"Operation Bungaree" by J.D. Peabody

About this book:

  “Mystery and danger abound in book three of The Inkwell Chronicles, a fast-paced middle-grade fantasy series about magic ink, a secret society, and a boy who learns to make his mark.
    In Operation Bungaree, the third and final book in The Inkwell Chronicles, Everett and his little sister Bea find themselves drawn even more deeply into the secret world of the Inklings, those who seek to protect the world's rapidly diminishing supply of magic Ink. Everett, separated from the group in an improbable, perilous predicament, fights to find his way home. Meanwhile, Bea and the other Inklings search desperately for ways to help him, as increasingly clever enemy operatives close in from all sides. With time and Ink dwindling, will Everett find his way back home? Fans of The Silver Arrow, The Bookwanderers, and Inkheart will love this classic battle of good and evil that pits creativity against the forces that would seek to blot it out for good.”


Series: Book #3 in “The Inkwell Chronicles”. Review of Book #1 Here! and Book #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are mentioned & remembered; A couple hymns are played; Everett & his family live in a vicarage as his father (Marcus) is a Reverend; Everett recalls his father’s sermon on the Israelites wandering the desert for forty years (which he can’t recall the lesson his dad drew from the Bible story); Bea recalls her father giving a sermon about the lost sheep (which made her happy that the little lamb was rescued); Everett remembers a Scripture about “turning to the left or to the right” and how his father added “You know, Ev, at times there is no right path until you take a first step. You never see the trail when you’re the one blazing it.”; Bea tells someone that she is still talking to Everett in case he can hear her & saying her prayers every night, but doesn’t understand why nothing is working; Towards the end, Marcus is angry with God for not answering his prayers & yells at the sky; Mentions of hymns (Marcus plays many in hopes that Everett can hear them); Mentions of churches/cathedrals & church going; Mentions of an abbey/nunnery (which has an invisible building the Inklings created to avoid the Blotters); A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of prayers, praying, & saying prayers; A mention of a Sunday service & homily; 
             *Note: The special Ink in this story is what is behind all the greatest creative works (stories, paintings, music, etc.), that it unlocks someone creativity when used (also said to be the source of all the stories where good triumphs over evil); Some people can use Ink to heal others’ injuries (by applying it) and it’s mentioned a few times; Ink is used in multiple ways, mainly for someone to draw something (typically in the air) to help them on their mission; Those that use Ink are called “Inklings”; Bea hears the Ink tell her that Everett is okay because he did “Leap Reading” into the comic book page; “Leap Reading” is when Everett focuses on a page and is able to go into the book (introduced in Book #2); An adult says that an “outside force” must have orchestrated those events where Everett is willed into the stories; Someone gives Bea and a friend an “Inkourager” which are two halves of a whole that you can send good wishes or a “positive sensation” to the other; One new character says that rescuing a soul (in this case, Everett’s) is a battle & that they fight with Ink rather than fire; A side character, Marigold, an Elemental Fomentori who is connected to the earth, went into dormancy in Book #2 and in this book, Bea plants her seedpod into the ground which makes a tree grow very fast (Bea goes to talk to her often; *Spoiler* Towards the end, Marigold comes out of hibernation and later turns herself back into a tree to anchor someone during a storm *End of Spoiler*); Because of her connection to nature, Marigold is able to feel the earth and if there is Ink hidden underground (including hearing from the ground if they can take the Ink or not); Other Fomentori are introduced including a grizzly bear, a harp that can play itself, and other humans; Someone refers to a cord of three strands (recognizing it as a Scripture) and says that three of the Fomentori characters are those strands for their mission to bring Everett back; A side character says that love is “the most powerful force in the universe”; *Spoiler* Everett sees a spark that turns into a physical form of his father’s muse, which is Everett’s late mother with wings and he is sad to leave her to go back to everyone else *End of Spoiler*; “Blotters” are the villains in this story who are creatures that have inhuman eyes, despise the Ink (since they hate all that is good and creative, they called it “the Stink” and their pupils change once they smell it), and some of them have batlike wings between their shoulder blades and can fly; Blotters and other creatures cannot enter into a house of worship as that is a safe place for those trying to flee from them (if they enter, they will instantly become gargoyles); The villains have created a new type of Ink called “Inkanto” which changes people’s personalities and brings out the worst in them or corrupts an item; Inkanto is also used to wake up “swamp dragons” the villains have & un-freeze Blotters that were touched by Ink (up to semi-detailed); A side character learns how to do “The Loud Quiet” which harms Blotters’ ears, but wears the musician out; Blotters use “Mind Murk” to makes humans not see their true appearance and forget about seeing them; A Blotter sends his shadow into the church to plant a listening device by sending his shadow with the device into the building (up to semi-detailed); Blotters use “fire crystals” to communicate with each other (by throwing these crystals into a fire, they can then see the blotter they wish to talk to; Done once on-page); Everett uses the “dowsing sticks” to find his way (He uses them on-page by touching “the ends of his sticks together for any indication of which way to go. They pulled Everett directly into a wall.”; Book #1’s spoiler tells more about these sticks; A villain calls them the “Witching Sticks”); A side character uses a hair from his mustache as a way to connect to Ink (energy) Waves and uses it to create a storm; A side character thinks that Everett could have fell into a portal to another universe; A sea monster argues and grounds his disrespectful son; Bea asks someone if her old book is a “book of spells” (because she likes magic tricks; it is not); A few mentions of “Pinches” in the universe that “could bring far-apart places closer together”; A few mentions of people going through different dimensions when traveling; A couple mentions of “magic” items; A couple mentions of Martin Luther; A mention of prehistoric fossils.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’ and two ‘bah’s; A few mentions of curses (by villains, said, not written); Some eye rolling & Sarcasm (mostly by villains); Almost being taken by a villain, Being threatened, Pain, Passing out, & Being stuck in quick-sand-like Inkanto (up to semi-detailed); This book starts right after the ending of Book #2 where Everett falls into a volcano (the villains are glad about it as it’s one less Inkling they have to deal with, but Bea and the others are very upset; Bea, however, knows that Everett went into a comic book page and they are all determined to rescue him; *Spoiler* A villain gets ahold of the page and burns it, which makes Bea sob hysterically, but Everett is protected by Ink in the page *End of Spoiler*); Everett feels relieved that he “cheated death once again”, but is concerned that he won’t find his way home, will starve to death, sobs with sadness, gets very angry, & has some negative thoughts because of the Inkanto (which tells him that he isn’t worth caring about and is a failure); *Spoiler* Towards the end, Everett is threatened by the main villain and told that if he follows him, the villain will save him (Everett feels as if there are spiders skittering across his brain when the villain touches him and it’s implied the villain can read his mind; Everett has an urge to take the villain’s hand, but does not *End of Spoiler*); The villains in this series are fine with harming and killing Inklings (including our main characters which are children); The villains threaten harm, withhold needed Inkanto, push and hit, and are mean and belittling to each other (It’s said that Blotters are backstabbers and self-serving); One of the Blotters hates the Inklings and wants revenge on the one that caused him to cut off his foot; A villain’s minion threatens to harm others for him; A villain tries to do a heist and grab a hostage, but it doesn’t work out for him; A side character struggles with continuously remembering seeing Everett being pushed into the volcano; Two minions of the villains accidentally push their boss (who was turned into stone) into the ocean (another sees this and compliments them, but they correct him and get their boss back); Marcus (Everett and Bea’s father) has lost weight and is under a stress with what has happened to Everett (Bea catches him crying at one point and he has a weight of grief on him); Everett thinks of his father’s negative view on pinball machines as he considers them a “negative influence linked to gambling halls” (Everett thinks that some of his friends who play pinball do not seem to have ill effects, but when he gets sucked into playing, he realizes the dangers of it being addicting); A sea monster argues with and grounds his son (on-page arguing and disrespect); Mentions of grief & the passing of a loved one; Mentions of a ferryman who takes “dearly departed blotters” to “the other side”/”the netherworld” (which he calls the “rubbish heap in the far reaches of [his] cave”); Mentions of pain & passing out; Mentions of fires; Mentions of stealing, stolen items, & thieves; Mentions of prisons & arrests; Mentions of eavesdropping; Mentions of a wine bottle; A few mentions of wars/battles; A few mentions of fights & fighting; A couple mentions of crimes; A couple mentions of blackmail; A couple mentions of lies & lying; A couple mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of pies & smoking; A mention of a villain’s breath having the “scent of death” in it; 
             *Note: Everett has a bit of PTSD (not named) when falling because it brings back memories of other times he nearly fell to his death; Mentions of writes, books, & fictional characters (such as Euripides, Archytas, Edgar Allen Poe, ‘The Door in the Wall’, ‘Peter and Wendy’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, & Winnie-the-Pooh); Mentions of songs (‘O Danny Boy’and ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ by Bing Crosby); A few mentions of Sophie Germain and how she couldn’t “pursue the career she wanted because society at the time considered a woman’s work to be in the kitchen, not in academia.”; A few mentions of brand names (Cartier, Dior, and Tiffany & Co.).
 
