Seven Sorerers by Caro King

Seven Sorcerers by Caro King

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Nin normally hates Wednesdays, but the Wednesday her little brother disappears—along with all of his things—is the worst Wednesday by far.  When Nin realizes that their mother doesn’t remember that Toby ever existed, she knows something is very wrong. 



Nin soon learns that her brother didn’t just disappear; he was kidnapped by a Boogeyman and taken to The Drift, an alternate world where magic and strange creatures exist…along with Mr. Strood, the immortal man behind all of the kidnapping cases like Toby’s.  Determined to get Toby back (along with her mother’s memories of him), Nin sets off through The Drift with the help of Jonas, a boy who has been living in both the Drift and the regular world ever since he escaped from one on Mr. Strood’s Boogeymen.



This is an action-packed story filled with fantasy and adventure that both girls and boys will surely enjoy.  One of my favorite characters was Jik, a mudman Nin created—who can only say nonsense words rhyming with his own name.  Watch for a planned sequel to this book!





View all my reviews

The Search for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi

The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Centuries in the future, Eva Nine lives in an underground sanctuary with Muthr (her robot mother).  She has never seen another human being and doesn’t even know if humans still exist on the planet they live on, called Orbona.  In fact, Eva has never been to the surface.  She lives a peaceful life (if not a little boring, although they have all the technology one could ask for) until a hunter flushes them out into the open—he wants to capture them so that they can be added to the Queen’s museum as display items.



Never having been to the surface before, Eva must rely entirely on her Omnipod (her talking handheld device that is similar to a computer).  However, her Omnipod is having trouble identifying nearly everything she sees!  Since her underground sanctuary has been destroyed, she can’t return there, and she begins to despair.  Things get a little easier when she meets Rovender Kitt, a lanky creature who is out exploring on his own—he agrees to help her reunite with Muthr.  The whole time Eva is on the surface, she clings to a picture she found in the sanctuary (of a girl, a robot, and a man in a hat) and hopes that she can find some clues as to who they are: she calls this picture her WondLa.



This is a good book that I enjoyed very much.  The pictures are so interesting, plus there’s a website readers can visit (http://www.wondla.com) with interactive maps and more!  Watch for a sequel, as readers are left with a lot of unanswered questions.



View all my reviews

Dragon Games by P.W. Catanese

Dragon Games by P.W. Catanese

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Hap’s mentor Umber loves taking him along on adventure after adventure with his crew to learn about the extraordinary and dangerous creatures that live in Kurahaven, Sarnica, and beyond, even though Hap pretty much dreads it all.

Before Umber took Hap in, Hap had mysteriously been transformed into a Meddler (a being that has special powers such as having visions, being able to see in the dark, and not needing to sleep), although he has no memory of this. Because he hasn’t yet learned how to harness his powers, the fact that he is a Meddler is of no help to the crew as they encounter not only jealous princes and kings, but also bidmis (small, gnome-like creatures), crabs that trap lost souls, and baby dragons. This is one adventure that none of them will ever forget!

Dragon Games is book two of the Books of Umber series. Readers don’t need to be familiar with the first book, titled Happenstance Found, to enjoy this one. The first book deals mostly with Hap’s life before he became a Meddler and his life immediately following Umber’s rescue of him. The series continues with End of Time.



View all my reviews

Rise of the Darklings by Paul Crilley

Invisible Order, Book One, The: Rise of the Darklings by Paul Crilley




12-year-old Emily has had to take care of her little brother Will ever since their parents mysteriously disappeared. Living in Victorian London, she’s able to earn a little money by selling watercress. This is what she is doing when she suddenly finds herself in a battle between two groups of faeries—up until then, Emily doesn’t even know that she has the Sight. She ends up rescuing a small piskie named Corrigan after the battle…but by doing this, she is drawn further into the faerie world.



Emily soon learns that the faerie world has been planning to take over the human world and is determined to stop them with the help of Will and her friend Jack.



