Book Review: Toby Gold and the Secret Fortune By Craig T Everett

 My Take:

 

Toby Gold and the Secret Fortune by Craig R Everett  is a fantastic middle grade book about a boy who has a special ability with money and numbers. He is a foster child and but has managed to make his life work out for him. I thought Toby Gold was a great book and an easy and fast read for anyone. It held my interest and pulled me into the adventure and made me want to know what would happen next.

 

What I loved about it was that Craig took the mysteries of the stock market and made it easy for anyone to understand it's basic workings. I personally have a deep interest in the stock market and love the way it works. It was fun to  see how Craig made it all kid friendly and there fore everyone friendly. He made the market seem less intimidating and down right intriguing. I loved the way he wrapped the markets workings into the story and made it a race to see if Toby could solve the problems set before him before it was too late and he was caught by those who would like to see him dead.

 

I also thought the fun and bit of magic that was part of the story made the story that much more wonderful and exciting to read. Toby Gold is a book I would highly recommend to everyone who wants to know how to manage their money and have fun and exciting basic introduction to the stock market. It is sure to get you wondering what else you can learn and how you can earn and keep your money always in a positive cash flow. Thanks Craig for writing a kid savvy fun adventure that incorporated a lot of learning disguised as a mystery to be solved.

 

"Unique children’s lit that cleverly tackles interest rates, endowments, fluctuating commodities, bullying and identity."

- Kirkus Reviews

Book Blurb:

An infant is discovered one night on a commuter train from New York City during a stop in the sleepy town of Wallingford, Connecticut. The local police are summoned, but are unable to locate the boy’s parents, despite painstakingly questioning each person on the train. For some strange reason, none of the passengers can remember seeing his mother falling from the train – after falling victim to an assassin’s bullet.

Assigned the name “Toby Gold” by social services, the mysterious child grows up in Wallingford, moving from foster home to foster home, not knowing who his real parents are - or why he was born with such freakish skills with math and money.

Now a teenager, Toby’s money skills are noticed by the wrong people, and thus he is unwittingly sucked into a high-stakes financial conspiracy that puts his life, and the lives of his two closest friends, in great peril. Ultimately, Toby solves the crime, saves his friends, and even saves his school—all in one harrowing afternoon.

"This fast-paced adventure weaves fundamental concepts in economics and finance seamlessly into the story. Toby Gold makes learning finance exciting."

- Francis A. Longstaff, PhD, Professor of Finance, UCLA - Anderson School of Management

About the Author: Craig Everett

Craig R. Everett was born and raised in Maine, spending his childhood summers digging along the shores of Bar Harbor for buried pirate treasure. Fortunately, he was able to remain blissfully unaware that pirates seldom, if ever, ventured that far north. He received his B.A. in Economics from Tufts University, an MBA from George Mason University, and a Ph.D. in Finance from Purdue University.

Dr. Everett is currently a finance professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, where he teaches corporate and entrepreneurial finance. Dr. Everett also volunteers in public schools teaching financial literacy principles.

You can learn more about Craig here:
http://craigeverett.com/
http://tobygold.com/
FB http://www.facebook.com/pages/Craig-Everett-author/128980444347?ref=hl
Twitter:https://twitter.com/craig_everett

Toby Gold and the Secret FortuneReading Level: 9 and up
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Fiscal Press (October 18, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-1-936-21495-2
Dimensions: 8.75 x 5.75 x 1.0 inches 
You can get your copy of this great book  

Book Review: Depth of Deceit by Betty Briggs

The Depth of Deceit by veteran author Betty Briggs is a dynamic story about Stephanie Saunders, a young attorney assigned to take on the indigent cases that come through courtroom and defend them. Stephanie has worked hard and long to garnish respect, but her beauty queen good looks, makes it hard for people to take her seriously as a legal representative.

She is assigned by the judge to handle the case of Josh Durrant, accused of assault. A man with long blond hair, a thick beard, a barbed wire tattoo across his bicep, and amazing green eyes, who seems to be following her all over town. She isn't sure whether to be annoyed with him or worried.

Not that it matters that much to her when she has Todd Saxton for her boyfriend looking out for her. He is loving , charming, handsome and sweet to her. But when devastating secrets are discovered, Stephanie's whole life tumbles out of control.

The only place she finds true comfort is at the stables with her horses. She finds a kindred soul in the battered and abused mare, Riskie Business whose gentle soul and sweet disposition is a balm to Stephanie's shattered soul.

There are difficult decisions that will affect the rest of Stephanie's life that must be made, and in turn Stephanie must learn how to save not only herself in the final showdown, but one who relies on her the most. There she must learn to trust those who can't be trusted and discover courage and strength she never knew she possessed. And find a way to make the ultimate decisions of what is right and what is not.

