A Tale of Two Castles

by Gail Carson Levine
Elodie leaves home and journeys to the city of Two Castles in the hopes of getting an apprenticeship to be a mansioner (actor). Without money to buy an acting apprenticeship, she accepts an apprenticeship to the town dragon. Soon, she is involved in the mystery and intrigue of Two Castles. Who is plotting against the king and the ogre? Who can Elodie trust? Elodie uses observation, logic and her dramatic skills to figure out the mystery. The end of the book leaves an opening for more adventures with Elodie and her friends. A fairytale full of thieving cats, suspicious people, an ogre and a dragon. 

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Alicia Parmele 

Second Fiddle

by Rosanne Parry
"If we had known it would eventually involve the KGB, the French National Police, and the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, we would have left that body in the river and called the Polizei like any normal German citizen; but we were Americans and addicted to solving other people's problems, so naturally, we got involved."   That's how this page-turner by Rosanne Parry starts.  The year is 1990. The place is West Berlin, Germany.  The Berlin Wall has just come down, and the communist East is newly opened to the West. Violinist Jody and her friends Giselle and Vivian are preparing for their performance in a classical music contest in Paris.  The girls all live on the American military base in West Berlin, but will soon be parting ways; Jody and Giselle's families are moving back to the States.  The contest in Paris is to be their last adventure together as a trio.  One day on the way home from their private lesson, the girls decide to cross over Checkpoint Charlie to get some gelato from a shop on the East side of the Brandenburg Gate.  On their way back home, they see two Communist Russian soldiers beating another soldier and then dumping him into the river, leaving him for dead.  The girls run to his rescue, treat his wounds, and over the next couple of days cross back and forth from West to East Berlin to care for the wounded soldier.  Arvo turns out to be not Russian, but Estonian (which is why the Russians tried to kill him).   He fears for his life, and begs the girls to help him escape to the West.  What follows is a nail-biting adventure as the girls smuggle a wounded man across international borders to help him defect to the West.  Along the way they meet an odd assortment of characters including gypsies, artists, and a motley group of free spirits who live in the famous American bookshop in Paris, Shakespeare and Company.   They must evade spies, the KGB, and the police before the story is over. This book is a great adventure story that gives a very realistic look at both Germany and Paris of 1990.  I highly recommend reading this book. 

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Alexa Newman 

The Knight's Tale series

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great
The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short
The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True
by Gerald Morris
Oh, to be a knight in the days of King Arthur's Court! You could be as great as Sir Lancelot  - with armor so shiny you could see your reflection! You could be as wise as Sir Givret, even if you're short! You could be undefeated like Sir Gawain and always keep your word! Of course, when you're the greatest knight in the realm, like Lancelot, or undefeated, like Sir Gawain, other knights are always challenging you everywhere you go, which can be a tad inconvenient. If you're wise like Sir Givret, you might find yourself always helping less wise friends out of trouble, which can be a tricky thing. And what if always keeping your word means you must fight a friend to defend the honor of your king? Being a knight can be great, but it's not always easy! No matter if being a knight is good or bad, with Gerald Morris telling the tales, you can bet they will be funny. Try this series perfect for those just discovering chapter books for the first time and see if you can keep the laughter in! 

Recommended for grades 2-4
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker 

Young Fredle

by Cynthis Voigt
This story is told from the point-of-view of a young boy-mouse. Amongst all the other kitchen-mice, Fredle has a lot of questions about the world. He asks so many of them, he drives Grandfather and his cousin Axle crazy. Then, because Fredle is not caring for his own safety, he ends up outside, on his own. Finally, he learns much about his world by experiencing it himself. Through all of his adventures, Fredle meets different types of mice from other parts of the farm-house and farm. He must always be on the look-out for predators such as cats, and even escapes from being captured by a gang of raccoons. Does Fredle really want to return to his little world as a kitchen-mouse? Or has his sighting of the wandering moon taught him to never look back?

Recommended for grades 3-5
Reviewed by Joe Drinka

A Dog's Way Home

by Bobbie Pyron
You will shed tears while reading this book.  Tam - a favorite pet, a best friend, a prize winning show dog - is thrown from the back of a truck when his owners swerve off a winding road in the Blue Ridge Mountains to avoid a deer in the rain.  Tam falls in his crate over a mountain cliff and into the flowing river.  This begins his four hundred mile journey through the worst winter anyone can remember to get back home to his girl.  The unconditional love and dedication of a dog reaches out of every page to touch readers' hearts.  You will be reminded of the great dog stories like The Incredible Journey, Old Yeller, Lassie Come Home, and Shiloh.  This book is told in alternating points-of-view, from Tam, the dog of incredible will, and Abby, the girl who loves him and will not believe he has died.  This is a suspenseful read of hope and survival and is a good choice for anyone who has ever loved a pet.

