In My Mailbox - August 28, 2011

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme, hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren, inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. Every week bloggers can share what they received in the mail or at the bookstore or at the library. The goal is that everyone can be exposed to more books this way!

For Review:

Jack Blank and the Secret War by Matt Myklusch
All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
*Thanks to AudioFile*



Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Nightshade by MaryRose Wood
*Thanks NetGalley!*


Prized by Caragh O'Brien
Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver
*Thanks NetGalley!*


Paradise Prophecy by Robert Browne
*Thanks to Dutton*
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
*Thanks to Tor Teen!*

From the Library:

The Seventh Level by Jody Feldman
Edda by Conor Kostick

The Gollywhopper Games

The Gollywhopper Games
by Jody Feldman

Are you ready?

Gil Goodson's future happiness depends on winning the Golly Toy & Game Company's ultimate competition. If Gil wins, his dad has promised that the family can move away from all the gossip, false friends, and bad press that have plagued them ever since The Incident. Inside the toy company's fantastic headquarters, Gil will have to master trivia, solve puzzles, and complete physical stunts—and he'll have to do it better than all of the other kids competing.

Oh, and did we mention that Gil's every step—and every mistake—will be broadcast on national television? Hold on tight, because the ride of his life is about to begin! (description from Amazon.com)

I love riddles. I love toys. I love the fantastic. Is it any wonder, I loved The Gollywhopper Games?? Reminiscent of Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Feldman even states this was one of her inspirations), this book again captures the wonder that children can find in almost anything and there is nothing more exciting than going through a giant toy factory if you are under...well, let's say 75~ lol.

I loved the concept of the games that these kids got to participate in. I was trying to solve the puzzles right alongside. The only thing I thought could have been improved was that in some spots, the author presents the riddles as they are being solved, giving the reader little time to try to solve them on their own. A great example of books with riddles that you can try to solve "before" the kids is The Mysterious Benedict Society series.

I loved not only just the fantastical things in this book, but also Gil's family's storyline. Poor Gil has been ostracized because people think his father stole from the Golly Toy & Game Company. When the truth is finally revealed, I cheered! It was a good and pretty believable ending. A bad guy who was bad, but not totally... well done.

For a quick and fun read, try picking up this great middle grade puzzle book!

Into the Gauntlet

Into the Gauntlet
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The 39 Clues, book 10

Throughout the hunt for the 39 Clues, Amy and Dan Cahill have uncovered history's greatest mysteries and their family's deadliest secrets. But are they ready to face the truth about the Cahills and the key to their unmatched power? After a whirlwind race that's taken them across five continents, Amy and Dan face the most the difficult challenge yet- a task no Cahill dared to imagine. When faced with a choice that could change the future of the world, can two kids succeed where 500 years worth of famous ancestors failed? (description from Amazon.com)

What a great "end" to the series! Having waited a little bit to read it, I know that there is a whole secondary series beginning, so this isn't truly the end, (and boy am I glad!) but it came to a really good point in this book.

Without ruining things for anyone, I will just say that I love the adventure, puzzles, fun facts, and family in this series. Yes, I say family, because even as this family is fighting, clawing, and scheming their way around each other for clues, people like Nellie (the au pair) are becoming part of the Cahill family and members from different branches of the family...ones who never mingled before...are drawing alliances and coming together as a larger extended family.

In fact, the end of this book is all about if Dan and Amy can bring the family together or not, essentially to save the world from power hungry Cahills! What happens made me smile. I really loved all of the revelations about the younger Cahills...from all branches...in this final book.

There, no spoilers. I will just finish with - IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN READING THIS SERIES...START NOW! It's sooooo good. (And they are really quick reads!)

The Lost Symbol

The Lost Symbol
by Dan Brown
Robert Langdon series, book three

As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object--artfully encoded with five symbols--is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation . . . one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.

When Langdon’s beloved mentor, Peter Solomon--a prominent Mason and philanthropist--is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations--all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.
(description taken from Amazon.com)

Robert Langdon returns in another intriguing, complex Masonic adventure. This particular addition to the series starts off a little slowly, but gains speed quickly. This book once again blends organized religion, secret societies, mysticism, and science.

The science introduced, noetics, is really fascinating to contemplate...and to read about on the internet. The idea that you can actually use your mind to affect the world around you is very cool - I loved the correlations to group healings, prayer circles, and ultimate creation...wow. Very interesting!

The science I think really brought this whole book together, though I also really liked the way that Brown brought people from Langdon's life in closer to the storyline. His relationship to the Soloman family made the story more complex and drew me further into caring about what happened to each character. Smart!

Overall, an entertaining and thought-provoking read.