 
Sexual Content- Bea is excited to be told a story that has an engagement because she’s “always eager for details when it came to romance”; A side character has an obvious crush on another (they both blush); A mention of a sweetheart in a song.
 
-Bea
-Everett, age 12 (?)
                P.O.V. switches between him, Bea, & others (including villains and their minions)
                                           Set in 1953
                                                        352 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

As I started this book, I did have a time trying to remember who everyone is! Some backstory would have been nice, but if you binge read these books it can be nice that there’s no catch-up in the way. But a little explanation would have been nice too for those who had some time in-between books. I was able to pick up on the details of past events as this third book continued, but it definitely would be best to read them back-to-back.

 

The family aspect and how tight knit the three Drakes are is probably my favorite thing about this series. It’s really shown in this book especially, as they try hard to get Everett back. 

 

This is going to be a series that some Christian families will really like and some may avoid because of the magic and items in this fictional world. Me? I’m a little undecided. I like the middle-grade whimsy charm of this series, but I’ll admit to not loving all the magical content. I think if a family is okay with broad magic/fantasy content then this series may be okay for them. I didn’t care for a couple comments/suggestions towards the end about three special characters (called Fomentori) as the three strands of a cord that they need to save Everett. I understand where they were coming from, but it felt disrespectful to the Scripture. 

 

It sounds like this is the final book in the series, which is a bit disappointing as it’s left very open ended. That’s not a bad thing—particularly if there isn’t any more books coming out, but it would have been nice to have a few more of the villains truly defeated.

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.

"Race to Krakatoa" by J.D. Peabody

About this book:

  “In book two of The Inkwell Chronicles, Everett and his little sister Bea find themselves drawn even more deeply into the secret world of the Inklings, those who seek to protect the world's rapidly diminishing supply of magic Ink. When a miraculous new type of ink called Inkanto begins to appear around the world, initial celebration soon gives way to suspicions about its mysterious origins. As the race to find and control the world's supply of Ink intensifies, signs begin to appear that not is all that it seems. Will the siblings and their fellow Inklings be able to uncover the truth in time?”