I enjoyed this book, as it has a bit of everything: history, fantasy, adventure, and suspense. The Rise of the Darklings is the first book in the planned trilogy of The Invisible Order. Those who enjoyed this story might also enjoy The Faerie Wars Chronicles (Brennen).



View all my reviews

Ghost Hunt: Chilling Tales of the Search for the Unknown by Jason Hawes

Ghost Hunt: Chilling Tales of the Search for the Unknown by Jason Hawes

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


In this spooky book there are eight short ghost stories, all based on case files and events experienced by the group on the show Ghost Hunters. The stories are told from the point of view of Lyssa, the new interviewer for all of their cases.



There are a variety of ghost stories in this collection, such as one about a case involving a ghost who would leave behind pennies each time it visited; another case helped a family who had a ghost without legs appear to walk up their stairs each night! And as a bonus, at the end of the book there is a guide that includes a quiz, a description of devices used on ghost hunts, and step-by-step instructions on how to conduct your own ghost hunt.



The reader doesn’t need to be familiar with the Ghost Hunters show or the crew that appears on it—I’m not and I enjoyed this collection of stories very much. Those that enjoyed this book might also enjoy the Haunted Mysteries series (Grabenstein).





View all my reviews

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Liam is a totally normal guy; he likes stuff like computer games, video games, and amusement parks. The only thing is that he is really tall—taller than the kids in his class…even taller than most adults. In fact, most people think he is an adult, which can have its advantages (like getting to –almost— test drive a new car).



When Liam wins a contest to test a ride at a new amusement park, his dad thinks it’s a scam and refuses to follow up on it. Thinking about how people always mistake him for an adult, he pretends to be his dad while his friend Florida pretends to be his daughter so that they can redeem the prize. The plan works perfectly, only Liam and Florida get way more than they bargained for on this exclusive new ride.



I enjoyed this book very much and was disappointed when it was over. Liam is such a likable character—I wish I knew someone like him when I was that age! Those who enjoyed this book might also enjoy The Tapestry series (Neff).





View all my reviews

The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan

The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


In a small village in Chile, Neftali Reyes is a shy boy whose mind is always wandering; he finds beauty in the simplest things in nature and is fascinated by words. His father, however, wants him to be more focused and hard working so that he might become a doctor or a dentist.



The reader follows Neftali as he grows up; we learn that, as an adolescent, he still has trouble focusing in school and that he still has a love of words. In fact, he has filled dozens of notebooks with his thoughts. He also begins to notice the social injustices suffered by the Mapuche people in his homeland and unites with his caring uncle to spread the word about this. He continues to write once he gets to university, only he changes his name to Pablo Neruda so as not to shame his father.



This fictional biography provides the reader with an idea of what Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda’s life was like growing up. Not only does the book share both heart-warming and heart-wrenching stories from Neruda’s past, it also includes illustrations by Peter Sis and bits of Neruda’s own (translated) poetry. Those who enjoyed this book might also enjoy these other fictional biographies: A Mind with Wings: the Story of Henry David Thoreau (Hausman) or Bear Dancer: the Story of a Ute Girl (Wyss).





View all my reviews

The Time Quake: by Linda Buckley-Archer

The Time Quake: #3 in the Gideon Triliogy by Linda Buckley-Archer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Time Quake is the third and final book of the Gideon Trilogy, and I'm so sad that it's over. I enjoyed this series so much and I'm shocked that it wasn't more popular with the kids.



I was lucky to get my hands on the audio book version; I ended up having to request it from another library in this state. It's so good to listen to and was totally worth it!



Admittedly, this was my least favorite of the three books, only because the reader not only follows Peter and Kate, but also Lord Luxon, the Tar Man, Anjali and Tom, and of course Peter and Kate's families...which makes for a lot to keep track of. Plus, Peter, Kate, and Gideon were the characters I was most interested it and found myself a little impatient that so much time is dedicated to other characters. For example, Lord Luxon's plans on changing history were interesting, but I felt like I didn't know him well enough to really feel anger towards his character; rather, I disliked what he wanted to do more than the character himself. I found myself sort of sighing whenever the story focused on him.



