A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans - by Laurence Yep and Joanne Ryder

I love stories told from an animal's point of view, and the viewpoint of this thousands-of-years-old dragon is a great example of the genre.  Miss Drake, as we know her, recently lost her "pet" human, but as the story begins, a new pet is just arriving.  Winnie is a charming and precocious young teen, and her great aunt seems to have told her everything she needed to know about caring for the family dragon.  Little did Winnie know, however, that the dragon had plans of its own!

This captivating story imagines life in modern San Francisco, but with hidden magical life all around.  Take Miss Drake, for instance.  She may be a fierce, full-grown red and scaly dragon, but she can transform into a fashionable French fashionista in the blink of an oversize eye.  There is a problem in every story, of course, and in this case it takes Winnie and Miss Drake a little while to realize that a seemingly wise act has resulted in setting wild magic loose on the city, possibly breaking ages-old magical rules, and threatening the destruction of land and life.  Don't worry; Our heroines are up to the task of taking the magic into their own hands, but the process promises quite a magical adventure.

This is a very interesting and well-written book, full of magic and girl power.

Serafina and the Black Cloak - by Robert Beatty

Serafina is Chief Rat Catcher at the historic Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, home to one of the richest men in America.  The year is 1899, and strange happenings are afoot at the mansion. Not just strange - terrible!  Children are disappearing, one each night.  A mysterious and dangerous strangers is stalking the halls of the mansion in the dead of night, and the only thing that can stop him is... a scrawny, dirty 12-year-old girl?

This is an excellent piece of historical fiction, set in the author's own backyard and introducing the reader to a fascinating piece of American real estate and point in time.  This book combines true-to-life descriptions of the setting with local legends, and tosses a scary fantasy/mystery over the top to keep us on the edges of our seats.  It works.

Thank you to my young friend Lilia for introducing me to this book, and loaning me your copy.  This is a real girl-power story, and you will be amazed by Serafina's courage, as well as her secrets, which even she doesn't know about at first.  It's a bit scary at times, but scrape up a bit of courage yourself, and check it out.

Shark Wars - by E.J. Altbacker

I had seen these books on the shelves, but had resisted picking up the shiny-covered series because it looked kind of ridiculous. Now that I've read the first book, though, I am hooked!

This is the story of the world's oceans - from under the water!  It turns out that shark rule the seas, through groups known as "shivers".  Each shiver has a leader, who is supported by a "line," the next five strongest sharks in the shiver.  You won't be surprised to learn that the sharks in the story behave like you would expect: Sneaky and violent.  Not all of them, though...

Meet Gray, a reef shark who, with his best friend dogfish, leaves his shiver to go off and explore the big blue.  Before long, they are swept up in one new shiver, then another, and their world is turned on its head.  These peace-loving but sharp-toothed fish want nothing more than a good meal and an adventure, but they find themselves in the middle of a battle for control of all the world's oceans.  As you might have expected, Gray turns out to be a pretty important shark.

This is not only a great adventure story, but it is a strong and touching tale of friendship and loyalty.  I loved looking at the world from a shark's point-of-view, and the characters, good and bad, were portrayed so clearly that I felt like swimming along at their side.  This is one excellent story for sailors and landlubbers alike.

A Whole Nother Story - by Dr. Cuthbert Soup

Strange, mysterious bad guys.  International super spies.  Sock puppets. Epic wads of bubble gum.  Dirt clods. Time machines.  A hairless dog that can sense danger, and finds many opportunities to use this skill.  A very odd narrator.  Such an odd list, but they can all be found within this strange and wonderful book.

Dr. Ethan Cheeseman and his children are truly exceptional, but they've got some problems.  For one, they are on the run, changing identities and homes more often than they can count, on the run from a wide variety of evildoers.  They are also missing their mother, but the details of that particular problem don't become clear until later in the story.  As the Cheesemans make their way across the country in search of the answer to their biggest problem (which can not be disclosed here), they meet an interesting cast of characters, all of which help to make this odd story a bit more zany.  Through it all, the cheeky and slightly ridiculous narrator, "Dr. Cuthbert Soup," gives all sorts of commentary to the reader.

This really is a silly book, but it is a lot of fun to read, and hard to put down.  The narrator thing is a bit like the books of Pseudonymous Bosch or Lemony Snicket, and makes the story even more interesting.  The second book, Another Whole Nother Story, is just as good if not better.

Tuesdays at the Castle - by Jessica Day George

Castle Glower is not your ordinary castle, and Celie is not your ordinary princess!  This 11-year-old has the interesting habit of mapping the castle, which is made all the more difficult by the fact that each Tuesday, the magical castle changes its layout! A new hallway here, new rooms there, you never know what a Tuesday will bring.

