Book Reviews by Ehlen Administration

Spinner by Michael J. Bowler My rating: 4 of 5 stars Alex has a secret hiding behind his reputation as the wheelchair kid in special ed. He has always been able to “spin” people. His current foster mom is exploiting that, and he is determined not to let her get in the way of his friendships with the other special ed kids in his class. But when their beloved teacher gets murdered, just the way Alex saw it in his dream, he realizes that the people after him may exploit him far more than his foster mother ever dreamed. Spinner is a paranormal story told from a special ed kid’s perspective, which does make it somewhat unique. I live the SpEd mom life, and I love seeing disabled children portrayed as heroes rather than useless. I also work in adoption, and enjoyed seeing that play a part in the story as well. Overall the story was a refreshing take on a relatively formulaic story - gates of hell have been unleashed and an unlikely band of misfit heroes must save the day - and the de...

Warrior Kids: A Tale of New Camelot by Michael J. Bowler My rating: 3 of 5 stars Lance has a new mission, but no less vital than children’s rights. He’s now taking up his friend Itzali’s cause - climate change. After all, what’s the point of kids having rights when they don’t have a decent world to live in? But just like before, he’s making some powerful enemies and might bring about change, but at the cost of his own life. Following up on his previous series, author Michael Bowler continues with the characters from his Knight Cycle books. Continuing with his mix of Arthurian values in modern society, and strange fascination with long, luscious locks, he sets youth as the real heroes against one of society’s biggest scientific issues, that of climate change. Like with the previous books, the results on adults are a bit far fetched, but nice to imagine. I love the emphasis on chivalry and camaraderie, and remember wishing as a kid that adults would take me more seriously (and th...