Reviews written by Jason Gallaher

Now don’t get me wrong, I love me The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I have been craving a good fantasy epic that gives a fresh, new take on elves. Yes, that’s a very specific want, but hey, I read a lot. Thank goodness for Shannon Messenger’s “Keeper of...

Yet another book leaving me pondering what sort of supernatural/magical/fantastical power I would like to have if I was forced to choose. In Kristin Cashore’s “Graceling,” people don’t get to choose this power, they are born with it and it’s called a Grace. A Grace is an exceptional talent at...

I love a good pleasant surprise in any story and Ally Condie’s “Reached” provided just that. The third book in the Matched trilogy, “Reached” took a completely different direction than I thought! Without giving too much away (for those who don’t want to know ANYTHING about the...

Who knew gardening could produce more than just produce? Thanks to Paul Fleischman’s "Seedfolks," I now get that. "Seedfolks" follows the story of a trash heap turned community garden started by a small Vietnamese girl. Normally, I wouldn’t think it’s important to reference a character’s race in...

After seeing loads of people with eyes painted on their hands I figured I better read Laini Taylor’s “Daughter of Smoke & Bone.” Now that I’ve finished the thing, I’ve come to the conclusion to take much better care of my teeth in case anyone ever decides to resurrect into...

Slightly older readers have all seen one too many talking My Little Pony or nonsensical “bow wow” from Blue via Blue’s Clues to become wary of any sort of media featuring talking animals. Sometimes they’re just too dang annoying or childish to really merit spending time with these Chatty Kathy...

I think we should all agree that we will never take pills that we have no idea what they do. That’s a key lesson Cassia should have learned heading into “Crossed,” the second book in Ally Condie’s Matched trilogy. In the second book, Cassia is out traveling...

Who knew that it would be a twelve-year old girl in 1978 who figures out the nuances of time travel? That’s not to say she’s figures out how to actually travel time herself, but she at least discovers all of its little quirks. That’s just one of the many surprises...

In the fifth Animorphs book, “The Predator,” Applegate introduces the theme of a missing parent or parents. Marco, the witty, sarcastic, comedic relief of the group, narrates for the first time, giving readers a glimpse into his difficult home life. He’s nearing the two-year anniversary of his mother’s mysterious death,...

I think we can all agree that nothing about Star Wars is normal. We aren’t aided by a group of intergalactic policemen known as Jedi, the closest thing we have to Jabba the Hut is Honey Boo Boo Child’s mom, and Darth Vader’s breathing problems could be easily fixed with...

It’s that age-old question: Is there such a thing as a soul mate? That one person who is made just for you, and the universe is doing its darndest to put you two together. (That’s how I always felt about Dolly Parton, but the world has still failed to cross...

You know when there are times you just can’t help but have a slight tinge of empathy for the villain (I’m looking at you Angelica Houston circa Ever After)? Or times when you are just a bit tempted to let your evil side out and do things that are just...

This one gives us a whole new take on Flipper! In Animorphs #4 "The Message," readers are taken into the thoughts of Cassie, the most talented morpher of the bunch. This is due in large part to her connection with animals, and it is this connection and awareness of other...

Here’s another Animorphs book that proves Applegate has created anything but another mindless mass-market paperback series. In "The Encounter" Applegate discusses the issue of identity and the search for it. Readers get this through Tobias, one of the five Animorphs who breached the morph time limit and...

Upon reading Philip Pullman’s "The Golden Compass" my first thought was that I have to find me an armored bear. My second thought was how this book is jam packed with such high concept ideas for a young adult book. First there’s the whole issue with religion...