Absolutely Almost - by Lisa Graff

Sad, sad, sad.  That's what my Guys Read book club decided kept us all from loving this book, it was just kind of sad.

Don't get me wrong, no book is completely sad, and there were definitely some interesting and enjoyable parts of the book.  It's all about this kid in New York City, Albie, who although he tries his hardest, just can't seem to please his teacher, his parents, his best friend's family, or anyone else.  Albie is kind of stumbling through life when he gets a new nanny, Calista.  This girl is dynamic: An art student who is full of creativity and encouragement, just what Albie needs. Through Calista, Albie has all sorts of great times, realizations, and happiness... but then things go wrong, as they often seem to in Albie's life.  See?  Sad.

This is the story of Albie not exactly improving his situation, but finding inner strength and coming to terms with who he is and what he is capable of, even if it's not quite as much as anyone had hoped.  It was a well-written book, with short chapters, interesting characters, and some fun pictures, but in the end it was a little too much of a downer for my group of 3rd-5th grade boy readers.  A bright note:  One of our favorite characters was the endlessly-bullied, stuttering Betsy, who through her gummy bears and fortitude, proves to be the strongest and the best character in the book.

Sunny Side Up - by Jennifer & Matthew Holm

What young girl wouldn't love to spend a summer in sunny Florida?  Sunny Lewin was pretty excited about the opportunity, until she realized that her grandpa's retirement community was not what she expected... just a bunch of geezers sitting around all day doing boring, boring, and more boring.

Before long, though, Sunny realizes that there may be a little more to these old folks than she first thought.  Once she meets another kid, they begin having adventures, making new friends, and turning the summer into something special after all.

This is a fun, thoughtful graphic novel about one girl's everyday adventures over the course of a surprising summer.  It will appeal to readers of Rain Telgemeier, for sure.  

Pieces & Players - by Blue Balliett

This is Blue Balliett's fifth book about the same characters solving art mysteries that the police can't seem to solve.  Starting with Chasing Vermeer, Ms. Balliett has introduced each of these five characters, sometimes in their own books, and now she pulls them all together for their biggest mystery yet.

It's a very good story, and if you like complex mysteries about stolen artwork, you'll love this book.  It may not appeal as much unless you've read her earlier works, though, and if you make it through Chasing Vermeer, The Wright Three, The Calder Game, The Danger Box, and Hold Fast, then you will definitely like this story.  I happen to love her work, and have read everything she's ever written.  The characters are incredible, the mystery tough to crack, and the description of Chicago's landmarks and artwork is just perfect. 

It takes a dedicated reader to tackle Ms. Balliett's series of art mysteries, but those who do will be richly rewarded with this latest installment. Are you game?

Return to Augie Hobble - by Lane Smith

Most of us know Lane Smith's artwork; he has illustrated a number of best-selling books, including a number of Jon Scieszka's stories.  What would a first-time novel from such a creative artist be like?  A little weird.  Adventurous, sad, mystical, mysterious, enjoyable, yet... weird.

This is the story of middle-schooler Augie Hobble, a pretty neat kid whose family lives and works at an out-dated Fairy-Tale-themed amusement park.  Augie has a strong suspicion that there is something going on that is not quite right, and you bet he is correct.  This book reminds me a little bit of Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs, but in that book the villains were your typical bad guys, and in Return to Augie Hobble... things definitely take a turn to the fantasy side.  Not nice fairy tale fantasy, but a bit more mystical than that.  I don't want to spoil anything, but there are some very unexpected turns.

I was surprised to find severe food allergies at the heart of this book.  I haven't encountered that before, and as the parent of a son with life-threatening nut allergies, I welcomed the education for the readers.  However, it's not an easy book to read for kiddos with those allergies, because there is a very upsetting death.  That wasn't the focus of the book, but then again, I'm not really sure WHAT the focus was.  The plot had powerful events and themes, but felt a little mixed-up and never really came through with a strong message in my mind.

It's a surprising book, and probably worth a read, but I could only rate it a 3 out of 5.

Multiple Choice - by Janet Tashjian

Terrible cover, I know!  Perhaps you know this author better by her My Life as a Book series, which is great.  This book is also good, but it's a different kind of story.

It's all about Monica, a teen girl who has a terrible time making decisions. It's worse than that: She has OCD: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  She's basically a perfectionist whose anxiety is getting in the way of living a normal life, and her family and friends are totally frustrated with her.  Nobody can help her, and she doesn't seem to be able to help herself, until...

