Donna Galanti - Where heart and hope meet adventure!

Link to my Facebook Page
Link to my Goodreads Page
Link to my Mail Page
Link to my Twitter Page
  • Home
  • Bio
  • Q&A
  • Books
    • Unicorn Island
    • Joshua and the Lightning Road
    • Joshua and the Arrow Realm
    • Donna’s Books for Grownups
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • News
  • School Visits
  • Reader Fun!

Character Book Club: Sam from The Sign of the Green Dragon

By Donna Galanti

greendragon (1)I am super  excited for this meeting of the DMS Files Character Book Club! In attendance today are Sam of The Sign of the Green Dragon, by C. Lee McKenzie, interviewed by Joshua from Joshua and the Arrow Realm. 

In The Sign of the Green Dragon we have … Three plucky sleuths. A crumbling skeleton. A buried treasure.

After six months in a new school, Sam’s finally fitting in. He’s the one kid with enough talent to hit the winning home run and bring the baseball trophy back to Haggarty Elementary. But Sam’s guardian is shipping him off to boarding school before that can happen.

When his teammates, Joey and Roger, hear his bad news, they plot to hide him until the big game. Their secret cave is a perfect place until an earthquake shatters a wall and reveals a wooden chest with a red-eyed dragon carved into its top. Inside, a crumbling skeleton clutches a map with a cryptic note, promising treasure if the finder reveals the truth about an old murder and returns the remains of the victim to China.

Is the note a hoax? Maybe. But what does Sam have to lose? With Joey and Roger, he sets off to track down the clues and hopefully discover treasure. When finally some puzzle pieces start to make sense, they become lost in a labyrinth of underground tunnels, trapped by dangerous thieves and sealed inside an airless tomb.

My Review:
The Sign of the Green Dragon is an intriguing high-stakes plot brimming with dark secrets, unsolved murders, and mystical dragons in a race against a ticking clock. A compelling combination of criminal underworld and ancient lore, readers will enjoy hunting for treasure at their own peril with this resourceful group of young detectives. Magic, mystery, and mayhem reign in this tale of friendship and adventure that will leave you guessing until the end – and hope for more adventures to come!

As one reader says, this book, “has more twists than a dragon’s tail.” I can’t wait to find out what Sam thinks about his recent adventure! So, without further ado, let the meeting commence…


logo1green

Character Book Club with Sam and Joshua!

Joshua: Were you totally scared to run away from home? (I’ve run away myself so know the feeling!)

Sam: I know about what happened to you, Joshua. Sorry, man. But, yeah. I guess I was a little scared. Still it was kind of exciting.

Joshua: Your friends seem like good friends. They stick by you through all the bad stuff. What was the worst part of your adventure that made you glad they were here?

Sam: Well, you know that tomb thing really was bad. Joey was a big help getting us out of there with his so-so Chinese. And Roger, well, he helped out a lot in Sadie’s museum. He figured out where to look for the dragon files.

Joshua: You had some super cool spooky experiences! What was it like to experience those weird things? If you didn’t believe in dragons and magic and stuff before, I bet you do now!

Sam: I’m nodding, Joshua. At first, I was creeped out, but then I met them and those dragons are something. I mean they fly! And fast. Maybe not fast like the lightning road, but close.

Joshua:  Was there a point in your adventure that you didn’t think you’d antibiotics ever make it out okay? (I’ve had tons of these too so can totally relate!)

Sam: Right. Like that time you got caught by that tree! I was worried. Real worried. Oh, but about me and the guys. I didn’t think we were getting out of that warehouse. That’s for sure. And then that tomb. . .in the dark. . .no air. That had me tense.

Joshua: What is it like to not have a mother or father and be raised by an uncle? Do you think you and your uncle could be friends now after all you’ve been through? I’m an only child too without parents. (Hey, we have a lot in common and should hang out sometime!)

Sam: I’m still not used to Mom and Dad being gone, but Carmela helps and Uncle Jasper’s kind of different these days. Carmela’s changed things. Hey! I got a room of my own in the house now! Seriously. Come over and see. Maybe do a sleepover. Uncle Jasper’s even letting me ride some of his horses. Neat, right?

Joshua: You met a lot of nasty – and nice – people in your adventure. Who was the scariest and who was the nicest, and why?

