| Reviews |
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| Emmy Budd and
the Hijacked
Train |
|
| winner, 2010
Hollywood Book
Festival |
|
| 5.0 out of 5
stars WOW!, August 26,
2010 |
|
| This review is
from: Emmy Budd and the Hijacked Train (Kindle
Edition) |
|
| By ami reader
(fl) - See all my reviews
|
|
| As a winner of
the 2010 Hollywood Book Festival, I knew i would
be reading something of taste, interest, and
literary quality. But what I didn't know is I
would find a gem of an adventure, filled with
genuine characters, humorous dialogue and
antics, and a page turning story that even at
thirty five I would enjoy reading. As a teacher
I know this story would be excellent for my
classroom. Middle school kids would enjoy the
story as well. |
|
| I hope others
find this book and tell others about it. One of
the best stories for kids, incorporating fun,
detective work, and adventure. Like all the good
old fashioned novels my parents grew up with. A
turn away from the paranormal and dive into the
real, problem solving, trouble making
generations of
past. |
|
| Reviewed by Ami
Blackwelder |
|
| The author of
The Hunted of
2060 |
|
| 4.0 out of 5
stars Emmy & TJ, August 24, 2010
|
|
| By Barbara N.
Hightower "Babslighthouse" (Taylors, SC USA) -
See all my
reviews |
|
| This review is
from: Emmy Budd and the Hijacked Train (Kindle
Edition) |
|
| Emily who is 12
meets TJ who is 13 he thinks she is ok for a
girl. The two get on a train and have an
adventure and solve the crime of the day. My two
boys loved me reading this book to them and I
found myself caught up in what was going to
happen next. Reminds me of a good friend I had
in school and the nice summer months to get in
to trouble. Help other customers find the most
helpful reviews
|
|
| Emmy Budd had a
great summer. What an adventure! I could imagine
myself there with her.
|
|
| The story is
about two kids, Emmy and T.J. who sneak onto a
train to visit Pittsburgh , but it gets
hijacked. My favorite part was when the
hijackers axed the train tracks and when T.J.
and Emmy were hiding in the train. They actually
managed to stop the
hijackers. |
|
| T.J. and Emmy
help to find the guy who got away by describing
him. Someone recognized him and he was caught.
The story was exciting! I liked it a lot. It was
funny too, like when Emmy and T.J. flipped over
in the canoe. |
|
| This book is
good for boys and girls and grownups too.
|
|
| I loved the book
"Emmy Bud and the Hijacked Train because" it was
very fun to read and very interesting. I loved
all the characters and thought that every single
one had their own personality. In conclusion I
loved the book and would give it five out of
five stars. |
|
| From Kaylee
Brownsberger (age
12) |
|
| I liked this
book (Emmy Budd and the Hijacked Train). I think
she should write another
one. |
|
| Emmy who is 12
meets TJ who is 13 he thinks she is ok for a
girl. The two get on a train and have an
adventure and solve the crime of the day. My two
boys loved me reading this book to them and I
found myself caught up in what was going to
happen next. Reminds me of a good friend I had
in school and the nice summer months to get in
to trouble. |
|
| Posted by ~
Babs ~ at
6:47 AM
|
|
|
Jean Blasiar
on:
Buy Jean Blasiar
Books:
Author
Playwright
Jean
Blasiar
|
Other Books
by
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|
Other Books
by
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| Emmy Budd -
Don't Look
Now |
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| Cheryl's Book
Nook: Review Opp 3- Emmy Budd, Don't Look
Now |
|
| Emmy Budd, Don't
Look Now is the second of five mysteries
contracted by Massachusetts publisher, Charles
River Press. About the book: Emmy Budd, Don't
Look Now by Jean Blasiar ISBN: 978-1936185148.
Publisher: Charles River Press ... Cheryl's Book
Nook - http://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/
|
|
| Genre: Middle
Grade Mystery |
|
| This is the
second book in this mystery series. It was the
first book I had read. It will definitely not be
my last. This was a simple, yet well written
book. It showcased two tweens, Emmy and TJ who
are very curious about things that go on around
their town. In Emmy Budd, Don't Look Now, Emmy
finds herself involved in yet another mystery.
While waiting for her friend TJ at the movies
she makes a discovery. TJ is late and Emmy walks
across the street to use the pay phone. Inside
she finds a note left by someone. It reads,
"Take change. Get drugs. Wait for Instructions."
