LDSFiles.com
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James Todd Cochrane was born in California in 1969. He received his BA from Utah State University, where he majored in Business Information Systems with a minor in German.
A writer since elementary school, he published his first novel, Max and the Gatekeeper, in 2007.
The author writes part-time while working as a computer programmer. He now lives in Juneau, Alaska.
<p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 14px;color:rgb(15,17,17);font-family:'Amazon Ember', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" style="font-weight:700;font-style:italic;">If you had the chance to remake the world, what kind of world would you choose?</span></p><p style="padding:0px;margin:-4px 0px 14px;color:rgb(15,17,17);font-family:'Amazon Ember', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><span>When tragedy strikes Lucas Mack's young life, he desperately yearns to escape its sorrow, and takes an improbable leap through the mythical maelstrom. Rather than splashing down on the far side like his neighbors, he's transported to a magical realm where he has the power to redefine not only who he is, but the world in which he resides.</span></p><p style="padding:0px;margin:-4px 0px 14px;color:rgb(15,17,17);font-family:'Amazon Ember', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><span>As he stumbles about trying to find his way, he meets Mia, an equally troubled fellow pilgrim. With the help of a mystical guide and an aging wizard, they navigate the enchanted land while learning to control their newfound powers. Yet this realm is more complex than they expected, with seasoned sorcerers who've been corrupted by the sinister side of magic.</span></p><p style="padding:0px;margin:-4px 0px 14px;color:rgb(15,17,17);font-family:'Amazon Ember', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><span>Limited by natural law and seduced by magic's power, they are tested as never before. Will the gift of magic bring renewed hope or drive them to the edge of the void?</span></p>
Maxβs thoughts of a boring summer spent with his βcrazyβ grandfather are about to be turned upside down as strange unexplainable events begin to take place around him.
LDSFiles.com
π http://ldsfiles.com/newforums/lds-book-reviews/12535-ldsfiles-com-review-max-gatekeeper.htmlβ
Alaska's Battle of the Books
π http://www.battleofthebooks.net/booklist.cfmβ
Amazon Reviews
π http://www.amazon.com/Max-Gatekeeper-James-Todd-Cochrane/product-reviews/0979720214/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?tag=freado0c-20&ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1β
Accelerated Reader
π http://www.arbookfind.com/bookdetail.aspx?q=137019&l=EN&slid=194992725β
<div style="float:left;">By </div> <div style="float:left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A37PV5GMP2ILJC/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Amanda Richards</span></a> (Georgetown, Guyana) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A37PV5GMP2ILJC/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview">See all my reviews</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=cm_rn_bdg_help?ie=UTF8&nodeId=14279681&pop-up=1#TR"><span class="cmtySprite s_BadgeTop50"><span>(TOP 50 REVIEWER)</span></span></a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=cm_rn_bdg_help?ie=UTF8&nodeId=14279681&pop-up=1#VN"><span class="cmtySprite s_BadgeVineVoice"><span>(VINE VOICE)</span></span></a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=cm_rn_bdg_help?ie=UTF8&nodeId=14279681&pop-up=1#RN"><span class="cmtySprite s_BadgeRealName"><span>(REAL NAME)</span></span></a> </div> <div style="clear:both;"></div> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;" class="tiny"><strong><span class="h3color tiny"><font color="#e47911">This review is from: </font></span>Max and the Gatekeeper (Paperback)</strong> </div>Poor Max <br /><br />Like many male progeny [weird word I don't use often], he's been looking forward to spending the summer playing baseball. Potentially a Little League starting pitcher, his plans are thwarted [note use of cool word] when he is packed on a bus and sent off to his grandfather's house. <br /><br />Before long, he realizes that there's something about Grandpa, what with a foul specter-like creature accosting him on the bus and all - and then there's the weird black-cloaked unwelcoming committee that hang around the perimeter of the house making eerie noises. Grandpa seems not to notice that something is untoward [CW = cool word from here on in], but when a waking nightmare on his very first night brings an embedded symbol on his hand, Max realizes that his summer is either going to be very interesting, or totally messed up. <br /><br />Unbeknownst [CW] at first to Max, his Grandpa has a secret he's been hiding, and we soon learn that he controls a machine that can allow travel between parallel universes, strange worlds, and all that stuff. Not only that, but there's magic involved too, and soon Max morphs into a multi-worldly Harry Potter, struggling with his spell-casting while saving the world from the dark side. <br /><br />With his friend Cindy (or was that Hermione?) and a small support group, Max fights the good fight, knowing that the enemy is never far behind. <br /><br />Not exactly deep or philosophical, the story contains all the ingredients for a fast, exciting read, and doesn't bother too much about the wheres and wherefores. It would do very well as a graphic novel or movie, or any other acceptable format for short attention spans who run screaming from long descriptive passages. <br /><br />A good start to a possible series, this book is recommended for young readers from about the age of nine. <br />