I hate reading book reviews. Too much information is revealed that I would prefer to get by reading the book. And I’m not just talking about plot giveaways. I enjoy coming to know the characters as I read the book. Yes, I was one of those children who covered my ears (and eyes–so I couldn’t read lips) and chanted, “I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you,” as my brother told the family about a movie he watched.

As the end of Summer Reading Thing 2009 looms nearer, I realize I still haven’t written a single review. How do I muster the discipline to write what I detest reading? I can’t. So I’ve decided to write the kinds of reviews I would like to read about a book: short and sweet, to the point, and spoiling nothing.

First up is Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull. This is easily my favorite Fablehaven book so far. The mark of good writing to me is if I think about the characters when I’m not reading. Scenes from the book played inside my head while I stood at the sink washing pots and pans. Once again, I read far into the night against my better judgement. (The creatures in these books invade my dreams whenever I read before sleeping.)

The plot twists and turns kept me turning the pages. Every time I thought things were the worst they could get, they got worse. I particularly liked the ending because I didn’t see it coming for a second. In fact, I had to reread it because I couldn’t believe what I’d just read.

Here’s the report my thirteen year-old daughter wrote for her summer reading assignment:

I enjoyed this book because it had a lot of action. This book is about how Kendra and Seth find the fourth artifact. Kendra is kidnapped by the Sphinx. Seth’s grandparents take him to their house so that he won’t be kidnapped also.Eventually Kendra escapes. She makes it back to her grandparents.

After the winter solstice they have to go on a dangerous mission to retrieve the fourth artifact from a secret dragon santuary. During their journey they meet a giant. They also lose friends to death, accidents, and some turn out to be traitors. They meet some interesting and very dangerous dragons.

This book had a lot of action and it was very thrilling. I like books with a lot of action. I love books that you can hardly put down. That is why I enjoyed reading The Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary. It had everything that I think a good novel should have. The Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary is a very enjoyable book.

Next up is Farworld: Waterkeep by J. Scott Savage. Reading this book helped me unearth a mystery in my reading tastes. I’ve never particularly enjoyed the fantasy genre until this past year. I wondered, why my sudden interest now? The answer lies in the author’s world-building technique.

There are two ways to tell a fantasy story. The first is to bring elements of fantasy into the world we know among people as we know them. The second is to bring a human into a fantasy world.  Waterkeep tells its story in both ways. The parts where elements of fantasy are revealed on earth as I know it interested me far more than the other parts. This fits with the type of fantasy I’ve been reading lately.

Savage’s concept of Elementals fascinated me. The description completely absorbed me and I wished  that part of the book was explored in more detail. I hope more information will be revealed with the next book in the series.

I enjoyed the story and the characters but wasn’t as enthralled as my ten year-old son who claims, “This is the best book ever!” He’s reading it for the fourth time now. It’s the book he keeps in the car at the moment. (The boy is a bit of a bookworm. He stashes books around the house and in the car so he’s never without entertainment.) So I thought I’d ask him for a review of the book.

What did you like most about Waterkeep? I like magic books and it had magic in it.

What’s you favorite part? When they’re getting into the Waterkeep.

Why? Because they had to go back to earth to get through. And they had to go through this building to do it. It’s cool.

Who is your favorite character? The skyte.

What would you tell someone who was wondering if they should read this book? It’s a good book. You should read it. It’s interesting. They go on lots of adventures. The adventures and the magic are what make it interesting.

Last is Agent in Old Lace by Tristi Pinkston. This qualifies as what my mother in-law calls a “bathtub read”. Agent in Old Lace starts right in with a life altering event. It kept my interest for the entire afternoon it took to read it. However, the characters didn’t linger with me after I closed the book. Actually, I never thought about it again until I realized I needed to write a review.

As long as I’m writing about books I’ve read, I may as well share some of our favorite family read alouds this summer.

Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech.

McBroom’s Wonderful One-Acre Farm and Here Comes McBroom by Sid Fleischman and The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney