Discordia by Dena K. Salmon

Lance spends all day playing Discordia a hot new MMORPG (fancy acronym for online computer game). He has a level 18 zombie sorcerer and he's finally starting to make some good progress in the game now that TheGreatOne has invited him to join his guild. So when a snow day is declared Lance plans on spending some quality time with Discordia. However, he ends up getting more sucked into the game then he ever expected when he finds in himself actually in Discordia.

This book had a good premise and writing that was genuinely exciting and humorous. However, this book also has glaring plot holes that left me questioning what exactly was going on. Several times I turned back a page to see if I had accidentally skipped one, but alas it was the author that skipped a page not me. The ending had similar problems, in some reviews I saw it called a cliffhanger. I would would simply call it incomplete or perhaps unsatisfying. This book had a lot of potential and with a few rewrites may have achieved it, but as is this book fails to satisfy.

Recommend this to children who love video games or glaring plot holes grades 5th thru 9th.

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

The Last Olympian wraps up the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series with same fast-paced action Riordan has delivered time and time again. In this, the final book in the series, Percy Jackson's 16th birthday and the prophecy tied to it is just a week away, Kronos and his army of titans and monsters are planning an attack on Olympus and the entire fate of Western civilization hangs in the balance. No big deal right?

I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Olympian. I have a hard time picking out a favorite book in this series, because they are all so consistently great. This book is no exception. The pacing is intense, the plot is packed w/ action, but tempered an interesting story and a healthy dose of Greek Mythology. My one complaint was after the central conflict in the plot was resolved, the book dragged on for awhile trying to tie up loose ends, including a sequence regarding the fate of Percy's girlfriend Rachel that despite a half hearted attempt at being surprising ends so predictably it's almost painful. Overall a great book, though, recommend this one to fans of action, adventure and Greek mythology grades 4 to 10.

Tim, Defender of the Earth by Sam Enthoven

The concept behind this book is freaking rad! A gigantic genetically engineered dinosaur battles an army of nanobots on the streets of London! Awesome right? Unfortunately not. While I understand that a certain willful suspension of disbelief is necessary for a book of this nature, this book is just ridiculous. A scientist in a secret government funded laboratory deep below the streets of London raises a genetically engineered hundred foot tall dinosaur named T.I.M.. When the new Prime Minister finds out about Tim he orders the project shut down and Tim exterminated. Of course, TIM escapes. causes havoc on the streets of London and then swims out to sea.

In the meantime the government decides to start funding another scientist, Professor Mallahide, who is working on nanotechnology. Apparently all he needed was for the government to say they were willing to fund him, because that night he turns himself into a nanobot swarm.

But wait, there is yet another plotline to follow. Chris, a middle school student from London, goes on a field trip with his class and while searching for a place to avoid doing any school work, finds himself in an unused corner of the musuem. While there, he is discovered by a security guard who forces an ancient bracelet on him from the museum's collection. Chris discovers that the bracelet cannot be removed. Later in the book Chris discovers that the bracelet also allows him to talk to Tim. Finally as a lucky coincidence Chris's classmate Anna is professor Mallahide's daughter.

Anyway long story short, Professor Mallahide turns out to be a bit crazy and starts turning everyone into nanobots. So Tim the giant T-Rex comes back to fight him, but to do that he needs Chris to use his bracelet to focus the willpower of humanity into strength for Tim. In response the Nanobots form into a gigantic cockroach / centaur creature and fight Tim.

I don't know what happens after that, because I stopped reading. Honestly the only reason I made it that far was because I was on an exercise bike and dedicated to riding it for two hours. I was a captive audience.

I have to admit this book did have some really rad parts, especially when Tim and the cockroach / centaur / nanobots were battling. But the nanobots, as they were portrayed, were really overpowered and have no excuse for not rapidly assimilating the whole world and everything on it into the nanobot swarm. A+ for the idea, D+ for the implementation.

Give this book to children whose concepts of reality and reasonability have been completely destroyed by hours and hours of video game play, grades 5 to 8.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

"It takes a graveyard to raise a child."

The Graveyard Book is the story of Nobody Owens, an orphan raised by the denizens of an ancient graveyard in England. When he was little more than a baby Nobody, or "Bod" for short, had the good fortune of wandering out the front door of his home, then down the street and into a graveyard. While conventional wisdom would hold that this would be bad luck indeed, it is important to take into account Bod's circumstances. His family had just been murdered by a man named Jack, who was just one small child away from completing his task. Young Bod had no way of knowing the graveyard would provide sanctuary, but that's just what happens. When Jack comes for Bod, Silas, a mysterious inhabitant of the graveyard who is neither alive nor dead, leads Jack quietly off into the night. Mr. and Mrs. Owens, a long-dead couple who have waited centuries for a child, adopt Bod. And soon the graveyard accepts him of one of its own, that Bod might come of age living among the unliving.
Jack, however, still searches....