Recommeded for grades 4 and up
Reviewed by Koren Power

Woods Runner

by Gary Paulsen
History is boring, right? It's just a bunch of old guys in wigs signing documents. Not so in this short but action packed novel of the Revolutionary War. The year is 1776 and thirteen-year-old Samuel is content with his life in the Pennsylvania wilderness with his mother and father. Things aren't always easy for them but Samuel knows and loves the wild forest that surrounds them and is skilled at hunting and providing meat for his family. But everything changes the day he returns from the woods to find his settlement in ruins; the buildings on fire and all of the settlers gone. He finds many of his friends and neighbors dead but other, including his mother and father, seem to have been taken prisoner. Using the skills he has honed in the woods, Samuel begins the desperate search to find them and save them from the British soldiers responsible for the attack. His journey takes him miles and miles from home, through dense woods and across enemy territory, and forces him to rely on the kindness of strangers. Through it all Samuel remains focused on one thing; saving his parents. Although this is a work of fiction, the author provides short descriptions throughout the book about the reality of the war for American independence. If you like action and adventure with your history you will enjoy this book.

Recommended for grades 4-7
Reviewed by Tara Olson

Peak

by Roland Smith
I never thought I'd want to climb a mountain, but after reading this book, I have the urge to scale Everest (okay, maybe something a little smaller). Peak Marcello is 14 years old and he loves to climb mountains. Unfortunately, there are no mountains in Manhattan. When he is arrested for climbing the Woolworth Building, Peak faces years in juvenile detention. To avoid jail time, his divorced parents and the judge agree he should go to live with his mountain-climbing celebrity father. This is where the real adventure begins. Peak is swept off to Tibet, where he discovers he will be joining his dad's company as the youngest person to attempt to summit Mount Everest. His dad hands him off to the care of a Sherpa and his grandson Sung-ho for training and altitude acclimation. The boys alternate between friendship and competition. As Peak and his companions move from Base Camp, up and down the mountain, I felt as if I was climbing the mountain with them. The characters are all well formed, and the details have been well researched. This is a gritty, exciting, and realistic look at the world of extreme mountain climbing. It is also a story about family, and friendship. Will Peak and Sung-ho make it to the summit? Will either boy achieve his secret goal? While this can be characterized as a "boys" book about an extreme sport, I felt a connection to the characters, and felt like I was up on the mountain with them. This is one of the best sports/adventure books I've read in a long time.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Alexa Newman

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

by Grace Lin
Minli lives with her parents under the shadow of Fruitless Mountain. Minli loves the stories her father tells of dragons, Never-Ending Mountain, and the Old Man of the Moon. They are poor, and can barely survive day to day, so when Minli spends her family's only coin on a goldfish, her mother is sure disaster is soon to follow. Minli decides to set out to find the Old Man of the Moon to ask for help with her family's fortune. Along the way she meets all sorts of characters straight out of her father's tales: a talking fish, a dragon, a tiger, a boy with a buffalo, a king and a set of twins.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is about a girl on a quest - but it is set up in a group of smaller stories that are all interconnected and create one breathtaking story. This book is one of my favorite reads of the past several years. It is a magical story, with great illustrations, and looks at a style of tale that is refreshingly different.

