REAPERS, TROLLS, AND GOBLINS, OH MY!

Jack lives in a land of mystical creatures. When one of the creatures takes his best friend away forever, he is determined to find out why. In the midst of his investigation, he encounters a slew of fairies and like creatures who are being targeted, sorted, and taken away; another mystery for him to solve!  

Jack is a ten year old who learns that his father is Death, and he's not to interfere with whatever is going on. It's troubling to him to see innocent lives being drastically affected, so with the help of a few friends he's able to learn more about what it will take to stand up to injustice and his father.

M.L. Windsor writes a story for those interested in mystical creatures or would like to enjoy a Lemony Snicket read-alike.  Jack Death is a fast paced novel that's sprinkled with humor and unforgettable characters, but note that there are also grisly scenes (Spoiler Alert: bad guys can eat their victims in three bites) that will leave readers bug-eyed and maybe wanting a sequel. 

For grades 6-8, not for the faint of heart.

SURE BEATS BOILING OIL

If you read Harry Potter or the Hunger Games, and you like stories where society is out to destroy the lives of children, then THE UNWANTEDS by Lisa McMann is a good book to read along the same lines. In the dark, dreary land of Quill, some kids become "wanteds" and some are relegated to "unwanted" status, which means they are sent to die in a giant pit of boiling oil. Only the unwanteds actually end up in a magical world of creativity and free thought, something completely frowned upon in the land of Quill. Kids learn magical fighting techniques, in preparation to fight for their beliefs in a battle that comes when not everyone is prepared to fight. It's not to difficult to read, it is action-packed, and reflects positively on those that are more creative than calculating. For grades 4 and up.

WHEN THE WALLS TALK?

When forced to move, what better than to find a house that has a history, a mysterious past, one might even say a "haunted" house. This is exactly how the Walker children feel when their parents buy a creepy Victorian home in San Francisco, which used to belong to a famous scary author. Turns out this author's daughter, Dahlia, who's pretty creepy herself, lives right next door and leads the Walkers on some very strange adventures - almost as if they are reliving some of her father's stories! HOUSE OF SECRETS by Christopher Columbus and Ned Vizzini is a long book, but well worth the read for anyone interested in adventure, mystery, and the ever popular family dynamics that crop up in lots of books nowadays. For grades 6 and up.

JULY 2013

MAGIC AND MYSTERY

Remember Stuart Horten? Tiny Stuart from Lissa Evans' first book Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms: Magic, Mystery & a Very Strange Adventure? Well, now that he's located his Uncle's miraculous mechanisms, he's back in a new book called HORTEN'S INCREDIBLE ILLUSIONS: MAGIC, MYSTERY & ANOTHER VERY STRANGE ADVENTURE to see what those mechanisms do. As usual, his friend and neighbor April is by his side helping him unravel the mysteries that lie waiting for discovery. But danger is around every turn with these kids, and you never know what's going to happen next! This is a great continuation of an intriguing, quick-paced series. 

For 4th-8th grades.

MAY 2013

GRIMMEST OF THE GRIMM



This is not a story for the faint of heart or gentle of spirit. What we’ve come to know and love as fairy tales are a far cry from the original Grimm’s tales that have inspired countless Disney films and picture books. But, in reality, Grimm’s fairy tales are the stuff nightmares are made of. In fact, few people know about the more gory elements found in Cinderella or Rapunzel. Check out a copy of the original Grimm’s stories to see for yourself.

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz follows Hansel and Gretel from the well-known candy house though several other Grimm’s tales (some familiar, some not). The narrator lets you know right from the start that things will not be easy and painless for Hansel and Gretel. It’s a dark and scary world out there in fairytale land, and the pair will need to keep their wits about them in order to survive. Their story is one of bravery and forgiveness in the face of betrayal and danger. As the narrator tells us in the first chapter, “…the land of Grimm can be a harrowing place. But, it is worth exploring. For, in life, it is in the darkest zones one finds beauty and the most luminous wisdom.”

So, if Goosebumps fails to thrill you, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark makes you yawn, and you can read Cirque du Freak in the dark, all alone, on a dark and stormy night, then A Tale Dark and Grimm may just be the book for you.

For grades 5 and up.

