D.L. Carroll - Reviews

Page Title

D.L. Carroll

The Family Review and Award Center
Sir Licksalot & The Maverick Fools

Reviewer Notes:

I just want to fit in ... the cry of all of us. D.L. Carroll shares a refreshing look at this topic, in this book which offers hope and inspiration along the way.

This is a short book, only 91 pages long. However, within these 91 pages you find laughter, the love of parents and siblings, mystery that leaves you full of suspense, sadness .. The full range of emotions are displayed within this great story that is for the junior age range but enjoyed by us older ones too. Who doesn't like a good story that has a pet like Sir Licksalot in it!? (smile)

Mystery lovers unite! This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a book that leaves you wondering how it will play out, up until the last moment. Well written and will be enjoyed from the moment you pick it up, until you put it down ... if you can, that is!

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TeensReadToo.com
Beverly J. Rowe
Reviewed 2009
NOTE: Reviewer Beverly J. Rowe is Myshelf.com's "Babes to Teens" columnist, covering topics related to reading ideas for the youth in the family.

Rating: 4 Stars

A story with a main character named Blaze N. Haught just has to be filled with fast action and excitement, and SIR LICKSALOT & THE MAVERICK FOOLS fulfills both these expectations.

When the Haught family moves from their city condo to a beach house, Blaze goes from having lots of friends and being the most popular 5th grader to being a loner who the local kids tease and bully. Blaze's parents consent to the adoption of a stray dog, but only if Blaze will make a serious effort to becoming friends with the kids at their new home.

Blaze agrees and names his new companion Sir Licksalot.

A housewarming with a barbeque seems to be the perfect way to invite all the new neighbors and give Blaze a chance to make some new friends. With a new basketball court in his yard, Blaze challenges the boys to a basketball game, a sport in which he excels.

However, the girls and Sir Licksalot disappear into a strange water fountain in the backyard. The boys are determined to locate them, and they, too, are pulled into the fountain and find themselves immersed in a strange adventure within an extreme water cave. The boys learn each others secrets, strengths, and weaknesses as they accept the challenges of the water park to locate the missing girls and Sir Licksalot.

The black and white illustrations add visual interest, and the maps lay out the path of the maze in the extreme water cave. All ends well after the hair-raising quests in this fantasy-filled imaginative story.

Death-defying action in a fast moving plot make this book hard to put down, and it is recommended to challenge the imagination of reluctant readers.

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Sir Licksalot & The Maverick Fools
D.L. Carroll
Illustrated by Teri Cuneo
Publish America, 2008
ISBN: 1-60474-917-2
5 Stars

Imaginative…
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Readersfavorite.com 5/08
I love anything that will catch a child’s interest and get them to read. Books like Sir Licksalot & The Maverick Fools captures a child’s interest and stirs their imagination. D.L. Carroll opens the opportunity for dialogue on topics that touch today’s youth, including bullies and loneliness. The illustrations by Teri Cuneo add much to the story line.

Blaze and his parents have moved from a condo in the city where Blaze had lots of friends to a beach house where he did not know anyone. Blaze was very lonely. His parents allowed him to adopt a dog from the Humane Society. He named the dog Sir Licksalot. The other kids in the
neighborhood are bullies. When Sir Licksalot and some neighborhood girls are missing, Blaze and the other boys must join forces to find them. They face a stone lion, a cave, and sharks to solve the mystery.

Sir Licksalot & The Maverick Fools is appropriate for third, fourth, and fifth graders. I think it might also be used in a middle school Reading Coach Programs as a high interest/low level reader.

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CHILDREN'S BOOK REVIEW
BY: Gayle Jacobson-Huset – Managing Editor
Stories for Children Magazine

BOOK: Sir Licksalot & The Maverick Fools
BY: D. L. Carroll
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Teri Cuneo
PUBLISHED BY: Publish America
ISBN: 1-60474-917- 2
READING LEVEL: Ages 10 on up

Blaze was the most popular kid in his fifth grade class in the city. When his family moves before the end of the school year to a beach house, he finds that it will take a lot of work to make new friends in this rural town. His first encounter with the local kids is a disaster, so he feels destined to be without friends.
He encounters a stray dog and begs his parents to let him adopt it. They agree, but only if he makes a real effort to make new friends. He never told his parents about how the local kids treated him, so he reluctantly agrees. He names the dog Sir Licksalot since the dog slathered kisses all over Blaze every time they were together. In an effort to help their son make new friends, his parents throw a housewarming party and invite all the neighbors. Blaze mentally prepares himself since he'll be encountering the local kids again who dissed him as being "uncool". Blaze challenges the guys to a basketball game on his new home court, while the girls in the crowd sit on the edge of a large water fountain. Blaze considers the fountain totally "weird" since he swears it talked to him and Sir Licksalot is afraid to go near it. As the boys play basketball, they become aware that the girls have disappeared from the fountain, along with Sir Licksalot!

You'll just have to read this book to find out what happens next as the boys search for the girls, and the amazing adventure they find themselves in! It reads like a giant computer game chock full of fun if you ask me! D.L. Carroll does a great job writing this as an adventure/mystery but also as a bridge of understanding among new and old friends and how they can become a cohesive team as they learn the secrets each shares. I especially loved
this part of the book – the developing relationship between the boys in this story. Teri Cuneo's illustrations are in black and white but very realistic. The author actually thanks Teri for "her incredible ability to draw my imagination". I agree! I give this book a high five for the older "reluctant" readers – I think they will enjoy this storyline immensely and learn the true
meaning of being "cool"

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March, 2008
Sir Licks-A-Lot & The Maverick Fools (5 out of 5 stars)

I absolutely love this book! It has the adventures of The Goonies and the social bonding of The Sandlot in one awesome story. I hope this is a movie one day; it has the makings of an awesome storyline and plot. Although it seems inadequate, but I’m giving this book a 5.
http://ghostwriterreviews.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_316_322&products_id=307

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B2M
~ BOOKS2MENTION MAGAZINE ~
October 10, 2007
“A captivating story is told in West Coast Lady by D. L. Carroll. Presenting one woman’s life journey to a positive existence of tranquility and prosperity.”
“West Coast Lady unfolds the difficult life of Annabelle. A woman who suffered
through a difficult childhood that exposed her to violence and substance abuse. Annabelle’s innocence was stolen and she was forced to endure things that could have destroyed her. However, she became a survivor and some how managed to salvage her life and fulfill her dreams.”
“This is a powerful stirring read that will serve as a great inspiration to those who struggle to overcome life adversities.”
www.books2mention.com

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Reviews by WomensSelfesteem.com
Review Date: July 29, 2007

Womensselfesteem.com highly recommends, ”West Coast Lady”. This book is full of confidence, struggles, self-esteem, love, understanding and human conditioning. This is a realistic life read that will be good company when one needs to just curl up and live life through anothers eyes and heart. D.L.Carroll teaches many good life's lessons through the eyes of Annabelle of the Silicon Valley!

http://www.womensselfesteem.com/bookreviews.html

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West Coast Lady, July 10, 2007
By T. Guzman (Livermore, CA)

This book was a definite page turner! I could not put the book down and found myself trying to steal extra time when I didnt have any just to read it. This book is one that all women can
relate to. It was inspiring and empowering. I felt as if I was right there with Anabelle as she was discovering herself and working thru the trials and tribulations that life offers us. I have recommended this book to several close friends and know that they will enjoy it as much as I did.

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