Horizon

Students, Children, and Life-Long Readers,

Scott Westerfield introduces a new sci-fi adventure that reminds me of the thrilling TV series LOST.  Our main characters start out on an airplane making their way to a robotics competition in Japan and flying over the Arctic.  Suddenly there is a mysterious issue with the plane and our characters wake up to the wreckage of a plane.  Has the plan the plane crashed???

But there is so much more to question?  Where are all of the other passengers? Everyone has disappeared except for a select few teenagers. And where did they crash?  In a warm and humid tropical jungle.  How did they arrive here when they were flying above the Arctic.

As these children learn about their companions, they realize that this is no ordinary island with the forces of physics being challenged and changed for a rude awakening to our characters. 

This book is filled with mystery as they must decide not only how to survive on their own, but how to learn the truth about their new home.

AUTHOR: Scott Westerfield

GENRE: SCI-FI/ADVENTURE

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8

Dragonwatch

Students, children, and life-long readers,

It has been awhile since I have been so excited for a book to come out.  I have been in a fantasy rut and needed a top quality fantasy to quench my thirst.  Thank you, Brandon Mull.

First off, if you have not read the Fablehaven series, do that immediately.  It is on my top five fantasy series, and Brandon Mull is my favorite fantasy author.

Kendra and Seth are back, and a new threat has awakened.  After defeating the Demon King, Celebrant, the king of the dragons, is causing problems at the dragon sanctuary.  Their grandfather is worried that the threat of dragons breaking free from the sanctuaries may be a bigger threat than the demons from the first series.  It is not long before Kendra and Seth are asked to join Dragonwatch, a group of warriors and wizards tasked with confining the dragons, and the adventure begins.

There are a number characters that return for minor roles in this secondary Fablehaven series, but the focus again is on Kendra and Seth as they try to prevent the dragons from escaping and reeking havoc on the rest of the planet.

This series will not disappoint, and I enjoyed it so much once I started, I did not put it down until it was finished.  Brandon Mull has struck again with a plot line, setting, conflict, and complex characters that make it hard to stop reading once you are hooked.

AUTHOR: Brandon Mull

GENRE: Fantasy

GRADE LEVEL - 6-8

Unwanteds Quest - Dragon Captives

Students, children, and life-long readers,

If you are a student in my classroom, you have heard of one of our favorite fantasy series, The Unwanteds.  Dragon Captives continues with a side series that focuses on Alex's sisters, Fifer and Thisbe.  I encourage you to read the Unwanteds series first to better understand the setting and minor characters throughout the series.  There is an even a villain that makes a return.  You will also be able to see the magical ability of our main characters.

Fifer and Thisbe ar e being prevented from entering Magical training due to their lack of maturity and unspeakable power that they have trouble controlling as you will see in the first chapter.  Alex has them on a short leash.  But when the dragons come in need of help and hold Alex to his promise of magically increasing the size of their wings so they can fly, the twins jump on this opportunity for an adventure and to prove to Alex that they are ready to use their abilities.  The twins are off to an island that has yet to be discovered, and trouble quickly follows them.

There are many favorite characters returning, and new ones that are introduced.  If you enjoyed Unwanteds, you should definitely give this one a try.  And if you are worried that Colby spoiled the ending, don't worry - there is more than meets the eye to the thrilling conclusion of this novel.

AUTHOR: Lisa McMannis

GENRE: Fantasy

Grade Level: 5-8

Going Wild

Students, children, and life-long readers,

Lisa McMann is back with another fantasy series to follow her very popular Unwanted series.

Our main character Charlie is making the big move with her family from Chicago to Arizona.  As usual, she is upset and nervous about this big change that is taking place.  Her family is dynamic and setting is changing drastically.  Right before they leave she receives a package with a mysterious bracelet.  Thinking it is from her grandma she thinks nothing of it and puts it on.  Little does she know, that this bracelet carries the powers of five different animals that give her superhuman abilities.
Charlies is faced with many struggles including making new friends, learning the meaning of the bracelet, and finding help on why she has it in the first place, and who sent it.

Can she learn the truth behind the bracelet? Can she learn to master these new abilities without hurting those around her, and before her enemies find her location and work to take back what they feel is there's?

AUTHOR - Lisa McMann

GENRE - Fantasy

GRADE LEVEL - 5-8

Going Where Its Dark

Students, kids, and life-long readers,

What is your biggest fear?  One of my biggest fears is to be trapped in a small space, and this book opened that fear.  I don't think I will be entering a cave in a long time after reading this adventure about Bucky.

Bucky and his best friend Dave live in the back country of Virgina and have developed a love of exploring caves. Just as Dave is about to move, Bucky discovers a hidden cave that has never been explored called the hole.  With Dave gone, Bucky is risking much to explore it on his own, and he has the summer to figure out how achieve this mission.

But that is not all.  Bucky struggles with a serious stuttering problem that leads to bully issues and worry for the family.  An unexpected connection with Bucky's uncle may be the one who can help Bucky's stuttering in an unsual manner.