Scrabble.  It's a wonderful game, and kind of explains those squares on the cover of the book, but it also kind of saved Monica's life.  You see, she came up with a game called Multiple Choice, in which she would give herself options for what to do next, and she would draw Scrabble tiles to see which thing she would have to do.  It allowed her to move forward without locking up her brain like would normally happen, and it led to some funny and unexpected outcomes.  In fact, Monica began to think that the game was saving her life and restoring her to "normal" status.  Of course, it's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt.

In this case, Monica's game caused both emotional and physical harm to her friends, but she just couldn't seem to stop playing.  Could her cure become an even bigger problem than what it was trying to fix?

It's actually a really good story, telling a realistic and interesting tale of a likable and believable girl who struggles with the same thing that many girls do: anxiety.  I think most girls would like this story, and even though it's old and has a ridiculous-looking cover, it's worth checking out.

The Classroom - by Robin Mellom

How does a socially-clueless guy not only survive but thrive in his new middle school? There's only one option:  Go Epic.

Told like a video documentary, this coming-of-age story follows Trevor, a fun but awkward 7th grader whose guiding light, his best friend Libby, has decided to back off and let him solve his own problems this year.  This promises to be a disaster, but that's what makes it so much fun to read about!  As Trevor navigates this difficult transitional point in his life, trying to make new friends, avoid the bullies, survive the classes, and reach his epic potential, there are many more flops than successes, and much of it is comic genius.  His neurotic friend Libby, who has tired of saving his butt time after time in elementary, sits back and watches the drama unfold as Trevor eventually figures things out and takes his future into his own hands.

Kind of like the Wimpy Kid books, but with more likeable characters and fewer illustrations, this is a pretty good book, especially for 3rd-6th grade boys who want a good laugh and a quick, interesting book to tell your friends about.

The High-Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate - by Scott Nash

Have you ever found yourself wishing for a rollicking old-fashioned pirate story... in which the characters are all BIRDS?  Probably not, but this story may change your mind.

Blue Jay is a demanding captain of a flying pirate ship in a land which seems to be filled with all birds.  When his crew captures a giant egg, they think it is pure treasure... until it turns out to be a goose.  Luckily, geese are considered near-gods in the bird world (Birdlandia), but unfortunately, this particular gosling quickly outgrows Blue Jay's ship, but cannot yet fly. However, when the pirates find themselves at the sword-point of a nasty gang of crows, their goose may not be cooked after all.

With interesting characters, including a star-nosed mole and a number of feisty little warrior birds, a unique story line and incredible drawings by the author, this is definitely an interesting and unusual adventure and an enjoyable book.  The problem is the target audience: The language may be a little advanced for the kiddos who may be most likely to pick up this book, and the ideal audience of middle-grade readers may think bird pirates are too silly, or may recognize the author as a regular on the picture-book circuit for younger readers.  It's a story worth anyone's time, though, as long as that reader has a sense of adventure!

Sports Camp - by Rich Wallace

Well, a more appropriate title would be impossible.  This is the story of eleven-year-old Riley, who heads off to a two-week sports camp with 59 strangers, to vie for the Big Joe trophy.  Over the course of those two weeks, Riley learns many lessons, including:

• everybody has something to contribute
• training can enhance your natural talents
• never eat week-old in refrigerated fried chicken
• legends can't hurt you, but giant snapping turtles can
• first impressions can be deceiving
• sometimes cheaters DO prosper
• but sometimes they don't

This short book is great for kiddos who love sports!  Softball, basketball, water polo, swimming, and archery were all part of the competition, pitting cabin against cabin.  Riley was the smallest in his group of boys from New Jersey, and was hopeless at basketball, but he found ways to contribute in the endurance events, and earn his teammates' respect by working hard and never giving up.

It was an interesting story that built toward a predictable but exciting conclusion, but the very end didn't tie things up quite as neatly as I had hoped.  It was good, but kind of abrupt.   Read this if you enjoy camp, competition, huge turtles, or lousy dining hall food.

Dangerous Waters - by Gregory Mone

This is not the Titanic story you're expecting, except for one thing:  Not to spoil anything, but THE SHIP SINKS.

