By: Ali Sparkes
Published: 2007
My rating: Wonderful
Once again, we have been entranced by this series as we read this third installment! The adventures of these children have kept us on the edge of our seats throughout all three of the books we have read so far!
Following the destruction of Tregarren College, the COLAs have been sent home while a new location can be made ready for them. Despite close surveillance, Dax, Lisa, Gideon, and Mia still manage to slip away. Lisa has sensed a grave danger and they have no idea who they can trust! It takes all their wits to remain free of the grasp of the government searchers, but they manage to stay ahead of them as they lead them on quite a chase across the English countryside! As the danger becomes more and more apparent, they realize they are no match for it! They have to find someone they can trust to help them, but who? Help comes from surprising places and in the end after a harrowing experience they finally feel safe once again. But is the danger really past? As they move into their new home they are faced once again with a huge shock that nobody ever expected!
As in the previous two books, I was impressed with the easy flow of the storyline. Ali does an amazing job keeping the reader's attention without giving too much away. My wife and I were just as caught up in the excitement as the kids were and we looked forward very much to the time we got to spend reading. I am impressed at how each book can stand alone but as we are reading them in order, we are also discovering a deeper, very subtle plot unfolding throughout all of the books. It is important to read them all, as one would completely miss this by only reading one or two. I am looking forward to finding out more as we move on to the last two books in the set!
Overall, these books are wonderful for the kids but very engaging for adults as well! If you have kids, don't hesitate to get these to read to them! However, if you don't have kids, I won't tell on you if you decided to indulge your inner child a bit! :)
I love books about the English countryside. And not knowing who to trust can be quite a plot teaser. These books do sound exciting.
ReplyDeleteI love books from England, Scotland, and Ireland! I especially like the audio books because I love hearing the accents! I try to do accents when I read but I'm just not that good! The kids get a good laugh out of it though! :)
ReplyDeleteI love reading books to my son that I can enjoy as well. Right now he doesn't really understand what I am reading to him, but I do it anyways.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, for now, it's more for myself than anything else lol!
I was 5 or 6 years old and my mom was reading books like Ivanhoe, The Last Of The Mohicans, and many other major classics. I didn't understand the stories very well but I loved it just the same! It is never too early to start reading to your kids! As he gets old enough to understand, then you can start finding books he will like.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you and your family are enjoying reading those books. I once read a lot, have slowed down some,but still love to read.Blessings jane
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in my teens I read all the time! But for some reason, now that I'm an adult, it just seems like I don't have as much time! :) Besides, I tend to fall asleep if I'm trying to read too late in the evening now! :)
ReplyDeleteI do love reading to the kids though, and they seem to love it as well! :)
Hi Book Nut
ReplyDeleteJust had your lovely reviews pointed out to me. Thank you! They're wonderfully written (I appreciate how deftly you've avoided spoilers!) and very kind. It's always a delight when a reviewer clearly 'gets' me.
I hope you and your family enjoyed the series to the finale - look out for Unleashed, the follow on series. First one is out in England. And I've recorded the audiobook version too, so you can have some English accent if you like. (Although don't judge me too harshly on the Irish and Eastern European!).
Best wishes from across the pond.
Ali
Wow! :) I am always honored to have the author read my reviews! :) Thank you so much for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteWe are actually reading Stirring The Storm right now and are enjoying it very much! We had started it in the spring but the busy summer got in our way so we just picked it back up last week! :) I will definitely be watching for Unleashed! I wish your books were more widely available here in the States but I guess with the internet, there isn't much problem at all in getting my hands on them! :)
Thanks again for stopping in and for your kind words, but especially for such a great series of books! :)