THE MALONEYS' MAGICAL WEATHERBOX

The Maloney siblings Neil, Liz and Owen have a secret: their father is the Weatherbox keeper.  Right outside of the family's house is an old telephone booth.  Now this isn’t just any old telephone booth….this one is MAGICAL!  Mr. Maloney has a tough job.  Four times a year the phone rings and he must answer it to change the season, but when autumn comes and the phone doesn’t ring the Maloneys become anxious.

Will there still be a chance for the Maloneys to save the seasons? Maybe they should turn their attention to their new tourists.  After all, the chaos started after they showed up.  Or, maybe it’s the most mysterious character of all, Mrs. Fitzgerald, their neighbor.  Will the Maloneys and the rest of Midland Ireland be doomed forever?

The Maloneys’ Magical Weatherbox by Nigel Quinlan takes place in Ireland in this engaging tale full of unique characters all tangled up.  The book touches on gender bias, the climate and team work.

For ages 9-12

WORLDLY WOMEN WIZARDS!

Everybody needs a wizard in their life. Kit and Nita are just two new wizards in a big big world, and spend practically every waking moment together, practicing their craft. That is, until Nita's parents decide she needs a break from wizardry and ship her off to Ireland! No wizards there, right? WRONG! Turns out Nita's Aunt Annie is herself entrenched in the wizardly ways of Ireland, and it isn't long before Nita is embroiled in a great wizard's adventure. A WIZARD ABROAD by author Diane Duane is just one installment in her fantastic Wizardry series that is bound to delight most fantasy lovers. Each one has a little hint of romance which make it very appealing to that "tween" kid who's not quite ready to give up the imaginary worlds of talking trees and magic, but are still interested in a little love... For grades 6 and up.

HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A P.I.?

Well, this is the tale of one boy who wanted it more than anything else.

There was an Irish boy named Fletcher Moom, who only wanted one thing and that was to be a private investigator. He even took the online course from Bob Bernstein, the famous FBI agent turned private eye. He was first in his class and had a real badge to prove it, too. He just wanted to do some good and be a voice for justice against those who would bully and lie and cheat. You can see where this is heading....

One day, his badge was stolen and everyone doubted his abilities despite all his boasting. To prove himself and get it back, he took on a case for April Deveraux. As he got closer to finding the thief who stole her special lock of hair, Fletcher was accused of arson and jailed. His nemesis, a member of the notorious criminal Sharkey family, sprang him from police custody and together they forged an uncomfortable alliance to clear both their names of the recent rash of thefts and mayhem in the town.

A great detective novel full of twists and red herrings written with humor and full of characters you'll want to root for.

Half-Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer is for fluent readers 6th and up.