Sam: That creep, Hanson, was a lot nasty, but Sadie Green downright scared me to death. No way do I want to meet up with her again. But Li Kwan was a really nice guy. I miss him. And Jen, too. But I might get to see him next summer.

Joshua: If you knew ahead of time of all the crazy things you’d come across on your quest to solve the mystery of the green dragon (dark secrets, magic, and murder, yikes!), would you still have run away in the first place?

Sam: Tapping finger and thinking here, Joshua. . . Yes. Definitely. I mean I wouldn’t have ever met Jen. I wouldn’t have seen that “house” he lives in or gotten to  meet up with Mei Ling’s . . . I guess you’d say, her ghost?

Joshua: Knowing what you know now, would you have done anything differently with your friends along the way? Is there anything special you would have grabbed before you left to take with you?

Sam: Well, I packed my dad’s Swiss army knife and that helped me out a lot. Some more food would have been good. We all got kind of hungry until Jen started feeding us.

Joshua: I totally don’t think that this is your only treasure hunt adventure! Are you up for another adventure or ready for a break to just hang with your friends and play baseball?  ?

Sam: Well, you see, I’ve got this map that Mr. Lung left and it’s kind of mysterious, and it kind of says that I could help out this person. Still, I’m getting really primed to bring in more winning runs. It’s a huge toss up. And then there’s Joey and Roger to think about. Guess I have to see how things go.

 

Hey, Sam, thanks for coming on Character Book Club with me!

p3m9VhGd

                 C. Lee McKenzie

Meet Sam’s author C. Lee McKenzie!

greendragon
Read the reviews for The Sign of the Green Dragon! 
Check out C. Lee’s other books for young adults
 double-negative100 Princess of Las Pulgas100 SOTE_Cover100 suddensecrets100

Character Book Club with Pete Riley of The Great Timelock Disaster!

By Donna Galanti

time1.23BI am super  excited for this meeting of the DMS Files Character Book Club! In attendance today are Pete Riley of The Great Timelock Disaster, sequel to Alligators Overhead by C. Lee McKenzie, interviewed by Joshua Cooper from Joshua and the Lightning Road.

In The Great Timelock Disaster, becoming a wizard is hard work. For Pete Riley it’s almost impossible. He tries to follow the rules, but he’s impatient and being impatient only leads to trouble.

Big trouble.

He messes with a time spell when he shouldn’t and he and his bookish friend, Weasel, are swept into Victorian England, where they will be trapped forever if that wizard-in-training can’t find a way to reverse his bad spell by the next full moon.

I’m so happy for the chance to find out what Pete thinks about his recent adventure! Read my review about it! So, without further ado, let the meeting commence…

roundtabletimelockCharacter Book Club with Pete and Joshua!

Joshua: It must have been amazing (and scary) to time travel back to England in 1837! Were there any cool things about that place you would trade for in from your own time?

Pete: Meeting Margaret was cool. She was a big help getting Fanon out of trouble and helping Weasel and me find Dr. Wraith. The rest was icky. Those Spikes—places for the poor kids—I don’t ever want to be in one of those again. And you should see the size of the rats. Nope. Not much more I’d want to trade for in that year.

Joshua: Weasel is your best friend and yet seems the total opposite of you! I see you help each other out but also annoy each other. How did you two ever become – and stay – friends?

Pete: Oh, he really likes me, you know. He puts on that I’m a big pain, but without me he’d be bored and lonely and hungry. His mom and dad are big time researchers who are always gone, and his brother’s at college, so he’s on his own a lot. Aunt Lizzie and me are all he’s got most of the time. And he kind of owes me. I got him out of trouble with some seventh graders last year.

Joshua: You said that being a wizard did not come naturally to you – and then you got yourself in a mess by practicing a spell ?. Did you ever think you weren’t meant to be a wizard and if so, what else would you want to be?

Pete: I think that a lot, I mean about not being cut out for this wizard stuff. I used to be just a normal kid with a normal family, and then kaboom! I’ve got witches for relatives and stuff starts happening that I cause, but don’t know I cause. Well, you can see it’s complicated.

I think I’d like to be park ranger—just a guy who takes care of nature and animals. I like parks and animals. It’s the witches and the spells that give me trouble.

Joshua:  Is it hard being a friend to someone like Weasel who doesn’t understand or practice magic like you do?