MUSHROOMS TERRORIZE TOWN

Strange mushrooms are growing in the woods behind their house.  Soon they are growing in everyone's yards and houses. Eric is afraid that this fungal growth will take over his small town in Maine and it may even be some sort of alien species described in a science fiction story from years ago. No one seems to know how to stop it from taking over everything.  It's up to Eric, his brother and runaway cohort to figure it all out. 

The Tanglewood Terror by Kurtis Scaletta is a wild sci-fi adventure for 6th -8th graders.

THE CEMETERY IS HIS PLAYGROUND

This year is going to be different. Linc has decided that going to public school instead of being homeschooled will be an exciting change, in a normal kind of way. He will not tell people that he lives next to a cemetery, or that his mother is a cemetery expert, or that he spends most of his free time there or that his close friend is the groundskeeper. His parents had been taking him to cemeteries since he was small. When his father died suddenly, it's just him and his mom. His mom has an unusual job and dresses oddly and for now, he just wants to be a normal middle school kid.

His fantasy plan goes bust when the teacher announces that the big project of the year will be to research one grave and write a historical report about the person. Linc picks a notorious grave to research and discovers interesting facts about his own family.

Here Lies Linc by Delia Ray is a perfect little odd book about an oddball kid. For readers in 6th-8th grade.

A NEW SPY ADVENTURE

Q, short for Quest, and his newly minted stepsister are quickly thrown into a world of spies and lies when their parents' honeymoon/music tour turn into an adventure in dodging agents from the Mossad, the Israeli spy agency. Angela has been led to believe that her mother, a secret Service agent, died protecting the United States. All that is being questioned now as foreign spies follow them in order to track down her mother, believed to be still alive and one of the world's most deadly terrorist.

I.Q.: Book One: Independence Hall by Roland Smith is a fast pace thrilling spy adventure for readers in 7th-9th grade. A new spy series.

A CAT LARGER THAN LIFE

This is not a story for the squeamish. You'd think, since it starts out being about a little kitten, that it's going to be a cute, cuddly story. But I tell you, it is anything other than cuddly. David suspects there is something suspicious about this cat, especially when his family starts doing everything for the cat, including starving themselves in order to feed it! The end is not pretty, and readers should be prepared for quite a graphic scene! THE IMPROBABLE CAT by Allan Ahlberg is a riveting but scary read for grades 7 and up.

DR. BONES HAS A NIECE!

When Tory finds an old dog tag while dodging angry primate dirt bombs, she becomes intrigue with its owner. One thing leads to another, Tory and her friends are running late night undercover missions to root out the truth behind the disappearance of 16 year old science nerd from the 1960s.

Virals by Kathy Reichs is a new series from the author of the Dr. Temperance Breannan books (and the Bones television show). This series feature her niece living on a University owned island off the coast of South Carolina. It's an action-packed, science fiction, murder mystery novel with bits of romance and lots of suspense. Perfect for mature 6th-10th grade readers.

THE SHADOWKEEPERS STRIKE AGAIN!!

Nic Rostov, newby magickeeper and descendent of the greatest Russian family of Magicians ever to walk the Earth, has returned with bigger and betters feats in the second book of MAGICKEEPERS: THE PYRAMID OF SOULS by Erica Kirov. This book hosts the great gathering of all the worlds magicians, and Nic is being haunted by a black crow who he's sure is a Shadowkeeper pet just waiting to get him. Meanwhile, Nic must figure out how to make an entire live elephant disappear! Suddenly, not only is the elephant gone, but his cousin Isabella is missing as well as the great Pyramid of Souls where all magicians go to disappear. How will they get them back before they are lost forever? For grades 6 and up.

LIKE, I AM TOTALLY NOT AFRAID OF GHOSTS

Sherry is SO not afraid of ghosts. Well, most ghosts that is, because her mom is a ghost. But someone, or something, is out to get Sherry's step mom Paula, and Sherry has to help before something really bad happens. So, on top of celebrating her 2 month anniversary with her boyfriend, and trying to keep a good friendship with her BFF Junie, NOW she has to solve the mystery of who or what is ruining her step mom's life. I SO DON'T DO SPOOKY by Barrie Summy is a fun yet suspenseful story for grades 5 and up.

THE BOY SHERLOCK HOLMES IS BACK!

The third adventure of the dark and brooding young Sherlock Holmes is here. Out to prove to everyone that he's brilliant and they're not, he sets off by any means possible to find a kidnapped nobleman's daughter before she is killed. It's been weeks and her father will not give in to the blackmailers but Sherlock believes if he can solve this case and bring her back alive, no one can deny that he is the best detective in England, better than Scotland Yard.

