Divergent - by Veronica Roth

Don't compare this to The Hunger Games, first of all. This genre is bursting with good futuristic altered-American-reality books, and this one is fantastic.  Yes, it is a movie, but of course the book should be read first!

Divergent focuses on Tris, a girl who must choose, as everyone her age must, which of the four "factions" in their society they would like to join. It is most common to stay in your family's own faction, but switching is not unheard of. When Tris finds out during her screening test that she actually has the skill or inclination for three different factions, she learns that she is actually "divergent," a label which could get her killed!  She decides to leaver her straight-laced Abnegation faction for the thrill-seeking Dauntless, and through many hard times, she learns that she is, though small, a natural fighter.

Though Tris is enjoying her new freedom and faction, she soon learns that there is a plot afoot that could destroy everything, and it is up to her and a few trusted friends to save the day.  As family, friend, and faction are shaken, shocked, and turned against one another, Tris realizes that nothing is as it seems after all.  The adventures of Tris are incredible, exhilarating, and heart-wrenching, and you will not be able to put this book (or its two sequels) down!

This is really a TEEN book, because of the violence, love scenes, and more mature content.  That said, the fifth graders who have read it seem to have no problem with those parts...  Perhaps we parents and teachers worry too much?  Or perhaps children today have been exposed to more than is good for their young minds and are not surprised by things that should shock them.  I can't say, but I would recommend young (elementary-age) kiddos to get their parents' approval before reading this one.

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.

Agent Colt Shore: Domino 29 - by Axel Avian

How does a teenage boy end up an international agent fighting to save the world from bad guys?  There are so many books with similar plots on the market now that I didn't expect anything original from this one.  That's where I was wrong.

First-time author Avian blew me away with his character, Colt Shore. This teen enjoys hanging out with his friends and doing normal stuff, but when a mysterious stranger, a slick Bond-like gentleman with a fancy car, shows up in his house one day and announces that they are leaving for Colt's new school, everything changes.  Of course it is a secret school for young members of an international organization that fights bad guys... but it's not for spies.  An "agent" is tasked with supporting the good guys rather than hunting down the baddies, and that's what Colt begins training to do.  A series of surprising events and revelations carry him into places he never expected to go, saving people he never expected to meet, and making choices he never wanted to make.  It is a thrilling adventure, with rock and roll, cool gadgets, and wild stunts.  Yes, even a hint of romance, too.

Best of all, this book is a true original in a genre packed with copycats.  Alex Rider is the king of teen spies, but Colt Shore beats him out in several ways.  Colt is down-to-earth, humble, and does what is needed without thinking of himself.  He is an Everyman hero, a character that you can identify with and that you will cheer for from cover to cover.  I could hardly put this book down, and suspect I'm not the only one.  Despite its psychedelic but somewhat unappealing cover, this book is a keeper.

100 Cupboards Series - by N. D. Wilson

What began as a humdrum series has taken me for a wild ride, from which I may never recover!  I have to admit that 100 Cupboards did not especially impress me.  It turns out that this is one of those series where you just get through the first book to prepare you for the amazing story to follow!  The second and third books wowed me and left me reeling.  There were elements of the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, and a fantasy tale unfolded that was epic in scope and in imagination.  Through it all, N.D. Wilson keeps things light with his sly humor and humble, down-to-earth hero, Henry.  Is this really the kid who will save the world?

This series follows Henry to a farm in Kansas, and from there through a number of cupboards that he finds in his uncle's farmhouse attic.  Those cupboards lead to different worlds, which provides quite an adventure for Henry and his cousin Henrietta, but also a bit of risk.  In fact, before we know it, chaos strikes, and the fate of the world is in question.

If you like epic adventure fantasy stories, baseball, or Kansas, this is your series.  Don't you dare abandon it if the first book puts you to sleep, just keep going and you'll never regret it!

Deadweather and Sunrise: The Adventures of Egg, Book 1 - by Geoff Rodkey

Egg is just your average thirteen-year-old boy, living with his grumpy dad, two violent siblings who hate his guts, a brainless tutor, and a bunch of washed-up pirates on a smelly volcanic island.  His life gets a little more interesting when his family suffers a tragic fate, he meets the love of his life, and her father promptly tries to kill him.  Before long, Egg has uncovered the father's evil plans to... well, to do some nasty stuff, like your typical criminal mastermind.  Good action, great characters, and an ending that leaves us waiting eagerly for the next chronicle.

This is a great new series that will appeal to pirates, children with nasty siblings, and island-lovers.  The rest of you will like it too, as this series has a lot going for it.  Check it out, and see whether you're more of a Deadweather person, or a resident of Sunrise!



