Chanticleer Book Reviews

Author: robert-d-calkins

CELEBRATING CHILDREN’S BOOKS with GERTRUDE WARNER Awards for Middle-Grade Readers – Action/Adventure, Coming of Age, Fantasy, Magic, School, Sci-fi
Here at Chanticleer, we love Children’s literature! There is just something about a truly well-told story that sparks the imagination of the young – and the young at heart.

So, as we celebrate Children’s Book Week – May 4 – 10, 2020, allow us to bring along a few friends and share with you some really good books.

Did you know that 2020 marks the 96th anniversary of the first edition of the first book The Boxcar Children by Gertrude C. Warner?

It’s true! We titled the Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBAs) division for middle-grade readers The Gertrude Warner Awards in honor of the author of the well-loved children’s The Boxcar Children Series.

I guess you could say, we’re fans. BIG fans!

We love Gertrude and so many others! Here’s a little list of some of Middle-Grade Children’s authors you probably already know:

Ron Dahl – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter series

Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson and the Olympians

R.J. Palacio – Wonder

Lemony Snicket – The Series of Unfortunate Events

Madeleine L’Engle – A Wrinkle in Time

Louis Sachar – Holes

Kelly Barnhill for The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Neil Gaiman – for so, so many books!

Lois Lowry – The Giver

Now – a very special treat! Please take the time to find out about some of our very own personal favorite Middle-Grade Children’s Authors:

The Gertrude Warner Book Awards for Middle-Grade Readers – FINALISTS for 2019 – are
- Amber L. Wyss – Phoenix Rising
- M.J. Evans – PINTO!
- M.J. Evans – The Stone of Wisdom – Book 4 of the Centaur Chronicles
- Beth Stickley – Tarnation’s Gate
- Rey Clark – Legends of the Vale
- Laura M. Kemp – Burnt Feathers
- Alex Paul – The Valley of Death, Book 5, Arken Freeth and the Adventure of the Neanderthals
- Trayner Bane – Windhollow and the Axe Breaker (Windhollows, Book 3)
- Carolyn Watkins – The Knock…a collection of childhood memories
- Liana Gardner – 7th Grade Revolution
- Nancy McDonald – Boy from Berlin
- Wendy Leighton-Porter – The Shadow of the Tudor Rose
- Kit Bakke – Dancing on the Edge
- Mobi Warren – The Bee Maker
- C.R. Stewart – Britfield and the Lost Crown
- B.L. Smith – Bert Mintenko and the Serious Business
These titles are in the running for the First Place positions of the 2019 Gertrude Warner Book Awards for Middle-Grade Readers

– and one will be named GRAND Prize Winner!

The 2018 Gertrude Warner Book Awards Grand Prize went to Jules Luther – for the unpublished book, The Portals of Peril

2018 Gertrude Warner Book Awards for Middle-Grade Readers First in Category Winners
- Keelic and the Pathfinders of Midgarth by Alexander Edlund
- Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend by Cheryl Carpinello
- The Portals of Peril by Jules Luther
- From the Shadows by KB Shaw
- Tallulah’s Flying Adventure by Gloria Two-Feathers
- Vampire Boy by Aric Cushing
- The Adventures of Rug Bug by Kay M. Bates
Paul Aertker took home the CIBA GRAND PRIZE 2017 Gertrude Warner Book Awards Grand Prize for

BRAINWASHED: CRIME TRAVELERS SPY SCHOOL SERIES

2017 Gertrude Warner Book Awards for Middle-Grade Readers First in Category Winners
- The Supernatural Pet Sitter by Diane Moat
- Bryce Bumps His Head by Robert D. Calkins
- Brainwashed: The Crime Travelers Series by Paul Aertker
- The Queen and Knights of Nor by Rebekah Stelzer/R.L.Stelzer
- Lucky Rocks by Murray Richter
- Flowerantha by Bek Castro
- The Strange Case of Mr. Beets by A Pharmacist on a Yak (Anand Vora)
The 2016 Gertrude Warner Book Awards Grand Prize was won by Alan Sproles & Lizanne Southgate for their work, The Train From Outer Space.

2016 Gertrude Warner Book Awards for Middle-Grade Readers First in Category Winners are:
- Life On Base: Quantico Cave by Tom & Nancy Wise
- The Train from Outer Space by Alan Sproles and Lizanne Southgate
- The Mystery of Hollow Inn by Tara Ellis
- Ethyr by M.P. Follin
- I, Mary by Mike Hartner
Are you interested in seeing how your Middle-Grade book stands up to the competition? Submit them to the Chanticleer International Book Awards and we will choose the best among the entries!

Click here for more information about The CIBAs!

The deadline to submit your book for the Gertrude Warner awards is May 31, 2019. Enter here!

The deadline for 2019 submissions has been extended to June 15, 2019. Grand Prize and First Place Winners for 2019 will be announced on September 5, 2020, at the CIBA Awards Banquet.

Any entries received on or after June 16, 2019, will be entered into the 2020 Gertrude Warner Book Awards.

As our deadline draws near, don’t miss this opportunity to earn the distinction your Middle-Grade Reader deserves! Enter today!

The GERTRUDE WARNER Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards – the CIBAs.

