Ronaldo: The Reindeer Flying Academy by Maxine Sylvester

“MOVE OVER RUDOLPH — RONALDO IS HERE TO STAY!”

Ronaldo is the top flying cadet at the prestigious Reindeer Flying Academy. He dreams of getting his flying license and becoming one of Santa’s reindeer, just like his hero, Vixen.

In the first adventure in the Ronaldo series, the second year flying cadets face their toughest ever flying test — The Endurance Challenge. Will Ronaldo be victorious and lift the silver cup? Or will mean brothers Dasher, Comet and Prancer ruin his chance for success?

9-year-old Madi’s Review: 5-Stars

Let me set the scene a little before I give you Madi’s review. Madi and her little brother are curled up, one on each side of me on the couch, and Madi is reading the book to all of us. The moment she finished it, she read it again — three times, back-to-back. Her brother, who does not sit still for much, was still and paying attention to each word. We stopped so he can study each drawing. I had to stop her from reading long enough to get her review.

I asked her how she liked the book, and she screamed into my ear, “I love it!”

My favorite character is Ranaldo, and I loved his friend, Rudi. The pictures have so much color, and I loved the cookbooks on the shelf. When Dasher crashed into the tree and the Rescue Squad brought him down, he was covered in bird poop. I laughed and laughed.

I’m going to use his granddad’s advice of imagining I can be something and doing it.

When I finished getting Madi’s review, her little brother said he wanted to do it too. With a very serious look on his face…

5-year-old Logan’s Review: 20-hundred-Stars

Me: Logan, did you like this story a lot?

Logan: Yes.

Me: What do you think about the pictures?

Logan: I loved them.

Me: Which one did you like the most?

Logan: *turning to a specific picture, he said… Look, this reindeer has bird poop all over him. He needs a bath. Do you think it stinks?

Me: Maybe. Do you want to read it again?

Logan: Yeah, let’s read it again!

Sherry Terry’s Review: 5-Stars

Ronaldo: The Reindeer Flying Academy by Maxine Sylvester is a lovely read and perfect for children up to possibly 11-years-old. It’s the perfect gift for Christmas. The cover is colorful and has great detail, showing a fun story.

This chapter book is a fun read, with very colorful drawings that have great detail. My favorite detail was Ranaldo’s dad’s house shoes. So cute! Maxine did a wonderful job with this story, engaging the reader with well-written prose.

Ranaldo is part of the Flying Academy to learn and hopefully become good enough to go to the North Pole and work for Santa Clause. With plenty of competition, Ranaldo works hard and uses his granddad’s advice to imagine and believe he can pass the endurance challenge.

This book is so cute, I want to buy copies for all the children I know under the age of eleven. I cannot say enough good things about Ranaldo: The Reindeer Flying Academy without giving the story away.

Madi, Logan, and I cannot wait to read the other books in this series.

I highly recommend this book to children and their parents. It is a great example of imagining and being the best at what you want to be.

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