HOLY UNANTICIPATED OCCURRENCES!

It all starts with a vacuum cleaner.  One summer afternoon Flora Belle Buckman is drawn to witness what could only be described as a jet plane in the neighbors’ backyard, but turns out to be  a new powerful Ulysses 2000X vacuum cleaner gone berserk. When the vacuum cleaner sucks up one very hungry squirrel, Flora puts all the knowledge she’s gained from reading comic books to use and resuscitates the poor creature. But the last thing she expects to see is the newly revived squirrel lifting the vacuum cleaner over his head. Believing that the squirrel has gained superhero powers after the vacuum cleaner attack, Flora names him Ulysses, and the adventure begins.

Flora and Ulysses by Kate diCamillo is a wacky adventure that is heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny, and every bit deserving of its 2014 Newbery Medal. One lovable heroine, an even more lovable squirrel, and a slightly annoying (yet somewhat lovable) boy make a winning team against malfeasance of all kinds in a fond tribute to superhero stories and comic books. 

For grades  4 and up.

FORTUNATELY, THE MILK

When dad goes out to pick up milk for his children, he is gone for what the children consider a very long time.  When he returns, they ask him what took him so long.  He tells them about the adventures he encountered returning home with the milk.  His children refuse to believe that a trip to the corner store would cause such an array of unfortunate situations; from being captured by aliens and pirates, to making his escape and meeting a time traveling Stegosaurus. How will he convince his children that he is telling the truth? 

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman is a humorous story about a father explaining to his children the reason behind his tardiness.  Readers will laugh at the unfortunate events that take place as a father tries to make his way home to feed his children breakfast.  The illustrations throughout the story will entertain readers until the final page.  This would be a great story for children grades 3-6.  It would also make for a great read aloud.

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN

When is it time to put away the toys and stop playing make believe? What happens when the game you thought you were playing turns out not to be a game after all, but is terrifyingly real? Middle schoolers, Zach, Alice, and Poppy, are confronted by these very questions in Doll Bones by Holly Black. The three have been friends for a long time and one of their favorite games is to create elaborate scenarios and quests for their dolls and action figures to act out. They know that they’re getting a little too old to play with dolls, but their stories and games are central to their friendship with each other, especially now, since it seems the changes that come with middle school are starting to drive a wedge between their group.

One night, Poppy has a dream about the antique bone china doll that acts as the Queen in their adventures. The doll is haunted by a ghost of a little girl who suffered a horrific fate and needs Poppy’s help putting her spirit to rest. Suspecting that it might be more than a dream, Poppy finds evidence that the ghost’s story is true and convinces Zach and Alice to help her. Together they embark on a real life quest to uncover the mystery behind the Queen and see if their friendship can stand the test of time even after the games are over.

A fantastic, slightly spooky read by the creator of The Spiderwick Chronicles!

For grades 5 and up.

KEEP CALM AND TIME TRAVEL

Lee Jones and Joan Lee are opposites in name and personality, but they are also BFFs.  They do everything together - even without knowing.  The night before their 8th grade trip, their parents both tell them they're getting divorced - right after dinner and just before dessert.  After this horrible news, the next morning, they discover that instead of going to California Dreaming, the BEST amusement park ever, their 8th grade trip will take place at a Fort.  The fort sounds like a horrible field trip until they fall asleep in the fort's lighthouse and wake up in past San Francisco - 1863 to be exact.  On their way to trying to figure out how they got to 1863 and how they're going to get home (or if they even want to live in a world with divorced parents and separate high schools), they befriend another time traveler, Samuel Clemens, who teaches them a thing or two about getting around the Wild West.

Lewis Buzbee's middle-grade novel Bridge of Time is perfect for 6th through 8th graders looking for adventure and excitement with a little SciFi and Historical Fiction thrown in.

SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE

Even though their parents told them to stay off Superstition Mountain, when their cat escapes their new home and head straight up the mountain, the three worried brothers disobey their parents and go search for their pet. When they discover three white skulls, the boys become curious and go off searching for the identity of the three skulls. could it be the three boys missing from the 1950s?

Missing On Superstition Mountain by Elise Broach is another solid suspenseful adventure story.

TURTLE IN PARADISE

Turtle is an eleven-year-old girl sent to Key West, Florida by her mother in the 1930s. When her mom gets a job as a housekeeper with an employer that can’t stand children, Turtle comes to live with her mother’s sister Aunt Minnie and three boy cousins none of whom she has ever met before. Florida is a very strange place for Turtle, much different from any place she’s lived before. It’s hot, everyone is called by a nickname, no one wear shoes and the food is strange. Her cousins have created a gang called The Diaper Gang, a “no-girls allowed club” that help them earning a bit of extra cash babysitting infants. Her adventures with the gang of cousins help her to discover family secrets. This nice and humorous adventure story was inspired by the author’s great grandmother stories that emigrated from the Bahamas to Key West in 1897. Written by Jennifer L. Holm. Ages 9-12