Heartbeat of Fear
[d-12955]

5 of 5 Stars I rediscovered my enjoyment of young adult and middle grade fiction when I became a middle school reading tutor. Heartbeat of Fear, the second in Susan Lyttek’s Portal Watchers of Telba series is a story that both young readers and adults will enjoy. I immediately found myself drawn into this fantasy world, complete with dinosaurs, heroes, and an evil queen. As young Bern is farming with his father, a portal opens in the sky and deposits an enormous dinosaur into their field. Immediately drawn to the gentle beast, Bern tries to soothe its fear as the townspeople come clamoring, but the terrified dinosaur runs off into the forest. Also aware of the dinosaur’s appearance, evil queen Subja hatches a plot to capture it for her own. Bern and his friends, along with holy man Nevv, set off on a rescue mission to find and recover the dinosaur – and soon find themselves in unspeakable danger. The author’s masterful use of short, tight chapters adds to the suspense and readers will root for these admirable young heroes and firmly against these vilest of villains. The story has a clear message of faith, courage, friendship and sacrificial love. I highly recommend this series for middle grade and young adult readers, their parents, and their teachers.