There were also very serious parts to this story, such as Kate becoming more and more transparent (and fast-forwarding), Tom wanting so badly to go home (after we thought he was dead!), the Tar Man's ability to somehow travel back and forth between times, the secret about Gideon and the Tar Man, and, finally, the big ending where Peter has to make a choice about fixing everything that went wrong with time.



Speaking of the ending, I found it to be confusing--so much that I went back and listened to it again to see if I was missing something. I suppose that, when writing about time travel, events are bound to get jumbled up in a way that makes things difficult to keep track of. I kept playing the scene over and over in my mind (keeping in mind the other time travel book I read and loved: The Time Traveler's Wife) to make everything work out and makes sense.



Despite these issues, I found the series in its entirety very enjoyable and I look forward to watching for whatever Buckley-Archer sets her sights on next.









View all my reviews

Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan

A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Twelve-year-old Darren Shan (that’s not his real name—he had to change it to protect everyone he knows in order to tell his story) and his friends find out that there is a freak show visiting their town, and they really want to go, even though it’s illegal and cruel (according to adults). Darren and his friend Steve decide to go anyway when Steve gets his hands on some tickets.

Darren enjoys the show very much (he was only a little bit scared), but is concerned when Steve tells him to go on home without him; Steve plans on staying and talking to one of the freaks: Larten Crepsley, a creepy man who performs with a huge and dangerous spider. Instead of leaving, Darren hides and watches their exchange and learns that Mr. Crepsley is really a vampire and that Steve wants to join him and become his vampire apprentice; however, Mr. Crepsley denies this request and sends Steve on his way.

Weeks later, Darren is forced to seek out Mr. Crepsley’s help when Steve’s life is in danger. In exchange for his help, Mr. Crepsley wants Darren to be his assistant. What other choice does Darren have but to accept?

This is a story full of action and suspense—with vampires! Although this first book is mostly a set-up for the real vampire lifestyle that Darren will experience in the following books in The Saga of Darren Shan, readers are sure to be glued to the pages.




View all my reviews

Gideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer

Gideon the Cutpurse: Being the First Part of the Gideon Trilogy by Linda Buckley-Archer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


_Gideon the Cutpurse_ is the first book in this trilogy. I had wanted to read this story for a while, and I’m glad I finally got around to it! I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading (or listening to) the second one.



The story begins normal enough—in present-day England—with a young teen named Peter. His parents are very focused on working, so his birthday gets pushed to the side. He ends up having to spend the day with his nanny (?) and accompanies her to her friend’s farm. There, he meets the Dyer family and gets to see the special area where Mr Dyer works on science experiments. During a tour, the family dog gets spooked so Peter and Kate (the oldest daughter and Peter’s age) chase it and suddenly find themselves in a totally different place.



After a while, Peter and Kate learn that they are no longer in the 21st Century; rather, it is 1763! They are at a total loss as to what to do until a kind man named Gideon helps them find “proper” clothing, somewhere to stay, and plan how to locate the man who took the machine they appeared in 1763 with before he sells it.



This is story has likable characters and is told at a good pace. It ends on a cliffhanger, and I’m very interested to see what will happen next! Suggest the Ulysses Moore series to those who enjoyed this.





View all my reviews

The Mysterious Howling (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 1), by Maryrose Wood

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Miss Penelope Lumley, having graduated from Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, interviews for a position as governess at Ashton Place. Strangely, Lady Ashton doesn’t provide much information about the children during the interview; in fact, she seems to avoid talking about them at all. But before she knows it, Penelope is signing the (very generous) contract and is hired!

