Angela AhnRecensioni

This book is very cute! I am excited for my 10 year old to read it. It is not too hard for her to read and it is a wonderful book for a young swimmer. This is a great beginner chapter book for young readers.

Double O Stephen and the Ghostly Realm follows lively Stephen Oh-O'Driscoll as he discovers he can communicate with ghosts – one of whom may have been a pirate and needs Stephen's help crossing over.

This book is for my granddaughter and I am hoping she loves it as much as I do! She is becoming an avid reader and I love to encourage her so this is a wonderful opportunity to provide her with new reading material!

I thought this book was well written and enjoyed the pictures as well. The lesson in this book was explained very well. Be patient! There’s always next time! If you love something don’t give up and keep devoted to it. I recommend this to anyone. Julia a 9 year old girl is part of a swim team at the community center. It is located next door to her parents sushi shop. The coach had announced that the PBD (personal best day) was a week away. Then the coach finds out that Julia has been having a pain in her ear the last two days. So the coach had to tell Julia’s parents that she needs to go the doctor. Julia and her mom finds out that Julia has an ear infection and has to keep her ear dry for the next ten days and take her medicine. Julia was having a hard time missing practice and seeing everyone swim without her that she was trying to come up with ideas to be able to swim no matter what. She decides to take a plastic soup bowl and glue it over her ear. Julia was that devoted to swimming that she wanted to protect her ear so she could swim. It took Julia’s mom and the librarian to get the bowl off from Julia’s head. Even though Julia was disappointed she couldn’t participate in swimming and clock in her time; she learned she could be patient and partake in it next year. But participate and support the team by helping the coach out with the times. Olivia will have to watch out for Julia next year.

Julia on the Go! is about how a 9 year old super swimmer deals with an ear infection. It's a very simple and easy read with a relatable story and characters. There are good themes for young middle grade readers here like developing other interests, and showing patience. The story became more interesting for me when Julia made her own ear plug. I thought it was too long though with not much happening, and could have been edited down.
I won this in a LibraryThing giveaway for my LFL (Verobeach Little Free Library).
https://www.instagram.com/books.bargains.n.brands/

Really sweet book for middle-level elementary on a topic that is really relatable for a lot of them. Wanting something so badly, but all of the adults are saying no and saying how easy it is to go without that thing. Good read!

Oh, what cute adventure story! i just turned 50 and just love reading new kid and YA books. Easy read, of course for my age. LOL! Really enjoyable, fun, storyline. Definitely room for more advettures to come.

I got this through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program - it's a fun little book about ghosts and pirates, and seems like it hits right around ages 8-12 depending on the kid's reading level. I actually liked that it's written to include some vocabulary kids that age might not know (related to ships mostly, but also Korean ghost lore). Just a fun but substantial read - definitely recommended if you or your kid is into pirates.

(Won this through a LibraryThing giveaway)

This is an enjoyable reader for middle graders. I really enjoyed Stephen the main character and thank goodness a lot of the book was focused on him and not his mother. She was terrible. Brandon and Stephen's friendship was wonderful, and I really enjoyed Stephen's adventures. I believe most middle graders would enjoy this novel. And even some adults

Fun middle grade novel weaving together pirate and ghost shanagians!

The book follows Stephen Oh O'Driscoll, a middle school boy with a love for all things nautical, particularly pirates. Throw in some ghosts and a family history of being able to talk to spirits and you have a fun read that is great for 8-12 year olds.

The book has a bit of everything. Pirates, ghosts, family issues, self-esteem and self-empowerment, mixed heritage, Korean folklore, split households...something to appeal to readers from many backgrounds.

Fun middle grade story for any reader who like pirates. The ghost factor helps the story and watching Stephen's aspiration to be a pirate and give them a good name is a fun adventure. 3.5 stars

Thank you to LibraryThing and Angela Ahn for the ARC.

This book is a great read for students who enjoy pirates and ghosts. I also loved that Korean folklore is interspersed throughout the story. I found this to be an interesting combination. Overall, I enjoyed the book and will put it on the shelf of my school library for the students to enjoy. This middle grade book is geared for kids between the ages of 8 - 12.

