The very first review received for Jimmy Crikey's Adventures in the Sky Islands May 20121
Reviewed By:
Sarah Scheele
5 Stars - Congratulations on your 5-star review! From Readers Favourite
Jimmy Crikey’s Adventures in the Sky Islands (and beyond) is a children’s novel by Wallace E Briggs. Jimmy, also called Commander McGellan, is the son of travelers from a distant planet. He now lives in a fantasy version of Earth filled with different “worlds”—ecosystems with their own natural phenomena and creatures. When a malicious race called Zyrons invade the Sky Islands situated in the remote top of the atmosphere, the powerful Weatherman Lord Oron uses a risky magic spell to banish them. He returns home to find his portable dwelling, the Cloud, has been stolen and then he vanishes with the thieves. With no one to control Earth’s weather, Jimmy and his computer friend XRU must team up with the four witches of Earth, blending magic and science in harmony to travel the solar system and find the Weatherman before it’s too late.
Jimmy Crikey’s Adventures in the Sky Islands (and beyond) lives up to its name as a gently-paced, sprawling adventure tale that takes the characters and any lucky readers into one interesting world after another. There is a leisurely richness to the story and it introduces continually interesting new places as Earth becomes a fantasy land before the reader’s eyes. There is an unpretentious, sincere quality to the building of each invented place on Earth and the effortless combination of science fiction with fantasy and magic was beautifully managed. Wallace E Briggs’ book is natural to read and easy to enjoy, and children will find themselves transported into a wholesome storyline in which the qualities of friendship, hope, persistence, and courage are not only brought forward but fully realized through characters that shine on the page. A real treat and a lot of fun, this book is a quiet delight.
Reviewed By Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers’ Favorite - A SECOND 5* REVIEW
“Never underestimate the power of the guardians of Earth," says Ira, one of the four protector witches of Earth. The galactic race of Zyrons has invaded the Sky Islands above Earth and the Ropians, who live in caverns beneath Mars’s surface, threaten to invade Earth to confiscate its water. In order to avert this invasion, Jimmy Crikey, an orphan alien who chose Earth as his home, his team of witches, an ancient weatherman, and a tiny apprentice witch named Jade come up with a viable solution. From threatening invasive alien forces to ingenious solutions using collective brainpower, the interplanetary adventures of one orphan alien, Jimmy Crikey, an outcast, once bullied by his peers, can overcome evil; not through bullying, but through brainpower and courage.
Wallace E. Briggs’ middle-grade novel, Jimmy Crikey’s Adventures in the Sky Islands (and beyond), is a clever, sensitive fantasy/science fiction story that combines the allure of some of the best-known books in this genre. One senses a bit of Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland and the fairy tales of our youth where the underdog, the scapegoat, always rises above everyone else in the end. The main protagonist, Jimmy Crikey, is the type of character that will attract young readers and they will be cheering him on through one courageously fought battle after another. There is lots of action and mayhem to keep the plot moving forward and the true magic of this story is the magic found deep within us all. The story is full of relevant messages about bullying and how one can overcome and rise above the conflict through courage and self-confidence. It also speaks strongly about the true source of beauty – deep within our souls. A great read for a young audience.
BookBub Reviews for Jimmy Crikey’s Adventures in the Sky Islands 27/7/21
Rowan Greene - @rowan3-----Recommended and rated this book 5 stars
Fantasy books are what make this world a bit magical. I loved reading them and I have high expectations. This novel covered my expectations of magic, well thought out plot, and nice characters.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Entertaining
Great world building
Unpredictable
Wonderful characters
Meredith Franco -
@meredith117 ------Recommended and rated this book 4 stars
Great plot, interesting characters, and nice writing. I recommend it for sure.
Cindy Mclaughlin - @cindy960 ------Recommended and rated this book 5 stars
An amazing journey with an unexpected end. I loved it!
Kailyn Rush -
@kailyn4 -----Recommended and rated this book 5 stars
Adventures and magic - this is what we all need no matter the age we are. I loved reading this book to my child. It was interesting for me as it was for my girl. I recommend it.
Declan Barnett - @declan27 -----Recommended and rated this book 5 stars
This was the first time I read this author and I'm glad I did. the novel was interesting and the characters even more so. I will check the other books from this author.
Arthur Saunders -
@arthur79 -----Recommended and rated this book 5 stars
This book was a magical journey for me and my kid. We read it together and both of us loved it!
Karen Dillon -
@karen2125 ------Recommended and rated this book 5 stars
I started Jimmy Crikey's Adventures not realizing that it was the second book in the series but this wasn't a problem at all. I enjoyed it a lot and now I'm purchasing the first one.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Page-turner
Nicholas Clark -
@nicholas67 -----Recommended and rated this book 5 stars
My 12-year-old loved Jimmy Crikey's Adventures in the Sky Islands, he asked me to order him the first book of the series. So I guess, that means the book is pretty good! Usually, my kid is picky and it is hard for me to find books for him. Well done to the author!
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Wonderful characters
Elliot Matthews - @angelofdeath45415694 -----Recommended and rated this book 5 stars
After reading the first book of the series, and loving it, it was natural to read the second one. And it was even better than the first! I just love the writing style of the author.
