Sunday, October 11, 2009

The Secret of Indigo Moon by G.P. Taylor

Title: The Dopple Ganger Chronicles, Book II: The Secret of Indigo Moon
Author: G.P. Taylor
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Book Description:

From best-selling author G.P. Taylor comes the highly anticipated second installment of The Dopple Ganger Chronicles, a series that combines art and traditional text to help “reluctant readers” discover the wonder of books.

Erik Morissey Ganger, famed explorer and detective (well, in his dreams), and his mischief-making sidekicks, twins Sadie and Saskia Dopple, didn’t go looking for a secret tunnel beneath the school. They never intended to make the acquaintance of a shifty private eye with a nose for trouble. It wasn’t part of the plan to come face to face with an old enemy, one with an agenda of his own that could destroy them all. And unraveling the “secret of indigo moon” was the farthest thing from their minds.

At Isambard Dunstan’s School for Wayward Children, these things just seem to happen.
In The Secret of Indigo Moon, confirmed troublemakers Erik, Sadie, and Saskia plunge headlong into a new and perilous mystery, one that challenges everything they thought they knew about their lives, themselves, and whom it’s safe to trust.

Review:

I admit I’m not a big fan of graphic novels...usually. But it didn’t take long for me to get drawn into the world of Erik Morissey Ganger and the Dopple twins, Sadie and Saskia. The Dopple Ganger Chronicles, Book II: The Secret of Indigo Moon is packed with action right from the start. The mystery involving a secret tunnel, a reporter, and an old enemy is well-written and even managed to surprise me a little—something that doesn't happen often with children’s mysteries.

While the repetition of Erik’s full name did get a little tedious at times, this was still a wonderful book that I had trouble putting down. The Christian message is woven in with such subtlety that it wasn’t even noticeable in much of the story. And when it did appear, it was written in an allegorical fashion that was both enjoyable and uplifting. G.P. Taylor is definitely going on my list of authors I can count on for a good story.

I reviewed this book as a member of the Tyndale Blog Network.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Bibliocat

I've always loved the idea of a bibliocat. What author wouldn't want a cat who loves books as much as she does? I've just never had the pleasure of owning one...until now.

About a week ago, I adopted the most adorable black tabby kitten. Sergei is a sweet little boy kitty, who can be ornery or cuddly, depending on how sleepy he is. He loves affection and shares it freely. Some of his favorite places to sleep are bookshelves and the book on my nightstand. He curls up in my lap when I'm writing, reading, or editing. Yes, I think this kitten may love the written word as much as his human.

As I write this post, Sergei is curled up within easy petting distance on the bookshelf right beside my computer. He has books next to him, an educational catalog underneath him, and a notebook right beside his head. I wonder what he'd write if he knew how?

A couple of years ago, I wrote a story from the perspective of a kitten. I based the thing on my memories of my last cat's kittenhood, which had ended several years before I wrote the story. Thanks to Sergei, I'm thinking about that story again and wondering where I could submit it. The little guy is proving that all of the kitten observation I did all those years ago was useful; Sergei could easily be the kitten in my story, even though it's very loosely based on a different kitten.

This all goes to show that everything is fodder for a writer, even a new kitten. My little bibliocat in training is sure to make a cameo appearance in a story at some point. I've already considered adding his fictional counterpart to one of my young adult WIPs. Since the main character loves cats, but doesn't currently have one, she's a perfect candidate for her father to surprise with a kitten. While this fictional kitten may not be a sweet little black tabby, it will undoubtedly share at least some of the same personality traits as my little Sergei. And who knows? Maybe I'll make the fictional kitten a bibliocat in the making. After all, people aren't the only ones who enjoy books.