle School Princess e-short by Meg Cabot
Series From The Notebooks of a Middle School Princess #1.5
Genres: Short Story, Middle Grade
Publication date: May 10th, 2016
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Format: ebook, 33 pages
How I got it: Netgalley Publisher Approval
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My rating: 4/5
 
Olivia Grace Clarisse Mignonette Harrison never thought that being a real life PRINCESS OF GENOVIA could ever be boring, but with all of the new vans and paparazzi staked out in front of the palace, the whole family has been on lockdown for weeks. So when Grandmere suggests a shopping trip to buy a small present for Princess Mia, Olivia jumps at the chance—especially since the shopping trip comes with the promise of lunch at the Royal Genovian Yacht Club (makers of the best ice cream sundae in the world)! Surely nothing could go wrong with such a simple day out, could it?

A quick shopping trip with her royal Grandmere turns into a much bigger deal than Olivia Grace, the newest Princess of Genovia expected in this e-short edition to Meg Cabot's illustrated chapter book series From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess.

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My thoughts:

I haven't read a Meg Cabot book in a little while, but do love her writing style.  The stories are always super cute and a light-hearted read! 

This book follows Olivia and her grandmother on a day out around town.  Olivia is new to being a Princess of Genovia and still learning how to be a princess.  Grandmere has been a princess in Genovia for a long time is set in her own ways.  Olivia really looks up to her Grandmere and does enjoy a day out.  They are trying to find a gift for her sister Mia and also going to the Genovian Yacht Club for lunch.  Olivia loves the Yacht Club because they always bring her exactly what she loves! 

This book is a super short read and very cute! There is a little bit of action and some comedy, which makes it a fun read.  I haven't read the previous books before this, but you don't need to read them to understand what is going on. 

Olivia is a super cute character that the author developed who is trying to learn her role as a new princess.  She is easy to relate to because sometimes children are just trying to learn there way around.  Also, Olivia is very respectful of Grandmere, which is refreshing to read.

I would suggest this as a quick read when you really need an escape or a change up between your reading.  It didn't take long to read and it was funny!   
 
I was received this book from the Netgalley for the purpose of providing an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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About the Author

Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.

She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.

Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.

Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.

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