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

Catmagic

by Holly Webb
Lottie Grace is miserable when her mum goes to work in Paris. She is sent to live with her Uncle Jack and her cousin Danny at their pet shop. The only thing that makes it tolerable is that she can play and talk to the animals. From her first day there, Lottie notices little things that don't seem quite right. Some of the mice look pink. She breaks up a fight between some of the other mice. Sofie the dog drinks coffee. And Lottie can swear that it feels like they are all watching her.

Then it happens. After Danny rescues Lottie from some bullies, Sofie tells him all about it. In front of Lottie. And she can hear Sofie talking. That's when she discovers that the shop and all the animals in it are magical. Lottie's summer just became a whole lot more exciting. Read the rest of this book to find out all about Lottie and the magical animals in Grace's Pet Shop.

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Alexa Newman

The Dodgeball Chronicles

by Frank Cammuso
Part of the Knights of the Lunch Table series
Arthur King, or Wart Boy, as his sister calls him, is just starting a new school, Camelot Middle. He has a mystical teacher/faculty advisor Mr. Merlyn who predicts "Artie" will be tested in ways he has never imagined.

Artie has the heart made up of good stuff when he is able to open the magical locker, the one that did not open for ages. He is the chosen one, ready to be challenged by wicked Principal/Queen Mrs. Dagger and wicked bully big Joe Roman with his horde. Artie bands together with his knights of the detention lunch table to face off in a Death by Dodgeball contest.

A rollicking, fun story.

Recommended for grades 3-7
Reviewed by Joe Drinka

The Goblin Baby

by Berlie Doherty
At first, Tam is unhappy when his baby sister is born. She cries all the time. But, he soon comes to love her, and he names her Blue. One strange night, when the stars turn to sparkly sapphires, Tam hears Blue crying. But, by the time he gets to her, a strange baby has taken Blue's place in the crib. Fairies have taken Blue back to the fairy kingdom and left a goblin changeling in her place. With his grandfather's help, Tam braves the Green Passage and ventures into the fairy kingdom to rescue his baby sister and return the goblin baby.

Recommended for grades 2-4
Reviewed by Alexa Newman

The Birchbark House

by Louise Erdrich
The Birchbark House takes us through a year in the life of 8-year-old Omakayas of the Ojibwa, or Anishinabe. It's 1847 and, while the chimookomanug (white men) are there on the outskirts of life, Omakayas' family has been able to keep their home and way of life - despite much talk of possibly moving west. The family lives in tune with the seasons and nature, particularly Omakayas who seems to have a special connection to animals. Just like most little girls, Omakayas finds her little brother annoying, worships and envies her older sister, and adores the baby. Summer and fall follow along like every year with chores and celebrations, but it is during the long, hard winter that tragedy strikes and Omakayas will have to learn whether or not she has the strength to save her family - and if she has the strength to save herself.  If you like the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, read The Birchbark House, and its sequels The Game of Silence and The Porcupine Year, for a glimpse of how just one Native American family of the same time period might have lived.

Recommended for grades 3-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

The Floating Circus

by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
In 1850s Pittsburgh, Owen and his younger brother Zach are put into an orphanage by their poor mother after their father dies, because at least that way they will have three meals and a place to sleep.  Trying to show his bravery by climbing a huge tree, Owen falls and lands on his arm, rendering it limp and useless.  When all the orphans get packed on a train heading west to find new families, Owen is afraid that no one will adopt Zach because they don't want Owen with his lame arm.  So, once the train starts rolling, Owen jumps off, hoping his brother will have a better chance to find a family.

After wandering by the river, Owen spots the biggest boat he has ever seen.  When Solomon, the freed slave working on board, invites him on to see the circus that is performing on the ship, Owen jumps at the chance.  But when he is discovered watching the show in secret, he is pitched overboard by the circus master.  Saved by Solomon, Owen is given a job taking care of the animals, including the elephants, and eventually finds a new family with Solomon, the circus freaks, and another boy his age.

When the circus boat is wrecked by a storm and debt, Owen is left with no one but a baby elephant and must decide whether he wants to find his brother, look for Solomon, go with his friend's family, or set out on his own in the world.

An author's note at the end tells about real circus boats from the 1800s.

Recommended for grades 4-9
Reviewed by Sara Murray

The Dragon of Trelian

by Michelle Knudsen
Calen is lonely mage's apprentice with no friends, no family and no apparent talent for magic. Princess Meglynne is isolated by a secret that she can't share with anyone. The two meet one day and instantly recognize in each other a person they can trust as a friend. Princess Meg shares her secret with Calen, she is raising a baby dragon and has become linked with him. Through their friendship, Calen discovers his magical talent and uses it to help his friend. They uncover a murder plot and must work together, combining their strength, wits and bravery to defeat a much stronger foe and save the life of Meg's sister. This is a fun fast paced fantasy that will keep you turning the pages from beginning to end. This is the first book in a series, so look for more adventures with these characters.

Recommended for grades 5-8
Reviewed by Alicia Parmele

Fortune's Magic Farm

by Suzanne Selfors
Okay, here's the scoop: Isabelle is left on a doorstep as a baby and is found by Grandma Maxine. They live in the totally dreary town of Runny Cove, where it always rains, every person works for the Magnificently Supreme Umbrella Factory but no one owns an umbrella, every one coughs and has patches of mold on their puckered skin. But Isabelle, she is different, and she knows it deep down inside. That's what keeps her going when the awful owner of her boarding house, Mama Lu, bullies the residents every night and feeds them only cabbage soup. Isabelle does have a special talent, she can grow mushrooms between her toes and lichen in her hair. Her room is covered in a carpet of moss, and the walls are covered in ivy. But her life is achingly dull until she is given a special apple by an elephant seal. That apple is a key to her secret, real life.

Isabelle is a tender. The last tender, in fact. She learns that tenders take care of a special garden called Fortune's Farm – where magic is grown. Isabelle is the last of the Fortunes. She is taken back to the family farm by Sage, a keeper, and her Uncle Walnut. Her grandpa is the head tender. The farm is in disrepair and failing. She has to make a promise to keep the farm's secrets before she can enter. Once there, Isabelle transforms. Her eyes and hair turn green, her skin turns pink. She makes friends with a marmot named Rocky, she makes up funny songs, and she discovers she can talk to the trees.

Once Isabelle and the Farm are doing better, she then goes back to Runny Cove, determined to save her friends.

Recommended for grades 3-7
Reviewed by Alexa Newman

Shooting the Moon

by Frances O'Roark Dowell
In the beginning of this slice-of-life novel, 12-year-old Jamie Dexter tells how she is actually excited that her older brother TJ is going to Vietnam. Volunteering at her local military recreation center, she plays marathon games of gin rummy with the head of the place, Private Hollister. In addition, she meets other soldiers stationed by her Texas town by helping them develop camera film. Jamie gets a special connection with her brother TJ by processing the film he sends her from the war by herself.

This down-to-earth story also chronicles the relationship Jamie has with "The Colonel," or what she calls her father. His life has been for the military. Read how the Vietnam War affects their humble Texas town and the going-on-thirteen narrator.

Recommended for grades 3-7
Reviewed by Joe Drinka