A Dangerous Game by Sigmund Brouwer

Who is ready for some tension, chills, and thrills? Today's read is a rewriting of the well-known short story, 'The Most Dangerous Game'. I have this one fresh in my memory thanks to the last years homeschooling my daughter. So, today's read caught my attention right away. Also, I'm a huge fan of this section of books put out by Orca Publishers. They have an entire row of reads aimed at young adult readers, who aren't super solid word fans but still need interesting tales to fit their age group.  Plus, it's nice to pick up a quick read and not dive into a huge novel, sometimes. 

So, I'm very excited to see what these pages hold.

A DANGEROUS GAME

by Sigmund Brouwer

Orca Book Publishers

YA Thriller

96 pages

COMING AUGUST 18th!!!

This retelling of the classic short story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell brings a modern teen into the clutches of an unhinged billionaire to explore the depths of our own humanity.

Rain is on the most boring vacation in existence: a sailboat trip with his parents. No video games, no friends, just floating and listening to adults talk. That is until he accidentally falls overboard in the middle of the night while everyone is asleep. As the boat sails off, Rain swims for his life and makes it to a nearby island owned by a billionaire who is obsessed with the thrill of the hunt. Unfortunately for Rain, the island’s owner has grown bored of his usual prey. He wants to hunt something smarter, something that can reason...something like Rain. And Rain has no choice but to play along.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading-level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read!

GOODREADS    /    PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

The tense atmosphere from Connell's 'The Most Dangerous Game' echoes loud and clear in this teen adventure.

Rain is bored. Stuck on a sailboat with his parents and their friend, there isn't a whole lot for him to do. To detox from a day of adult conversation, he decides to stay on deck while everyone else turns in for the night, but when he accidentally falls overboard, boredom disappears. Luckily, Rain is a good swimmer, and while he can't catch up to the sailboat, a nearby private island saves him from drowning and offers a good chance at a rescue. But the owner of the island isn't what Rain expected, nor is the game the man wants to play. Now, Rain needs to find a way to survive.

This book is designed for teen readers, who struggle with more difficult texts. The sentences are kept short, the vocabulary stays more familiar, and the pacing is kept quick. There's just enough description to lock in the scenes, but the rest is action and character driven. From the moment Rain falls overboard, the danger mounts. The author keeps everything realistic making it easy to root for Rain and follow him as he does his best to outwit a deadly man. Rain isn't a survival expert but builds off of what he's seen in video games, movies, or just caught here and there. This makes him relatable as he does his best to stay out of sight. 

This is a quick, easy read, and the short length makes it one even reluctant readers are sure not to grumble too much about. The story is potent and uses action to drive it forward. That means there is less character depth and background, but it works well. The ending does come in pretty quick, but then, this isn't unexpected. Slower and reluctant readers are sure to find this tale grabbing, and more fluent readers will enjoy the quick, easy adventure, too.

And here he is...

Sigmund Brouwer is the award-winning author of over a hundred books for young readers, with over five million books in print. He has won a Christy Book of the Year and an Arthur Ellis Award, and some of his titles were finalists for the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award (twice) and the Red Maple Award. Sigmund has captivated students with his Story Ninja writing program during his school visits, reaching over one million students since 1990. His many books in the Orca Sports, Orca Soundings and Orca Currents lines have changed the lives of countless striving readers. Sigmund lives in Red Deer, Alberta.

Today's read... Shock Wave by Sigmund Brouwer

Today's read is a quick dive into a thriller for young adults. Sometimes, a short read is all that's necessary, and this one is, hopefully, that. I'm expecting thrilling moments, high tension, and some action, too. Let's see if it can deliver all of that in under 150 pages.

SHOCK WAVE

by Sigmund Brouwer

Orca Book Publishers

YA Thriller

144 pages

COMING...

AUGUST 13th!!!

It’s the first week of summer and former army brat Jake Ballard is spending it alone at his uncle’s cottage while his mom gets treatment for PTSD.

Jake's boring day gets flipped upside down when a beautiful stranger asks him to help play a prank on her friends. But when an angry crime boss turns up at the cottage the next morning, Jake is sure of two things: the night before was a big mistake, and that girl was no prankster. And she is nowhere to be found.
Jake has twenty-four hours to return the stolen goods...or else. He has no other choice but to find the girl—and hopefully not find himself in any more trouble than he’s already in.

GOODREADS  /   FANTASTIC FICTION

MY TIDBITS

The tension soars high in this fast-paced read, where nothing is as it seems.

Jake's done with high school and isn't sure what to do next, especially since his mother is at treatment for PTSD thanks to her experiences as a military nurse. Luckily, his uncle has a small hut next to a dock, where he can take a quiet brake from life and think about things. When a strange girl convinces him to help her carry out a prank, he does his best to make sure everything's above board. Until it isn't. Suddenly, he finds himself threatened over stolen goods he knows nothing about, but if he doesn't figure it out within 24-hours, everything's going to go up in smoke around him.

This is part of a series of books put out by Orca Publishing, which gives intense stories for teens while keeping them accessible to those readers, who might still be struggling a bit. ..and it does an amazing job at it. Not only is it under 150 pages (no big book scares) and has a slightly larger font than many reads, but it soars along smoothly and grabs on every page. 

Jake is an easy-to-grasp-guy, who is just trying to figure out life...like so many his age. When things go array, it isn't because he acted 'stupid' but was really going against someone above his level. It makes him easy to stand with and root for. He comes across as naturally as the guy next door and his decisions, for the most part, make perfect sense.