All Finalists and First Place category winners will be recognized, the first-place winners will be whisked up on stage to receive their custom ribbon and wait to see who among them will take home the Grand Prize. It’s an exciting evening of dinner, networking, and celebrations!

Don’t delay! Enter today!
May 7, 2020
BRYCE BUMPS HIS HEAD: A Sierra the Search Dog Novel by Robert D. Calkins – Middle Grade, Search & Rescue, Dogs

Bryce Bumps His Head: A Sierra the Search Dog Novel is a heartwarming chapter book perfect for the young reader who loves animals. Despite being the fourth book in the Sierra the Search Dog series so far, readers will not have any trouble jumping right in with this story of a dog’s not so typical day on the job.

Sierra and her handler, fifteen-year-old Bryce, are having a practice session when Rusty the Great Dane, and Sierra’s best friend, escapes his house and is set on playing with Sierra, but Sierra takes her job seriously and only plays with her friend once she finishes her job. The next day, a Girl Scout Troop is hiking on a rather cold and rainy day. Mrs. James almost cancels the hike but decides it would be a great opportunity to teach her girls how to stay safe in inclement weather. At the same time, Bryce is giving a rundown of the basics of Search and Rescue to David and his dog Harper.

After giving a successful survival lesson to her troops, Mrs. James is negligent in keeping track of the Girl Scouts on the hike back and notices two Scouts are missing and cannot be found anywhere. Bryce and Sierra are called in to help in the search, and Sierra catches onto the scent right away after diverging off the beaten path. The rescue mission then takes a dangerous turn and Sierra finds herself in a situation where she doesn’t only have to save a missing girl in the woods, but her own handler and companion. She must rely on her training from Bryce to save the day.

Robert D. Calkins delivers a charming story for middle-grade readers. The writing style is relatively simple while still being engaging and exceptionally educational, teaching many lessons on service animal etiquette, survival skills, following directions, and always trying your best in any situation. And while the author includes educational aspects to tell the story, readers will have to fill in details with their own imaginings of the characters’ surroundings, which is especially difficult if readers are not familiar with the Pacific Northwest. That being said, this shortcoming is rather minor as readers will be too busy caught up in the suspenseful tale of Sierra trying to save the day.

Set in the beautiful landscape of Green Mountain along the Suiatte River in Washington State, readers will be instantly enchanted by the courageous Sierra and her young handler Bryce, as she aids in the search for lost people in the wilderness.

April 23, 2019
DIGGER: SIERRA and the CASE of the CHIMERA KILLER by Robert D. Calkins – YA, Mystery/Thriller, Crime Fiction

Artfully constructed with lightning pacing, Robert D. Calkins’ Digger: Sierra and the Case of the Chimera Killer is a must read for mystery/thriller fans and for animal lovers alike, especially those who know that a dog well-trained can be much more than just a pet.

Teenager Bryce Finn and his Golden Retriever Sierra share the spotlight as the novel’s human hero and canine heroine. As a determined duo doing SAR (search and rescue), they are just about the best in their Washington state region, time and again proving Sierra’s reliability and wholehearted enthusiasm for the often grisly “game” of locating decomposing corpses.

There’s a serial killer on the loose in Kitsap County, targeting young female runaways, drug users, and prostitutes. Sheriff Elroy Patterson asks for some extra funds from the county council, above the objections of the hard-nosed conservative councilor, Garrison, who mockingly calls the supposed killer a “chimera”– an imaginary monster. The council overrides him and grants Patterson the money, and the press latches onto Garrison’s weird term – so the hunt for the Chimera Killer is on.

Tracking down the serial murderer becomes the new shared obsession of Bryce and Sierra, although one rescuer, Alan Granger, seems curiously determined to make the pair look bad – but with no success. Whenever Bryce tells his pet to “find Digger” she’s all too willing to please, knowing that a ball game will be her reward.

But Bryce has another obsession: he’s finally getting a chance to woo Katie, his first foray into young love. Katie is reciprocating by taking an active role in SAR, a romantic interest in Bryce, and developing a fondness for his amazing canine. Meanwhile, more bodies are being discovered, which as Bryce notes, is both a victory for law enforcement and the SAR team, but a sad day for the victim and family.

Author Robert D. Calkins, himself a SAR dog handler in the very county where this multi-layered plot takes place, has set out to educate as well as entertain. He offers fascinating details of the canine/human relationship, even to the tone of voice (high-pitched and childlike) that is best used to reward one’s dog for success in locating the sought-after person or object. Anyone interested in effective dog training will find this book a manual of best practice, as numerous tips are cleverly embedded in dramatic scenarios that will keep you turning the pages.

This book will interest YA readers through adults with its teen characters out-doing many of the grown-up pros in solving crimes. More seasoned readers will also find themselves charmed and intrigued by the subtleties of a mystery well-conceived and cinematic.

Calkins’ earlier works centering around this subject are suitable for the middle-grade readers and includes Digger, Sierra Becomes a Search Dog, and Sierra the Search Dog Finds Fred. The author’s fourth book is Bryce Bumps His Head, a chapter book for beginning readers. Although Digger: Sierra and the Chimera Killer could be considered a flagship novel, the author tells us he is working on a sequel. Now that’s something to be excited about!

May 30, 2017