Another great installment in the series for readers 6th and older. Vanishing Girl by Shane Peacock.

CAN FEAR BE FUNNY?

AGAINST THE ODDS by Marjolijn Hof is just that - odd. Kiki's father goes off to help people in a war-torn country, because that's what adventurous doctors do. But Kiki is stuck at home with her worried mother (she's worried too, not that she can admit it) and their stinky old dog. What happens if her father dies? Is there some law in the universe that if something dies, something else will stay alive longer? These, and other moral issues, are confronted with a dark quirky humor that will intrigue many a reader. For grades 5 and up.

A LIBRARIAN SAVES THE DAY

THE SMASHING SCROLL by Michael Dahl is the perfect mystery for you if you are just starting to read chapter books. Scary things happen. Giant scrolls telling the "World's Last Story" start rolling down the road, threatening to cover the Earth with it's parchment! And of course - the librarian saves the day!

For 2nd - 4th graders.

ANOTHER GREAT SERIES?

I just finished THE ETERNAL HOUR GLASS, the first book in a new series called THE MAGICKEEPERS by Erica Kirov, and this is going to be a fascinating bunch of stories. Intermixing the history of famous magicians, authors and others with a modern day family of Russian magicians, the author has struck upon the possibility of literary gold. Nick Rostov lives a somewhat ordinary life as the son of a washed up Vegas Magician, living in hotels, eating pizza and skateboarding. One day, his grandfather takes him for his birthday "surprise," and Nick finds himself living with an entirely new family, that of the greatest magician in Vegas and throughout the world - Damian! They've brought Nick here to live out his life (and be part of the show) in order to protect him and his magical ability (which he just found out he has) from the evil "shadowkeepers." This is shaping up to be a series worth the read, and perfect for 5th-8th grades.

THE MAGIC HALF OF YOURSELF?

Imagine if there was another you, living in a different time period with a different family, in the same house! That's what happens to Miri when her family moves to a new house in the country - well almost. Miri finds the lens from a pair of eyeglasses taped to the wall in her bedroom, and when she looks through the lens, she ends up in the past! From the author of the "Ivy & Bean" series, THE MAGIC HALF by Annie Barrows is a delightful quick read that's just great for readers just starting out with longer chapter books. For grades 4 and up.

CAT OF THE THEATER

One cannot imagine the world behind the scenes of the theatre - at least not in the 18th century! Mystery, intrigue, and spectacular performance fill the pages and Cat Royal's life, a young orphan girl left on the steps of the Drury Lane Theater in London. What lurks behind the curtain isn't what you would expect, and Cat leads you through the exciting city life of old England. THE DIAMOND OF DRURY LANE by Julia Golding spins a tale of dangerous adventure and paints a picture of what life was like more than 200 years ago. For 6th grade and up.

A NEW AND IMPROVED MAGICAL ORPHAN!

He lives in an orphanage. He doesn't have a scar, but he does have a strange spiral birthmark on the bottom of his foot. He thinks his name is Ernie Banks, but it's not. He doesn't have a magic wand, but he does have a mysterious crystal acorn that's hung on his neck ever since the mean orphanage mother found him on the doorstep. There's a history to his life that he doesn't even know about. Not until he happens to get sent to a farm for a few weeks in summer, and strange coincidences intermix with crazy monsters, small elf-like creatures, and the first humans to ever show Ernie what it feels like to be loved. PUDDLEJUMPERS by Mark Jean & Christopher C. Carlson is a great story about what one boy does to save an entire species without even knowing it. For 6th grade and up.

ANOTHER WORLD

Things change from day to day. But very rarely do they change SO much that you leave the world as you know it and go on an adventure in realms unknown. That's what happens to Arthur Penhaligon in the first book of The Keys to the Kingdom series entitled MISTER MONDAY by Garth Nix. On the brink of death due to asthma attack, Arthur is introduced to a world so strange, dark and weird, he saves himself with a mere curiosity for what might happen next. And a special key he is given by an odd, pale man in a wheelchair. Mister Monday himself! An exciting journey through many layers of other worlds, some dark, dreary caves, or jungles full of dinosaurs, with not a lot of hope. For those too old for Lemony Snicket's books, this is a great series kick-off for grades 6 and up.