What is this story?  It is the tale of young Patrick Waters, an Irish lad whose brother just landed a job as a coal man on the Titanic.  Due to remarkable circumstances, Patrick ends up on the ship as well, and that's where the adventure begins.

Meanwhile, a dangerous man can be found sneaking around London, trying to steal a very valuable book which contains a remarkable secret.  His search leads him onto Titanic, and before you know it, all of our main characters' lives are intertwined.

This is a thought-provoking book, but also an adventurous, fast-paced tale.  Patrick is an Everyman type of hero, and the bad guys are truly bad.  Violence, mystery, a bit of love, and of course... a shipwreck.  What more can you ask for?

One thing you could ask for is a little less fancy language, and more plain-speak.  As in his novel Fish, Mr. Mone can get carried away with his wording, making his books a bit more appropriate (or fully understandable) for teens than for younger middle-grade readers. While I appreciate an author who doesn't "dumb down" his writing, it does take away from his stories, but just a little.  All in all, this is a rousing adventure on the high seas, and I recommend it to anyone who's not afraid of a little iceberg.

Pi in the Sky - by Wendy Mass

When you're reading a story about characters in another dimension, one in which the folks who create and maintain the Universe look like normal people, but can turn their legs into wheels, and in which pie delivery is essential to planet building, you know things are going to get weird.  That's exactly what happens in this surprising, creative, but somewhat strange and disappointing book by Wendy Mass, author of so many good realistic fiction works.  I found myself wishing she had just stuck with excellent stories like The Candymakers, as this one just lost my interest.  It's totally sci-fi, which is not my genre of choice, so please don't be scared off by my so-so review if you like that kind of thing.

The story follows one boy, Joss, seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe (who likes to hit golf balls out of his office window).  Joss delivers pies, while his brothers and father are responsible for running all aspects of the Universe.  This leaves him somewhat disappointed with his life, but at least he has his best friend Kal.  Until Kal disappears into a previously unknown dimension, that is, and Joss needs to pull out all the stops, with the help of a pushy earthling named Annika (can't tell you how she comes into the story, but she's the best character in the book), to save his friend Kal and a little planet called Earth.

The book really has nothing to do with Pi, just pie.  You could read into the whole planet-making thing with the idea of Pi, but it's a stretch, really just a cute title that the author's publisher came up with.  If you like sci-fi, give it a try.  If you're more of a realistic fiction fan, pick up The Candymakers.

All The Wrong Questions: Who Could That Be at This Hour? - by Lemony Snicket

How do you follow up on the huge success of A Series of Unfortunate Events, one of my favorite series?  For Lemony Snicket, you do it with a new series with excellent pictures and a really confusing plot.

Yes, confusing.  There are some interesting characters, most notably a young reporter named Moxie Mallahan, and two (very) young taxi drivers, Pip and Squeak.  The main character is a 13-year-old Lemony Snicket himself, and the plot centers on his apprenticeship with an associate in an unnamed secret association. It's all very mysterious, which is of course the point, but parts of the book will leave you scratching your head.  If you want a good slapstick mystery comedy with a number of unanswered questions, characters with excellent names (the bad guy is named "Hangfire"), and some rich vocabulary, this is your book.

Honestly, I was expecting a bit more from Mr. Snicket.  I'm not sure how young readers will like this book (the one fourth grader I had read it so far rated it 5/10), but I'm guessing that if the series succeeds, it will be due to the author's fame and notoriety from his amazing A Series of Unfortunate Events.  These characters are interesting, but nowhere near as memorable as Count Olaf and the Baudelaire orphans!

Here's the official trailer for the new series.

A Boy and a Bear in a Boat - by Dave Shelton

This story is about what the title says, and not much more.  Well, there's a little more.  There's a very old (and scary) sandwich.  There is a ukulele.  There is also an old comic book in a foreign language.  All of these are important to the story, which is kind of a bad sign.  You see, this story begins with the boy climbing into a small boat and asking the Captain, a bear, to take him to the other side.  Before you know it, they are lost (though the bear will never admit this), and boredom and adventures ensue.  The story really has no beginning or end, it is simply a tale of these two seafaring partners and the ups and downs of their relationship.  Though it's not much of a story, it's really quite a fun tale.

My favorite parts include everything to do with The Last Sandwich, the sea monster bits, and the ukulele.  You will come to love both the bear and the boy, though at times you will want to strangle both.  If you are in the mood for an odd, fun little read that will leave you smiling, but scratching your head, you could do much worse than this.

