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 

Horton Halfpott

Horton Halfpott, or, The Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor, or, The Loosening of M'Lady Luggertuck's Corset
by Tom Angleberger
This book begins, "There are so many exciting things in this book."  I disagree.  It should have said that there are so many hysterical things in this book.  You may recognize Angleberger's Origami Yoda books and his quirky sense of humor.  This book stands on its own, and it would be difficult to find others like it.  From the title to the last page it is a farcical game of words.  You will find an endless supply of characters to laugh at/with.  My favorites include the shipless pirates and the pompous, professional, private investigator, Portnoy St. Pomfrey.  Root for the hapless Horton as he struggles to unravel the mysteries of M'Lady's corset, Napoleon's head, and the missing Lump.  The icing on this cake - the book's cover glows in the dark. 

Recommended for grades 3-8
Reviewed by Koren Power 

Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders

by Kevin Sylvester
Murders, adventures and fishy smells - this is a cozy mystery that is fun to read.  Neil Flambé, a.k.a. The Nose, was not like the other babies.  That mushy, slimy, foul smelling slop that parents try to pass off as food only made him scream for hours, until he discovered TV cooking shows.  Now age 14, Neil is a master chef with his own restaurant and a consultant for the Vancouver police.  The Nose is called in for a big case too close to home.  Someone is killing the best chefs in town.  The police must decide is Neil a possible target or the prime suspect?   Neil must stop the killings and even more challenging, control his ego.  This first title in a new series leaves me hungry for more.

Recommended for grades 5-10
Reviewed by Koren Power

The Trouble with Chickens

by Doreen Cronin
Click, Clack, Moo is now a chapter book? No, but Doreen Cronin has used her wit to come up with some new and memorable characters. This is the first title in a projected series for independent readers moving from picture books/early readers to chapters. J.J. Tully is a recently retired search-and-rescue dog moved to his handler's farm. He is enjoying a bit of the quiet life when a mystery in the form of a funny family of chickens puts Tully back into action. Can Tully outwit Vince the Funnel, the handler's cone-wearing house dog? Being Cronin's first chapter book for young readers, there are a couple of flaws. She changes the narrators a couple of times in the middle of the book, but it is not made clear who is speaking at first. Also, grown-ups may want to be on hand to help with unfamiliar words, such as "exasperated." Overall, this book is a fun read for newly independent readers.

Recommended for grades 2-4
Reviewed by Koren Power

Amelia Lost

by Candace Fleming
For those who love real-life unsolved mysteries, the story of Amelia Earhart and her 1937 doomed flight is one that is gripping and suspenseful as the story of her last flight is intermingled with the hour by hour drama of the day Amelia Earhart, along with her crew member Fred Noonan, disappear over the Pacific Ocean as they were trying to land on a small island to refuel their airplane. Amelia Earhart was a daring young woman who developed a passion for flying at a time when airplane travel was still in its early stages. She succeeds in becoming the first woman to fly solo two thousand miles across the Atlantic Ocean. In her day, Amelia was a huge celebrity who was admired and respected by young and old alike. The pinnacle of her flying career was to take place in 1937. This was the year that Amelia, looking for a greater challenge, sets out to do the seemingly impossible: circumnavigate the globe at its widest point. This would mean flying a total of 27,000 miles round trip. After a successful first leg of the trip, covering 22,000 miles fairly uneventfully, Amelia, along with her highly trained navigator Fred Noonan, were attempting to land on Howland Island. This is a very small strip of land that is only two miles long, and less than a mile wide. The coast guard cutter, Itasca, is standing nearby in order help Earhart spot such a small landmark in the Pacific Ocean. Fuel was beginning to get low, and it was imperative for Earhart to land quickly. Instead, for some unknown reason, she could not spot the island. This is despite the Navy's best efforts at communicating with her - and time was running out fast. Through alternating chapters, Fleming successfully navigates between the Navy's intense efforts to find her, and detailing her childhood experiences which helped to develop the free-spirited woman she later became. Numerous samples of handwritten notes and photographs that bring Amelia back to life are peppered throughout the book. Also intermingled are interesting pieces of trivia such as the food she ate while flying - chocolate and tomato juice! Middle school, high school, and adults will surely learn something interesting, while also feeling very sad that Amelia's string of triumphs concludes without the happy ending.