Recommended for grades 3-8
Reviewed by Alexa Newman

The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912

by Lauren Tarshis
The year is 1912. George Calder is a ten-year-old boy with a reputation for getting into his share of mischief. His latest escapade is running into a woman while sliding down the Grand Staircase of one of the most luxurious ocean liners in the world, the R.M.S Titanic. George is traveling first-class with his eight-year-old sister, Phoebe, and his widowed Aunt Daisy. They are on their way to New York City, and he feels very lucky to be on board this "floating palace", rubbing elbows among the rich and famous. He promises his aunt that he will no longer cause trouble on the last two days of the journey. But curiosity gets the better of him when he hears a rumor that there is a mummy in the storage area of the great ship. Of course, he wants to find the mummy and peek inside the crypt! After his sister and aunt fall asleep, George creeps deep down to the bottom of the ship, locates the storage crate, and is just about to take a peek, when he hears a tremendous rumbling noise that rocks the entire ship and causes him to race back up the stairs. Here he learns, along with the 2,200 other passengers on board the Titanic, the source of the clamor. The Titanic has struck an iceberg, and she is gravely wounded. The ship is sinking, and there are not enough lifeboats for all the passengers. But where is Phoebe? To his horror, George and Aunt Daisy realize that Phoebe must have followed George when he snuck out - and now she is missing among the masses of hysterical people crowding the ship. Will George be able to find his sister in time - or will she go down with the Titanic? Tarshis blends fact and fiction as she weaves a fast-paced adventure with fictional characters, intermixed with real-life people and events of the Titanic sinking. For Titanic buffs, as well as those interested in adventure and survival stories. Includes several pages of intriguing facts about the Titanic. The latest installment of the "I Survived" Series.

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Rozanne Porter

Paranormalcy

by Kiersten White
Even though Evie works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she has always considered herself normal. Just because she's the only one who can see through a paranormal's glamour, doesn't make her weird, or does it? Evie's world is turned upside down as someone starts hunting and killing paranormals. To further complicate matters an irresistible faerie who won't take no for an answer is pursuing her and she's falling for a cute shapeshifter. This is a quick paced, fun romp into the fantasy world. Girls who like light fantasy with a little romance should pick this up.

Recommended for grades 7-9
Reviewed by Alicia Parmele

The Kneebone Boy

by Ellen Potter
The Hardscrabble children of the small English town Little Tunks are... well, it may not be the most polite thing to say, but they're odd. Max is a bit of a know-it-all who likes to sit on the roof of their house. Lucia longs for adventure, or at least for something interesting to happen. Otto is the oddest by far though. Otto likes to collect oddities (things like one-eyed frogs and lobsters with extra claws), he never takes his scarf off, and most of all he never talks. The Hardscrabbles' father, Caspar, is odd too - who ever heard of a job painting portraits of down-on-their luck royalty? What makes the people of Little Tunks really talk though is the mysterious disappearance of the Hardscrabbles' mother. The whispers of the townsfolk echo in the children's heads: "Has she run away? Been taken? Could she be dead? Did Otto have something to do with it? Is that why he's so odd? Did the scarf that he never takes off play a part?" The Hardscrabbles are tired of being outcasts and the subject of gossip but it looks like things will never change - until their father gets a new job and has to leave town again (painting royalty requires a lot of traveling). A stay with nasty neighbor Mrs. Carnival looks inevitable, but Caspar announces that instead they will be traveling to London by train to stay with their cousin Angela. A train ride on their own! A stay in London! At last, it's the adventure Lucia has craved and the change of scenery they've all wished for! Except, no one meets them at the train station when they arrive. The Hardscrabbles make their way to cousin Angela's only to discover the truth: there's been a miscommunication and Angela isn't there! Angela has gone on vacation leaving Max, Lucia and Otto alone in London with nowhere to stay and no one they know. And that's when the adventure really begins.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

The Hunchback Assignments

by Arthur Slade
Fourteen-year-old Modo has just been dropped off in London with no money, no friends, no family, and no more than the clothes on his back.  He has never been to London before.  In fact, he has lived in seclusion since he was an infant and was saved by the mysterious Mr. Socrates from life in a traveling freak show.  But it is Mr. Socrates himself who leaves Modo in London with the instructions to learn how to fend for himself.  Luckily Modo has been educated well in Mr. Socrates's care.  His training, along with his unique talent to change appearance at will, makes it possible for Modo to thrive in London without the help of others.  Before long he finds out that Mr. Socrates is part of the Permanent Association and that he, Modo, has been trained to be their secret agent and spy.  Soon Modo is in the middle of an investigation into the disappearances of several London children, an investigation that may lead him directly into a plot by the nefarious Clockwork Guild to bring down the British Empire.  Together with another secret agent, the young and beautiful Octavia Milkweed, Modo must race against time to save the children and London from the hands of evil.  Falling into the steampunk category of science fiction, this novel has the right balance of action, adventure, and dark corners.