Series: Book #2 in “The Inkwell Chronicles”. Review of Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- Everett & his family live in a vicarage as his father (Marcus) is a Reverend; Everett has the same nightmare often and wonders if it’s a sign like he’s heard about in Sunday School about “people [who] had visions of the future” (he discusses this with his father and his father says those are “prophecy or premonition” and has known people who have those dreams, but doesn’t think that’s what Everett is having; Later Everett still wonders if his nightmare was a premonition about a trip); Everett thinks back about a sermon his father gave about not borrowing trouble, but feels guilty because he wasn’t fully paying attention; Going to a church (to steal an item from there, see Negative Content about this); Mentions of churches/cathedrals, clergymen/ministers, church events, services, & a homily; Mentions of priests, popes, a pope releasing a peace dove, & thuribles with incense; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of praying; A couple mentions of forgiveness; A mention of haughty eyes being used in reference to a Bible verse; A mention of the Bible; A mention of missionaries; A mention of wishing someone Godspeed; A mention of saints; 
             *Note: The special Ink in this story is what is behind all the greatest creative works (stories, paintings, music, etc.), that it unlocks someone creativity when used (in the first book it was also said to be the source of all the stories where good triumphs over evil); Ink is used in multiple ways, mainly for someone to draw something (typically in the air) to help them on their mission (such as creating stairs to escape, wearing different clothing to fit into a party, etc.); There is a new type of Ink called “Inkanto” that affects what a person uses it for & the person using it (A man says it’s “devilishly clever” and that one “has to admire it for that”, which Everett isn’t sure one should), *Spoiler* It’s not real Ink and created to destroy Ink and it’s users, and is also able to undo those who have been turned to stone or gargoyles; Everett is shocked that so many who believe in the true Ink would fall for the imitation Ink; *End of Spoiler*); “Blotters” are the villains in this story who are creatures that despise the Ink (since they hate all that is good and creative, they called it “the Stink” and their pupils change once they smell it), and some of them have batlike wings between their shoulder blades and can fly (others look like part dogs or beetles with many arms); Blotters also have “dye hounds” that are wolflike beasts that serve the blotters (some are blotters that upset those above them in rank and were put under a “spell”); Blotters and other creatures like them cannot enter into a house of worship as that is a safe place for those trying to flee from them (if they enter, they will instantly become gargoyles); The Blotter Queen is called “your wickedness” and “your lowness”; Blotters use salt crystals as a way to communication with the other like a phone (by tossing the crystals into a fire); Everett has sticks that are called “divining rods” or “dowsing sticks” and leads the person holding them to Ink or Ink traces (when he uses them, they tingle and lead him to the Ink quickly; At another time, those tingles are described as a “current”); Everett is able to go into books (called “Leap Reading”) and it happens a handful of times; When someone drinks Inkanto, it’s said that “Ink absorbed through the skin fights many evils”, but the Inkanto goes to someone’s mind and darkens it; There is a new character who is an elemental-class Fomentori which is said that “Ink is not only for writing. It moves the whole created order—the earth, the sea, the air. I find where it is moving and join it”; About ten things are described as “magic” or “magical” but are either not magic or not confirmed to be actual magic (used more of as an adjective for something unusual or unordinary); Everett and Bea are hypnotized by a villain and hears her voice in their head, telling them lies (which they start to believe until she is stopped); *Spoiler* Marigold, an Elemental Fomentori, goes into dormancy and turns into a seedpod when she’s used too much energy; There’s a goodbye scene before that is similar to a true goodbye, but it’s said she will be okay and wake up again *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of “Mind Murk” that Blotters use to make humans forget about them (we also see adults sprayed with it); Mentions of the Pantheon; A few mentions of spells (mainly being mentioned with Blotters being turned into other creatures, another thinking a spell is being casted on him, and hypnotizing being called a spell); A few mentions of the legend of the Fountain of Youth (said to have magic healing properties and that a Saint found it); A few mentions of a statue of a sphinx (it partially comes to life); A couple mentions of a mosque & singing that calls people to prayer; A couple mentions of gopuram & Hindu temples; A couple mentions of a book that features a spell and an evil witch; A couple mentions of some things being evil; A couple mentions of a comic book story about an alien attack; A mention of Inkanto being called a “miracle”; A mention of a book on Egyptian magic.