During the interview and while she’s getting situated in her new room, Penelope hears a strange sort of howling. Having a soft spot for animals, she decides to follow the noise to see if she can locate the source of the poor creatures. In the barn, she finds who is making the noise and she is quite shocked—three children are howling! It turns out that Sir Ashton found the children while hunting—apparently they were raised by wolves—and he decided to keep them. He and Lady Ashton are only recently married, and she has no desire to raise three feral children…hence, the hiring of a governess. Now it falls to Penelope to teach the children how to speak English, wear clothing…basically, how to be human beings! This will be no easy task, but Penelope is not a quitter.

This is a great book! It’s very entertaining—readers will enjoy reading about the wild children and how Penelope lovingly handles them. This is the first book in the new series The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place. Readers who liked this book might also like The Willoughbys (Lowry) or The Collected Tales: Nurse Matilda (Brand).

View all my reviews >>

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
In this fast-paced story, Gratuity (Tip) Tucci shares her experiences during the year that aliens land on—and take over—the earth.  The day the Boov (the aliens) land on Earth is called Smekday (named for the Boov captain Smek).  They decree  that they own all of the United States—except for Arizona, which is where the Boov send everyone in the U.S.  The humans are provided with rocketpods to get there, but Tip decides to take her chances and drive the car (although she doesn’t have her license) so she can look for her missing mother on the way.

When car trouble forces her to pull over near an abandoned convenience store, she encounters a Boov that—for some reason—calls itself J-Lo.  He agrees to fix Tip’s car if she lets him accompany her to Arizona…it turns out that the Boov are after him for a mistake he made with radio towers.  To the surprise of each, Tip and J-Lo become friends.

I enjoyed this book very much.  Tip is a likable character; the way she reacts to J-Lo and the crazy adventures they face together is entertaining.  And readers will be sure to like J-Lo, even though he’s technically on the same side as the bad guys.  Readers who enjoyed this alien adventure might also enjoy The Doom Machine (Teague).

View all my reviews >>

The Adventures of Jack Lime by Jack Leck

Adventures of Jack Lime, The by James Leck


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Have a problem that needs solving?  Jack Lime is your guy!  Readers follow along as Jack solves three different cases: the first involves a missing bike (that belongs to the brother of a gorgeous girl); the second is about a kidnapped hamster; and the third is about students that have gone mysteriously missing.  Jack doesn’t work for free, of course, but rather than work for money, he collects favors that he can use later on.

Jack’s one weakness is his narcolepsy; when situations get stressful, his body wants to fall asleep—and it often does!  He doesn’t let this stop him though; he is serious about being the private eye students go to for help (although he does, at times, wake up in the hospital!).

This is a funny book—readers are bound to like Jack immediately.  The three cases are told using entries that note the day, time, and location Jack finds the information he shares.  This book would be great for readers who enjoyed the Chet Gecko series when they were younger.

View all my reviews >>

Raider's Ransom by Emily Diamond

Raiders Ransom by Emily Diamand


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
23rd-Century England is much different from the England we know today; much of the land has been flooded, Scotland’s lands have been extended, and technology is something no one knows about anymore.  Raiders looking for more wealth and power come to Lilly’s village and kidnap the Prime Minister’s daughter Lexy as a ransom.  When the Prime Minister learns this, he blames the people of the village; he rounds up all able-bodied men to fight for him, leaving the young and old men in prison.  Lilly thinks she could get Lexy back by trading a “jewel” Lexy’s aunt has for Lexy’s freedom.  With no one else in her village able to go, Lilly and her cat sneak off after the raiders with the jewel.

While Lilly heads in the direction to where she thinks Lexy might be held, she meets a boy named Zeph.  Lilly (who’s dressed like a boy) tricks Zeph into helping her into raider territory after she learns that he is the raider boss’s son, and along the way they become friends.   Unfortunately for Lilly, Zeph isn’t as naive as she thinks, as Zeph knows about  her tricks.   He has some tough decisions to make about his loyalty to his father and to his new tricky friend.