Emmy keeps the note and walks back across the
street. When TJ shows up she points out the fact
she is being watched. She is sure is has
something to do with the note. She is also sure
there is a mystery to be solved. This seems to
be confirmed when the pharmacy suddenly blows up
in the middle of the night. Now these two
sleuths are on the trail collecting clues to
figure out this mystery. A clean, fun mystery
for the tweens in your life. I am proud to put
this book on my shelf and call it a "good read".
|
|
| Posted by Sandra Stiles at
6:15 AM 0 comments Links to this post
|
|
| Emmy and TJ are
at it again in this new book. A new summer has
arrived and the kids are suspicious of a new
person at the drugstore and a note they found in
a phone booth. What will all this led to? One
can only imagine with these two. My boys loved
the 2nd book just as much as the first. It was
fun to see what Emmy and TJ were going to get
themselves into. Summers are always fun in
Jerseyville. Makes you want to go there and have
some fun yourself.
|
|
| Posted by ~
Babs ~ at
11:34 AM
|
|
| 5.0 out of 5
stars GREAT WORK!, August 26,
2010 |
|
| By ami reader
(fl) - See all my reviews
|
|
| I read the
prequel to this book and here was my review of
it: As a winner of the 2010 Hollywood Book
Festival, I knew I would be reading something of
taste, interest, and literary quality. But what
I didn't know is I would find a gem of an
adventure, filled with genuine characters,
humorous dialogue and antics, and a page turning
story that even at thirty five I would enjoy
reading. As a teacher I know this story would be
excellent for my classroom. Middle school kids
would enjoy the story as well.
|
|
| I hope others
find this book and tell others about it. One of
the best stories for kids, incorporating fun,
detective work, and adventure. Like all the good
old fashioned novels my parents grew up with. A
turn away from the paranormal and dive into the
real, problem solving, trouble making
generations of past.
|
|
| Reviewed by Ami
Blackwelder |
|
| The author of
The Hunted of
2060 |
|
| This book did
not let me down either. Just as great, with
different stories involving thinking, fun,
innocent adventure, and good taste. Highly
recommend. Help other customers find the most
helpful
reviews |
|
| 4.0 out of 5
stars Emmy & TJ again :), August 24,
2010 |
|
| By Barbara N.
Hightower "Babslighthouse" (Taylors, SC USA) -
See all my
reviews |
|
| Emmy and TJ are
at it again in this new book. A new summer has
arrived and the kids are suspicious of a new
person at the drugstore and a note they found in
a phone booth. What will all this led to? One
can only imagine with these two. My boys loved
the 2nd book just as much as the first. It was
fun to see what Emmy and TJ were going to get
themselves into. Summers are always fun in
Jerseyville. Makes you want to go there and have
some fun yourself. Help other customers find the
most helpful reviews
|
|
|
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| Emmy Budd -
The Real Dog is
Harry |
|
| Paperback:
128 pages Publisher: Charles River Press
(December 14, 2010) Language: English
ISBN-10: 1936185156 ISBN-13:
978-1936185153 Age Group: 8 and up
|
|
| Move over, Nancy
Drew-Emmy Budd's here, to give you a run for
your money, in another excellent mystery, the
third one in Jean Blasiar's Emmy Budd Mystery
series, She's again joined by her best friend,
T.J. Blake, and his new pet, a scruffy stray dog
he names Harry, because it looks to him like his
Uncle Harry. There's excitement in the air right
from the very first page of this mystery, with
the tweens sitting in Jerry's Malt Shop
discussing a gruesome find unearthed on the
property of a local farmer in Jerseyville, Hank
Turner: a human hand. Who does it belong to? How
did it get there? And why is the land so
important that land developer Andrew McDonald
would go to any lengths to put up a tavern on
the part of the Turner farm he bought from the
bank, when Mr. Turner couldn't make a payment on
time? |
|
| T.J. first sees
Harry next to a statue of a man and his dog
outside of the town's library, and he thinks
Harry looks a lot like the statue of the dog. He
gets Harry to follow him by tossing the dog
peanuts to eat, as T.J. rides his bicycle. Harry
catches every one of them in his mouth. The dog
makes appearances at key moments in the
entertaining novel, and Mr. McDonald makes
comments here and there about a dog who used to
live on the land he bought. It made me wonder
exactly what the relationship was, if any,
between Harry and the dog McDonald speaks about,
and it made me want to keep reading to learn
more. |
|
| It's summertime,
and besides the usual summer fun of going to
movies and riding bikes, Emmy and T.J. think
about getting part-time jobs to earn some
spending cash. When McDonald offers them both a
job, they accept, though Emmy is reluctant, not
liking Mr. McDonald's surface kindness and fake
Southern accent that gets more pronounced as he
gets madder or stressed. She believes his
kindness is a cover, to get the townspeople on
his side so they'll agree to his plans. Still,
he says he'll pay them well for their work, so
she agrees, thinking that he'll have them
weeding his newly-purchased
farmland. |
|
| Mr. McDonald,
however, has other ideas. He talks down to the
kids, calling them "young'uns," and has Emmy
making lemonade for his hired hands. T.J is
asked to run errands for whatever Emmy might
need, like going into town to buy more lemons,
when Emmy learns she has only two available.