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bah’, a ‘cursed’ (to describe something), a ‘good heavens’, a ‘stupid’, and four ‘dumb’s (including Blotters mispronouncing a word in another language and it sounding like they’re saying they’re dumb); A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Eye rolling & Sarcasm (mostly from Blotters); The housekeeper, Mrs. Crimps, for Everett’s family used to be mean and he would call her “The Cramps”, but after the events of Book #1, she has become much nicer to the kids and apologizes for how she was; Some Blotters do name calling to others (“Dinosaur” for a Blotter with three horns on his head, “Dogface” for a Blotter with a head of a dog, and call other older women “old bat”s); An adult gets cut-off in the middle of his (history) speeches by another adult (multiple times with no apologizes or regret because the other knows he will talk too much); Being squeezed by a big bug & Almost passing out, Being trapped in a fire, Being kidnapped, Being locked in a room and threatened (twice), Fighting and killing bugs and other creatures, Being chased by an elephant (a very close-call) and swamp dragons, & Being chased by Blotters (all up to semi-detailed); A fire (up to semi-detailed); Nightmares (they cause Everett anxiety and his dad tells him to try to change the dream, up to semi-detailed); Seeing someone be knocked out in a fight (barely-above-not-detailed); A close-call with someone drinking Inkanto & getting fever-like symptoms (up to semi-detailed); A giant bird is injured (but will be fine, up to semi-detailed); The villain gasses a room of people and they pass out *Spoiler* This is part of his plan for revenge to knock out those who use Ink and create a fire that will take care of all of them *End of Spoiler*; A villain from the prior book tells Everett that he should have stayed dead (he attempted to kill Everett by throwing him out of a tree in Book #1); The main villain threatens our main characters, another adult human, & her minions with death or strangulation (up to semi-detailed); Some of the Blotters argue, hit/smack each other, & throw sand in the other’s eyes (we see this on-page); Everett gets a bit annoyed at Bea a couple of times (he apologizes for snapping at her once); Everett feels guilt for taking something out of a story when he Leap Reads (because it feels like he stole it; Other adults that are authors tell him that it’s his book and that it wasn’t truly stealing); Everett is stressed and has anxiety, thinking that everyone is counting on him to find new Inkwells (his dad and another adult try to talk to him about it not all being on his shoulders; Later he feels angry with himself and insecure when a plan of his doesn’t work out); Bea sees a painting of a fight where one person is trapped under another and there are bird circling him (barely-above-not-detailed); Bea is concerned that they have to steal from a church, but an adult with them says that “every utensil in the cathedral has been consecrated for a specific purpose, I can think of no more sacred mission for this pen than the one we are on.” and they take the item when the priest isn’t looking (Bea is told “well done!” by an adult with them); Blotters use Mind Murk to make someone pass out; Everett and Bea are told to stay at a place, but they sneak off to try to help the adults (*Spoiler* They end up kidnapped and realize that what the adult meant by it being dangerous *End of Spoiler*); Everett and Bea are hypnotized by a villain and hears her voice in their head, telling them lies (which they starts to believe until she is stopped); Everett and Bea are told that they can’t go on a mission, but the adults in charge let them go around with a friend to explore a new country (with a couple of rules); *Spoiler* Marigold, an Elemental Fomentori, goes into dormancy and turns into a seedpod when she’s used too much energy; There’s a goodbye scene before that is similar to a true goodbye, but it’s said she will be okay and wake up again *End of Spoiler*; Everett and Trey sneak off to go flying (they weren’t told they couldn’t and they do not get punished for it because they learn something important on the flight); Bea picks a lock and is able to get them out of a room a villain locked them in; *Major Spoiler* At the very end, Everett is thrown into a volcano by a villain & Bea sees this (up to semi-detailed); She and the another adults think Everett is dead until Bea notices a sound coming from the comic book Everett was holding and she knows that he’s “not really dead” (the book ends here) *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of break-ins, stealing, & thieves; Mentions of fires (including ones intentionally set by Blotters in Book #1 as well) & volcanoes; Mentions of Inkanto saying mean things to Bea (trying to turn her against her brother and others); Mentions of some who have used Inkanto getting a big ego; Mentions of lies & lying (including the vicar telling an untruth that’s as close as he could “bring himself to telling a full-fledged lie”, and someone saying that “the most powerful lies are those we wish very much to be true”); Mentions of pipes, smoking, & drinking pints (by adults); A few mentions of a villain throwing Everett out of a tree (Book #1); A few mentions of kidnappings (Book #1); A few mentions of prison; A few mentions of an injured bird & her pain (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of wars & fights/battles; A couple mentions of someone struggling with claustrophobia; A mention of Everett’s father being missing (Book #1); A mention of grieving a spouse (Everett’s father for his mother); A mention of a man stealing money from a church; A mention of jealousy; A mention of a rumor; 
             *Note: Mentions of authors & their books (including George MacDonald, Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie, J. M. Barrie, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Jules Verne, & Astrid Lindgren); A few mentions of body odor; A couple mentions of artists; A couple mentions of time travel in a book; A mention of a woman saying something is “predictable male behavior”. 
 
