Book Review + Giveaway: How to Kill a Giant by Carol Schlorff

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Carol Schlorff’s Middle Grade Christian Action Adventure, How to Kill a Giant, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours.

About the Book:

Title: How to Kill a Giant

Series: How to be a Hero #1

Author: Carol Schlorff

Publisher: Elk Lake Publishing Inc

Release Date: June 11th, 2023

Genre: Middle Grade Action and Adventure fiction

He lost his courage. Will meeting a real superhero help him find it?

An awful summer … Thirteen-year-old Hugo is miserable. His move to a small Pennsylvania town has brought him nothing but trouble. Ignored by his new classmates and a favorite target for the school bullies, Hugo lets fear rule his life. It’s going to be a long summer.

An unexpected twist … Hugo meets siblings Julia and Stefan, who are just as unhappy as he is. After finding a mysterious old Bible, all three are magically transported to ancient Israel, where they meet the young shepherd David, who suspects they’re spies. The trio is caught up in a scary world where danger lurks on every side.

A terrifying adventure … As Hugo and his friends navigate the perils of this strange and frightening land, Hugo must face his greatest fear—that he’s a coward. His only hope of survival is to learn the secret of David’s bravery, but will he do so in time to face his biggest test? Find out in this thrilling tale of courage, friendship, and faith.

How to Kill a Giant is a 2024 Christian Indie Awards Winner.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

About the Author:

Carol Schlorff’s passion is to write exciting stories that encourage, inspire, and boost the reader’s faith, possibly because she has always felt like an outsider. She was born in North Africa to American parents and grew up in France. At age 15, her family’s abrupt move to Philadelphia resulted in a rough transition to American life.

After graduating from Penn State, Carol joined the Army in search of adventure. She was stationed in exotic—for her—locations like California, Arizona, and Texas.

Since then, Carol has lived in Cracow, Poland, where she teaches English and organizes language camps. She also writes a blog on faith-related topics.

Carol enjoys caring for her cat, Tabasco, watching a good murder mystery, and getting nervous while watching NFL games. Connect with her on her blog and Facebook.

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My Review:

In this adventurous Middle Grade novel, we are introduced to Hugo, our timid hero who is bullied at school and his new friends, siblings Julia and Stefan, who are staying with their grandparents for the summer. Over the course of the story, the three are sucked into another time, where they meet the Biblical David as a shepherd boy. David’s bravery and faith in God encourages the three to emulate him, culminating with Hugo finally standing up to his bullies and slaying the giant of fear within him.

The first few paragraphs of the book threw me for a loop due to the author opening with a dream sequence, and then with Hugo going about his morning tasks. While this dream sequence is important later on, because this is such a cliche opening, it did draw me from the book at that moment. However, from the second chapter onward, the writing became quite compelling. The fast pace is gripping and sure to hold a middle grade reader’s attention as it did mine.

Hugo was very well written and characterized. His character flaw was clear, yet he was likable and relatable. Julia and Stefan, while slightly less developed, were also each distinct and different from each other, as well as likable. Stefan definitely amused me.

I had a slight issue with connecting with the character of David, however. He came across as highly suspicious, and a jerk. At first he believes these three children are Philistine spies, but even after it’s proven they’re not, he loses his temper with Hugo for losing one sheep, for example. Until close to the end, I found myself really disliking David, even though he was supposed to be shown in a positive light with the three children admiring him and wanting his approval. In the end, when God convicts him of his behavior towards the children, David improves, but by that time, the story is nearly over and I didn’t have enough time to connect with this new David.

The dialog struck me as realistic for the ages of those speaking, and it was typically clear who was speaking when. While usually having a smooth transition, I did find multiple cases of head-hopping which distracted me, however.

The style of writing definitely fit the Middle Grade genre, balancing showing with telling, and not expounding a ton on things. (As a bigger fan of YA due to liking more showing and less telling, I would have liked a little less telling than this book had, but it fits for the genre so it’s just my personal preference, nothing wrong with the book.) The length felt like an appropriate size for a Middle Grade novel as well–not super short, but not YA-length either.

In all, How to Kill a Giant by Carol Schlorff was an enjoyable, sweet read which I would recommend to children and adults alike for its engaging story, adventurous characters, and wonderful message. Oh, and did I forget to mention there’s a Maine Coon kitty who plays a pretty large role in the beginning of the story? Always a bonus for me when a kitty is involved!

Rating: 4/5 Stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and a positive review was not required. All views expressed are my honest opinions.

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Tour Giveaway

(2) winners will each receive a $30 Amazon gift card and a copy of How to Kill a Giant (winner’s choice between paperback or kindle)!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight June 11, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on June 18, 2025. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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You can follow this blog tour along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops, if you’d like!

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