Book Review : The Ifs by J. D Pooker!

Hello,

Today I am reviewing Middle Grade fantasy adventure, titled The Ifs by author J.D.Pooker. Let’s get to know the author a bit more:

J.D. Pooker lives in wonderful Wyoming with her husband and two sons, along with a black lab named Ryder and a sweet kitty named Alia. J.D. likes to spend time with her family and go camping, fishing, and snowmobiling.

Her sons are the inspiration for writing children’s stories. She wants to encourage them to be readers and show them how powerful and exciting the imagination can be. She wants them to see that countless worlds exist, and all it takes to get there is a good book.

Book Summary

Landon and Broden are brothers. And some days they DO NOT get along very well. They spend most of their days fighting, arguing and plotting ways to get revenge on each other. Then, strange things start happening…

Noises in their room that are not the cat.

Homework is mysteriously finished.

A broken shoelace repairs all by itself.

Clothes are put in the hamper on their own.

The brothers want to share their weird experiences, but they don’t know if they can trust each other. But when they find out who’s behind all the strange things around the house, they are called to battle. Battle? Whoa! Right there in the forest by their house! A battle with the most unusual creatures and wildest of beasts. And when the battle turns more dangerous than they imagined, Landon and Broden must face their fears, put their grudges aside and learn how to work together.

My Review

The book cover shows the two protagonists of the story, fifth grader Landon and third grader Broden. Also shown is a hawk with a little man riding it, which is a key scene in the book. This story begins with an introduction into the daily lives of the two brothers. The brotherly dialogue exchanges and fights between them has been portrayed well by the author. One can totally relate that to real life. Even though they fight constantly, there are many scenes which show their love for each other, which is so endearing!. They look out for each other. They have such a lovely relationship with their parents. Their mother is so understanding and their dad is really cool.

Once strange things start happening in their lives, they discover more about little people called the Ifs. I felt that word is derived from ‘elf’. But there is a little song in there with a lot of ifs in it which is why they are called so!. The Ifs ask the brothers to help them fight an enemy clan. From there, the readers are taken on a rollercoaster of fast paced events leading upto a battle!. First of all, I didn’t think there would be an epic war portrayed in a children’s book. However it is and trust me when I say, the author couldn’t have written those scenes any better!.

SPOILER ALERT : I usually never reveal spoilers but I need to mention this. There is a level of danger in the battle, that even adults would find intriguing yet there are no gory details, deaths (there, that’s the spoiler!) or major violence. I really thought atleast one If would die. But no one did. It’s been handled perfectly. Kids reading this would be absolutely amazed and ready to read more!.

During the war, Broden contemplates about war and how pointless it is. Such a beautiful thought that a third grader can have!. So, there is a moral in the story that little readers can remember. I am in love with this book!. Action packed, adventurous and thrilling!

I am delighted to give this book 5 out of 5 which by Goodreads standards mean ‘it was amazing!’