Recommended for grades 6-9
Reviewed by Tara Olson

Ship Breaker

by Paolo Bacigalupi
Copper wiring, aluminum, nickel, even steel clips and tiny staples - this is the "treasure" Nailer's light scavenge crew sweats and scrapes to retrieve from the hulking wrecks of tanker ships. Ship breaking is a hard life, the crew face possible death or permanent injury every day, but it puts at least a meager amount of food in their mouths. Nailer hates scavenge work and avoids his druggie father, but he gets by as best he can even as he worries about what he'll do when he gets too big for the tight spaces that hold the best scavenge. Until then, at least Nailer's got his crew - a makeshift family that will always have his back. They all dream of the lucky strike that might take them to the top of the ship breaking heap or even away from the destroyed beachfront, but everyone knows lucky strikes are one in a million. At least, that's what Nailer thinks until after a hurricane he finds the fanciest storm-wrecked ship he's ever seen - days before anyone else knows it exists. With scavenge from this lucky strike, Nailer could be set for life.  Only one thing stands in his way: Nita - the one survivor of the shipwreck - a swank, beautiful girl. If Nailer kills Nita, the ship's contents will be his, but could she be the ticket to a better life or just to a world of trouble? Packed with action, danger and tough decisions, you won't want to put Nailer's story down!

Inspired by real Bangladeshi ship breakers, Bacigalupi has created a fascinating, near-future world devastatingly changed by technology and ecology in ways that seem quite possible. If you love dystopian science fiction or want to know what to read after The Hunger Games, try Ship Breaker.

Recommended for grades 7 and up
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Beyond the Deepwoods

by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
Book 1 of The Edge Chronicles
This is first in the series, an imaginative tale of Twig's adventures.  Detailed drawings throughout the book help the reader picture the Edge world.

The story begins with Twig living his life in the dark and perilous Deepwoods.  He looks completely different from his woodtroll parents.

Twig goes off to seek his fortune, where it seems all the Deepwoods plants and animals animatedly feed off of each other.  His experiences range from going to a Gyle Goblin Colony, and befriending both a Banderbear and a Trog.  Twig has a face-to-face encounter with the Gloamglozer, and is intrigued by a crew of Sky Pirates.

Learn what happens when Twig faces his past, in the Edge Chronicles.

Recommended for grades 5-9
Reviewed by Joe Drinka

A Tale Dark and Grimm

by Adam Gidwitz
Most everyone has heard the story of Hansel and Gretel.  You know, the one where they walk into the forest away from their evil parents, try to eat a witch's house, and narrowly avoid her oven.  Well, that's really only part of the story, and it's not even the beginning.  In this dark and grim tale, we follow Hansel and Gretel on all their adventures - from being born to the well-meaning king and queen to outsmarting the devil to meeting the moon (who likes to eat children) to coming eye to golden eye with a giant dragon (who also likes to eat children).  This isn't the Hansel and Gretel story you heard as a little kid, and it's not for the feint of heart.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Sara Murray

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Ridiculous but entertaining, or maybe ridiculously entertaining, this book certainly is what the title claims it to be. For those of you who are not satisfied with the "Happily Ever After," sappy sweet, and pretty princess endings, this is the tale for you. Blood and gore pour through the pages of this retelling of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale. As if the original was not gruesome enough - you remember, someone gets baked in an oven - this version gets mixed up with other Grimm tales to include beheadings, dismemberments, humans being hunted, and a trip to hell itself. How can so many terrible things happen to two innocent children? Read this and find out.

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Koren Power

Fablehaven

by Brandon Mull
Siblings Kendra and Seth aren't happy about staying with a grandfather they barely know while their parents are on a cruise.  But when they arrive at his house they are told that they can do whatever they want while they stay.  As long as they stay out of the woods.

If only rules weren't so easy to break.  Once their grandpa figures out that both Kendra and Seth have broken the rule, he confesses what neither one of them would ever have guessed; the woods are a sanctuary for nearly extinct magical creatures and he is the caretaker.  The sanctuary is called Fablehaven and it houses hundreds of creatures, from trolls and witches to imps and fairies.  Kendra and Seth are so excited to know more about Fablehaven that they don't heed Grandpa's advice about the dangers of the creatures in the forest, accidentally unleashing some powerful forces of evil.  When Grandpa is kidnapped by these evil forces, it is up to Kendra and Seth to save Fablehaven and prevent the escape of all the magical creatures.  This is a funny, adventure-filled fantasy story and the first in a series.