When Emmy's lemonade turns out to be too sour,
and she's ran out of sugar, she substitutes what
she believes to be honey she finds in a cabinet.
The "honey," seems to pour too easily, but
everyone comments about how good the lemonade
tastes, including T.J. Little does Emmy realize,
until T.J. starts acting strangely, and the
hired hands start getting loud and begin
fighting, that it wasn't honey she added, but
something alcoholic. She doesn't like her role
in the whole thing, but feels like she and T.J.
were used by McDonald, like he seems to use
everyone. They decide to quit working for Mr.
McDonald, and T.J.'s mom, who works at a diner,
lets them help her there to earn some spending
money. |
|
| The mystery
deepens when Emmy overhears a couple of
McDonald's workers talking about either a person
or a place called "Brawley." Emmy is sure that
the name has something important to do with why
Mr. McDonald is so interested in building a
tavern on the old Turner land, whose bones were
found there, and why Mr. McDonald refuses to
sell it to the father of another friend of hers,
who tells McDonald he'll pay double the price
McDonald did, and that he wants to make a
cemetery there. But, how will she find out what
Brawley means, without alerting McDonald that
she's closing in on learning what he's up
to? |
|
| The Real Dog is
Harry is an exciting, suspenseful novel about
Emmy Budd's and her friend, T.J. Blake's,
involvement in what might be their most
challenging case yet! The first two novels in
the series by Jean Blasiar are Emmy Budd and the
Hijacked Train and Emmy Budd Vol. 2 - Don't Look
Now. They're also great, so I recommend you read
them, too, but the good news is that you don't
have to have read them to understand what's
happening in and enjoy the third book, The Real
Dog is Harry. If you're into cool, fun, and
suspenseful mysteries, then I'd highly recommend
this book and the rest of the novels in the Emmy
Budd Mystery series to
you! |
|
| Reviewed by
Douglas R. Cobb for http://www.bestsellersworld.com
|
|
| Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Douglas_Cobb
|
|
| I love this
series even at my age. My boys like it as well.
They always want to see what kind of trouble
Emmy and TJ can get into, then see how they
solve the situations. When Emmy hears about the
hand she gets all queasy and TJ has to laugh at
her. Then the real story begins, who does the
hand belong to? Between figuring that idea out,
helping their friend Hank, who owns the Land the
developer wants to build on, working at the
dinner for TJ's mom, they end up finding the dog
they call Harry or I should say he ends up
finding them. There are some funny parts along
the way and the story grabs you for the
beginning and you do not want to put the book
down. This is a great gift idea of the holidays.
|
|
| Emmy is a
charming girl that any of the girl readers will
enjoy reading about and the boys will like TJ
and his playfull ways.
|
|
| This is a series
but you can read as a stand-alone
story. |
|
|
|
| Emmy Budd and
the Scarlet
Scarf |
|
| I loved it like
I have loved all the other Emmy Budd books.
Emmy’s mom bought a one of a kind scarf from
Claire’s. When she got home she could not find
it. She could not remember where she put it.
While Emmy and TJ were at the movies someone
stoled Emmy’s bike. She called her dad and they
went to the police. About an hour later the
police had her bike and it was returned. That
evening Emmy’s mom and dad are out for their
anniversary and see another woman wearing the
one of a kind scarf, which was missing. Little
things like this started happening and the
person is getting braver by the day. With the
help of an old friend of Emmy’s dad they start
to investigate to see what is going on or so
they think. |
|
| I adore Jean’s
writing style. The mystery in this book keeps
you guessing up until the end. I did not figure
out what was going on until almost the very end.
The twists in the book are exactly in the right
spots to help keep you on and off your toes.
|
|
| The kids and I
love this series and always enjoy when a new
book comes out. This is a must read from your 7
year old on up to adult. I can’t brag enough
about this
book. |
|
|
Emmy
Budd and the Gypsies
|
| "I
read one of your series called Emmy Budd.