This book has many sides plots and great selection of characters that continually interact with Bucky. The writing style of the cave exploration was so vivid that is increased my fear of small spaces and caves.

If you are looking for an adventure book and enjoy the idea of cave exploring this would be a great book for you.

GENRE:  Adventure/Realistic Fiction

AUTHOR: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8

Save Me a Seat

Students, kids, and life-long readers,

By looking at the cover of this book, you may notice the clear separation of two lunches from the cafeteria and two authors.  This leads to the premise of this book with two very different main characters struggling with school, Joe and Ravi.  Ravi has recently moved from India to America due to his father's change of jobs.  Ravi is very intellectual, athletic, and has enjoyed school throughout his life.  But school in America is not going as planned for Ravi; especially with trying to become friends with Dillon who happens to be a bully to Joe. Our other main character Joe struggles with school, especially with reading and reading out loud in class, and with having friends.  To make matters worse, his mother has taken a job in the school cafeteria and cause more problems for Joe.

Joe and Ravi appear to have little in common, but a single mission will bring them together over the course of this crazy week in school.

GENRE: Realistic Fiction

AUTHOR: Sarah Weeks/Gita Varadarajan

GRADE LEVEL: 5-6

Scourge

Students, kids, and life-long readers,

What if you were diagnosed with a contagious illness that may spread to your family and friends unless you were to be exiled to island?  Would you go through with it?  How difficult would it be to leave the ones you love, during a time that you need them the most?

This is what our main character faces as she has been diagnosed with the Plague or Scourge and is being sent off with an enemy and her best friend.  Once on the island, they learn that man do not survive, and once you are sent to the infirmary, you may never be seen again. But this plot has more layers as she is part of an unwanted section of society known as the River people.  This faction has been at odds with the more noble section of the city, and this separation will be a turning point in the plot.

Our main character has a very difficult struggle ahead of her, and may even need help from those she does not trust.  But not everything appears s it seems and there are many surprises hidden throughout this book.

GENRE: Adventure

AUTHOR: Jennifer Nielsen

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8

Wonderstruck

Students, kids, and life-long readers,

Brian Selznick is back with another novel with a similar style to his renowned tale, The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  Similar to his other title you will find a giant 600-page book with half of it being beautifully drawn scenes that tell a large part of the plot.

This novel follows two story lines - one told with words, and the other told with pictures.  There are also two different time periods and settings.  Ben Wilson has just lost his mother and starts to have questions about his father whom he knows nothing about.  This curiosity and a Wonderstruck book with a hidden message lead him to take a trip to New York City to see if he can find his father.  The picture part of the story is about a girl named Rose who also has some parental issues.  I don't want to reveal too much about the connection between the two plots lines.

The best part of this novel is how the two plot lines intertwine and the continuous mystery of when the connection will be revealed.  I found it hard to put down because I wanted to find this out.  Also, the pictures are very well done, and often I could be lost in the pictures before he brought back a couple of pages for reading.  It is a completely different style of reading that coincides with his books.  If you enjoyed Hugo Cabret, you should definitely give this a try.

AUTHOR: Brian Selznick

GENRE:  Historical Fiction, Fiction

GRADES: 5-7

Lock and Key

Kids, students, and life-long readers,

Some of you may recognize the author of this new series from Kingdom Keepers or Peter and the Starcatchers. Our two main characters, James and Moria, are being sent to Bakersville Academy, a prestigious school, by their father.  But the circumstance regarding this school leave much mystery and deception as a break in seems to cause the decision while their father is acting quite worried, but reveals nothing to the children.  James has much to live up to at Bakersville being the fourth generation first born son to attend.  We are introduced to the other main character the of the story who happens to be his roommate, A YOUNG SHERLOCK HOMES!!!  When I grabbed this book, I had not idea Sherlock Homes was part of the plot as I only grabbed it because of the author.  It was a pleasant surprise.

James, however, wants nothing to do with his new roommate as he is quickly twisted up in a series of clues to find the Bakersville Bible that has gone missing.  Moria forms a friendship with Sherlock and they seek to help James with this mystery.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book as it is told from Moria's perspective, not James or Sherlock who the story seem to focus on.  I also enjoyed Ridley's take on a young Sherlock Homes.  We see the same confident, witty, and highly intelligent character as he uses his powers of deduction to solve riddles.

Although this book contain Sherlock Homes, I wouldn't say he is the focus the story.  The best part is the mystery behind the missing Bible, the clues that appear, their father's disappearance, and their family history connected to the academy.

AUTHOR: Ridley Person

GENRE: Mystery

GRADE: 6-8

Charmed

Kids, students, and life-long readers,

The Fairy Tale Reform School Series is back with the second book.  If you have not read the first book, here is a book talk about the first book - Flunked.

Our heroine, Gilly has returned to FTRS even though she had the opportunity to return to her family.  It doesn't take long for Alva, our antagonist to return with a bang to free her minions and seek revenge against Gilly.  Now Gilly and her friends need to find the mole that is working for Alva, and fast, as Alva attacks the school, the city, and tries to recruit students from FTRS to join the cause.

