Reviewed by 

Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

"Puckweed Soup: A New Tale to Tell" is a story full of imagination, excitement, adventure and whims. The book opens with Noah being acknowledged on stage by his school principal as one of the inventive writers in the Wizard Willard's Writing Contest. Noah is nervous that he has to go on stage to collect his certificate of participation. The story takes a twist from there where Noah is transported to a world of adventure. He is joined by Reggie the Rhino, his sister Ariel and Willie the Wee Wizard of Windom. They are also joined by Ariel's best friend Belinda in the adventure to Windom. The excitement continues when they meet Princess Tai. Princess Tai wants to rescue her castle from her greedy uncle who wants to get the diamonds in the mine close to the castle. Her greedy uncle sends Princess Tai's father on a wild goose chase so that he can take all the diamonds.

 

I liked the whimsical feel of this book. It is a kind of story which every child can relate to and come up with, because of their highly imaginative abilities and the capability to daydream at any hour. The story progresses very well without losing the tempo. The adventures and the excitement are whimsical. The excitement continues when they meet Princess Tai. Princess Tai wants to rescue her castle from her greedy uncle who wants to get the diamonds in the mine close to the castle. Her greedy uncle sends Princess Tai's father on a wild goose chase so that he can take all the diamonds. Every character in this book is very clearly etched and the descriptions make them come alive in the reader's mind. Will they able to save the diamonds from the greedy uncle? Will Princess Tai's father return to the castle in time to save it from her greedy uncle? 

Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers' Favorite

Beneath Windom Castle: A Tale of Bopping Zombies is a preteen story by JoAnn Flammer. Princess Tai, Noah, Reggie, Willie and Ariel spend the day at an amusement park in Windom, but armed soldiers arrive in trucks and abduct most of the children at the park. Willie and Ariel manage to escape from a truck and meet Fitz, a boy who hid in the Dreadful Dragon Cave. Fitz tells them that the soldiers turn the children into bopping zombies and make them work in the diamond mine located beneath Windom Castle. He leads them into the mine where soldiers give Tai and other captives special Z headbands to wear before disappearing in a Z booth. They wonder if Princess Tai’s scheming uncle is the ringleader of this horrible crime. Willie devises a rescue plan using magic, but he is only an apprentice wizard with limited powers and hopes it is strong enough to work.