Recommended for grades 6-12
Reviewed by Rozanne Porter

Closed for the Season

by Mary Downing Hahn
Thirteen-year-old Logan Forbes is not having a good summer. His father has landed a job as an art teacher in the small town of Bealesville, and his family has just moved nearby. The old home they bought is in terrible shape after being uninhabited for a number of years. In addition, Logan is worried about making friends and fitting in with his new middle school. His next door neighbor, Arthur Jenkins, a quirky, opinionated twelve-year-old offers his friendship to Logan. Arthur and his spunky grandmother seem to know everything about the people and events of Bealesville. Almost immediately, Arthur drops a frightening bit of information on Logan and his family. Apparently, the home they just moved into is known as the "murder home" of Bealesville. It seems that the former owner of the house, a sweet old woman named Myrtle Donaldson, was killed during an apparent robbery gone bad. However,it remains a mystery as to who murdered her. Even more of a puzzle is what became of the money she supposedly embezzeled from a popular local amusement park named Magic Forest. Myrtle was the head cashier at the now closed park, and until the day she died she proclaimed her innocence. Arthur and Logan's curiosity about solving this crime take them on a quest to find the missing money, which they are convinced is hiding among the ruins of the broken down, long-closed amusement park. To their shock, a wealthy, popular family in the community has just purchased Magic Forest, and wishes to tear it down immediately. They have been warned by numerous adults to stop playing detective and stay away from the condemned property. Will Logan and Arthur discover the hidden treasure and clear the name of Mrs. Donaldson before the killer stops them? Mary Downing Hahn has once again written a thrilling mystery that will appeal to those who enjoy solving a crime, while also rooting for the kids to outwit the grown-ups.

Recommended for grades 5-8
Reviewed by Rozanne Porter

When You Reach Me

by Rebecca Stead
Winner of the 2010 Newbery Award, When You Reach Me is both an engaging and unusual novel that is a multi-layered combination of mystery, science fiction, fantasy, and even historical fiction, with humorous references to what life was like in 1978 - minus cell phones and video games. If this assortment of genres were not enough, When You Reach Me also touches on the theme of sacrificing oneself for the benefit of others. The story begins with a mysterious event right off the bat. Miranda, a twelve-year-old who lives in New York City, is walking home with her best friend Sal, when, out of the blue, an eccentric classmate of theirs walks up to Sal. Without a word, Sal gets punched in the stomach and crumples over in pain. Immediately after this embarrassing episode, Sal all but completely cuts Miranda out of his life. Dealing with this blow, as well as helping her mother prepare to be a contestant on the 1970s television game show, "The 20,000 Pyramid," Miranda tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space. These notes are as cryptic as they are frightening. The first one reads, "I am coming to save your friend's life and my own." More notes and bizarre events follow until Miranda finally realizes what has been happening and why the tragic event that occurs was necessary, and is greatly moved by it. For those who allow themselves to be pulled into the plot, the reward of finishing this book will be a worthwhile endeavor that leaves the reader thinking about these memorable characters long after the book is set down.

Recommended for grades 6 and up
Reviewed by Rozanne Porter

Powerless

by Matthew Cody
Daniel is totally not looking forward to moving to Noble's Green - The Safest Town on Earth - so he and his family can live with his elderly grandmother.  However, once he gets there, he meets Mollie and Rohan, an girl and a boy who live on his block, and realizes that there is something rather strange about the kids in Noble's Green.  Soon Daniel learns that they all have powers - one can fly, one can turn invisible, one has super senses, and one can control electricity.  These powers are kept secret from the adults in town, but the kids have long been using them to keep everyone safe.  But they can't keep the townspeople safe forever.  For some unknown reason, the moment each of these secret superheroes turns 13, their powers and any memory associated with having them are lost forever.  Being without a power himself, Daniel is determined to use good old-fashioned detective work to learn what is happening to his friends and see if he, powerless and regular, can save them.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Sara Murray

The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity

by Mac Barnett
"I am not a detective." Steve Brixton kept insisting that he was just a kid, but the police, the notorious Mr. E., and the secret agent librarians refused to believe him. After innocently checking out the wrong book - a dusty old title about early American quilting for a school assignment - from the local public library, Steve suddenly became known as the famous detective and criminal wanted for treason. Thank goodness he was well prepared for this case of mistaken identity. Steve relied on the many wisdoms gained from reading his favorite old fashioned detective series, the Bailey Brothers, to solve this current mystery and clear his name. Fans of Nate the Great, the Hardy Boys, and Encyclopedia Brown will enjoy this new series.

