Masterpiece – Elise Broach
Eleven year old James gets the credit for a beautiful miniature pen and ink sketch. Problem is, it was really done by a beetle! Will the unlikely friends secrets be discovered when James is brought to a museum to help solve an art theft?
The Mousehunter – Alex Milway
This adventure should appeal to kids who like to collect things, as it features fact pages on different species of(fictional!) mice, and a pirate who will stop at nothing to acquire the most exotic and valuable ones.
My Brother Abe – Harry Mazer
When their mother dies, Sally Lincoln is left in charge of her brother at the family’s homestead in Indiana in this story about the difficulties of pioneer days. |
Ring Of Fire – P. D. Baccalario
Is it coincidence, or something strange and powerful, that brings 4 kids, all with the same birthday, to a hotel in Rome? Their search for the owner of a lost briefcase takes them all over Rome, and starts to hint at the connection between them.
Sable – Karen Hesse
Can Tate convince her parents to let her keep the stray dog she finds in her yard?
Seven Keys of Balabad - Paul Haven
Oliver has to move half-way around the world from his New York City friends to a country where he feels he doesn’t fit in. But when a 500 year old carpet is stolen, and one of his new friends disappears, Oliver is caught up in a dangerous search for centuries old buried treasure.
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda – Tom Angleberger
Fans of the Wimpy Kid series may like this funny story of an origami finger puppet that seems to predict the future and solve dilemmas for kids in a 6th grade classroom.
The Willoughbys – Lois Lowry
Reminiscent of Roald Dahl, this clever satire would be fun to read aloud. The Willoughby children triumph over their disinterested parents and their stern nanny, and bring a happy ending to (almost) everyone. |
Chains – Laurie Anderson
In the early days of the Revolutionary War in colonial New York City, Isabel is a young slave owned by a Loyalist family and she becomes involved in the Patriot’s fight for freedom.
Heroes of the Valley – Jonathan Stroud
Halli has grown up hearing the Viking legends of his ancestors, but when he finds himself propelled on a quest of his own he learns something different about honor and heroes.
Jessica’s Guide To Dating On The Dark Side –
Beth Fantaskey
This stands out from all the Twilight wannabe’s with its originality, humorous dialogue and nicely developed romance. A suave exchange student from Romania, Lucius, shows up at regular American teen Jessica’s high school and sets her world upside down when he claims she is actually a long lost vampire princess, betrothed to him since childhood. |
The Knife Of Never Letting Go – Patrick Ness
An incredible and original mix of science fiction, adventure and social commentary, this is the first in a trilogy in which Todd and Viola try to uncover the true past of the New World colony. See the longer review in the Staff Favorites section.
Ruined – Paula Morris
Rebecca moves to New Orleans and finds herself in an unfriendly prep school by day, and a ghost story by night.
Starclimber – Kenneth Oppel
In this companion book to Airborn, Matt and Kate find themselves once more in the skies, this time on a vessel which climbs straight out of the atmosphere. When an unexpected lifeform grows on the cable tethering their ship to Earth, they find themselves in a battle to survive the elements. |