Pete: Not really. I like that he can’t do magic. For one thing, he’s so smart that he’d do it real good. Then I’d have to start studying and practicing and stuff because Harriet or Aunt Lizzie would be on me like gnats in summer. I can hear them now. “If Weasel can do it so well, then you can, too.”

Joshua: I’ve traveled to another place but never another time. Time travel must be so cool! If you could time travel again, what would be your favorite destination and time? And who would you take along with you?

Pete: I’d like to go into the future and visit some planets. That would be so cool. But it looks like I’m not getting that wish. McKenzie’s started writing me into a story about medieval knights. I think she’s got her mind set on sending me back there. I know she’ll send Weasel, too, and maybe Fanon. She has to send at least one of those two, or I won’t go.

Joshua: I can’t imagine having an alligator for a friend! What happens if you get in a fight – does he win? Ha ha. And how do you explain to your clonazepam other friends about having an alligator for a friend?

Pete: It’s sort of hush hush about Fanon, except for Weasel and the witches. Nobody would understand a talking alligator. I still don’t really understand it, but it’s a huge help to have Fanon as my friend. And now he’s got that mind-to-mind talking down, so he sends me all kinds of news from the swamp. And we never fight. Have you ever seen an alligator’s teeth? I’d be nuts to even think about fighting him.

Joshua: You met a lot of creepy people in your adventure. Who was the scariest and why?

Pete: Dr. Dread Wraith was the scariest, hands down. Take a look at the name. Dread? Wraith? Like dreaded ghost. Just saying his name gives me the shakes. Weasel and me didn’t want any part of a ghost, but then we had to find him because he was the only one who could help us get home.

Joshua: If you knew ahead of time you’d be going back in time to England almost two hundred years ago, is there anything special you would have taken to help you along the way?

Pete: A map. We couldn’t figure out where we were or which way to go. And we’d landed in that cemetery at night. Talk about not winding up where you want to be. Then I would have packed some granola bars. The food was the most terrible stuff I’ve ever tasted. Oh, and some Slurpees.

Joshua: I thought you were really smart in trying to fit in right away in this other place and time. What advice would you give kids for time traveling?

Pete: Fit in and fast! Pick up the way people talk as soon as you can. Get some clothes that keep you from being noticed. Play dumb if you get in a tight spot, and make up a good story about where you’re from, so you can tell people who ask. Weasel’s real good at making up stories. That’s another reason I like him.

Joshua: You got to do so many new things in your adventure (and I so want to read  your other adventure, Alligators Overhead, after watching the movie preview below!). Were you scared to try stuff you never did before, like being a stable hand and driving a carriage?

Pete: Getting the horse to do what I wanted it to was tough, but I liked trying. I didn’t like forking hay or sleeping in it very much, but the food at the stables was way better than it was at the Spike, so being a little scared of the horses and tired by all the work was okay.

Joshua: Some of the people you met in your travels had awesome powers, like seeing into the future. If you could have any special power or ability what would it be?

Pete: I need to work on teleporting. I can do it to other people—in Alligators Overhead I teleported Weasel, and that was a real high for me, not so much for Weasel. But I can’t do it for myself, and there were a lot of times when we were back in those Queen Victoria days I wanted out.

Joshua: So what kind of adventure do you want next? Or would you be just happy staying at home? ?

Pete: I think I’d like to stick around Hadleyville for a while and make it through my next year at school without too much trouble. But if I got a chance to shoot up to another galaxy I’d take it in a snap. I’ve got to talk to McKenzie and get her to rethink this medieval thing she’s got in her mind.

Hey, great to meet you Joshua. Let me know how you do after that Lightning Road adventure. And you got to fly a lot in that book. Tell McKenzie about the flying. I’d like to do some of that.

Hey, Pete, thanks for coming on Character Book Club with me!

p3m9VhGdMeet Pete’s author C. Lee McKenzie!

Read the reviews for The Great Time Lock Disaster and for Alligators Overhead! 
Check out C. Lee’s other books for young adults
 double-negative100 Princess of Las Pulgas100 SOTE_Cover100 suddensecrets100

 

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Lover of doughnuts, Doritos, and adventures (not so much authority figures). Does that make me a kid? Read More…

Sign Up for Posts!

Reviews for Joshua and the Lightning Road

Reviews from Goodreads.com
Subscribe to this blog

© Copyright 2019 · www.donnagalanti.com · All Rights Reserved