Rey Maynard - @maynardrey9 ------Recommended and rated this book 5 stars
A well-written novel with fantastic characters. I loved Jimmy Crikey's Adventures and I'm rating it 5 out of 5 stars.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Wonderful characters
Cindy Booker - @bookerlove -----Recommended and rated this book 5 stars
This is a captivating magical story! I was so immersed in the world the author created that I read the book in one breath!
Deanna Perkins -
@deannaper987 -----Recommended and rated this book 5 stars
Jimmy Crikey's Adventures in the Sky Islands by Wallace Briggs is a wonderful story of an amazing boy! I enjoyed it a lot even though I'm not a kid. I recommend.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Easy-to-read
Wonderful characters
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Hi Wallace,
Thank you again for your interest in our book reviews. We read and we reviewed your book and liked it very much. Here is a copy of our review,
Five Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Jimmy Crikey’s Adventures In the Sky Islands (And beyond)” by Wallace E Briggs,” who in my opinion has written a fast-paced fantasy adventure exceptionally suitable for children and young adults. I felt the author wrote the story in an interesting and captivating manner where magical events and scenes change fast which gave me a sense of wanting to know what happens next. Here is an example of what I mean from the first few pages at the beginning of the book,
“They said their farewells and Jimmy lowered himself into the fast-flowing river just a meter or two before it plunged over the lip of the waterfall. Before his feet touched the river, he turned the silver buckle on the sapphire belt gifted to him by Witch Elwin, and the waters parted around his feet. Gemma followed Jimmy. She was wearing the sapphire pendant presented to her by Elwin. All she had to do was repeat the words ‘Waters part around me,” as Elwin had instructed her. Elwin’s power over water was astounding, and Gemma’s feet stayed every bit as dry as Jimmy’s. Jade and the rest of her family just looked on in astonishment. Jimmy held his hands out for Jade and lifted her down so that she stood on the riverbed, which was dry between where he and Gemma stood.”
Research has shown over the years that fantasy or magical stories like this excellent story help children think outside the box, increase their creativity, and increase their vocabulary according to many scientific reports such as Weisberg DS, Ilgaz H, Hirsh-Pasek K, Golinkoff RM, Nicolopoulou A and Dickinson DK. 2015. Shovels and swords: How realistic and fantastical themes affect children’s word learning. Cognitive Development, 35, 1-14.
I also thought this magical story written by this author helps a child learn the joy of reading new ideas and adventures to encourage the child to enjoy books and help them socialize with other children to discuss books such as this one written by this highly imaginative author. I also liked the way the author formatted the book by double-spacing the lines making it easy for a young reader to keep turning the pages.
Also, in my view, I felt this author has a special talent for choosing the appropriate vocabulary for children and pre-teens that is easy to understand as well as exciting to read. I felt the author is excellent in writing dialogue that is concise and easy to understand for a young reader while at the same time creating a lot of excitement. For example,
“Enough of this unnecessary babble,” said Jimmy, joining in the conversation for the first time. “Before nightfall, you will have to organise all the islands. They have to act together to give Jade a chance to use the magic that the witches have given her to free Ira. Lord Oron will carry us beneath San Oren where we know there is a weak link in their forcefield. Only Jade is small enough to squeeze through the gap, and as soon as she does, the Zyrons will be alerted. The citizens of the Sky Islands have to create a diversion to give Jade enough time to use the magic she has.”
“Lord Oron continued: “The future of your homes and even your lives are under threat. If we fail in this endeavour, you will lose everything.”
As I read this mystical story, I thought of what well-known writer, Chelsea Philpot said about fantasy novels, “As children we read to escape - to enter fantasy worlds where a bespectacled boy can discover he's a wizard or a brave girl can find a magical passage through a wardrobe. But we also read to find reflections of ourselves.” And, from stories like this one, I believe the young reader learns about bravery, quick-thinking, and other strong character traits.
I liked the twists and turns and supernatural and highly imaginative events in this story as well as the intrigue and mysteries. Frankly, it was an enjoyable read and I enjoyed the highly imaginative ending very much.
All in all, I felt this novel is an exciting read for young readers and offers a door to them to open and look inside with great wonder on what the mind can create to entertain and dazzle others.
It was my pleasure to receive a free copy of this book but that does not in any way affect my opinions in this review of this exceptional book."
We posted our review on Goodreads, and our social media and we have submitted the review to Amazon.
You can use our review any way you wish and thank you for your interest in our site and we wish you great success with your book and your future books!
Best to you,
Bruce Miller
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NWhat Audible listeners say about:
Jimmy Crikey's Adventures in the Sky Islands
Average customer ratings Overall 5 out of 5 stars Story 5 Stars x 24 4 Stars x 1
Audible.com reviews Bottom of Form
· Overall 5 out of 5 stars
· Performance 5 out of 5 stars
· Story 5 out of 5 stars, One 4 out of 5 stars
John Marks 12-09-22 I enjoyed listening very much.
This audiobook is really very good with its storyline. The narrator did a great job.
· Overall5 out of 5
Shawn Bruce 11-09-22 Fabolous!
This audiobook tells the story of a young boy named Jimmy Crickey. Along the way, Jimmy encounters a colorful cast of characters and stumbles into one unexpected adventure after another. My son loves this book
· Overall 5 out of 5 stars
Robert Herrick 11-09-22 I fully satisfied.