This story is told in the alternating points of view of Lilly and Zeph, so readers get to see through both the eyes of a poor fishergirl and the son of a well-to-do raider boss.  It’s fascinating to think that humanity could regress so far after a devastating environmental attack; Lilly and Zeph’s descriptions of how they live without any technology remind me of how  people of  today think of  people living hundreds of years ago.  There is also a hint of a sequel coming.  For a similar read, try The Faerie Door by Bruce Maxwell.

View all my reviews >>

The Princess Plot by Kirsten Boie

The Princess Plot by Kirsten Boie


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Jenna is tired of her mother always being so overprotective, so when the chance comes along for her to audition for a part in a movie, she decides to go for it without telling her.  All of Jenna’s friends are auditioning; why shouldn’t she? 

The movie people tell her that the role for which they are casting is the part of a princess.  Jenna doesn’t think that she’s very princess-like, so she can’t believe it when they tell her that she got the part!  She can’t believe that they didn’t even have her read any lines, either.  When she mentions this, the movie people say she has great “presence” and that is what they are looking for.  She doesn’t think that her mother will let her be in a movie, but, to her surprise, when she texts her asking if it’s okay, her mom texts back and tells her that it is!  With that, the movie people take her on a private plane to Skandia, the (fictional) country where the movie is being filmed.  However, Jenna soon finds out that there is no movie—and that she has become a part in a crazy plot involving the princess of Skandia.  Jenna needs to get home before anything worse happens!

This is a great book!  It not only is (mostly) realistic; it is also full of suspense, adventure, and survival.  Jenna is a very likable character who the reader will root for throughout the story.  Suggest this to those who enjoyed The Princess Diaries (Cabot), but warn them that it’s not all fun and romance!

View all my reviews >>

The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson

The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Eleven-year-old Tally doesn’t want to go to a far away “progressive” boarding school, but she agrees to go, understanding that her father wants her to be safe if England really does enter the war against Hitler.  Much to her surprise, she finds that she really enjoys the school and the other students.

Meanwhile, Prince Karil of (the imaginary country) Bergania dislikes his royal life more than ever.  All he wants in life is to be free; that is, do what he wants and to have real friends.  When students from schools (including Tally’s) all over Britain and Europe visit Bergainia to perform in a folk dancing festival, Karil hopes he will be able to spend time with kids his own age.

The students end up befriending Karil, but not under normal circumstances.  They all work together to help him when his father, the king, is assassinated by Nazi sympathizers in front of everyone at the start of the festival.  Those close to him fear that his life is in danger, so he must escape the country unnoticed.

This is a sweet story about the true meaning of friendship and how everyone, from the poor, regular citizens to the rich, famous royalty, need to be loved by friends.  Tally is extremely likable, always putting others ahead of herself.  Readers will root for Karil as he’s forced to find his own way after losing his father.  Those who enjoy this WWII story might also enjoy Finding Sophie by Irene N. Watts.

View all my reviews >>

Oracles of Delphi Keep by Victorial Laurie

Oracles of Delphi Keep by Victoria Laurie


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Ian, an orphan living in 1930s Britain, loves nothing more than to go exploring.  When he and his sister Theo spend their day away from the orphanage exploring some nearby underground caves, they come across some strange writing on the wall and a small silver box half buried in the ground.  Unfortunately, they inadvertently disturb a huge dog-like beast from which they barely manage to escape in one piece.

When the Earl of Kent learns of the beast, he instructs Ian to show direct the adults to where exactly he saw the writing in the cave and found the box.  This kicks off a wild adventure that involves Ian, Theo, a new orphan named Carl, 2 of their instructors, and a former university professor.  They use Theo’s psychic powers and their wills to survive to help them make it back home safely.

This is a great fantastical adventure book full of references to Greek mythology and legend (though the author uses these figures unusually), along with monsters, villains, and soldiers.  The second book of this series, The Curse of Deadman’s Forest, is coming soon.  Until then, suggest the Tapestry series (Neff), the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (Riordan), or the Bartimaeus Trilogy (Stroud) to readers who enjoyed this book.

View all my reviews >>