Recommended for grades 3-5
Reviewed by Koren Power

Regarding the Fountain

By Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise
The water fountain at Dry Creek Middle School (formerly Spring Creek Middle School) is leaking and Principal Walter Russ is convinced that it needs to be replaced. So Secretary Goldie Fisch writes to Ms. Flo Waters of Flowing Waters Fountains, Etc. requesting a catalog. Instead of a catalog, Goldie receives a letter from Ms. Waters (Flo hates phones!) requesting permission to visit the school so that she can design a one-of-a-kind fountain just for them. First though she needs to know what the students want and that's where Mr. Sam N.'s class comes into the picture. Soon the letters (and the puns) are flying fast and furious and it becomes clear that intrigue is afoot. What happened to make the spring that used to run through Dry Creek dry up? Isn't it a strange coincidence that it happened the same year the Middle School was built? What is going on with the mysterious faxes between School Board President Sally Mander and local water company owner D. Eel? Will the school ever get their new fountain? Written in a style different from anything you've read before, Regarding the Fountain is a compilation of letters, faxes, message slips, newspaper articles, and one recorded conversation. You'll have so much fun getting to know the residents of Dry Creek and Flo Waters, that you'll want to read the rest of the series, too! Follow the adventures of Mr. Sam N’s class in Regarding the Sink, Regarding the Trees, Regarding the Bathrooms, and Regarding the Bees.

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone

The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival:
Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone
by Dene Low
Cutie, cute, and fun - in merry-ole England, a sixteen year-old girl's coming-out party becomes, rather than her desired introduction into London society, the beginning of the end of Mother England and the downfall of the Panamanian Revolution. Petronella Arbuthnot's reputation will forever be shadowed by her social event that was the scene of a political kidnapping and the place where her uncle, Augustus, choked down a tropical beetle - giving him a bug-eating obsession that sends him to leap onto the support pole that brings down the entire pavilion atop all of the fashionable guests. Amongst this chaos is a regency, budding romance with the brother of her childhood bosom friend and Victorian charm that is perfectly laced with witty humor. This is a book that will make you smile.

Recommended for grades 6-10
Reviewed by Koren Power

The Musician's Daughter

by Susanne Dunlap
Fifteen-year-old Theresa has just received the worst news of her life: her father, a musician in Haydn's orchestra in 18th century Vienna, is dead and his most valuable possession, his violin, is missing. Theresa is sure that her father has been the victim of foul play, and despite her mother's determination that their next step must be to marry Theresa off, Theresa starts unraveling the mystery as best she can. But as Theresa investigates she learns some unsettling facts about her father and his involvement with a camp of Gypsies and she finds herself drawn into more and more dangerous situations. She also finds herself employed by Haydn as a music scribe; Haydn's failing vision makes it impossible for him to record the music in his head accurately, Theresa has the musical training from her father that qualifies her for the job, and Haydn knows her family needs the money. Caught up in a whirl of intrigue and court politics that expands to include members of Theresa's family and even Haydn himself, Theresa must find a way to keep everyone safe. If she's lucky, maybe she'll also find a little romance along the way and, more importantly, maybe she'll find the strength to determine her own path rather than following the one set out by her mother.

Recommended for grades 6-9
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Masterpiece

by Elise Broach
Not many people have the ability to produce great works of art much less famous masterpieces but for one small beetle it comes easily. Marvin lives a normal beetle life with his family in a New York City apartment occupied by a human family, the Pompadays. The Pompadays know nothing about the existence of the beetle family until Marvin befriends their eleven-year-old son James by leaving him a remarkable birthday drawing. This single gesture sparks a chain of events that brings both Marvin and James into the center of a high stakes art theft. James is mistakenly thought to be the true virtuoso behind Marvin's finely drawn picture and before he knows it he is being asked by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to forge a drawing done by the great master Albrecht Durer in order to catch a real art thief. With Marvin's help the drawing is finished and the plan is set into place. But as with any mystery, things are not as they seem. Who is really behind the plot to steal the famous Durer drawing? And how will James ever explain who really drew the fake? This is an exciting read that intertwines art, mystery, and adventure into a great tale of friendship.

Recommended for grades 4-6
Reviewed by Tara Olson

The Graveyard Book

by Neil Gaiman
For those ghost lovers and Harry Potter fans, this spooky and suspenseful novel is based on Rudyard Kipling’s classic, The Jungle Book. The story begins in a frightening way, as a family is killed by a menacing stranger named Jack. However, the youngest child of the family, a toddler, fortuitously escapes the fate of the rest of his family by literally toddling out the front door while Jack is in another room. He crawls to a nearby graveyard, and gets discovered by two long-time inhabitants of the cemetery. Not knowing his true identity, the orphaned boy is renamed Nobody - Bod for short. Over the years, he is lovingly raised by the kind, eccentric ghosts in the cemetery until the day comes where he must return to "his own kind." In the meantime, Bod, whose life skills are suited more toward the dead than the living, must learn to go to school with his peers and learn things that only the living can teach. But there is great danger in taking this step. Surprisingly, Jack has not forgotten about him over time. He is still looking for Bod. He came to do a job that tragic evening long ago, and it has yet to be completed. He needs to finish what he started. Why does Jack need to destroy Bod? Can Bod's ghostly family protect him from the cruel world by continuing to isolate him? Will Bod ever have a home other than the cemetery? Gaiman writes a suspenseful yarn, at times funny, other times touching, that will leave readers wanting to turn the pages to find out who Jack is, as well as what becomes of Bod and his ethereal family.