Dark Life - by Kat Falls

It is the future, and the world has had some problems, and things aren't what they used to be.  Oceans rose, earthquakes toppled cities, and humans live crowded into tall buildings in big cities on the coasts.  The surface of the earth is no longer safe for farming, and humans need to eat, so the government (The Commonwealth) has started a colony of experimental farms on the bottom of the ocean.  This is the story of those colonists and their fight to survive their challenges, including attacks by the notorious Sea Blight Gang.

Our protagonist is 15-year-old Ty, the first boy born undersea, who dreams of having his own sea-bottom farm one day.  Problems occur and Ty realizes that he is going to have to fight if his dream will ever become reality, and his unlikely partner is a Topsider (their term for folks who live on land) named Gemma, a spunky girl with a mission of her own.  These two have a number of adventures, battle their fair share of nasty folks and creatures, and... well, I can't tell you how it ends up, can I?  Trust me that it is worth your time to read their story on your own.

This is a wonderful new series that takes on a new landscape and introduces some fascinating characters, both good and bad, and somewhere in between.  You will love reading about the technology these pioneers use to survive and farm the sea floor, but you'll also find the descriptions of the post-climate-change Earth fascinating.  I liked this book so much that as soon as I finished it, I went out and bought six copies because I know my fourth graders will want to read and discuss it as much as I do.  Do yourself a favor, and get yourself a copy, too.

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.

The Dreamer - by Pam Munoz Ryan & Peter Sis

This is the beautiful, sad, hopeful, lyrical true story of the childhood of poet Pablo Neruda.  It's a story of courage, of a boy who never fit in, whose father was embarrassed of him, and who is never allowed to be what or who he wants to be.  He hangs in there, though, and eventually finds his own way, never losing hope, and never giving up on his dreams.  This biography focuses on Neruda's childhood and his unusual interests in nature and words, which anyone who has read his excellent poetry would have expected.  It's a guide for young poets, hopers, dreamers, and misfits.

This book is a physical pleasure to read.  Peter Sis filled it with amazing drawings in his typical pointillistic style, which is as much a selling point as the writing.  Poetry is mixed in throughout the chapters, and there is a short collection of Neruda's poetry at the end.  The writing is in dark green ink, Neruda's favorite color to write in, which is unusual and strangely calming to read.  This is such a wonderful book, it makes me happy just to think about it, which is something.

The Danger Box - by Blue Balliett

What would you put in your danger box, a secret hiding place for the most important items in your life?  For young Zoomy Chamberlain, a 12-year-old legally blind nervous boy in a small town, it's the old notebook he hides in  his box that ends up changing his life forever.  Is it the fact that this act helps him find his first true friend, a spunky young firecracker of a girl named Lorrol, who helps him publish an anonymous  free newspaper with clues about the identity of a "mysterious soul?"  Or is it because it brings his absentee alcoholic father back into his life?  Perhaps it's the fact that the notebook just may have been stolen 25 years earlier from a museum in London, and that it contains some of the most startling and controversial ideas to ever be published?  I don't remember, so read the book and find out for yourself!

This is an interesting, slightly mysterious book about an unusual but very likable boy, a famous naturalist named Charles Darwin (ring a bell?), and two well-meaning grandparents trying to raise their grandson the best way they know how as they try to make ends meet.  It's a story of friendship, of family, of investigative journalism, theft, lying, and coming clean in the end.  It's a story that you wouldn't expect from anyone but Blue Balliett or maybe E.L. Konigsburg, who have both written a number of brainy books that people like me love, but that typical students sometimes have trouble sinking their teeth into.  This book is not part of the Chasing Vermeer series, and may be the most accessible of Ms. Balliett's books yet, for the common kiddo.

Dexter the Tough - by Margaret Peterson Haddix

"I am the new kid.  I am tuf. This morning I beat up a kid."  That's what Dexter writes on his first day at a new school, when the teacher asks him to write a story.  It's all true, but it's hardly the full story.

This short but interesting realistic fiction book tells fourth grade Dexter's story, from his move away from his parents to live with his grandma to his first fight, and his first new friendship.  Dexter's life is tough, and from the moment he arrives at his new school he hates everyone.  The principal, the janitor, the lunch lady, and the kid crying in the boy's bathroom.  When Dexter hauls off and hits that kid, his life takes a turn in directions he never could have expected.  Can Dexter get his life back together and be the person he wants to be?  Will he ever see his parents again?  Will his teacher ever get off his back about this story she's made him write?  Is Dexter as tough as he thinks?  Read it and find out!

This is nothing like the author's other books, such as the Shadow Children series or The Missing series, both of which feature longer books and more complex and action-packed plots.  This is basically a long short story about a kid who is trying to figure out who he is and how he got here, and for that, it's pretty good.  Read it if you like school stories, or tales of kids who just need a good friend to help them figure things out.

