Friday, February 6, 2015

The Search for the Stone of Excalibur: Review for Fiona Ingram's WOW-Women on Writing Tour

☆☆☆☆☆  
for 
The Search for the Stone of Excalibur


I so enjoyed Fiona’s first book in The Chronicles of the Stone series, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, that I couldn’t wait to read Book 2: The Search for the Stone of Excalibur.
Instead of being set in Egypt, this story is set in England and Scotland. Having just visited there in September 2014, it was exciting to be transported back again. However, you don’t need to be familiar with the UK countryside to enjoy this story. Fiona’s descriptive details build that setting for the reader.

The main characters, Justin and Adam, find themselves smack dab in the middle of danger from the moment they land in London. And to compound matters, their Aunt has put them in charge of a girl! They meet Kim at the airport before leaving for London when Aunt Isabel rushes to the gate, informing them that she has to fly immediately to France, and they must take care of Kim when the three of them fly to London. Neither of the boys is excited for a tag-along, especially not a girl! Ingram’s superb dialogue sets the reader right down in the middle of scrabbling kids.

This fast-paced adventure is full of surprises involving none other than their old enemy from Egypt, Dr. Khalid, and newcomers, the Eaters of Poison. Readers will thoroughly enjoy that most of the action takes place in a centuries old castle in Scotland. Cliff-hangers are sure to keep the pages turning, and at the end, readers will be clamoring for Book 3: The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper, set in Mexico.

A great read for young readers including reluctant readers—and those young-at-heart. As with book one, this one comes with additional materials at the back of the book to satisfy that lust for more knowledge about Arthur, Excalibur, and medieval England!

 
 About The Search for the Stone of Excalibur:

A modern day adventure as our protagonists search for Excalibur and the treasures it holds!

Continuing the adventure that began in Egypt a few months prior in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, cousins Adam and Justin Sinclair are hot on the trail of the second Stone of Power, one of seven ancient stones lost centuries ago. This stone might be embedded in the hilt of a newly discovered sword that archaeologists believe belonged to King Arthur: Excalibur.

Join Justin and Adam as they search not only for the second Stone of Power, but also for the Scroll of the Ancients, a mysterious document that holds important clues to the Seven Stones of Power. As their adventure unfolds, they learn many things and face dangers that make even their perils in Egypt look tame. And how annoying for them that their tag-along companion, Kim, seems to have such good ideas when they are stumped.

About Fiona Ingram:

Fiona Ingram was born and educated in South Africa, and has worked as a full-time journalist and editor. Her interest in ancient history, mystery, and legends, and her enjoyment of travel resulted in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, the first in her exciting children’s adventure series—The Chronicles of the Stone. This was inspired by a family trip the author took with her mom and two young nephews aged ten and twelve at the time. The book began as a short story for her nephews and grew from there. The Search for the Stone of Excalibur is a treat for young King Arthur fans. Fiona is busy with Book 3 entitled The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper, set in Mexico.

While writing The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, Fiona fostered (and later adopted) a young African child from a disadvantaged background. Her daughter became the inspiration for the little heroine, Kim, in The Search for the Stone of Excalibur. Interestingly, the fictional character’s background and social problems are reflected in the book as Kim learns to deal with life. Fiona’s experiences in teaching her daughter to read and to enjoy books also inspired many of her articles on child literacy and getting kids to love reading.

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3 comments:

  1. Many thanks for such a lovely review, Cheryl. I am so glad you enjoyed the adventure!

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  2. This sounds like an excellent book. Anything that gets kids to read is a winner in my book. I am definitely curious about this series. Thanks for sharing! Best of luck to Fiona.
    ~Jess

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Jess. Be sure to visit our combined website The Quest Books. http://www.adventurequestbooks.com New subscribers to our monthly newsletter receive their choice of any one of our books.

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