I really liked it. My favorite
character was Emmy because she was adventurous,
brave and
curious." | Samantha
Dalgewicz
"Emmy
is my hero. I would have liked to seen the
Captain's face when she stared him down. I
couldn't stop laughing."
Logan
Hightower, age 8
"I
can't wait to read the next Emmy Budd."
Lucy
Howell
"I
really like the adventure and mystery in these
books. I think every one should read them."
|
 |
Downtown
Cowboy
|
| Young Brady
Johnson, called the Downtown Cowboy by his
friends, lives with his widowed mother in the
tenement district of a mid-western city. A
favorite haunt of Brady’s is the city dump, one
block away, where he spends most of his time
rummaging through garbage, especially the
garbage dumped on Thursdays from
“uptown”. One Thursday morning Brady
discovers a diary written by a very depressed
boy about his age. Hoping for a reward,
Brady takes some of the money he has saved and
rides the bus “uptown” to see if he can find the
boy and return the diary. Follow Brady to
the conclusion of this surprising uptown journey
and into a world, he is sure, he will never
belong. |
|
|
|
July
2010 - SAVANT
PUBLISHING Announces Release
of Jean Blasiar's Coming-of-Age Novel "Poor Rich"
Read more
|
| Poor Rich was
not my style, August 8,
2010 |
|
| By BookSwarm
"The Queen Bee" (South Carolina) - See all my
reviews |
|
| This review is
from: Poor Rich
(Paperback) |
|
| REVIEW: Puberty
comes to Rich (don't call me Richie) Cameron and
"cures" him of his asthma and allergies.
Suddenly he's able to play basketball, join the
swim team, and even participate in PE, all
without the need to use his rescue inhaler
constantly. But he still feels like an outcast,
like no one likes him or understands him. The
thing is, he really connects with people and
understands them far better than he believes. He
has a distinct lack of self-confidence.
|
|
| As much as I
wanted to connect with Rich, I just couldn't. He
is so self-absorbed, trapped in his
asthmatic-induced world, he can't see the impact
he has on those around him. And, because the
book is written in first person, his is the only
voice, leaving no chance to connect with any of
the other characters. In addition to that, the
other characters move in and out of the scenes
so quickly, it's hard to know much about them at
all. The way the story is written, I felt like I
was reading scenes that never seemed to connect
or tell the whole story.
|
|
| The part one of
the book tells Rich's story of what he did after
learning he wasn't as sick as he'd been before.
While the dialogue is easy to read, there are
some expressions and turns of phrases that just
aren't current. For example, the basketball
coach is trying to get the new kid, Edward, to
play but Edward says he can't, he has to work
after school. "Things change," he [the coach]
says, Cagney to Edward G. Robinson. Um, huh? I
thought of Cagney & Lacey at first (though
that's still way outdated). But, no, this is a
reference to James Cagney, who made a movie with
Edward G. Robinson back in 1931 (yeah, I totally
googled that one.).
|
|
| The second half
of the book is a collection of Rich's essays
that he wrote while in therapy. That's when I
decided this book was probably way too
"literary" for me (plus, I felt like I was
reading my students' essays. Uhg. Not ready for
that yet.). Without a connection to any of the
characters and a flat plot, this book was just
not my style. Help other customers find the most
helpful reviews
|
|
| An excellent set
of short stories that are "written" by an
unusual boy, August 3,
2010 |
|
| By Charles
Ashbacher "(cashbacher@yahoo.com)" (Marion, Iowa
United States(cashbacher@yahoo.com)) - See all
my reviews |
|
| Rich Cameron is
an unusual child, he suffers from such intense
and varied allergies that he is extremely
sheltered and heavily medicated. For example,
even with the medication he cannot set foot
inside a gymnasium without experiencing a severe
reaction. He has never participated in anything
in the area of physical activity but he is an
extremely talented writer. His English teacher
is taking advantage of his talents to have Rich
tutor some of the other students in his creative
writing class. Despite the workload, it is an
advantage for Rich because it is his only
productive social interaction and it includes
helping girls.
|
|
| Suddenly and
completely unexpectedly, when Rich must walk
across the gym floor he is astounded when he is
able to do so without having to puff desperately
on his inhaler. Furthermore, all of his other
allergies have also vanished. This newfound
freedom has disadvantages; he now is playing
sports where he has absolutely no clue what he
should do and he must come out of what was a
predictable and comfortable
shell. |
|
| The first
segment of the book is Rich describing his life
to date, even setting aside the allergies it has
been most unusual. His father discovered that he
was gay and divorced his mother to create a
domestic partnership with another man that is a
good friend to Rich. Rich's mother has remarried
to a very homophobic man and his mother is a bit
on the overprotective side. Rich is seeing an
intelligent psychiatrist and there is a former
nanny named Gia that provides the sex interest.