One fateful Tuesday brings more than changes: When Celie's brother graduates from Wizard College and her parents go to his graduation, a number of foreign visitors come to the castle, and they are NOT just there to pay their respects.  Before long, Celie has turned from the youngest sibling who nobody takes seriously into the only person who can save the castle and her brothers and sisters from their enemies.

This is a fast-paced, creative, magical, exciting story of adventure and courage.  What seems at first to be a silly magical princess story for young girls is ACTUALLY a rollicking adventure novel for readers of all ages.  The writing is excellent, the characters and setting intriguing, and the plot rolls out perfectly.  With a non-speaking magical castle as a main character, this is not your typical story, but it is unusually good, and I plan to read the entire series.

The Abominables - by Eva Ibbotson

Five yeti, a small boy and his sister, and a burly truck driver with a pig tattoo.  From the majestic Himalaya mountain range to sunny England, this fun fantasy carries the reader across Asia and Europe and through quite an adventure along the way.

You don't need to believe in Yeti, or "abominable snowmen" to enjoy this book, but you do need to have the ability to smile and even laugh.  It's a nice story about a family (of mythical beasts), but it's also got plenty of funny bits to keep things light. There is adventure, suspense, danger, mystery, action, and a nice feeling of success by the time you've reached the last page.

This is the last book that Eva Ibbotson ever wrote. This woman is an amazing author, famous for such fantasy powerhouses as The Secret of Platform 13, Which Witch, and One Dog and his Boy.  She had a clear gift for interesting writing, and this book is a showcase of her skills.

We Were Liars - by E. Lockhart

This is not a book to be taken lightly.  It is a book for teens, and I would say age 12 would be a good time to read it.  That said, it was an amazing and surprising story that I could not put down.

It's all about four kids who grow up together during summer's at their families private island off the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts.  Rich kids, that's right.  Privileged trust-fund children of privileged trust fund mothers, and everybody is just about perfect.  They are, after all, the Sinclair family.

The only thing is, everything is not quite as perfect as it seems. The title is perfect, and hits you on different levels by the end of the book.  As you read, you begin to realize that characters are twisted in unexpected ways, and that they are all twisted together as well.  The story is told from a seventeen-year-old girl, Cadence, about her fifteen-year-old self one summer on the island, and what happened that summer remains a mystery to us, and to Cadence as well, until the very end of the book.  It is suspenseful, full of interesting bends, and a very rewarding read.

The "teen" rating reflects some thematic elements that elementary-age children just don't need to think about.  Grab a copy of this for the teen in your life, and let them know it will be one knockout of a story.

Warriors: Into the Wild - by Erin Hunter (Guest Review)

Shadow clan wants more hunting ground, there is not enough prey in the forest.What will happen to the four clans of the forest?

In this thrilling book, Rusty a house cat stumbles upon Thunder clan, one of the four cat clans of the forest, and is given the choice to join. During his first few days in Thunder Clan, the clan starts growing weaker, and Wind Clan gets chased out of their territory. Will Wind Clan return? will Thunder Clan grow strong again? Find out in this amazing book! 

This is the first book in an action-packed series of seven that I would recommend to someone who likes fantasy books that are full of action.

(This review was written by sixth-grader Isaac R. Thanks, bud!)

Boundless - by Kenneth Oppel

As tracks are laid for the new Trans-Canadian railroad, young Will steps into the adventure of a lifetime.  How could he have predicted the changes that would come after that one fateful day, the day he first met the curious tightrope walking girl, the powerful rail baron, the yeti, the ringmaster, and the man whose treachery would threaten everything.  It seemed like just another ordinary day, but that's how things go.

Will's adventure centers around the train tracks stretching across Canada in the 1800's.  His father works for the railroad, and is known to be strong and fearless, but Will just likes to draw.  Before long, both of their futures will be tied to that of the largest train to ever roll on two tracks: The Boundless.  To survive, Will is going to need every bit of luck he can get, his improving drawing skills, and plenty of courage, but also the help of a whole new collection of unexpected friends.  As the book builds to its breathtaking climax, Will's good deeds of the past are all repaid, reminding the reader that the choices we make really do have consequences far beyond the current moment.

This is one of my favorite books of the year, and an excellent adventure story for boys and girls alike.  It is the best book Mr. Oppel has written (and he's written some real winners), and a book I'll recommend to everyone.

