Welcome to my stop on the tour!
I have an awesome book to share with you.
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SPINNER
by Michael J Bowler
YA Horror/Paranormal
Published on August 5th, 2015
My Review
I felt an instant connection to Alex. Not because he was in a wheelchair. But because he and his gang of friends were are all deemed worthless. Each of them had a tic, a disability that landed them in the neverland of Special Ed.
I have a son with a social disabiilty. I can’t think of anything harder to deal with. Everything we do is social, is interaction with others. My heart broke one day. I was at the school to pick up my son and saw this boy coming down the hall. He was hunched into himself, trying to disappear, and there was no one else even in the hall. What crushed me was I realized it was my son. I couldn’t imagine how his days must be.
Alex and his friends endure bullying on a daily basis. They have each others back, the strong defending the weaker. And Alex and Roy have a special bond. It goes beyond friendship. It’s love. Love for a fellow human being. It’s unbreakable. I loved it.
Something that sets Alex apart is he’s a spinner. He can heal others, take away their pain. He can’t do it to himself, only to others. Some powerful people know about his ability. They want it. They want him. And they are coming.
I enjoyed how there were several different plots going at the same time.
The boys had to deal with the bullies. And Alex had to come to grips with a chance at young love.
Then there was the deadly hooded figure and the giant cat. Alex thought they were only in his dreams. But they almost kill him and Roy, and also go after his friends.
Mustn’t forget their new Special Ed teacher. Somethings hinky about her. Not sure who she’s working with, but she’s giving off some creepy vibes. The boys aren’t falling for it either.
Lots of surprises in this book too. I think I was as surprised as Alex when he uncovered a secret from his past. A secret revealed by his deceased mother. Alex has endured 10 foster homes and now Jane, his current abusive foster mother. The one who kept the package from him. She’s got plans for Alex.
So much is happening that the plot flies. It may sound confusing, but it’s not. Everything flows smoothly.
An unlikely band of heroes, these kids have a lot going on. Those who brush them off as dummies will think twice when these guys spring into action.
My son is reading this now. He got tired of me calling him out of his room to read excerpts to him. Told me to hurry up and finish so he could read it himself. Now, he’s coming out of his room to read parts of this book to me. Too funny.
5 Stars
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Synopsis
Fifteen-year-old Alex is a “spinner.” His friends are “dummies.” Two clandestine groups of humans want his power. And an ancient evil is stalking him. If people weren’t being murdered, Alex might laugh at how his life turned into a horror movie overnight.
In a wheelchair since birth, his freakish ability has gotten him kicked out of ten foster homes since the age of four. Now saddled with a sadistic housemother who uses his spinning to heal the kids she physically abuses, Alex and his misfit group of learning disabled classmates are the only ones who can solve the mystery of his birth before more people meet a gruesome end.
They need to find out who murdered their beloved teacher, and why the hot young substitute acts like she’s flirting with them. Then there’s the mysterious medallion that seems to have unleashed something malevolent, and an ancient prophecy suggesting Alex has the power to destroy humanity.
The boys break into homes, dig up graves, elude kidnappers, fight for their lives against feral cats, and ultimately confront an evil as old as humankind. Friendships are tested, secrets uncovered, love spoken, and destiny revealed.
The kid who’s always been a loner will finally learn the value of friends, family, and loyalty.
If he survives…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael J. Bowler is an award-winning author of eight novels–A Boy and His Dragon, A Matter of Time (Silver Medalist from Reader’s Favorite), and The Knight Cycle, comprised of five books: Children of the Knight (Gold Award Winner in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards), Running Through A Dark Place, There Is No Fear, And The Children Shall Lead, Once Upon A Time In America, and Spinner. His horror screenplay, “Healer,” was a Semi-Finalist, and his urban fantasy script, “Like A Hero,” was a Finalist in the Shriekfest Film Festival and Screenplay Competition. He grew up in San Rafael, California, and majored in English and Theatre at Santa Clara University. He went on to earn a master’s in film production from Loyola Marymount University, a teaching credential in English from LMU, and another master’s in Special Education from Cal State University Dominguez Hills. He partnered with two friends as producer, writer, and/or director on several ultra-low-budget horror films, including “Fatal Images,” “Club Dead,” and “Things II,” the reviews of which are much more fun than the actual movies. He taught high school in Hawthorne, California for twenty-five years, both in general education and to students with learning disabilities, in subjects ranging from English and Strength Training to Algebra, Biology, and Yearbook. He has also been a volunteer Big Brother to eight different boys with the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters program and a thirty-year volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles. He has been honored as Probation Volunteer of the Year, YMCA Volunteer of the Year, California Big Brother of the Year, and 2000 National Big Brother of the Year. The “National” honor allowed him and three of his Little Brothers to visit the White House and meet the president in the Oval Office. He is currently working on a sequel to Spinner. His goal as a YA author is for teens to experience empowerment and hope; to see themselves in his diverse characters; to read about kids who face real-life challenges; and to see how kids like them can remain decent people in an indecent world.
Website – Blog – Twitter – Facebook – Tumblr – Pinterest – Instagram
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