 
Sexual Content- A few mentions of a woman developing romantic feelings for a man & her blushing; A mention of a book that has too much romance for Everett’s taste.
 
-Everett, age 11 (?)
                P.O.V. switches between him, Bea, & others (including villains and their minions)
                                           Set in 1952 (?)
                                                        368 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Let me first say: That ending of a cliffhanger is quite mean. I would almost suggest for fans of the first book to wait for the third book to be released before reading this one! 

 

I was a little concerned going into this second book because I decided not to reread the first book before starting this sequel due to time constraints. Thankfully, because of the easy middle-grade writing style and storytelling, I had no difficulty following along and being reminded of past events in the prior book. Props to the author for that! 

 

As an adult reader, I will say that the villains are at the level of comic book villains in the sense that their plans easily fail and their minions are most-of-the-time buffoons. Personally, I found something’s to be a bit weird and that affected my personal rating (such as the head Blotter being a dung beetle and a good adult turning into a seed pod because of her Ink talent making her go into dormancy). But that said, it was still an entertaining and unique read.

 

Like the first book in the series, the faith content is light. In this sequel, there was an importance place on knowing what the real Ink is, rather than the one that’s being shared. There’s mentions of the real Ink not leading Everett and Bea the wrong way and it feels very symbolic of knowing the Truth. 

 

This series might not be a good choice for sensitive readers, but those who enjoy action and high stakes with some fantasy elements thrown-in will probably enjoy it the most. 

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Worthy Kids) for this honest review.

"The Ink of Elspet" by J.D. Peabody

About this book:

  “Immerse yourself in this fast-paced middle-grade fantasy about magic ink, a secret society, and a boy who yearns to make his mark.
    When their father goes missing after a mysterious train crash, Everett and his little sister Bea find a curious pen in his belongings, and its magical Ink begins to rewrite their once-ordinary lives. The Ink leads them to a world they never knew existed—one teeming with impossible magic, formidable allies, and villains who are determined to destroy everything they hold dear. Together, Everett and Bea embark on an adventure through secret tunnels in England and Scotland to find and protect the last Inkwell, and ultimately to save their father. But in order to do so, Everett must find a way to tap into the most magical power of all: his courage. Evoking A Wrinkle in Time and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, this classic battle of good and evil pits creativity against the forces that would seek to blot it out for good.
    When their father goes missing after a mysterious train crash, Everett and his little sister Bea find a curious pen in his belongings, and its magical Ink begins to rewrite their once-ordinary lives. The Ink leads them to a world they never knew existed—one teeming with impossible magic, formidable allies, and villains who are determined to destroy everything they hold dear. Together, Everett and Bea embark on an adventure through secret tunnels in England and Scotland to find and protect the last Inkwell, and ultimately to save their father. But in order to do so, Everett must find a way to tap into the most magical power of all: his courage. Evoking A Wrinkle in Time and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, this classic battle of good and evil pits creativity against the forces that would seek to blot it out for good.”