Cheesie Mack is not a Genius or Anything - by Steve Cotler

If you're reading a book, and the main character keeps telling you to go check out his website, do you think that's cool, or annoying?  It bugged me, but maybe you would like that kind of thing.

This book is narrated by a boy called Cheesie Mack, a 5th-grader with an annoying sister, grumpy grandpa, funny friend, and your fair share of typical 5th grade problems.  It centers around the end of  his fifth grade year, when he finds a valuable coin, gets in deep trouble with his principal, investigates a local "haunted" house, makes a new friend, uncovers a mystery, eats a doughnut, and has a few other adventures, which I'm hard-pressed to recall right now. The truth is, it was an okay book, but I never really connected with or came to like the main character, so didn't really enjoy the book. There's a sequel coming out, and reviews I've read show that many kids like it, so it may be worth a shot.  For a preview, check out that website the kid kept bugging me to visit, www.cheesiemack.com.

Jake - by Audrey Couloumbis

When Jake's mom takes a tumble and is out of action in the hospital for a while, he's got a surprise babysitter:  His long-lost grandfather!  When the routines he is used to are all shaken up, how will Jake manage this strange reunion with his mysterious relative?  Between his grandpa's grumpy attitude and killer dog, Jake has his work cut out for him to survive this adventure.

This is a nice little story about the importance of family, and about how things aren't always what they seem at first.  It's a sweet story with some interesting (but predictable) twists.  The writing is good, but the story was kind of simplistic and didn't hold my attention as much as I had expected.  I guess I'm not used to such straightforward stories anymore!  Don't get me wrong, it's a good read, just not making my list of favorites.

The Puzzling World of Winston Breen - by Eric Berlin

If you love solving puzzles and mental challenges of all sorts, this is the mystery novel you're looking for.  There's hidden treasure, a cranky librarian, shadowy evildoers, tasty pizza, and a retired police officer who doesn't seem to realize he's retired.  It all begins when young Winston, the puzzle-loving genius, finds a used wooden box with a fake bottom containing clues to a grand mystery. The only problem:  He gave the box to his sister for her birthday, so the clues belong to her.  Before long, the two of them join up with an unlikely cast of treasure hunters in a race to solve the mystery.  There's danger, trouble, and intrigue, but there's also that pizza I mentioned.

This book is FULL of puzzles, some part of the story, some just tossed in there, with answers to all of them at the back of the book.  Luckily, even if you decide to skip the puzzles, you'll have no problem following the story. The plot is a relatively straightforward mystery, but it's interesting enough to be worth reading.  You can definitely tell it was written by a puzzle geek, but that's what makes is good for the puzzle-loving upper-elementary or middle school reader.

Star Jumper: Journal of a Cardboard Genius - by Frank Asch

This is a book that will leave you wondering what is real and what is imagined.  Young Alex loves to create things with cardboard boxes and other bits of junk he's collected, but his biggest challenge comes when his pesky little brother threatens to foil his latest invention.  When Alex is forced to reveal his plans for escape into outer space in his cardboard spacecraft, he must find a way to prevent his brother Jonathan from ruining everything.

There is plenty of sibling rivalry, fancy space and inventor's talk, and creativity in this short but fun book.  The reader won't know where the truth ends and Alex's fantastic imagination begins as this book moves from the bedroom to far above the Earth.  It will appeal to young inventors, older siblings who have to deal with little pests, space fans, and anyone wanting a curious but rewarding short book.

Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder - by Jo Nesbo

Yes, this book has an awesome title, and check out that illustration!  Yes, he's flying, and no, it's not because of super powers.  Can you tell this book is going to be a little silly?

Surprisingly, it's not as silly as you would expect.  This is a serious story of friendship, scientific experiments, what it's like to be the new kid, and how to deal with nasty neighbors.  The plot is focused on Doctor Proctor, a lonely old inventor, his neighbor girl Lisa, and the new kid on the block, Nilly, who is not only very funny, but very, very small.  So small that he can get flushed down a toilet, for instance.  Oops, I shouldn't have given that part away.  When Doctor Proctor invents a powder for creating explosive (but odorless) farts (Yes, it feels weird typing that word!), the three begin a race against time as they fight to save the invention from the bully family down the street, and to use this outstanding new product to earn enough money to send... well that's just too much information for you!  Oh, and there's a big snake in the story too.  Really big.

