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Thursday, July 11, 2013

Penumbras

This week I read a really great story call Penumbras by Braden Bell.


Book Blurb:
Conner Dell didn't meant to blow up the school bus.
Or the bathrooms.
In fact, he only wanted to go to sleep and possibly dream about Melanie Stephens.
But explosions had a funny way of happening when Conner and his friends were around.
***

Conner Dell wants to be good--he really does. But he is terrified that he might be turning into a Darkhand, especially when new powers start to surface. What's worse, the Stalker is following Conner, but no one else seems to be able to see him. The Magi think he might be hallucinating, the guilt of what happened in the Shadowbox keeps weighing on him, and his relationship with Melanie Stephens is complicating things. Even for a Magi, Conner knows his life is anything but normal. 

Review:
I was very pleased with this Middle Grade book. It shows some of the issues teens face, even without having magical abilities, and the process of dealing with disappointment, turning like into love, and feeling left out. It was a fresh idea, and fun to read. The character were engaging and easy to understand. And although it answered a lot of questions and made you feel that many issues were resolved, it left enough open to intrigue a person into wanting to read the next book and find out what happens. I really enjoyed it and found myself lost in the book for hours on end - even when I had only intended to read it for a few minutes here or there. Braden did a fantastic job on his writing and I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to teens who might enjoy seeing that they are not the only ones in the world who have doubts and fears, and that they can be overcome.

Give Away:
Braden Bell is also doing a give-away fro a $50 Amazon or visa gift card. Go check out and enter the give away HERE.

Author Bio:


Braden Bell grew up in Farmington, Utah and graduated from Davis High School. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in theatre from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. in educational theatre from New York University. He and his wife, Meredith live  with their five children on a quiet, wooded lot outside of Nashville, Tennessee, where he teaches theatre and music at a private school. An experienced performer, Braden enjoys singing, acting, reading, gardening, and long walks with the dog. 


Websites:
Penumbras Website (trailers, photos, sample chapters):http://www.bradenbell.com/penumbras.html
Author Twitter: @bradenbellcom