I received a copy of this book from Tundra Press through Librarything Early Reviewers.

With pirate antics and ghostly fun, this is an adventure with heart and more.

Stephen loves pirates, a passion which irritates his mother since he tends to go overboard...not to mention the ties it creates to his father, which his mother isn't keen on, either. When Stephen's pirate training lands him in school suspension, his mother takes him to the museum There, everything changes. Now, the adventure is real.

This is an imagination packed adventure with a main character, who is fun and has heart. Stephen's love for pirates borders on an obsession. It is an obsession, but he also has a best friend, who's ready to share the passion with him. The first scenes demonstrate a healthy friendship and the mischief kids can get into, while displaying how different adults can see things as opposed to kid eyes. This sets the tone of adventure as Stephen's fantasy clashes against adult expectations. But he doesn't have time to care. After all, there are dangerous paranormal battles to be fought (which adults would never believe, anyway). The stakes aren't really super high, making this a gentler read than might be expected. So, it's a fun tale with the general age group in mind.

There are emotions built in with the family problems and heart as Stephen does his best to balance everything and fight ghosts along the way. Unfortunately, the mother comes across as unpleasant and the father a side-note. A few moments and scenes drag, where action would have been more productive, but all of it still comes across nicely enough to make it a well-rounded tale.

This seems to be the first book in a new series, and it lays the groundwork well. There is the promise of more to come, and it will be interesting to see what Stephen will find himself up against next.

I think it might serve the book better if I were a kid. Personally, I found the story to be a bit slow moving, though Stephen is a modern and entertaining protagonist and one I expect that contemporary grade school kids can relate to. As another Vancouver local, I also noticed the parallels between Ahn's Rail's End and Vancouver's Gastown.

What I did appreciate about this book was how Stephen approached each challenge, navigating the problems and working through them with his own wiles, at least until he realizes he could use some help from friends or family.

Though I felt the story was a bit slow, I was legitimately surprised by the ending. I don't know if Double O Stephen will appear in another book but I think it would be well received if he was.

This was a fun story about Stephen Oh O'Driscoll, a boy who wants to live a piventurate lifestyle. Based on the description I was expecting more of an action story, while it didn't match my expectations I did enjoy the story. The introduction to Korean traditions was interesting, and I really enjoyed the friendship between Stephen and his fellow piventurate Brandon.

Overall I enjoyed this book and feel it would be suitable for readers between the ages of 10-13.

Stephen is into pirates and loves to play at school pirates with his friend Brandon. One day he goes to the museum and ends up learning a lot more than what his mom envisioned.

A great book for between the ages of 7-13

Overall I thought that this was a fun story and one that will be enjoyed by the target audience, with some nice (if not overly in-depth) introduction to Korean traditions and beliefs around spirits. I also liked that the mother-son relationship was such a core part of the story. Based on the cover and summary I was sort of expecting a bit more pirate action in the story, there's really more talking to and *about* pirates and ghosts than there is in the way of real *action* happening, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just not what I thought the book would be. I also thought some of the characters and their relationships could've been fleshed out a bit more, but there were enough hints to a sequel to make me willing to wait and see that unfold in future books.

A ghostly adventure tale for young readers. Stephen Oh O'Driscoll and his friend Brandon are obsessed with becoming "piventurates" a term that they coined to describe a more adventurous spirit rather than the negative connotation of a pirate. A visit to a local museum sets Stephan's life on a new course when he feels a connection with a long dead ship's captain and accidentally enters the ghostly realm of the dead only to come face to face with Captain Sapperton and a cast of other spirits. Likeable characters and enough twists to keep a young reader interested in this story. The book will be making it's way to one of my school libraries to be shared and enjoyed.