As Easy As Falling Off the Face of the Earth

by Lynne Rae Perkins
It is summer and 16-year-old Ry is heading off to camp as his parents head south to spend time meandering the Caribbean on a boat.  Ry's grandpa is staying home with the dogs.  When he climbs on the train to head out west to camp, Ry isn't thinking anything spectacular will happen this summer.  Until the train breaks down in Montana.  And Ry gets off the train to make a phone call.  And the now-fixed train pulls away leaving Ry in the middle of nowhere. 

After losing one shoe and his phone charger, Ry walks towards the nearest town where he stumbles upon Del, a middle-aged guy who can fix just about anything.  Del decides the best way to help Ry is to drive him all the way back home to Wisconsin, stopping of course for any little adventure that needs finding along the way.  Once home, Ry finds his grandfather missing (the cause of which we learn about in chapters from the grandfather's perspective), so Del figures they'll find the people Ry needs most - his parents in the Caribbean.

Traveling by train, car, plane, boat, foot, and sheer will-power, Ry is determined to find his family and get everything all straightened out.

Recommended for grades 7-12
Reviewed by Sara Murray

100 Cupboards

by N. D. Wilson
When Henry York's parents go missing while on an adventure, Henry is sent to live with his Aunt Dotty and Uncle Frank in Henry, Kansas, a town so small it is hardly longer than the bus he rides in on.  He is welcomed by his three cousins - Penny, Henrietta, and Anastasia - and given a tour of the house. As Henry is shown to his room up in the attic, they pass the door to Grandfather's bedroom - a door which has been mysteriously and tightly locked for a long time.  Just as he is settling into his bed at night, Henry starts to hear banging on his bedroom wall and wakes to find plaster flakes on his pajamas.  When he looks up, he can see two curious knobs sticking through the wall.  One is slowly turning.

Henry and Henrietta work together to scrape all of the plaster away from the wall and uncover 99 cupboards.  Through one comes a yellow light.  Through another Henry can feel the damp earth.  Through a third comes a cold and unsettling wind.  Together the two children realize that these are not just compartments in the wall, but entrances to other times and places.  In one of the cupboards is a key - the missing key to Grandfather's bedroom - a key that will not only unlock the room, but mysteries and adventure beyond anything they could have imagined.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Sara Murray

Dark Life

by Kat Falls
Get ready to read about adventure in the wild, wild, umm... Ocean? Yep, that's right, pardner. Global warming has made land so scarce on Earth that people are now homesteading on the ocean floor. Fifteen-year-old Ty was the first child born in the deep ocean after the Subsea Homestead Act was passed. Citizens willing to stake a claim and work it for five years will own the hundred acre sea farms free and clear. That's what Ty wants to do when he reaches eighteen. Ty, his family, and their neighbors raise crops of plankton and kelp, and livestock including fish, cows and chickens (which live in undersea barns). Just like pioneers of old, they are carving out a home in a harsh environment, have limited access to supplies, and have to deal with rustlers and outlaws.

Enter Gemma, a Topsider girl, who comes down in search of her missing prospector brother. Gemma is annoying, nosy, talkative and amazingly astute. She notices that the ocean-born kids seem to have rather unusual talents and wonders if they are examples of the rumored Dark Gifts - special abilities that are whispered about Topside.

Moments after meeting, the two teens find evidence of a violent crime, and then, within hours, witness a neighbor's homestead being attacked by outlaws. The teens are caught up in the race to catch the outlaws and save the undersea settlement from political machinations on the Topside.

This is an original, fun read that twists several genres into something new. It is a mixture of western and science fiction, with a sprinkling of fantasy thrown in for good measure.

Recommended for grades 5 and up
Reviewed by Alexa Newman

The Sixty-Eight Rooms

by Marianne Malone
If you are a girl, chances are that you once played with a dollhouse. And if you did, chances are you sometimes imagined what it would be like to live inside that dollhouse. For sixth grader Ruthie Stewart the dollhouse of her imagination isn't just a toy she used to play with. Instead, Ruthie becomes fascinated with the elaborate Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago. This real exhibit at the museum consists of sixty-eight meticulously decorated miniature rooms representing different styles and cultures throughout history. Ruthie sees them for the first time when her class goes to the Art Institute for a field trip. Instantly transfixed by the rooms, she wonders when she'll get to come back to the museum to see them again. She doesn't have to wonder long. Jack, Ruthie's best friend, stumbles across a mysterious key on the museum floor and soon the two are hatching a plan to return the next day and find out what it opens. What neither friend plans for, though, is the key's magic ability to shrink Ruthie to the exact size necessary for her to wander through the miniature rooms. Deciding that the best way to fully explore the rooms is after the museum closes, they decide to sneak in and spend the night. This is just the beginning of their adventure as they attempt to figure out how the key works and who else has explored the rooms before them. Part mystery, part adventure, and part magic this book is for anyone who has ever seen the Thorne Rooms or who always just wanted to know what it would be like to "disappear" to another time and place.