Series: Book #1 in “The Inkwell Chronicles”. 


Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are remembered; Everett & his family live in a vicarage as his father (Marcus) is a Reverend (He tells Everett and Bea that they “can have greater influence than you know, doing the right thing takes real bravery and integrity. Your actions matter more than any superhero’s”); When their father leaves on a trip, he prays with them; When held hostage, Marcus tries hard to recall a psalms but isn’t able to do so due to the darkness around him that is draining his hope (one comes to his mind shortly after “I will not be afraid” and much later “The Lord sets the prisoners free. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind” is remembered); Bea remembers that her father said to pray when they’re in trouble, so she tries praying for something to appear and is disappointed when she finished and doesn’t see the much-needed water; Everett doesn’t like that he didn’t think of that first, but thinks that “standing motionless with your eyes closed didn’t seem practical when someone’s life hung in the balance.”; Bea remembers a hymn and four lines of it are written out (it boosts her spirits and courage); At a funeral, a bishop mentions the “valley of the shadow” in his “most preacherly voice”; Everett hides in a Catholic church and while he’s never been in one before, he figures that is couldn’t be all that different and should have hiding places; Marcus (thinks, not speaks) that he knows pride is a sin, but can’t help being impressed with the stories and illustrations that emerged from his pen; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches/cathedrals, clergymen/ministers, services, sermons, & singing hymns; Mentions of a nun & a priest; A few mentions of a preacher that used Ink for sermons and someone else says that “Like art, sermons express a greater story. At least those worth their salt.” & reference a quote by Melville “The world’s a ship on its passage out…and the pulpit is its prow”; A couple mentions of a Bible; A couple mentions of miracles; A couple mentions of thinking you’re hearing heavenly hosts and angelic music; A couple mentions of a song that references a monk and his holy book; A couple mentions of a former vicar who wasn’t “the holiest of men” and ran off with a great deal of the church’s money (and left his wife behind); A mention of a nurse saying that she isn’t sure if a Vicar’s pen was blessed or something because injured people who were written on by it (used it to mark those she had taken care of) miraculously recovered; A mention of someone being called an angel; 

             *Note: The special Ink in this story is what is behind all the greatest creative works (stories, paintings, music, etc.), that it unlocks someone creativity when used (also said to be the source of all the stories where good triumphs over evil); Some people can use Ink to heal others’ injuries (by applying it) and we see that a handful of times; Ink is used in multiple ways, mainly for someone to draw something (typically in the air) to help them on their mission (such as creating stairs to escape and then erase them so the enemies can’t find them, a mine-cart to get away, disguising a group to hide from the enemies (it won’t last long, though) in different clothing and looking older, drawing food to eat, a net to catch you when falling); A character uses hairs from his mustache as a way to connect to Ink (energy) Waves and transport them elsewhere; Ink is said to be “far more powerful” than magic when asked (also said to more like a “living organism than a chemical compound” which is always sending and receiving energy waves that enlightens and inspires); A scientist tries to figure out what Ink is, but says it’s beyond science and cannot recreate it; Muses are able to take on a physical form in very inspiring moments (which looks like a butterfly to some and a loved one with wings (like a fairy) to another) to encourage their artist; “Blotters” are the villains in this story who are creatures that were created by a bishop in the Dark Ages under the command of a king who wanted to rule the world (the king told the bishop that it was a spiritual request and that he wanted a story that would “frighten the masses away from their wickedness” with the most evil creatures imaginable, the king then threatened the bishop to bring the creatures to life, which came from the “realm of imagination into our world” (The bishop did secretly write three safeguards to help defeat these creatures));  Blotters have inhuman eyes, despise the Ink (since they hate all that is good and creative, they called it “the Stink” and their pupils change once they smell it), and some of them have batlike wings between their shoulder blades and can fly; Blotters and other creatures cannot enter into a house of worship as that is a safe place for those trying to flee from them (if they enter, they will instantly become gargoyles); A Blotter checks the church for clues on the children’s whereabouts by sending his shadow into the building (barely-above-not-detailed); It’s a slight *Spoiler*, but important Content Note: The Commander thinks one of the children has sticks called “Witching Sticks” that would solve a lot of his problems (he calls the child a “Stink Witch” to which Marcus becomes angry and says “We are Christian people. We do not practice witchcraft of any sort.” The sticks are actually called “divining rods” and leads the person holding them to the Ink they need most. No actual witches or such are in this book, it’s seems to be a phrase used by the Blotters for those who can lead them to Ink wells *End of Slight Spoiler*); The Commander (a head Blotter) turns a couple lower rank Blotters into puppies; The Commander wants all to bow to his greatness (which doesn’t happen); There is a special class of beings that are endowed with “special powers to fight evil”; Mentions of secret “pinches” or “wrinkles” in this fictional world which shrink the distance from one place to another (this then alludes to ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ by Madeleine L’Engle); Mentions of being hidden in a room that’s in a small pocket of another dimension; A couple mentions of the book “Making Sense of the Universe” by D.L. Sayers (Dorothy Sayers is also a character in this book); A couple mentions of a certain arrogant clergyman being drawn as one of Max Courageous’ enemies; A mention of someone not being a magician; A mention of not detecting any taste of magic in a piece of candy; A mention of someone writing that Ink is “magic or something”; A mention of Icarus and how “man was never meant to fly”; A mention of Norse mythology; A mention of the cursed bishop that created different monsters; A mention of an evil howl; A mention of an evil beast; A mention of an evil man. 