I was drawn instantly into the story and couldn't put it down once I got started. There were so many mysteries and questions I wanted to know as layer upon layer was uncovered to reveal the final answers at the end of the book. Depth of Deceit made me laugh out loud, it made me cry big tears, and it made me wonder what would happen next. I kept turning page after page to discover secret after secret. I felt as if I was right beside Stephanie Saunders the entire time. Her anxiety pulsed out of the pages, her love and compassion and even when snarky frustration rose with in her were so real and tangible. I knew how she felt about those she loved and those she was annoyed with. Her suspicious nature about everything that appeared to be truth leapt off the pages. It surprised me how deep those emotions became as they welling up inside of me.

Betty Briggs really knows how to pull the reader into the world of words she creates as it runs like a movie inside the readers head. I was held captive until the very last words and found myself surprised with the unexpected plot twists and turns through out the book.

The way the horses played such an important part in the dynamics of the story made me wish I was at the stabes right along with Stephanie. I loved how Betty wove the legal dynamics of being an up and rising attorney into the plot, and how Stephanie's struggles were so real to life as I wondered who, if anyone was trustworthy.

I completely loved reading Depth of Deceit. I loved the rich characters portrayed, from the rude secretary, to the little old man who lived in the mountains. I felt each character was well developed and helped propel the story along with their insite and lively conversation. I felt a deep connection with many of the characters, and was surprised by the culminating events in the end.

I completely enjoyed my journey into the Depth of Deceit. Get your copy of Depth of Deceit by Betty Briggs, here, you won't be disappointed. Take the time to stop by Betty's web site and learn more about her and her other books go to http://www.bettybriggs.com/ there you will find additional information on horses and other short stories as well.

Disclaimer: While I do at times receive copies of the books I review, my opinions are and will always remain my own.

Book Review: Star Scout Rising First Trail by Gary Darby

In Gary Darby's debut book, Star Scout Rising First Trail the reader is taken on a fast paced, intense journey through intergalactic space. This Sci-Fi mystery is filled with political intrigue and uncertainty as Del Baldura and his team of Junior StarScouts prepare to take their No Notice exam that will determine if the years of intense training allows them entry into the Senior StarScouts, who patrol space for new life and planets waiting to be discovered.

As team leader, Del Baldura is in the midst of an important mission that will help him and his four fellow team members advance to the next phase of their training in a field ops exercise. During the mission, one of their team members is kidnapped and the efforts of the rest of the team to rescue her lead them to unexpected adventures and dangers that kept me on the edge of my seat as I read furiously to find out what happened next. As the twists and turns and surprises kept coming, I found myself pulled deeply into the plot of the story, and felt my stomach churning with anxiety with many of the predicaments the team members and other key characters found themselves facing.

In addition to the excitement happening with Del's team, some with great control and power higher up in the Senior Star Scouts organization go against all they stand for and plot revenge against Del as they discover things about his past. They want to be sure he pays for incidents that occurred that were out of his control when he was younger. Power hungry and crazed with desire for complete and ultimate control , Pellar, a senior officer in the StarScouts with high ranking command has his fist wrapped tightly around the very lucrative Kolomite trade and rules the galaxy under concealment, with his corrupt addicting need to be the only one who commands how and where and what happens with any Kolomite found on any planet. He has infiltrated the StarScouts missions by utilizing their systems and encryption codes to secretively push his own agenda of power, wealth and revenge at the cost of all who might be in his way. His evil designs ooze into the pages of Star Scout Rising First Trail as he manipulates those around him.

Gary Darby has the ability to make worlds come alive and battles spark to life within the pages of Star Scout Rising First Trail. I found myself feeling the acid from the lake eat through the uniform and the under brush of a planets unfamiliar foliage brush against me. The adrenaline pumped through my body as I was chased and hunted down by unknown dangerous creatures. I could feel the peace of space as stars twinkled in the distance and the whine of the engines as space ships struggled to be free of capture. Making the experience of reading Star Scout Rising First Trail one I won't soon forget.

I am excited to know that Star Scout Rising First Trail is the first of a trilogy and look forward to knowing what happens next with key players in the story. There are some intense cliff hangers I want to know the answers to. I was left wanting the story to continue and wanting to be a part of the exciting daring missions and rescues that Del would be caught up in. I anticipate the chance to be drawn into the next books as part of the team while they explore new terrains and discover things that will surely shock and excite them.

Check out Gary's website at http://www.starscoutrising.blogspot.com/ to learn more fascinating things about Gary and his book. It was refreshing to read a book with so much action and excitment that had no swearing and was clean. I would recommend this book for all ages. To get your own copy click here, so you can be a part of the fast paced ride through space with Del and his team and be part of the mystery and intrigue they constantly face.

Disclaimer : While I sometimes receive a copy of the book I am reviewing, it does not in anyway influence my opinions. They are and will remain my own.