Insurgent - by Veronica Roth

How would it be if everyone thought you were a traitor and your boyfriend was a coward, and then you found yourself in a situation in which the only way you can save the world(so to speak) is by defying your own faction, and lying to the very person you trust the most?  Welcome to Tris's world in this epic sequel to the powerful novel Divergent.

Things are not going well in futuristic Chicago.  Factions have taken up arms against one another, and beyond the obvious reasons lies a true secret known to only a few people, for which people are willing to die.  What can be so important?  Luckily for the reader, this secret is exposed in the final chapter, setting the stage for an explosive third book.

Tris is a lovable heroine, though she's tough and conflicted.  In this book we get to know Four/Tobias better, and he becomes even more likeable. A previously trustworthy character commits a shocking act of betrayal, while a sworn enemy unexpectedly does the right thing in a moment of need.  Read this action-packed book to witness relationships stretched to the breaking point, tension rising to the boiling point, and (no more analogies, I promise) a really good story.

The Hunt - by Andrew Fukuda

This is an absolutely original and stunning book!  There are vampires, but not the Twilight variety.  There is a futuristic America, but not like The Hunger Games or Divergent.  Best of all, there is amazing writing, a very tight plot, and as much suspense as I can handle. For TEENS, this is a new dystopian thriller to check out immediately.

Meet Gene: He is a human. The only problem is that he lives in a land of vampires.  They seem normal, but for their pale skin, extreme strength, razor-sharp canine teeth, lack of sweat or body odor, and the fact that they all eat raw meat and don't drink water.  All of his life, Gene's father has taught him the tricks for survival:  Whatever you do, don't draw attention to yourself!  Don't sweat, don't laugh, and don't fall in love.  It's hard enough to keep pushing away the beautiful girl who keeps catching his eye at school, but when he is chosen to participate in the historic Heper Hunt and taken away to a training institute, keeping his true identity secret becomes nearly impossible.  Just wait until you find out what the hunt is all about...

This book is fast-paced, brilliantly imagined and detailed, and very enjoyable.  If you like non-magicsci-fi/fantasty/alternate-future series, this is one of the best.

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.

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!

Reboot - by Amy Tintera

Zombies are cool.  Well, not if one is chasing you, which is what Wren's job is, and nobody does it better.  Known as "178" for the number of minutes it took her to reboot back to life when she died, she is the star of the government's reboot program, until she takes on the wrong new recruit to mentor.  When Wren accepts Callum, who is practically still a human, she begins to question the way things are.  In a land where dead teenagers are recruited as slaves to police the bad guys, any internal resistance could bring catastrophe.

This is an exciting, creative dystopian thriller, along the lines of Divergent, The Hunger Games, and Legend.  It is unique in its use of zombies (reboots), but it shares a strong female lead, lots of action, a realization and then fight back against the ruling regime, and characters who learn to care more about their similarities than their differences. There's plenty of violence, but also more tender, thoughtful moments than you would expect.

The pace is fast, the world is interesting, and it's a good book.  In this genre, this book is around the middle of the pack, which is not bad, as there are some amazing science-fiction/fantasty teen  stories being  published these days.  Check this book out, but be prepared to fall in love with a 5-years-dead murderous teen girl.

The Lost Kingdom - by Matthew Kirby

Imagine travelling back to the mid-1700 American colonies, and preparing for the adventure of a lifetime into the uncharted western wilderness.  Now imagine that your journey is organized by Ben Franklin, with the goal of connecting with a long-lost colony to aid in the fight against the French. Let's make this even cooler: You're travelling by air using ridiculously cutting-edge technology, in the first airship in history.

This exciting story combines a real period of history and actual people from that time with a fictional (in some ways fantastical) plot.  Enjoy the story, connect it to some history and names that you've heard of (including George Washington), but don't believe a word of it.  Here's your introduction to a new genre: Alternate History.

The main character is teenage Billy Bartram, who tells the tale first-person.  Billy accompanies his famous botanist father on the expedition as his sketch artist, and through Billy's eyes we experience the excitement and terror of their journey, the shock of his father's prejudice against the natives, the suspense of an unidentified spy, and the confusion that comes when a child first realizes that not all adults are trustworthy or honorable.

What an amazing book!  The characters and setting are interesting and well-scripted, and the plot is fast-paced, twisting, and captivating. Matthew Kirby has come back with another winner.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children - by Ransom Riggs

This is an odd book.  Just like it is when I refer to Lemony Snicket's books, that is a real compliment.

Growing up, Jacob was always in awe of his grandfather's fantastic, unbelievable stories.  The tales grew harder to believe as Jacob grew older, but when his the older man passes away and leaves him a cryptic message, the 16-year-old ends up on a far-fetched adventure to uncover the truth of his grandfather's past.  In the wild of Wales, he discovers something quite unexpected, and the story goes from there.  I mean, it REALLY goes, well beyond the expected and into some funky stuff.

