Reviews written by Joanne Mumley

Being a drummer myself, I was really looking forward to reading this book. Road Rash does not disappoint. Loved the band on the road story, and loved the musical references that are woven in almost flawlessly. Mark Huntley Parsons creates characters you can cheer for- especially...

Overall The Hit was an okay book. In The Hit, characters live with the new temptation of a street drug appropriately called Death. It just takes one pill,and one can experience the greatest high.The catch? In exchange for the ultimate high- the ultimate price- death. What worked-...

Few know its power. “ She felt the planet coming apart that night, a tender tearing at the seams that would eventually split the world wide open.” What a follow up from Patrick Carman! The second book in the Pulse series doesn’t disappoint....

This is one wild ride of a book. The Severed Tower is a young adult science fiction novel about Mira, Holt, Max, and Zoey who will do anything to get to the heart of the Strange Lands. What did I enjoy? The captivating characters make the...

The Boy on the Porch is a beautiful story about family and love. It feels like a fable in the truest form. Although geared for young readers, this feels more like a family read or read aloud. The story is told through the adults’ point of view and is a...

A non- stop action adventure story, The Living, kept me on the edge of my seat. The best part of The Living is its interesting blend of genres; survival fiction, apocalyptic-natural disaster, mystery, and a little medical thriller. The story builds quickly after the initial exposition. I...

I grew up on shows like Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica. All thing Star Wars started as a young child and still continues today. Although I didn't find Firefly until NetFlix came along, it has become another favorite of mine. So when I heard about Avalon I was...

Christopher Krovatin does it again with Grave Diggers: Terror Cove. Having survived their last trip, Ian,Kendra, and PJ go on a family vacation. But their luck hasn’t changed. Zombies just seem to find them! The gang finds themselves investigating a cursed island called Isla Hombrienta where they...

Fans of R.L Stine will absolutely love Christopher Krovatin’s Grave Diggers Series. Mountain of Bones is filled with zombies, suspense, and humor. Ian, PJ, and Kendra are 6th grade students attending the Homeroom Earth Camp in Montana. Things go horribly wrong when they get lost in the...

A sign of a great writer?- The reader becomes so emotionally invested in the characters that they can’t let go. Kelly York does just that in Made of Stars. Made of Stars is an intense story of friendship and love- a true coming of age story. Once...

James Dashner does it again with The Eye of Minds, the first book in The Morality Doctrine. Set in the near future, Dashner takes his readers on a techno-thrill ride filled with cyber terrorists and an intricate and dangerous journey through the virtual world. In The...

A Matter of Days is a realistic take on the apocalyptic novel. Set in the future where the BluStar pandemic virus has killed most of earth’s population. Nadia and her brother pack up and travel across what is left of the United States. Nadia takes to heart her father’s last...

Not a Drop to Drink is a phenomenal debut novel from Mindy McGinnis. In the story, Mindy McGinnis has created a futuristic United States where access to water is limited. Cholera has decimated the population, spreading through a thinning water supply. The scariest part of the...

November 22, 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. James L. Swanson’s novel comes at a perfect time to provide a vivid and engaging account of this event to younger generations. The President has been Shot is an amazing narrative fiction following the order...

Good historical thriller for middle school readers interested in WWII history. While this is fiction, there is an interesting author’s note explaining the line between real events and the story. Osborne takes actual people and events and weaves a semi-believable story. The story is fun and exciting and it...