Title: American Stonehenge
Author: Mike Goldstein
Series: The Adventures of Jimmy and Andrew, Book 1
Publisher: J & A Ventures, LLC
Genre: Children’s Fantasy, Adventure
First Publication: 2018
Language: English
Book Summary: American Stonehenge by Mike Goldstein
dog for as long as he can remember. But he never imagined he’d find a pet that could talk to him telepathically!
It turns out that the dog is immortal, born in Egypt more than three thousand years ago. With the ability to read both canine and human thoughts, he has roamed the earth ever since, hoping to find others of his kind. Only after he meets Jimmy does he begin to discover clues to his elusive origins.
When Jimmy rescues Andrew from the pound, the first of their many adventures begins. American Stonehenge takes Jimmy and Andrew to the remote forests of northern Washington, where they accompany the boy’s archaeologist parents on the excavation of a newly discovered site. The find – a fully intact duplicate of Stonehenge in England – is shrouded in a mystery that Jimmy and Andrew must unravel.
How did this Stonehenge come to exist? Why do so many strange things happen around it?
And what’s this telepathic dog been up to for the past three millennia?
These mysteries and more are waiting to be revealed in Jimmy and Andrew’s first great adventure!
Book Review: American Stonehenge by Mike Goldstein
Jimmy’s parents bring him to an animal shelter to adopt a dog on his 9th birthday. Jimmy has always wanted a dog. It is his father who suggested Jimmy to let the dog choose him, and that is what happens. However, he never expected to find a pet who could telepathically communicate with him! As soon as Jimmy hears this dog’s thoughts, he knows that this isn’t an ordinary dog! In a while, Jimmy learns that the dog’s name is Andrew and he was born more than 3,000 years ago in Egypt. He has wandered the earth ever since, reading both canine and human thoughts, hoping to find others of his type.
A group of archaeologists led by Jimmy’s dad discovers a mysterious rock formation, bringing the whole family to explore the dig site. Jimmy and Andrew must unravel the mystery surrounding the find – a replica of Stonehenge in England. During this time, Jimmy and Andrew meet Sam, a man whom locals call “crazy.” Together, they embark on an adventure meeting ancestral figures from local tribes and aliens who are on a mission to save planet Earth.
When it came to the plot though, Mike Goldstein seems a master story teller. American Stonehenge is an adventure in its kind; rare and special. The writing in this novel composed a pure and honest orchestra of notes and tones clearly woven together into an intricate and tight plot, reflecting a flawed world and characters stripped of pretence, leaving them raw and savage before a chaotic and uncertain future. It is a masterfully executed composition that leaves the reader in a toiled state of emotion conducted at will. Between the layers of heart pounding, tear spiking and edge-of-your-seat fiction, the author weaves many sensitive issues into his work. However he presents everything in a relatable, child friendly way without pushing any opinions onto the reader. It’s inspiring how he can open your mind to world, making you consider all the people and animals that share this planet with us and the problems others face.
Like a child befallen in awe by a fairytale, I was positively surprised and captivated by this book. A mixture of adventure, good spirit, hope and endurance with bursts of action and fast-paced plot are balanced by hardship, turmoil, despair and passages filled with descriptive landscape portraits and the reflection of time passing by slow. This is one of those books you can get lost in, shut out the rest of the world and be right next to the main character. At times I felt like I was 12 years old struggling with Jimmy and Andrew, with the absence of their courage.
I was happy for the story to take me along in an unexpected and unique way with an ending I completely unanticipated as the pages were drawing close to the end. I could not possibly give away spoilers about the final ending right now. Instead, I’ll just let you go on this journey with Jimmy and Andrew and let you experience it all by yourself.