Gilly struggles throughout the book with her new role as a hero of FTRS, and her past of doing everything on her one.  The fame and notoriety go to her head as she considers joining Princess Rose's Royal-Lady-in-Waiting to learn to be a noble and princess.  But does that mean turning her back on her friends that stood by her and assisted her to defeat Alva the first time? This book leaves Gilly with many challenges and decisions that will change the fate of FTRS, and an overlying question that flows throughout the entire book is "Who can Gilly trust?".

AUTHOR: Jen Calonita

GENRE: Fantasy

GRADE: 5-7

Masterminds #2 - Criminal's Destiny

SPOILER ALERT - This is the second book of a series.  I strongly advise you to read the first book, and besides the first one is the best book of the series.  You can find the book talk here.

Our second book begins with our crew hanging out at the dormitory school in Colorado, but it doesn't take long for the Purple People Eaters to find them and the chase is on. They are on the run and learn that just telling the police will not solve their problems, but only expound them.  While one the run, our main character are faced with a dilemma - Should they break the law to try and survive, and if they do, does that stem from their DNA.  Are they becoming the criminals?  Can they escape their dreaded past?

There are many twists and turns, suspense, action, and excitement as they search for the truth, make their way back to Serenity, and even try to break someone out of jail.  And who could forget the agonizing question, "WHAT HAPPENED TO HECTOR?"  Many questions will be answered so make sure you don't miss book two in this thrilling series - Masterminds.

The Cloak Society

Kids, students, and life-long readers,

Amazingly, with the rise of superhero movies, you don't see too many books that take on the idea of superheroes taking on the supervillains.  The Cloak Society is set in a world where the forces of good, Rangers of Justice, is taking on the forces of evil, The Cloak Society.  Our main character Alex has telekinetic powers and is part of the upcoming Beta group for The Cloak Society.  The story begins with their first mission to break into a bank and steal a needed diamond for their super weapon.  As they ran into the Junior Rangers (young heroes), Alex does something unexpected.  He saves his enemy, a junior ranger from certain death.

From here the questions for Alex pile up.  Does he have what it takes to become a villain and defeat the Junior Rangers?  Can he harness his true power of telekinesis and become a powerful supervillain?  Can he trust his mother and father - leaders of the Cloak Society - as they continue to push and test him through his training?

I really enjoyed reading this from the villain perspective of a superhero setting.  I always wanted to keep reading to see if there was more information on what Alex is going to do and if he will leave the forces of evil to join the forces of good.

AUTHOR: Jeramey Kraatz

GENRE: Fantasy

GRADE LEVEL - 5-8

The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones

Kids, students, and life-long readers,

Mabel Jones has done THE DEED.  This one deed opens the door for the pirate crew of the Feroshus Maggot (Yes, that is how it is spelled) to capture her and force her to serve as one of the crew.  And what is THE DEED?  You will have to read to find out.

But this is no ordinary crew.  The captain is a ferocious wolf bent on the quest to capture all five parts of the hidden "X" to find the forbidden treasure spoken of by his lost father.  The rest of the crew is made of talking animals from a silent orangutang to a thieving lemur to a crocodile that enjoys nothing more than amputating appendages.  Mabel Jones is in for quite an adventure as she is forced to walk the greasy pole in the fir moments of meeting the crew.

The hunt is on and crew must find the four most despicable pirates to take back the pieces and find the treasure.  This story is filled with adventure and humor.  The narrator telling the story has quite the voice jumping in and out of character.  There is also a connection to Geronimo Stilton as the author is very creative with the fonts and placement of the words and sentences.

If you are looking for a light read that you can enjoy some adventure and a good laugh, this is the book for you.

AUTHOR: Will Mabbitt

GENRE:  Adventure/Humor

GRADE LEVEL:  5th-8th

Masterminds

Kids, students, and life-long readers,

TEACHER ALERT - This is a great read aloud for class, and will keep the student guessing the entire time.  Great for predicting and characterization.

If you have read any of my blog posts, you know that Gordan Korman is one of my favorite authors.  When I first picked up this book, I knew nothing about it, but it is now part of my top ten list.

This story features five teenagers living in the town of Serenity - the happiest city in America.  All houses are the same with everything that children need from pools to basketball hoops in their driveway.  Some of our main characters love the life that Serenity offers, while others speak of leaving as soon as they can.  It won't take the reader long to see that this is not your ordinary town from the classes that are taught to the activities the children do.

The plot thickens when Eli is working on his computer and after an electrical surge is able to see the real internet.  American history that has been taught to him does not match.  The Boston Tea Party was not an actual tea party between the British and American to discuss their differences????  This is enough to lead Eli and crew to find the truth of Serenity and their lives.  There will be countless predictions and questions to keep you guessing the climactic reveal of their backstory.  And adventure and suspense will continue to build as they continue to take risk after risk to find the truth

Fastbreak - Student

Ungifted - Student

The Lost Hero - Student

The Lightning Thief - Student

The Son of Neptune - Student