This story combines unusual historical photographs with a touch of the supernatural to produce one wild, amazing story.

Ghost Hawk - by Susan Cooper

Little Hawk is a Native, living in what will later become Massachusetts as the first wave of English settlers arrive.  This story follows him as he grows from a boy to a man, living three months on his own in the wilderness in search of his manitou (spirit).  Upon his return to his village, Little Hawk finds something that changes the course of his life, and our story.  There are too many surprises in this book for me to say much more, for fear of telling too much.  It is a bit of a mystery, and a delightful supernatural romp through the world of early Native Americans.

Half of the book focuses on a totally different character, an English settler named Tom.  Between Tom's story and that of Little Hawk, we get a good feeling for the challenges, restrictions, but also the pleasures of life during the early 1600's in the American northeast.  Susan Cooper has drifted away from her typical magical mythology writing (The Dark is Rising and The Boggart), to craft a believable, but somewhat ghostly, historical adventure novel.

This is a perfect book for future historians, fans of early American stories, believers in the supernatural, or for any young (or old) person who is willing to look at history from multiple perspectives.

Breadcrumbs - by Ann Ursu

Whoa.  This is not your average middle grade fantasy novel, but it is definitely worth reading.

11-year-old Hazel is a pretty normal fifth-grader: Frustrated with her parents, having friendship trouble, and dreading the bus ride to school. That said, she's pretty extraordinary as well, though it takes the other characters and the reader some time to realize it.  Could it be her obsession with fantasy stories, from Harry Potter to The Chronicles of Narnia? Maybe the fact that her lone friend is her next-door neighbor, who happens to be a boy?  Or could it possibly be that when one day her best friend Jack suddenly has an abrupt personality shift and no only stops talking to her, but goes and disappears mysteriously, she is the only one with the courage to go after him?  Yeah, let's go with that one.

The incredible thing about this book is the pacing and the gradual shift from realistic fiction to fantasy.  We begin in the suburban school days of a Midwestern winter, but we end up in a fantastical forest, where anything is possible.  Throughout, it is all Hazel can do, and the reader can hardly believe she pulls it off, to keep her head and follow her heart.

Not your average book at all, and so much the better for that.

Magic Marks the Spot - by Caroline Carlson

Aargh, Matey!  This is a delightful pirate story that is far from normal, and is wonderful for its quirkiness.  Hilary Westfield has always wanted to be a pirate, and is well on her way with her own sword, ability to tread water for well over half an hour, and swashbuckling attitude.  There are two problems:  1) Her father is admiral of the Royal Navy, and has a life mission of ridding the kingdom of pirates, and 2) The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates has rejected her application for piracy on account of her being a girl, and has forwarded it to Ms. Pimm's Finishing School for Delicate Ladies.  Hilary is on her way to the dreaded school when a magical theft turns things upside down, and she must battle stern governesses, magical thieves, treacherous sailors, and rapscallion rogues of all sorts in her quest to solve the mystery of the Queen's missing treasure.

Armed with her trusty sword, and backed by a nervous gargoyle and a mismatched crew of unexpected friends and associates, Hilary sets off to Gunpowder Island, where her fortunes will explode, and she must sink or swim.

This is a witty adventure, full of twists and turns, interesting and surprising characters, and a perfect ending.  Boys and girls alike will enjoy this fantastic book.

The Storm Makers - by Jennifer E. Smith

Sometimes books with awesome covers can end up being pretty bad, but this one was as good as it looks.  It feels like a story we've heard before:  A normal boy is minding his own business when a mysterious stranger arrives, and suddenly the boy discovers he has special powers.  The interesting twist here is that the main character is the boy's sister, the super power doesn't really work, and the bad guy seems kind of like a good guy.

The boy in question is 12-year-old Simon, who recently relocated from Chicago to a rural Wisconsin farm with his parents and twin sister Ruby.  A terrible drought is hitting much of the nation, and the big worry is whether the family can make farm life work when nothing will grow.  When Ruby catches a disheveled man sneaking out of their barn one morning, things start to get interesting.  What is Simon's power, and why isn't it functioning correctly?  What is Ruby's role in the story?  Can two kids on a farm save their country from a not-so-natural disaster?

It's an interesting story with good pacing, some fun surprises, and a satisfying ending that hints at, but doesn't require a sequel.  To top it all off, it's beautifully illustrated by Brett Helquist, the master.