It was hard to put this read down thanks to the high-tension and pacing. Every moment heads into another difficult turn, and there's even a bit of a mystery to keep the reader wondering how things are going to work out. It's a fun, quick read from beginning to end.

And here he is...

With close to three million books in print, Sigmund Brouwer writes for both children and adults. In the last ten years, he has given writing workshops to students in schools from the Arctic Circle to inner city Los Angeles. One of his latest novels, The Last Disciple, earned Sigmund an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America. Sigmund and his family live half the year in Nashville, Tennessee, and half the year in Red Deer, Alberta. The Talk: Reach for Your Dreams. It doesn't matter where you come from, it's where you decide to go in life that is important. Sigmund Brouwer encourages students to reach for their dreams, giving them fun and practical advice for the reading and writing skills that are the foundation of future success. The Presentation: Sigmund's presentations are an hour of high-level energy. He especially reaches out to reluctant readers and gears the talk to engage their attention. Audience size varies; often his presentations take place in the gym for the entire school, including kindergarten. (After the first half hour, the K-2 grades are dismissed, and the remainder of the presentation is focused on the older students.) There are no restrictions on audience size except for the space limitations of the gym. Smaller schools are welcome to invite another school to share in the cost of the presentation.

Review: Trapped in Terror Bay by Sigmund Brouwer

 Today's review dives into the realm of nonfiction and history. While this does cover an often overlooked, historical event (which I'm always a fan of), it also takes a slightly different twist by showing what modern science can do to help solve these long-unsolved mysteries. 

Do you see why I couldn't pass up this one?

I was hoping this one might be a treasure for homeschoolers, too. Ready to see if it might be?

TRAPPED IN TERROR BAY

Solving the Mystery of the Lost Franklin Expedition

by Sigmund Brouwer

Kids Can Press

YA Historical

160 pages

COMING...

MAY 3rd!!!

This enthralling and up close tale of the ill-fated Franklin expedition reveals bone-chilling details of what really happened in Terror Bay! In 1845, Sir John Franklin's expedition set sail for the Arctic from England in search of the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Not only did they not succeed, his two ships --- HMS Erebus and HMS Terror --- and their entire party of 129 men vanished, their fate a mystery that remained unsolved for decades. In 10 suspenseful episodes, the thrilling tale of that doomed polar mission is told from the points of view of the commander of the Terror and of those back home and the search parties who attempted to find them. Each episode also describes some of the modern-day searches, including the discovery of the lost ships, allowing readers to examine the evidence and consider the theories about what happened. It's a thorough and thoroughly captivating read about an intriguing story from the past.Award-winning author Sigmund Brouwer packs loads of information, including the most up-to-date findings, into this original and engaging narrative. The highly graphic design includes historic photos, maps, a timeline and illustrations plus modern photos. The book highlights the importance of Inuit oral history and knowledge in solving the mystery. It was reviewed by an Inuit interpreter and elder. Sidebars throughout contain fascinating information about how technology and inventions at the time of the expedition brought about social changes, and mini-mysteries from history that ask readers to solve them using forensic science. There are strong curriculum links here to history, geography, Inuit studies, engineering, technology and applied science.

GOODREADS   /   AMAZON   /   B&N   /   BOOK DEPOSITORY

MY TIDBITS

With historic details, maps, and scientific deduction, the intriguing mystery behind the disappearance of two ships and their crews takes on a new light.

Sliding back into 1845, the reader joins the crew of the ship Terror as it departs a port in England in hopes of discovering the Northern Passage along with a partner ship, Erebus. While the reader is the 2nd in command and learns about their own history, that's only a small part of everything disclosed. With background information, surrounding tidbits from other areas, and dives into science, the mystery behind the ships' and crews' disappearance is explored.

This is a book, packed with information, photos, maps and more. It starts with a note from the author, which sets the tone and gives a few hints at what is to be expected. Then, it dives into the material. Chapters separate the various times and themes, helping the organization. The rest is a piecing together of various tidbits from many directions. While it does start out and flows along a type of historic setting, where the reader is the 2nd in command, this is only a section (and by no means the largest) of the book. Blocks of information, set off with different colored backgrounds, give insight into all sorts of information from the backgrounds of those involved, past explorations, events which are tied (sometimes, very loosely) to the expedition in some way or another, political trends, social points, and then...and most importantly...how science can be used (and is used) to clarify or investigate certain things. In other words, it's a conglomeration of facts and theories from many directions. 

History buffs are going to enjoy this. There are tons of historic treats, which do expand thoughts and the way to view things. For others, this might be a bit of a muddle. There is so much information from so many aspects that it fogs together without careful attention...something not every reader is going to be willing to give. So, this is for a very specific audience, but with that in mind, it is well done and interesting.

The highlight, outside of all the information, is the interweaving of modern science and how it can be used to solve puzzles of the past. This alone opens minds and will help readers get a glimpse at history from a different view. And that's always a good thing. I do recommend this one to young adults, who are interested in historical events and especially to homeschoolers (at a higher level), who want to not only take a close look at this historical moment but see how science and history still come together.

And here he is...

With over four million books in print, Sigmund Brouwer is a bestselling author of books for both children and adults. His novel Dead Man's Switch was the 2015 winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Canada's best young adult mystery of the year. Two of his novels have been finalists for Canadian Children's Book Centre Book Awards. Sigmund lives in Alberta and travels frequently to deliver his Rock and Roll Literacy presentation to schools across Canada and the United States. (as found on Kids Can Press)