The Dunderheads - by Paul Fleischman

Here's a school story that will have you cheering.  A class full of oddball kids (sounds kind of like The Fabled Fourth Grade, doesn't it?) has to deal with an evil, nasty teacher, worse than Ms. Viola Swamp.  Her name is Miss Breakbone, and she is the nastiest of nasties.  She has an electric chair in her classroom, and gives herself a gold star whenever she makes a student cry.  When she confiscates one student's toy cat, which was to be a gift to his mother, she has gone too far.  When the students form a group (The Dunderheads) and develop a plan to get even with Miss Breakbone, the story really heats up.

Though this is classified in my local library as an "easy picture book", it's so much more than that.  It's more like a   mini-novel for third graders, but the interesting characters and detailed, hilarious wording and illustrations will make it a favorite of older children as well.  This will make an ideal fourth grade read-aloud for me, and I can't wait to try it out. This book is kind of like a simpler version of Gordan Korman's Swindle, but better, and with more memorable characters.  Check it out.  It will only take you ten minutes to read, but your laughter will continue for much longer.

A Dog Called Grk - by Joshua Doder

What would you do if you found a stray dog, then discovered that its owners had left the country, all the way to Stanislavia, a small (fictional) European country?  That's what a young American boy, Tim, had to decide when he found Grk, a well-behaved dog, following him home one day.  Let's hope you wouldn't choose to do what Tim did:  Steal his dad's credit card, sneak out of the house with the dog in the middle of the night, and return the pup to his rightful owners far across the ocean.  But Tim was caught and returned safe and sound, right?    Unfortunately, Stanislavia had just been taken over by an evil dictator, who would stop at nothing to imprison and kill Grk's owners, and now Tim was on his list as well.

This wild and slightly ridiculous story takes Tim and Grk on all sorts of adventures around Stanislavia, risking life and limb to save Grk's real owners.  It's a great book, and keeps you on the edge of your seat with curiosity and excitement, and sometimes fear.  This has developed into a whole series, and will surely hold the interest of many action/adventure/mystery seeking upper elementary students.

A Dog's Life - by Ann M. Martin

Woof. There aren't many books that can make you feel like a dog, but this is definitely one of them. Ann Martin tells this amazing story about a stray dog (named Squirrel) from the dog's point of view, and by the end of the story, I had a strange urge to curl up and lay on the floor in front of the fireplace, head between my paws.

I love this book for many reasons, one of them being the way it made me see the world from a dog's-eye-view. The writing is lovely, almost poetic, and flows so smoothly you could almost forget you're reading. The story begins with Squirrel, her brother, and their mother living in a shed behind a human family's house. From this moment on, the book holds the readers attention without a single slow section. There is adventure, fighting, hunger, freezing, and a whole range of emotions, and you really will experience all of these things as if you were a four-legged furball! The book feels very mature to me, and I think it's a wonderful read for children (ages 8 and up will get the most out of it), adults, and especially dog lovers. This is a must-read!

Dork in Disguise - by Carol Gorman

Once a dork, always a dork? Not according to Jerry Flack, who decided to start his life at a new school as a Cool Kid, getting rid of his glasses, unfashionable clothes, and dorky reputation. Despite a little trouble seeing things (he wore glasses for a reason!), and with the help of his new nerdy friend Brenda, Jerry managed to become a cool kid after all, and he set his sights on Cinnamon, the cool girl of his dreams. In the end though, Jerry had to decide what was more important, fitting in with the cool gang, or being yourself.

This book is extremely funny, and will appeal to anyone who's ever wondered why other people were so much cooler. If you're a dork like Mister K, you'll be able to appreciate Jerry's situation, and will get a real kick out of this story. Science fans will find a lot to like as well, with the detailed description of Jerry's home-made hovercraft. This is a great book for any upper elementary reader who enjoys realistic fiction, and characters who are just like us, a little cool, but a little dorky too.

Dragon Rider - by Cornelia Funke

Thank goodness for Anthea Bell. If it weren't for this translator, we English-reading book lovers woulndn't be able to read this book, originally written in German. Author Cornelia Funke (also wrote Inkheart and Thief Lord), has created a wonderful adventure about a boy, a dragon, and a strange creature called a brownie. These three characters are joined on a quest to find the lost kingdom of the dragons, and their mission is the last hope for the endangered dragons of Scotland. There is a very scary bad guy in this book, as well as many other interesting characters. The plot rolls right along, holding your interest, and sticking in your brain even when you're not reading. This is a fabulous, well-told story, full of adventure magical happenings, but also strangely believable, kind of like Harry Potter and Eragon. Dragon lovers, adventure fans, and lovers of good, long books that you'll want to tell your friends about will all find something they'll love in Dragon Rider.