It is a very funny book, though it is not ridiculous like Captain Underpants or other series like that.  It is a delightful chapter book with great use of language, humor, and illustrations, but also emotions.  The book was translated from Norwegian (it takes place in Oslo, Norway), so it must be sophisticated, right?

For a good laugh, for a good story, for a book that will make you feel good about the little people in your life, and for the best story every written about the positive things that can result from a good long fart, read this book.

Wild Girl - by Patricia Reilly Giff

There are many books out there about a girl and her horse, but none told quite like this.  When Lidie's mother died, her brother and father left their home in Brazil to try their luck in New York, raising and training horses for a rich family.  Meanwhile, Lidie stayed behind with her aunt and uncle and worked on the family farm, learning to ride and dreaming of the day she would be reunited with her family. When she is twelve, Lidie finally moves to New York to be with her father and brother, but nothing is what she expected. Not school, not speaking English, not her family.  Not even the horses.

Through alternating chapters, the reader also learns the story of the horse Wild Girl, told from the first-horse point of view.  You can tell that the author not only loves but really understands horses from this exceptional writing, and it's probably the closest any of us will ever come to seeing a horse's thoughts.  Eventually, Wild Girl and Lidie end up on the same farm, and it's only a matter of time before the two realize they were meant to be together.

This is an interestingly written, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, touching horse story.  The language is sharp, as you'd expect from this talented, award-winning author, and the emotions are strong and real, if perhaps a little overdone at times.  This is a fun book, especially if you love horses.  I'm guessing the main readers will be tween girls, as not many boys will want to carry around a book that in bright pink says "Wild Girl."

The Shadows (The Books of Elsewhere #1) - by Jacqueline West

So, you're an 11-year-old girl whose family just moved into a dark creepy mansion, and you're getting a weird feeling from the paintings in the hall.  The paintings, along with all the other furniture, stayed behind when the old lady who last lived in the house died, mainly because your absent-minded mathematician parents couldn't be bothered with cleaning it out.  You, however, are quite normal, at least you thought so until you started seeing odd things, like small movements and a creeping sense of dread when you stared into a certain painting outside of your bedroom.  Before long you find an old pair of spectacles and realize that you can see into the pictures (Kind of like in the Charlie Bone series, but creepier.)  If this rings a bell, you must be Olive, the lead character in the new Books of Elsewhere series.  Good luck to you.

Once Olive discovers the secret of the paintings, it's a rush against time for her to save everything she knows and loves from a sinister old man long dead who is somehow reaching back from beyond the grave to work his dark magic one more time.  Oh, and she has to deal with three mysterious cats who seem to have come with the house, but who are also far more powerful and important (and silly) than she would have ever guessed.

This is kind of a haunted house story, but also a girl-power mysterious adventure.  It was pretty dark at times, with lots of weird things happening (think Neil Gaiman's writing), but also a hint of hope.  The writing itself was flowing and beautiful, and the author's use of language was my favorite thing about the book.  I liked it, but have talked to tween girls who absolutely loved it, so be your own judge.  The second book in the series, Spellbound, is now out as well.

We Can't All Be Rattlesnakes - by Patrick Jennings

CRUSHER!  What a name for a snake, and perfect for a gopher snake (a non-poisonous rattler look-alike) that kills its prey by strangulation.  The only thing is, this particular snake is a girl, and the doofus who captured her and is holding her prisoner in his bedroom doesn't know the first thing about taking care of creatures.  Crusher's life is suddenly in danger, along with those of her new friends, which include a lizard, a tortoise, and a cute little white mouse, who she decides makes a better friend than snack.  Can Crusher find a way to outsmart the humans and save herself and her friends before it's too late?  It's a nail-biting battle of wits, and I'm not about to give away the surprising ending.

I didn't know what to expect from this book, but it ended up being a sweet but funny fictional memoir told from the snake's point of view.  The author told the story with warmth and humor, but did not shy away from the gruesome reality of a snake's life, making this a very interesting book to read.  The true-to-life descriptions of Gunnar, the teenage video game addict who captured Crusher and his hopeless family will make you laugh, but also cringe.  If you've ever wondered what it would be like to be a reptile, this is the closest you'll come to getting a ground-eye view of a snake's life.