It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Always in the Middle and #IMWAYR day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday.
Spradlin, Michael. Sandstorm Blast
I'm not a generally polemic person, and I certainly don't care about military strategies. My feeling is that if you aren't willing to go completely Carthago Delenda Est on your enemy, you probably shouldn't be fighting in the first place. Also, haven't seen a football game since my cousin was a majorette in 1974. I'm not a huge fan of the Jeep loads of WWII books or the lockersfull of sports books I've read in my life.
But my readers are. There is something about sports books and military adventures that appeal to a certain number of readers who like the adrenalin, the suspense, and the action of these intriguing tales.
This new Michael Spradlin is sort of a mix of feats of physical prowess and militaristic strategy, all wrapped up in a nice, gung-ho burrito of Can Do spirit. The characters fight extreme odds with steely determination-- I could just feel them squinting into the distant with their teeth clenched and their resolve firm. The details of the training to be a pararescue jumper, and the vivid descriptions of the various terrains and forces of nature that have to be fought against are going to have children whiteknuckling the covers of these short, fast moving stories... and asking for another one as soon as they are finished. Readers of Sherman's Bloodlines and Bowen's Shadow Squadron series will adore these books.
My only complaint is that these are only available in a very expensive "library binding", which is really just paper over boards, and needs a lot of tape to hold them together. They are very expensive, so a nicer binding would be helpful. Also, the E ARC came with all four books together. This is always a problem, since I assume all e books are one volume, and by the time I figure out they're not and try to write a review... so here are the Goodreads synopses. Just buy them!
Spradlin, Michael. Sandstorm Blast
August 1st 2018 by Stone Arch Books
E ARC from Edelweiss.com
The pararescuemen have been worked to near exhaustion bringing in downed pilots, wounded soldiers and Afghan Nationals. When a mission goes horribly wrong and they are stranded behind enemy lines, they must fight their way to freedom.
Spradlin, Michael. Viper Strike
August 1st 2018 by Stone Arch Books
E ARC from Edelweiss.com
When the U.S. ambassador to Venezuela's plane is shot down over the Amazon jungle by separatist rebels led by a clever rebel leader named The Viper, the parerescuemen's mission of leaving no one behind becomes a tense game of cat and mouse in the dense Amazon jungle.
Spradlin, Michael. Nile Chaos
August 1st 2018 by Stone Arch Books
E ARC from Edelweiss.com
The PJs are dispatched to Africa to provide humanitarian relief after massive flooding along the Nile. When their efforts are thwarted by local War Lords, the PJs must go on the offensive to bring food and medical attention to the local people.
Spradlin, Michael. Denali Storm
August 1st 2018 by Stone Arch Books
E ARC from Edelweiss.com
When a US Army training mission on Mount Denali goes badly due to an unexpected blizzard, a squad of Pararescuemen must rush to their aid in some of the harshest conditions on the planet.
Coming soon: Spradlin's brilliant mix of fiction and nonfiction in the Medals of Honor series!
I loved your opening candor. There are times when I'm not a fan of certain books and really have to focus to get through a book. But, I love how you do it for the students you know will love a story. Military isn't not my favorite topic, but I can see how this suspenseful series will appeal to many teens. Excellent review.
ReplyDeleteI do have a lot of kids looking for action-packed books, and survival books are always popular!
ReplyDeleteI've not yet heard of these and I had a difficult time finding them on Goodreads (is it technically a series?). But thanks for putting a bug in my ear. That's too bad to hear about the library binding option.
ReplyDeleteThank you Karen for reviewing our Pararescue Corps books! Love this line: "A mix of feats of physical prowess and militaristic strategy, all wrapped up in a nice, gung-ho burrito of Can Do spirit."
ReplyDelete@2Shaye - The series is called Pararescue Corps with four titles (www.capstonepub.com/library/products/pararescue-corps). The separate stories will be available as a combined volume (also titled Pararescue Corps) avail. in paperback in Feb. 2019.
Oh wow, this series looks action-packed and highly plot driven! :) Thanks for bringing it to our attention. Have a great reading week!
ReplyDelete