Grandmother of a 14 year old boy here. Stephen and Brandon are best friends and Priventurers. They have a code they live by and long for adventure. Stephen does get his adventure when he is transported to the Ghostly Realm through a steam clock. Through his assistance as a spirit sensitive (inherited) and his friendship with ghosts, and despite the resistance of his very uptight (and also spirit sensitive) mother, he rescues the spirit of a pirate from the 1700's. I enjoyed this story although at times it is a bit slow. The story encompasses loyalty, compassion, kindness and bravery. All admirable qualities but Stephen also has the typical tween distain for his mother and her attitudes. And his grandmother is a wise and feisty spirit sensitive, of course. The book is a bit on the young side for a 14 year old, but 10-13 would enjoy it. Who doesn't like pirates and ghosts.

Book Review of double O Stephen and Ghostly Realm by Angela Ahn
Received from Library Thing to review
Stephan Oh-O’Driscoll loves pirates and with his friend, Brandon, practice their pirate skills during recess. One day, the sticks they chose for swords were larger than usual and Brandon’s two front teeth were chipped during training. Stephan was suspended for 3 days. While on suspension, his mother took him to the local museum and while there, Stephan found an exhibit on Captain William J. Sapperton. Was the captain just a ship captain or a pirate? Stephan saw a sea chest with a brass plate bearing Willy’s name. As he touched the plate, he felt a jolt from his finger to his elbow. Shortly after that, unusual things began to happen to Stephen.
I enjoyed reading the book. I think that young readers will enjoy it as well. There is enough action and plot twists with pirates, ghosts and family secrets to keep their interest. I recommend the book.

I struggled to enjoy this book. I was hoping for a faster paced storyline but it dragged and I spent several weeks trying to finish this book. I am happy to see a YA novel that highlights Korean culture but that is about as far as my enthusiasm can go.

Angela Ahn's third book delves into Korean mythology, with this tale of a mixed Korean-Irish boy who discovers he can see and communicate with ghosts. Stephen Oh-O'Driscoll also loves pirates, to the dismay of his uptight mother and school principal, and isn't afraid to forge his own path... something that serves him well when he lands in limbo amongst a bunch of ghostly pirates! The author kept the focus on Stephen and his worries and problems, and while we got bits of the Korean spirit world, the backstory and explanation was kept to a minimum. Stephen has a couple of supportive friends who play their parts, and an absentee father that he's happy to accept guilt gifts from. Perfect for a younger middle-grade audience, with hints of a more substantial tale underneath, and I look forward to seeing more of her writing.

This was such an enjoyable middle grade YA read. Double O Stephen is a boy who dreams about being a pirate. He decides he will invent a new word - "piventurate". This word means a sailor who seeks adventure which is exactly what he wants to be. Stephen and his best friend Brandon get in a little bit of trouble which causes Stephen to be suspended from school for 3 days yikes! Stephen sees a story about Captain Sapperton in a museum and the fun begins there. This story was full of adventure, fun, family, pirates and ghosts.

I won this book from LibraryThing and read it to do a blog. I absolutely loved this book, I couldn't put it down! The book is geared for readers 8-12 years of old, but I enjoyed it immensely!

The book is about Double O Stephen who dreams about being a pirate. From his red bandanna to his red crocs and his eye patch he goes through everyday with heckles from his friends and eye rolls from his mom. His best friend, Brandon understands him completely! Together at lunch they practice their sword fighting with sticks. One day at lunch they choose sticks that were too big and Brandon ends up with chipped teeth and Stephen gets expelled for 3 days.

As a learning lesson Stephen's mom takes him to the museum and they stumble upon the story of Captain Sapperton. As Stephen reads his story and finds out that he is also possibly a pirate, his interest grows. When he reaches out to touch his nameplate on the chest, it actually ran a shock up his arm. As Stephen and his mom journey on, they decide to go to the Rail's End steam clock. As the clock blows it's 12th whistle and the area is covered with mist, Stephen finds himself in a place called The Midway. And who does he find...the ghost of Capatin Sapperton...Willy! Now this is where the story takes off...I l don't want to give anything away!

I have a Little Free Library and I can't wait to put this book in there for the kiddos! I would highly recommend this book!