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Tara Olson

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

by Rodman Philbrick
This Civil War historical fiction takes place in the northeastern United States.

The title character is a scrappy back-woods orphan boy. His villainous guardian Uncle Squint illegally enlists Homer's older brother Harold, who is only seventeen years old, into the Union Army.

Homer runs away from home to rescue his older brother. He travels around in his search in various ways, such as by train, steam-ship, and even hot-air balloon.

Along the way, he runs into scalawags such as Stink and Smelt. Homer has adventures playing a pig-boy in a travelling circus, and also experiences the Underground Railroad.

Homer gets into and out of a lot of trouble with his habit of stretching the truth. The exciting story from rural Maine to the Battle of Gettysburg concludes with six pages of Civil War glossary and slang.

Newbery Honor 2010

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Joe Drinka

Bone: Out from Boneville

by Jeff Smith
Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone may be cousins but they couldn't be three more different people. Phoney Bone's the crafty one with the get-rich schemes that always lead to trouble - like getting run out of Boneville and getting lost in the desert wilderness. Smiley Bone's the not-so-bright one, happy to help his cousins in any way possible, but short on ideas of his own. Fone Bone's the one who gets everybody out of trouble, but even he doesn't know where they are now. Things are not looking good and when the horde of locusts comes through, they're looking even worse because now the three Bone cousins have been separated and Fone is on his own. All he has is the strange map that Smiley found that leads him to a valley where things get stranger and stranger. First, a dragon appears and disappears in the middle of the night. Then, Fone meets two bugs - one tiny, one giant; one friendly, one a little less so. Fone doesn't really hit rock bottom though until he meets the stupid, stupid rat creatures that seem to be out to capture and eat him. Then Thorn arrives and things start looking up because Thorn is a beautiful girl who brings Fone home to meet Gran'ma Ben who can help him get back to Boneville, once he's found his cousins of course. It turns out this is just the beginning of Fone Bone's adventures though - something very mysterious is happening in the valley and the Bone cousins and Thorn seem to be caught smack dab in the middle of it. The Bone series continues in eight more volumes and once you read this first volume, you won't want to wait to read the rest!

Recommended for grades 3 and up
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

The Thief

by Megan Whalen Turner
Somewhere between the lands of Sounis, Eddis, and Attolia there is a treasure - Hamiathes's Gift - that will give the bearer power and the right to rule, but the treasure has been hidden for centuries and only a skilled thief can steal it away once the hiding place is located.  The magus, the scholar to the king of Sounis, believes he knows where to find this treasure, and chooses Gen, a thief in the king's prison, to be the one to steal it away.  If he is successful, he will be rewarded, but if he fails, he will die.  Together with two young men and a guard, the group makes a dangerous and difficult journey across harsh landscapes and unmarked trails to find this long lost gift of the gods.  To pass the time along the way, they share with each other the mythological stories of the old gods and goddesses and how the Gift came to be.

Readers who enjoyed the mythology and adventure of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series might also enjoy this series, even though the gods and goddesses are the creation of the author.  The series continues with The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia.  The fourth in the series, A Conspiracy of Kings, is due to be released in April.

Newbery Honor Book 1997

Recommended for grades 5-9
Reviewed by Sara Murray

STORM: The Infinity Code

by E. L. Young
Will's parents are gone - following his father's death, his mother sent Will to a friend in London while she goes to her mother's in Russia to grieve and recover. The only thing that comforts Will as he grieves is working on his inventions and gadgets, gadgets like Rapid Ascent which combines a spear gun, a rope, a harness, and precise engineering to lift a human up the side of a building in mere moments. Soon Will's caught the attention of three other overachieving teens: Gaia, Andrew and Caspian. Gaia's a chemical genius who likes to blow things up and Caspian's specialty is astrophysics. Andrew has money, brains, and ambition, but most of all he has the idea: He wants them to be a team – a force for good in the world – kids who can make a difference on a global level. At first all Will wants is to be left alone, but then Caspian disappears and it becomes clear that something major is afoot, something along the lines of an epically deadly weapon. The trail leads to Russia which Will thinks is a fortunate coincidence that will allow him to reunite with his mother, but Will's about to learn that there's no such thing as coincidence.

