About the Book
Title: Ghost Leopard (Zoe and Zak Series, Book #1)
Authors: Lars Guignard
Publication Date: July 21, 2012
Publisher: Fantastic Press
Pages: 338
Recommended Age: 8+
Summary (Amazon): Zoe and Zak are lost in exotic India, where gods and magic still exist. Before they can find their way home, they just have to do one little thing… … Save a mythical creature from an ancient evil that wants to rule the world. When Zoe Guire goes along on her mom’s business trip to India, things get very weird, very quickly. An elephant god speaks to her from the bottom of a swimming pool… She and her classmate Zak get locked in a trunk and shipped off to a strange city near the foothills of the Himalayas… and a crazy snake charmer tells them they’ve been chosen to protect a mythical creature called the Ghost Leopard from an ancient evil that wants to take over the world. As they travel deeper into the majestic mountains known as the Realm of the Gods, things get even weirder. If she and Zak want to make it back to their parents, they’re going to have to tap into powers they never knew existed. Because if they don’t, things will never be the same for any of us ever again.
My Review
Ok, to be honest I got kinda irritated at the start of the book because of Zoe's non-stop "self talking" but then I reminded myself that she is a 11 year old girl and we all know tweens have lots of opinions about a million of things. And it is through her rambling we know that besides Taj Mahal; one of the Seven Wonders of the World, India has many other things that are as wonderful as this magnificent building.
Shortly after I found myself with Zoe & her mum in an auto-rickshaw travelling down the crowded, noisy and dirty road in India on the way to a 5 star hotel. The way Guignard describe the scene instantly makes me feel that I am really in the middle of a very busy street in India. I can almost smell the stench and feel the heat that is so typical of India.
From the moment Zoe stepped into the hotel lobby and saw "supermega majorly annoying boy" Zak, she knew that her wish to have a peaceful and relaxing holiday will be vanished. However, she soon found out that being stuck with Zak is nothing near to boring as his love of adventures leads both of them onto an eventful journey to try to save the Ghost Leopard, discovering that Zoe possess a special power and have a special connection with the Ghost Leopard.
Having spent years in India during his younger days, Guignard has gained a vast knowledge about India and its colorful culture that he is able to incorporate them effortlessly into the story through the perspective of two 11 year olds. Be prepared to travel on a journey filled with talking Elephant God, magical blue butterfly, floating sadhu, massive flood, snakes and jungle danger while exchanging fights with Rhino Butt, Monkey Man and their endless gang of evil goons.
I love this story and have difficulty putting the book down every time I picked it up, I am sure my 7 year old will enjoy this book as much as I do. I am definitely looking forward to the next Zoe & Zak adventure!
Purchase
The Buzz
"Awesome! ~ I am 11 and I liked the book because I love adventures. It was a different kind of adventure from what I usually read and it was funny too. " ~ 5-Star Review from J. Olsen, Amazon
"This was a fun read. This book was like a kid's version of Indiana Jones. It's also very educational as Zoe tells you real facts about what she sees and the history. I enjoyed it immensely. If you have a 10-12 year old child that loves adventure books, this is definitely a must read. " ~ 5-Star review from Simone Lilly-Egerter, Amazon
"I'm sure this book was written for children who are around the age of the two children in the book, 11 or so. But, this 35 year old loved this book! It had action, adventure and imagination galore! It was exactly the kind of adventure that a lot of kids that age dream of." ~ 5-Star review from The Novice Christian, Amazon
"This was a fun read. This book was like a kid's version of Indiana Jones. It's also very educational as Zoe tells you real facts about what she sees and the history. I enjoyed it immensely. If you have a 10-12 year old child that loves adventure books, this is definitely a must read. " ~ 5-Star review from Simone Lilly-Egerter, Amazon
"I'm sure this book was written for children who are around the age of the two children in the book, 11 or so. But, this 35 year old loved this book! It had action, adventure and imagination galore! It was exactly the kind of adventure that a lot of kids that age dream of." ~ 5-Star review from The Novice Christian, Amazon
About The Author: Lars Guignard
Prior to writing novels, Lars Guignard wrote for film and television. As a teenager he attended boarding school in the Indian Himalayas and his experiences there provided the inspiration for the Zoe and Zak series which now include: Zoe & Zak and the Ghost Leopard, Zoe & Zak and the Yogi’s Curse, and Zoe & Zak and the Tiger Temple.
He lives in the Pacific Northwest where he dodges bears and cougars while hiking & skiing the magnificent Coast Mountain Range.
For news about new releases, please join his email list here: http://www.larsguignard.com/contact/
Ask Lars Guignard a Question on Goodreads
Fantastic Press is pleased to announce that Lars Guignard will be answering questions about Zoe & Zak and the Ghost Leopard throughout the day on Monday, December 16th, 2013 on Goodreads. If you have any questions for Lars or just want to introduce yourself, you can head on over to Goodreads and say hello now. Also, everyone who joins the Forum will earn an entry into the Ghost Leopard Blog Tour giveaway (see below for more details).Click on the Goodreads Button below to go to the Mon, Dec 16 - "Ask Lars Guignard about Zoe & Zak and the Ghost Leopard" event and leave a question for the author anytime from now until December 16th, 2013.
** Be sure to look for the upcoming Blog Tour for Book 2 in the Zoe and Zak Series, "Yogi's Curse" coming December 15, 2013. **
* Ghost Leopard Blog Tour Giveaway *
Prize: Three winners will receive a print (U.S. & Canada) or electronic (international winners) copy of Ghost Leopard by Lars Guignard.
Contest runs: November 15 to December 17, 11:59 pm, 2013
Open: Worldwide
How to enter: Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. The winners will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winners will then have 72 hours to respond. If a winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author Lars Guignard and Fantastic Press and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions - feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.
Disclaimer : We received a pdf copy of the book Zoe & Zak and the Ghost Leopard for the purpose of giving our honest review on the book.
Nice to see a fellow Singaporean blogging about books! I'm a book and lifestyle blogger. Just dropping by to say hi :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by Priscilla =) I'm only starting to write book reviews recently, still have a lot of things to learn from others.
DeleteNice review. I had to chuckle about your comment of an 11 yer old girl. Oh, yeah, they talk and talk and talk at that age and for a few years more. I will recommend this to my 8 and 13 year old grand daughters to read.
ReplyDeleteYa and it will be icing on cake if they don't give you an attitude to go with that :D
DeleteGlad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review and being a part of this tour. Cheers, Lars
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by Lars! I've just started to read your 2nd book and can't wait to find out what adventures lies ahead for Zoe & Zak. Keep up the good work!
DeleteLOL - I love your comment about the 11 year old girl self-talk! I have a 10 year old girl, so really I can attest to the fact that they are kind of like that! Of course, that's a gross generalization.... ;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your review and I hope your son gets to read the book some day - I think he will really enjoy it. Thanks so much for taking part in the Ghost Leopard Blog Tour.
Hi Renee, its always fun to be in your book blast & review tour. The books you recommended are really great books.
DeleteWow, this sound slike a good book. I'm not that much into fantasy stuff, but this seems great.
ReplyDeleteIts a fantasy adventure book, one that you will not want to put down once you started it :)
DeleteThis sounds like a good book I can read to my grandson. Alas, I could not enter the contest because I don't have a Goodreads profile. Being an author myself, I really should. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by Rochelle =) This is a great book of tween adventure and I am sure your grandson will love it.
DeleteIts easy to set up Goodreads profile, I have one but am clearly not paying much attention to it. I think its time I spend some time hanging out there :)