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.

Icefall - by Matthew J. Kirby

If you were a Viking princess (and I assume you are not), and your father the king was fighting a war and wanted to keep you and your siblings safe, he just might send you to a remote frozen island just like Solveig's dad sent her to.  Two princesses and the crown prince must wait out the winter with a troop of brave but bored soldiers to guard them, and nothing but a glacier to keep them company.

Yes, it's an exciting-looking cover, and when I started reading this story I was a bit disappointed by the lack of action, the slow pace, and the deep character studies.  It turns out I just had to wait a little while, and the action picked up, made all the more thrilling by the information I had learned during those early chapters.

When I say it's thrilling, I should also mention the intense mystery. Someone trapped on the island is a traitor, but nobody can figure out who.  Before long, everyone suspects everyone else, adding to the excitement and suspense.  The end is powerful and unexpected, just as you may suspect from a Viking girl-power historical mystery drama.

Perhaps the best part isn't even the plot, but the author's amazing use of language.  It reads almost like poetry, or perhaps like the tale told by an ancient Viking bard.  This is a great book for anyone who likes storytelling, Vikings, exceptionally brave girls who have been underestimated, and large stinky nordic soldiers.

MIddleworld: The Jaguar Stones, Book 1

Max Murphy is like many teen boys, always on the hunt for an even better video game to play.  Little does this boy from Boston know that his own life will soon outdo any video game he could think of.  Max's parents are famous archaeologists, experts on the ancient Maya culture who seem to care more about their research than their own son.  This obviously annoys Max, and when they take off on a last-minute expedition to San Xavier, the tiny Central American country where his father is from, Max couldn't be more miserable. 

This is an adventure novel, so of course things change quickly for Max.  Before he knows it, he has been swept down to San Xavier himself, but not by his parents.  Max suddenly finds himself in a web of family intrigue that takes him by surprise, but even that pales in comparison to his next adventure.  Running into the rain forest in pursuit of thieving monkeys, Max soon teams up with Lola, a teenage Maya girl, and the two of them do no less than save the world from an evil ancient Maya bad guy, and you wouldn't even believe who helps them out if I told you, so I'll let you make that discovery on your own. 

This book is a whirlwind of intense action and suspense, the supernatural, ancient prophesies, a lesson in Maya history, boy vs. girl rivalry, and just plain weird awesomeness.  Odd descriptions, I know, but the book totally surprised me and I'm not sure how best to characterize it.  Written by a husband/wife team, this is the first in what promises to be a thrilling series.

P.S. I know we're used to hearing "Mayan" to describe this culture, but the authors explain that the current accepted word is "Maya."

The Red Pyramid - by Rick Riordian

Perhaps you've heard of Rick Riordan?  Yes, he's the hottest thing in children's literature in the last few years, and he's at it again, topping his Percy Jackson series with this Kane Chronicles collection.  I was a little late getting to this book, though a certain young lady in my class (after reading it at least three times herself), kept bugging me until I picked it up.  I'm glad I did!  This book has all of the interesting mythology and action of his earlier books with the nice twist of switching between two narrators in each chapter.

Carter and Sadie Kane are teen siblings who have been separated since their mother's death years earlier.  When their father unites them for a mysterious trip to a museum, they begin to feel suspicious.  When their father disappears and various Egyptian gods begin trying to kill them, they know that all is not well.  Doesn't it figure that now they have to go and risk their own lives trying to save humankind from the biggest and baddest Egyptian god, Set, and that time has almost run out?

This is a fast-paced action novel, but also a crash course in Egyptian mythology.  You can tell that the author has a great sense of humor, because there are countless laugh-out-loud moments and the interactions between characters are sometimes ridiculous.  Read this book if you enjoyed the Percy Jackson series, if you're curious about Egyptian mythology, or if you just want a sure bet for something good to read.