Dear Dracula by Joshua Williamson

This Graphic Novel is so funny! It is the story of Sam who writes a letter to Dracula asking him for what he most wants in the world, because Christmas is too far away. Much to Sam's surprise Dracula shows up on Halloween for a night of fun and trick or treating.

I really enjoyed the artwork as well, glossy full color drawings that are super funny too.

Give this one to reluctant readers and kids who like to laugh grades 3 thru 6.

Kingdom of Twilight by Tui Sutherland

Kingdom Twilight is the final installment in the Avatars trilogy and honestly it was a bit of a disappointment. The first book, So This Is How It Ends, immediately pulled me into the fantastic world it created kept me guessing what would happen until the very end. In the subsequent books, both the plot and the world seem to stagnate. More and more of the same is piled and on and the once exciting world Sutherland created begins to feel more and more two dimensional. The story often gets bogged down in pointless banter and one liners exchanged by the main characters and the story seems to drag on twice as long as necessary.

On the positive side this book explores the mythologies of cultures readers are likely to unfamiliar with, for example Sumeria, China, and various African and Polynesian cultures as well. The book also provided resolution and had a surprising twist at the end.

All in all Kingdom of Twilight was an okay book, but it really doesn't pass the first book test for me. And honestly, I recommend reading So This Is How It Ends, skipping the second book altogether and reading only bits and pieces of this book. Feel free to skim over the boring parts.
Recommend this book to children who have read the other two books in the Avatars series grades 5 to 8.

Something Wickedly Weird by Chris Mould

It was this book's great cover illustration that first caught my eye and begged me to page through it. Inside I was greeted by more pen and ink drawings all just as grim and sepulchral, but drawn with a hint of irony, which make the drawings simultaneously ghastly and endearing in an altogether delightful way. The story is, as one would guess from the drawings, wonderfully macabre and when at it's best reminded me of The Graveyard Book; unfortunately, the book was not always at its best and frequently felt formulaic and predictable. It is the story of Stanley, a young boy who inherits a manor on a small island off the coast of England from a long lost great uncle. Upon arriving things are clearly amiss. Over the course of the story Stanley encounters werewolves, pirates and even a talking fish. The story is in fact "wickedly weird," and overall enjoyable. Don't expect this one to win the Newbery Award, but do expect it to delight children between the ages of 7 and 11 who have a taste for adventure and the bizarre.

Heartbeat by Sharon Creech

Heartbeat is the type of book I would have never picked up on my own. I only ended up "reading" it because my mom needed help adding it to her mp3 player, so I decided to add it to mine as well.
Heartbeat is the story of a girl who loves to run barefoot and draw. The book chronicles her life as well as her relationship with her best friend (he runs to win), her grampa (he has Alzheimer's) and her mother (she's having a baby). I enjoyed this book without loving it. It reminded me a bit of Way Down Deep by Ruth White, (it has that same kind of sweetness and whimsy to it), but not really of the same caliber.

Give this book to girls who loves spending the summer outdoors in the sun. For grades 4-7.