The Hunters

The Hunters by John Flanagan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Third and final book in the exciting, adventure series, Brotherband Chronicles, for juveniles, teens, and adults alike is The Hunters. Hal is back with Thorn and his Heron brotherhood and hot on the trail of the bloodthirsty pirate Zavac and the stolen Skandian treasure, the Andomal. Zavac and his crew of cutthroats somehow seem to stay ahead of the Herons, resorting to bribing and murder. Hal is determined to track Zavac and return the Andomal to his homeland, earning back honor and respect for him and his young friends.


Both series, Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband Chronicles, exemplify the strengths of working together, friendship and loyalty, patience, thinking outside the box, and you can see as both series progress a maturing of all the characters. I've always looked forward to the release of Flanagan's novels and am wondering what he's working on now.

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Finding Zasha

Finding Zasha by Randi Barrow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The book opens with 12 year old Ivan, his mother, and a few neighbors coping with the horrific 1941 Siege of Leningrad. When his mother's job sends her to work in the Ural Mountains, Ivan is not allowed to join her, but is sent with his "Auntie" to supposedly safety in the Russian north country. After a harrowing trip across the ice road of Lake Ladoga, Ivan's place of safety is occupied by the Germans and Ivan, by circumstance, ends up entertaining the Nazi commander Major Axel Recht. To his delight he also is told to take care of the commander's two beautiful German Shepherd puppies, Zasha and Thor. When Ivan, now a partisan, sees his chance of escape - he take the pups with him and Recht gives chase. Can Ivan ever find safety?

Notes in the back and an overview help fill in places and dates of World War ll. Finding Zasha is a prequel to Saving Zasha.

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