The League of Seven - by Alan Gatz

Bringing together a band of teenage oddballs in a futuristic/old-fashioned America, this steampunk story will capture your imagination and leave you cheering!  The heroes are flawed but worth cheering for, the villains both oddly familiar and ridiculously unimaginable.

Like all steampunk stories, this one relies on lots of futuristic 18th-century technology, such as brass laser guns, airships, submarines, and robot babysitters.  When Archie finds out that his parents have been brainwashed by giant insects, he must set out across the country to Old Florida to rescue them.  Falling in with two mysterious but distinctly talented new friends, it is up to the three to stop not only a crazed murderous inventor (Thomas Edison), but the largest monster in history, who lies trapped under the swamps.

This story has plenty of mystery, lots of action and suspense, and enough dramatic twists to keep any reader turning pages.  It is highly imaginative and a bit inspiring.  You may find yourself, like I did, wishing you could climb aboard their airship for just one short adventure.

The Keys to the Kingdom One: Mister Monday - by Garth Nix

Who would have thought the minute hand from a clock could a) be the perfect weapon, b) cure asthma, and c) help an average teenage boy rescue a magical kingdom from one of seven all-powerful nasty guys.  This book is a bit odd, but is very well-written, fast-paced, and captivating.  Some bits are hard to get used to, like one character named Will, who is actually a small part of a will.  You know, the paper that explains what should happen to your stuff after you're gone.  And that's a main character, so you see what I mean about the oddness.

Strange or not, this first book in The Keys to the Kingdom was amazing and hard to put down.  It was intriguing, mysterious, amazing, and even thrilling.  The levels of fantasy in this book get more extreme as the story moves on, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.  The bad guys chasing Arthur (our main character) are really bad, and you wonder where the author gets his ideas, or if he, perhaps, is just a little sleep-deprived. Regardless, it makes for a fun read!

The Golden Compass - by Phillip Pullman

I just realized that I've never written a review of one of my all-time favorite children's books, The Golden Compass!  This is the first in a darkly named trilogy called His Dark Materials, the meaning of which won't be entirely clear until you've finished the third book.  This is a series which has attracted controversy for the anti-religion overtones some read into it, and for its author's rebellion against the overly religious Chronicles of Narnia series.  Mister K, however, is able to read past those things, and enjoy books for their literary splendor.

This is the amazing story of Lyra, a young girl whose parents have left her in the care of the scholars at Oxford University in a slightly re-imagined historical England.  This curious and courageous heroine is kept constant company by her daemon, a small critter named Pan.  As she sets off on a course of action that includes saving her uncle's life, escaping the dreaded Gobblers, joining the mysterious Gyptians, and raiding a secret facility in the far Arctic north, Lyra encounters an incredible cast of characters.  There is a Texas balloon pilot, a frustrated but brave polar bear, a nasty lady with ties to Lyra's past, and many more curious and fascinating people and creatures.

This is a rollicking, imaginative adventure, one of the best I've ever read!  Mr. Pullman is simply brilliant.  If you're up for a challenge and want to experience an unforgettable read, this is one of my top recommendations.

Special Notes:  Skip the movie, know that the sequels get progressively stranger, and check out the audio recording of this book, which will help with your pronunciation of places and names, and which features a FULL CAST, something very unusual and wonderful indeed!

Airborn - by Kenneth Oppel

Imagine a world in which large airships, zeppelins, sailed the skies in place of jets, carrying people and cargo around the world.   In this world, young Matt Cruise has found his dream job on the airship Aurora.  This was the ship his father had worked on, and it was Matt's destiny to follow in his father's footsteps.  Follow along as Matt has adventure after adventure, and you will begin to wish YOU could sail on the Aurora too.

At first, I loved this book because of its excellent descriptions of this alternate history, and the amazing airships.  Before long, though, I realized that this was really quite an adventurous story, and whenever I thought the story had settled down, the author threw in some more twists and turns.  It's a great book for those who love adventure stories, for those who have an interest in airships or even sea-faring ships, and for anyone who simply loves a well-written story.  This is the first in a trilogy, and it seems that the author has only gotten better after his Silverwing series.