Gia is only a few years older than Rich and is
the one that explained the sexual world to him.
|
|
| Without a doubt
the best part of the book is the second section
that is a set of short stories written by Rich.
They cover some very sensitive themes, for
example the first one is "The Pedophile Next
Door", where the man that moved in next door
largely kept to himself and all was peaceful
until it was discovered that he was a registered
sex offender. An appropriate title could have
been "The Loneliness of the Sex Offender." It is
a simple and sensitive story about someone
trying to re-integrate into society and just be
a person with a life. Another of these excellent
stories is about Rich's near sexual encounter
with Gia and has a great deal of understated
sexual tension. If there is such a category as
gentle erotica for teenage boys, then this story
is in it. It seems that nearly every young boy,
myself included, knew a girl a few years older
that they regularly fantasized about being the
opposite in their first sexual experience.
|
|
| By Amos Lassen
(Little Rock, Arkansas) - See all my
reviews |
|
| This review is
from: Poor Rich (Paperback)
|
|
| Blasiar, Jean.
"Poor Rich", Savant Books,
2010. |
|
| Finding a
Strange New World |
|
| "Poor Rich" is
the story of Rich Cameron an asthmatic and
reclusive adolescent genius who is satisfied
with the life he lives, sheltered away from the
world. Then one day the allergies he has had
since he was a child suddenly stop bothering him
and he enters a strange new world with the help
of a psychiatrist and a parrot named U2. You can
just imagine what it was like for Rich to enter
the world, He was raised by a gay father for a
while and then a homophobic stepfather and he
had been hiding behind his asthma. Once he is
allergy free he has to leave nerdom behind him
and enter the real world. Adolescence is a crazy
time anyway for most but for Rich it was a
completely new experience. Like everyone else
now Rich must face the world which can be mean
and hard and even more so if one has not been
part of it.
|
|
| Jean Blasiar
gives us a story filled with detail and
compassion as well with a twist and some very
clever wit. I had a lot of fun reading this and
I am sure that most readers will feel the same
way. |
|
| Excellent Summer
Read, August 2, 2010
|
|
| By ami reader
(fl) - See all my reviews
|
|
| I was sent this
book for an honest review. I must say I loved
the book! The author Jean Blasiar certainly has
a way with words. Details rang true,
descriptions that did not bog down the wording.
Dialogue that sounded genuine and a few embedded
letters adding to the story.
|
|
| With a hint of
humor, and an interesting main character who is
a recluse genius, he must venture off in the
real world when his allergies clear up. Very
interesting and page turning adventure. If you
enjoyed stories like Rainman, crazy love, and
such, you may like this kind of story. I
certainty was entertained while educated and
would read more of this author.
|
|
| A tale really
about all people, anyone can relate to the
prose. |
|
| Recommended and
reviewed by Ami Blackwelder, author of The
Hunted of 2060 |
|
|
|
Now
Available
|
| 292 pp. 5.25" x
8" Softcover |
|
| Reviewed by Ami
Blackwelder, author of The shifters of 2040 and
The Hunted of
2060 |
|
| Richer, a novel
by author Jean Blasiar is a follow up to Poor
Rich. Following the life of teenager Rich
Cameron, the reader is immediately drawn into
the main characters woes from page one. Gia (the
girl who left him), U2 (his bad-mouthed parrot),
Mom, and by chapter two we meet up with Dad.
Parents divorced, more woe.
|
|
| The life of Rich
Cameron is a complicated one, because he suffers
from a nervous condition as a result of his high
intelligence. As a teacher and writer, I could
emphasize with Rich Cameron. Kids are often
ostracized for being different and I understood
his complexities.
|
|
| This is a gem of
a book for a student who is feeling misplaced,
or that because of some gift he/she doesn't fit
in. I think Jean would do the school system well
if she wrote up a lesson plan for Poor Rich and
Richer that teachers could follow in the
classroom. I'd be willing to bet teachers would
read the book in class and even have students
buy it if they had a lesson plan to follow.
|
|
| With enough
twists and turns to keep you turning the pages,
and written by a deftly writing talent, I
recommend this book to students, teenagers,
teachers, and parents! Or even adults looking
for something of literary quality to read that
is not mainstream.
|
|
|
|
| Copyright ă 2009 Jean Blasiar All
Rights
Reserved | | |