The STORM series is perfect for fans of Alex Rider and other high tech spy novels, but has the added bonus that every gadget used in the books has a basis in today's science. Don't forget to check out the Author's Note at the back and the "excerpt" from Will's notebook.

Recommended for grades 5-10
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Kaleidoscope Eyes

By Jennifer Bryant
It is the summer of 1968. Lyza has worn out her black dress attending the funerals of those lost in Vietnam, but it is the loss of her grandfather that marks the beginning of her new life and an unbelievable adventure. While cleaning her grandfather's house after his death, Lyza finds a folder with her name on it and a key that will help unlock clues to William Kidd's lost treasure – buried in the 1690's somewhere along the east coast of North America and never found.< Throughout the summer, Lyza searches for the pirate's treasure and for her place in her newly fractured family. Written in free verse, this book offers a great feel for the days of Janis Joplin, peace protests, desegregation and the draft. When I finished this book, I found myself wishing that the summer did not have to end.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Koren Power

The Twilight Prisoner

by Katherine Marsh
Jack once again visits the Underworld, this time with his friends from the Chapman School Latin Club. Although he is living, Jack has the ability to see ghosts and navigate the ghostly world as if he is one. Cora and Austin join Jack exploring the tunnels below Columbia University, when they accidentally cross over to the Underworld. They are met by Jack's ghost friend, Euri, who helps them in their race to evade the guards, Cerberus the three-headed dog, and the plotting of the evil journalist Colonel Mann to rejoin the living. This sequel to the Edgar Award winning The Night Tourist is a must-read for Percy Jackson fans.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Alexa Newman

The Demigod Files

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Demigod Files
by Rick Riordan
Are you waiting to read the last book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series?  If you want to make your wait more bearable or just learn more about Percy and the other campers, pick up The Demigod Files!  Read three more of Percy's exciting adventures in which he helps Clarisse find a stolen chariot, rebuilds Hephaestus's bronze dragon to save Beckendorf, and travels the Underworld with Thalia and Nico to find the lost Sword of Hades.  Get some insight into the Stolls, Clarisse, Annabeth, Grover, and Percy in one-on-one interviews.  See what kinds of things Annabeth packs into her camp trunk.  And check out a map of Camp Half-Blood.  Still haven't gotten enough?  Take a sneak peek at The Last Olympian!

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Sara Murray

Mothstorm

Mothstorm, or the Horror from beyond Georgium Sidus!, or a Tale of Two Shapers
by Philip Reeve and illustrated by David Wyatt
In this rollicking third installment of the Larklight saga, the Mumby family is preparing Larklight for their Christmas celebration with guests space pirate Jack Havock and the rest of the Sophronia's crew when they receive word that missionary friends reverend Cruet and his daughter Charity have gone missing from the planet Georgium Sidus (otherwise known as Uranus). A strange cloud has appeared at the edge of the Known Universe and it is getting larger. The Mumbys pack up and head to Georguim Sidus to find the Cruets and examine the cloud. What is waiting for them is beyond their imaginations - giant moths, blue lizard-like creatures called the Snilth, and the Mothmaker. Art, Myrtle, their Shaper mother (a creator of solar systems) and their friends must battle the evil Shaper Mothmaker, who wishes to conquer the British Empire by killing Queen Victoria in a final showdown at Balmoral Castle. As usual, good prevails and the Empire and the Mumbys live to fight another day. Mothstorm is another wonderful example of the Steampunk genre from Reeve. The first two books, Larklight and Starcross are also available at the library.

Recommended for grades 5 and up
Reviewed by Alexa Newman

Prince of Underwhere

by Bruce Hale
A read-alike for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, this half comic, half novel, is totally hilarious!

Zeke, his twin sister Stephanie, and their neighbor Hector discover this strange world called Underwhere. Action-thrusting, the trio fights mutant dinosaurs and zombies. Zeke becomes the prince liberating a midget-race people that wear underwear on the outside of their clothes.

Then they must not only deal with devious spies, but also an evil, smelly superstar rapper, and the sarcastically-talking cat that is on their side.

