Saturday, May 26, 2012

The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel

The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel by Gregory S. Slomba (New Fairfield, CT, 2012). Review copy provided by author.

The accidental death of his father haunts twelve-year-old Eric Scott, and he thinks he's dreaming again when Stig, a talking owl from another world, shows up late one night. Stig wants Eric to help him on a quest to deliver the small seaside town of Calendria from a greedy pirate named Sharky.  Eric agrees, but doubts his qualifications; could he possibly be a hero? Once there, Eric discovers that delivering the town is but one of the problems he'll have to solve. With Stig and new friends Kate and an outcast dwarf named Hallo Tosis, Eric battles for Calendria--and himself!

Slomba delivers an action-packed adventure that's sure to thrill middle grade and younger readers.  Even little ones (I'm thinking first and second graders) will enjoy this tale as a read-aloud because of its magical characters (a talking owl! a conniving pirate!) and wacky humor (like the name of the dwarf) in a fascinating and well-conceived setting. In addition to the quest to save Calendria, Eric struggles to regain own confidence, making this a lovely story of self-discovery as well. Highly recommended for ages 6 to 12.

5 comments:

Greg Slomba said...

Mary, thank you so much for your fantastic review. I'm so pleased that you enjoyed the book.

I'm currently at work on a sequel featuring Eric and friends. I hope to have it out late 2012 or early 2013.
Thanks again,
Greg
http://thedelivererssharkeyandthejewel.blogspot.com

Jess @ The Secret DMS Files of Fairday Morrow said...

Great review! My co-author, Stephanie, and I truly enjoyed this middle grade adventure. Greg was kind enough to visit with Stephanie's 5th grade class. The kids were excited to meet with this fun, new author. Wonderful to see the good word spreading about his story. ~ Jess

Stephanie@The Secret DMS Files of Fairday Morrow said...

I read The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel and agree with you that it is a great story for MG readers. I love how you described the story! My students enjoyed having that author into our classroom. We read the first chapter and many of them have been reading it on their own since. I can't wait for the next one in the series.

Anonymous said...

Wow! Great review! Just stumbled back on your blog (back from hiatus~~~) looking forward to reading your posts again! <3

Vivian @ Vivaciously, Vivian

Jeff Rivera said...

Middle graders will surely love this book. Great characters and story. Even adults will enjoy reading this. Nice Review!