Winner of the 2009 Newbery Medal

Recommended for grades 5 and up
Reviewed by Rozanne Porter

Shakespeare's Secret

by Elise Broach
Hero's family has moved. Again. That means another new school where older sister Beatrice will fit right in while Hero will be, at best, ignored. It's bad enough that Hero has a funny name, thanks to her parents' interest in Shakespeare, but Hero doesn't have the personality to quickly make friends either. Things are different in this town though - Hero makes friends with her elderly next door neighbor (good), gets teased for having a dog's name (bad), catches the attention of the cutest boy in school (excellent, but scary too), and finds out that a diamond with mysterious connections to Shakespeare may be hidden in HER house (awesome!). Secret clues, close escapes, and the possibility of betrayal, mean that whether Hero can solve the mystery of the diamond or not, this won't be any ordinary school year.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

The Seance

by Iain Lawrence
Mystery, mediums, murder and magic. In 1926, Harry Houdini arrives in the city to display his new Burmese Torture Tank and to expose the tricks of some fake mediums. The illusions become all too real when a dead body is found floating in the tank. Afterwards, rather than communicating with the dead, seances become deadly, and Houdini must perform a real death defying escape. Scooter King, who works with his mother in the seance business, must use what he already knows about trickery and learn some Houdini secrets to discover who the murderer is before he gets arrested for the crimes or becomes one of the victims.

Recommended for grades 5-8
Reviewed by Koren Power

Last Shot

by John Feinstein
Stevie cannot believe it at first: the basketball article he submitted has won a student journalism contest and even though he's only in 8th grade, he'll be covering the Final Four in New Orleans! Sure, his co-winner, 8th-grader Susan Carol is a foot taller than him and a Duke fan (a team Stevie's definitely not a fan of), but Stevie's getting to meet all his sports writing and basketball heroes. He's having the time of his life, until he and Susan Carol overhear someone blackmailing Chip Graber, the best basketball player in the tournament, to throw the final game. The student journalists try to warn the adults, but of course no one believes them - so it's up to Stevie and Susan Carol to find out what the blackmailer has on Chip and how to keep the Final Four tournament clean. Investigative journalism wasn't what they originally came for, but these students aren't leaving until they blow this story wide open - the only question is, will they survive the explosion?

Recommended for grades 5-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

The Case of the Missing Marquess

by Nancy Springer
The fourteen year-old sister of Sherlock Holmes is determined to prove to everyone that she can do very well alone. Enola Holmes made her escape from the drone of a girl's life in 19th century England after her mother's disappearance. Her much older brothers, Mycroft and Sherlock, think of her as a girl child to be protected - shut up in a boarding school until she is old enough to be married. With a little bit of money and memories from her mother, Enola manages to be a few steps ahead of her famous brother. She keeps just out of his grasp while solving his cases. This is the first book in a series that now has four titles.

Recommended for grades 5-10
Reviewed by Koren Power

Whales on Stilts

by M. T. Anderson
M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales series
Katie Mulligan and Jasper Dash are both stars of their own series of children's books - Horror Hollow and Jasper Dash, Boy Technonaut respectively. So it's a bit of a surprise when it's their best friend Lily Gefelty, just an average 12-year-old, who discovers the mad scientist plotting to take over the world using mind-controlled whales on mechanical stilts. The three friends will have to work together using all their skills to stop this dastardly plot. Whales on Stilts has thrilling action scenes, fascinating science-fiction gadgets, nail-biting suspense and extreme silliness! What more could you ask for in a book? Well, I'm glad you asked, because I have the answer: a sequel! In The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen Katie, Jasper, and Lily have decided that after their whale adventure, they need a vacation - no mysteries, no monsters, no mad scientists! Especially Katie - she's ready to relax and just be a regular girl. But Katie's plans are destined for ruin, because no sooner have our heroes reached the Moose Tongue Lodge and Resort than the news spreads - the Hooper Quints (star of their own mystery series) have been kidnapped! Now whether the threesome wants to or not, they'll have to investigate, because who knows which series star will be next on the kidnapper's list! M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales are indeed full of thrills, as well as chills and laughter - don't miss them!