Read this crazy caper, and see how passing gas can be the bomb of a war-device. Find out if Zeke completes his science project, or if he out-wits the class bully. Kids that revel in potty humor of the most disgusting stench will bask in the odor of the methane of this story.

Recommended for grades 2-6
Reviewed by Joe Drinka

Rowan of Rin

by Emily Rodda
Rin is facing catastrophe - the river that runs through their village has gone dry, which means no water for the bukshah, the herd animals the villagers depend on. The river comes from the mountain, so the problem must be up there, but although many have ventured up the mountain, none have ever returned and all fear the dragon rumored to live at the top. Small Rowan, keeper of the bukshah and least of the villagers, through a strange series of events, becomes one of the seven who will attempt to unblock the river. Their only help in their task: poetic riddles and a map from the strange wise woman Sheba. Rowan fears they will be unable to figure out the riddles in time and more, he fears the future Sheba's words may reveal:
Seven hearts the journey make.
Seven ways the heart will break.
Short, but packed surprisingly full of discussion-worthy topics, Rowan of Rin is the first of five books about Rowan, the smallest and most timid resident of the town of Rin.

Other books in this series:
Rowan and the Travelers
Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal
Rowan and the Zebak
Rowan and the Ice Creepers

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Rapunzel's Revenge

by Shannon and Dean Hale
You may think you know the story of Rapunzel, but you've never heard or seen it this way before. Rapunzel spends her early childhood as a pampered, but lonely, princess with her only friends being the guards of Mother Gothel's luxurious, high-walled compound. It's Rapunzel's curiosity about the world outside that lands her in a tree in a swamp with abundant growth magic that transfers itself to her hair as well. As the years pass, Rapunzel grows evermore frustrated and bored – you would be too if hair-inspired activities like jumping rope and lasso practice were your only entertainment possibilities. When Rapunzel finally escapes (forget the prince - she gets herself out), she's determined to wrest control of the land from Mother Gothel and to rescue her true mother from back-breaking work in the mines. As Rapunzel explores the outside world she gains an ally in Jack (yes, that Jack) and discovers that all her hair works mighty fine as both lasso and whip! It's a long, obstacle-filled road back to Mother Gothel's compound and Rapunzel's going to need all her courage and wits just to make it there. The Old West twist to the cartoon-like illustrations and story adds to the fun, and don't forget to keep an eye out for the many other fairy tale characters Rapunzel encounters on her journey of justice! Fantasy, adventure, humor, even a hint of romance - Rapunzel's Revenge has something for everyone and since it's a graphic novel, it's a quick read too!

Recommended for grades 4 and up
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos

by R. L. LaFevers
Twelve-year-old Theodosia Throckmorton has a special talent - she can tell if an Egyptian artifact carries a curse just by looking at it and can usually remove the curse with one of her many homemade and found remedies before the curse causes any damage.  This skill is particularly helpful as her parents are curators of the Museum of Legends and Antiquities in London.  When her mother, an Egyptologist, finds and brings home the highly valuable but strongly cursed Heart of Egypt, a scarab amulet used by the pharaohs, Theo realizes she must somehow take it back to its rightful tomb in Egypt before it causes chaos in London, where she lives.  However, when the amulet goes missing, Theo's detective trail leads to two groups: one trying to protect the world from ancient Egyptian magic and the other trying to use the power of the amulet to weaken and conquer England. 

Filled with Ancient Egyptian history and resourceful Theo's adventures, this first book in a series provides equal humor, mystery, history, and adventure.

Recommended for grades 3-8
Reviewed by Sara Murray

The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins
This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. It is full of suspenseful moments, tough decisions, and improbable outcomes. It is a must-read in my opinion.

Katniss Everdeen, who is 16, volunteers to replace her younger sister Prim when Prim is selected as District 12's girl tribute in the 75th Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are a televised contest in which 12 girls and 12 boys (one from each district in Panem) fight to the death as part of a peace treaty settlement. Although Katniss is from the poorest, least winning district in the former Appalachia, she is a survivor. Kat has learned to provide for her family since her father's death in a coal mine explosion five years earlier. Will she be able to survive against the other tributes? Some are very strong, tall, and fast. Others come from much wealthier districts. When the Games start, the tributes are released into an arena where natural and artificial obstacles are placed in their paths by the Gamemakers. Will Kat's intelligence and natural talents help her to survive? This book examines war and violence and how they effect youth.

Recommended for grades 6 and up
Reviewed by Alexa Newman