 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blast’, two ‘dumb’s, two ‘idiot’s, two ‘moron’s, and three ‘stupid’s; Some eye rolling & sarcasm; A bit of sibling arguments between Everett and Bea; Mentions of curses (including a couple “unvicarlike” ones coming from Marcus; said, not written); A giant says the phrase “well, curse me if you two ain’t adorable!”; The housekeeper, Mrs. Crimps, for Everett’s family is spiteful and he calls her “The Cramps”, “the old buzzard”, and also a “mean old cow” (once she rapped him across the shins by a broom when he tracked mud into the house and she also pulls him by his hair, barely-above-not-detailed *Spoiler* She completely changes after turning into back to normal after being turned into stone *End of Spoiler*); Fighting wolf-like and eel-like monsters, Being chased by them, & Pain from being bitten by one (up to semi-detailed); Pain, Being shocked, Injuries, & Passing out (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Being drugged (x2, fictional Mind Muck that makes your head feel cloudy), kidnapped/held hostage/tied up (x2), being attacked/pecked by a raven, pain, & blood/bleeding (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Seeing someone being badly attacked by a wolf-like monster & their injuries (up to semi-detailed); Seeing a couple others almost choked/strangled (barely-above-not-detailed); Seeing someone & wolf-like monsters turn to stone (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Seeing someone being struck by lightning (they live, barely-above-not-detailed); Being threatened harm (up to semi-detailed); Being run-off the road & a car crash (up to semi-detailed); A bit of fighting & hitting (between adults, barely-above-not-detailed); A fire & setting it (of a church and vicarage, done by the Blotters, up to semi-detailed); An explosion (barely-above-not-detailed); Everett really struggles with feeling inferior/useless to others, jealousy of his sister’s skills, and also does a couple jabs at her (which he isn’t proud of it and feels guilty, also wishing that he could be better at something than her; he does care and protect her though; no adult corrects his behavior/thoughts but he does better and gains confidence in himself by the end); Everett fibs about something when he didn’t want to be shown up by his little sister; Everett shoves another boy & then later pummels him (an adult pulls them apart); Everett steals something, justifying that if the person knew how much he liked it, the person would have given it to him (about sixty pages later, he regrets taking it and wants to confess to the person; once he tells the truth, he knows he deserves to be punished and was ashamed of how he acted, but was glad to have it off of his conscience (there is no punishment from the adult); Everett feels terrible telling a lie in a church (since he “didn’t have time to explain the truth”) and then tells another one since “a second one couldn’t make things much worse”; Everett locks his sister, Bea, in a trunk daring her to get out in under a minute (not done with a cruel intent, she recently read a biography of Harry Houdini); There is a scene of one of the characters drinking a bottle of Ink (which causes them no harm); A few lies are told by the Blotters; A Blotter asks another one if they’ve been “dipping into the pounce (a powder use to dry ink; in this case, what Blotters use to get rid of Ink) again”; Mentions of a train crash, people being trapped, pain, injuries, possible deaths, & a missing body (including Everett’s father, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of a body (thinking that the person is possibly dead, but they are not), their injuries, & that they might not make it (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of wolf-like and eel-like monsters, fighting them, & turning a few to stone (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of people & monsters being turned to stone (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a battle where the Commander (a Blotter) cut off his own foot to stop from turning into stone (he wants to have revenge on the person who caused it, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of wars & the Nazis; Mentions of counterfeiting money & someone going to prison for doing it; Mentions of stealing; Mentions of a jails, prisons, & dungeons; Mentions of tobacco, pipes, & smoking; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of hatred; A few mentions of thinking that someone may have drowned; A few mentions of blackmail & threats; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of a sheet being placed over someone like they’ve passed away; A couple mentions of a (bad) guy pushing an elderly man and becoming unconscious because of it & making someone else unconscious (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of an accident a giant caused (no details are given); A couple mentions of a con-man; A couple mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of a former vicar who wasn’t “the holiest of men” and ran off with a great deal of the church’s money (and left his wife behind); A mention of an evil man not caring that he may have killed a child (the child is okay, though); A mention of thinking your trapped in a coffin (but not actually); A mention of torture; A mention of a bomb in a story; A mention of graffiti; A mention of throwing up; 