Books in this series:
Whales on Stilts
The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen
Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware (available Spring 2009)

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

The London Eye Mystery

by Siobhan Dowd
At 11:32 a.m. Salim disappeared from the London Eye. Ted and Kat watched their visiting cousin board the tourist attraction, but 30 minutes later, he failed to disembark. The police are not having any luck finding Salim. Knowing that they are already in trouble, Ted and Kat don't tell the adults about the stranger who gave Salim a ticket, or that they have his camera. Instead, the siblings set out to find him. Ted, who has Asperger's Syndrome, is really smart. He is a very logical and literal thinker, almost computer-like at compiling facts. Read along as Kat and Ted race across London and gather the clues to find Salim. I liked this book because I felt like I knew the characters. We learn details about them; that Ted loves weather, Salim's ringtone is the James Bond theme and Kat uses silver nail polish. This is a mystery that is different from the typical childrens' fare.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Alexa Newman

The Mystery of the Third Lucretia

by Susan Runholt
GIRLS TRACK MURDERER THROUGH FOUR COUNTRIES Fourteen year-olds, Kari Sundgren and Lucas (her father wanted a boy) Stickney, stumble on the largest art crime in recent memory. The two attend an art class at the Minneapolis Institute of Art where Kari encounters a mean man painting in the Rembrandt room. He does not seem much worse than the average jerk until Kari and Lucas find him snarling again months later – this time on a trip with Kari's mom to London, painting in another room of Rembrandts. Scotland Yard does not think there is much to this coincidence, but the girls know they are on to something big. First they must convince Kari's mom to take them seriously and then the authorities and the rest of the world. This is a new title from a new author. It has intrigue, disguises, fake accents, kidnapping, lies, world travel, forgeries, and murders. Watch for the next book in this series soon.

Recommended for grades 6-10
Reviewed by Koren Power

Do the Math: Secrets, Lies, and Algebra

by Wendy Lichtman
Tess has always thought the two things she could count on the most were her mother and math, but 8th grade means Algebra where the answers aren't always firm. Not only that, her mom suspects a colleague of murder and won't tell the police. To top everything off, Tess is the only one who knows that the cutest boy in the 8th grade cheated on the Constitution test. Tess has always used math concepts, plus her friends Sammy and Miranda, to help her navigate her world, but will they be enough to guide her now?

Recommended for grades 6-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

The Mysterious Benedict Society

by Trenton Lee Stewart
"Are you a Gifted Child looking for Special Opportunities?"

The ad catches the eye of Reynie Muldoon, an orphan who doesn't fit in at his orphanage one bit thanks to his advanced intellect. To receive his Special Opportunity, Reynie discovers he must take several tests, each more puzzling than the last. During the course of his testing, Reynie meets several other gifted children with unique talents, but it is only when the final group of four has been selected that Reynie discovers what the Special Opportunity is: a chance to save the world. Mr. Benedict has uncovered a plot to brainwash the world using secret messages sent through television and radio waves and only these four gifted children, the Mysterious Benedict Society, have the power to infiltrate the island stronghold of the evil mastermind behind the plot. To save the day, the Society will need all their talents, but more importantly they must learn to work together – and time is running out.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Seer of Shadows

by Avi
For those who are fans of ghost stories, historical fiction, or both, the latest book by Newbery Award winner Avi will sure to be a hit. The time is 1872. The place is New York City. Fourteen year old Horace Carpetine is excited to begin an apprenticeship in photography with Enoch Middleditch, a society photographer. Because Horace has been raised to believe in science and rationality, it comes as a shock when a photograph taken of Mrs. Frederick Von Macht, one of Carpetine's customers, shows the image of the woman's dead daughter, a thirteen-year-old girl named Eleanora. While both the woman and Horace are horrified by what they see, Mr. Middleditch, decides to take advantage of the situation by discussing the popularity of "spirit photography" – where dead relatives supposedly appear with the living in pictures. Furthermore, he hopes his new client will supply him with lots of business, and eventual fame and fortune. Meanwhile, Pegg, the Von Macht's servant girl, befriends Horace and tells him the appalling truth regarding who Eleanora really was and how she actually died. Most shocking of all, as Horace takes more photographs, he realizes that he has somehow summoned not only a ghostly image, but a very angry apparition who is intent on getting revenge on the people who caused her tragic death! The mystery behind Eleanora's death, as well as Horace and Pegg's attempts to stop her from causing even more heartbreak, will cause readers to want to find out how this spooky novel ends.

Recommended for grades 5-8
Reviewed by Rozanne Porter