             *Note: Mentions of Harry Houdini, Shakespeare, Newton, Rembrandt, Albert Einstein, George MacDonald, da Vinci, & Mephistopheles; Mentions of other books and authors (‘Peter and Wendy’ by J.M. Barrie, ‘The Magical Land of Noom’ by Johnny Gruelle, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ by Lewis Carroll, ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ by Madeleine L’Engle); A couple mentions of misunderstanding of thinking an adult is going to eat children like in Hansel and Gretel; A couple mentions of Winnie-the-Pooh and Rabbit. 

 
 
Sexual Content- A mention of a couple on their honeymoon kissing which makes Everett squirm and gawk at the same time; A woman (a half giant) embraces and kisses a Blotter (described as gross/uncomfortable for the Blotter, barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of a woman (a half giant) who is described as “too terrifyingly hideous for even a blotter to find attractive”; A mention of flirtation; 
             *Note: A mention of Everett’s mother who passed away while giving birth to Bea. 
 
-Everett, age 11
-Marcus
                            P.O.V. switches between them, Bea, the Commander, & others (including villains and their minions)
                                          Set in 1952
                                                        370 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{Ratings are based on the content found in the story.}

Full confession: Before I picked up this book, I was quite tired from a long day. But as soon as I opened the book and found fascinating map at the beginning, I was much more intrigued. Then I read the opening page and am instantly sucked into the story because it has my absolute favorite style of middle-grade writing with charm and a narrator-like voice telling the story. Maybe it’s because “The Mysterious Benedict Society” is one of my all-time favorite books, but that charm-filled, whimsical storytelling writing style immediately makes me excited for the story. It’s why I have continued to try out secular middle-grade stories if I see someone mention that the writing style is similar to TMBS (though nothing has ever come close to that beloved book for me personally.) 

I took a chance on this novel and I’m so glad that I did. It was such an adventure—literally! The creativity of this story – the villains being called ‘Blotters” and the creativity in what the Ink can do, it was all different but yet fun. I think that it could be classified as “magic” because it’s not something we have in our world (hence being called a middle-grade fantasy), but it isn’t magic as in spells and wands.  

I thought it might be more of a good vs. evil, moral-type storyline than have direct Christianity themes, but there were some Scriptures mentioned and prayers said, which I liked seeing, though it was more focused on the good vs. evil plotline.  

It’s nice to see those in the church (such as Everett’s father, Marcus) be good as opposed to a few secular middle-grade stories I’ve seen where they poke fun at them or even talk badly about them. (There’s are a couple mentions of a vicar who ran off with the church’s money—and who also left his wife behind when doing said running). I would have preferred the Scriptures mentioned being a little more straightforward (such as “I will not be afraid” from Psalms being remembered but not the first and most important part of hoping in God and trusting Him.) and the few mentions of the “Witching Sticks” be a little clearer, but when I reread those parts, I got the impression that it’s a Blotter term and doesn’t actually have to do with witches or spells. I did dock half a star from my personal rating due to these notes, after thinking more on it. 

It was really refreshing to read a fantasy middle-grade story that didn’t have crude humor (or what I call “little boy” humor such as laughing at bodily noises) or “spiritual elements” that go against my faith and values. It was just a fun read. 

I think one part I really wasn't a fan of, personally, was that I wish Everett wouldn’t have been so…moody? He had a chip on his shoulder, and I still don’t understand exactly why. I’m hoping that in the next book we won’t see those moody moments again. 

On that note, when’s the next book coming out? I’m excited and ready to see what happens next. 
 
 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Worthy Kids) for this honest review.