Neil Gaiman's latest book is grim reinterpretation of Rudyard Kipling's the Jungle Book set in a graveyard and I loved every second of it. The story is always engaging and frequently exciting. Gaiman masterfully paints a picture of a fantastic and imaginative world, while mixing in just the right amount of action and adventure. With this book Gaiman has done a wonderful job of opening up a genre usually reserved for older audiences to children. Longtime fans of Neil Gaiman won't be disappointed, the dark subject matter and macabre pen and ink illustrations are reminiscent of other Gaiman favorites, such as Coraline and the Sandman.

Give this one to young fans of horror and the supernatural grades 5-9.

The Rising Star of Rusty Nail by Lesley Blume

Rusty Nail, Minnesota is a town "famous" for being the former American Coot (a bird that looks sort of like a duck) capital of the world. Unfortunately one day they decided to just up and leave and "Rusty Nail was left with only the fond memory of the Era of the Coot." All and all Rusty Nail is a small town with few opportunities. That's why 10-year-old Franny is determined to make the most of her big chance. Franny isn't the best at math or reading or science and she and her friend Sandy have a real penchant for mischief, but if there's one thing Franny excels at it's piano. Her father even calls her his little Mozart. So when the school principal asks Franny to play piano at an assembly for a special visitor to the town Franny practices like she's never practiced before.

The book is set in the 1950s and follows many of the predictable themes of the decade: small town America, the birth of television and most of all McCarthyism. Much of the story focuses on Franny's relationship with Madame Malenko, an aloof Russian concert pianist who moves to town as well as the town's reaction to her arrival.

I've noticed that 50's themes have been popular ever since 9/11 because of the easy comparisons that can be made between McCarthyism and the war on terror. That element is definitely present in this book, but it makes it's point in more of a "don't judge a book by it's cover" fashion. This was a solid book through and through. Give this one to fans of historical fiction, music or Russian composers with unpronounceable names grades 5 thru 8.

Baseball Crazy edited by Nancy E. Mercado.

Baseball Crazy is a collection of short stories from the same editor as Every Man for Himself, but this time the theme is the national pastime, baseball. The stories follow a variety of characters from baseball stars, to bench-warmers, from statisticians, to fans and does so in a variety of formats too, mostly short stories, but also a play and poetry. Once again their are some big names like Jerry Spinelli (Maniac Magee) and Joseph Bruchac (Code Talker) backing up this collection and they deliver some great stories

I enjoyed this collection just as much as Every Man for Himself. Give this one to baseball lovers grades 4-8.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

The policeman nodded grimly. "Alligators," he declared.
"You're kiddin' me."
"I wish I was," said Officer Delinko. "They put alligators in your potties sir. Real live alligators."
"More than one?"
"Yes, sir."
Curly was flabbergasted. "Are they... big gators?"
Officer Delinko shrugged, "I imagine all of 'em look big," he said, "when they're swimming under your butt."

Hoot is the story of Roy Eberhardt and his quest to: avoid the dim-witted school bully, track down an odd shoeless school-skipping kid (nicknamed, of all things, Mullet Fingers) and protect some burrowing owls whose homes are about to be bulldozed (to make way for a pancake house). Not bad for a 7th grader, eh? Along the way he crosses paths with: a Police Officer desperate for a promotion, a bag full of poisonous snakes painted silver and a marketing vice president named Chuck Muckle.

Once I started reading Hoot I couldn't put it down. The story moves along at a good pace and the characters, especially Roy, are intriguing and likeable. This book made me laugh again and again, especially the pranks pulled at the construction site (the alligators in the port-a-potties is just one of many).

Not only is Hoot hilarious, it has a great message too. It stresses how thru community involvement kids can make a difference and help the environment. Give this one to kids who love: owls, the environment, and to laugh grades 5 thru 8.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. the Hunger Games have begun....

When trying to imagine the Hunger Games think reality TV meets Roman Gladiator fights, in the future. Our protaganist Katniss is a 16 year-old coal miners daughter who poaches to help her family make ends meet. Her father died years ago and her district, is a poor one anyway, so Katniss has to apply for food aid from the government. Applying for food aid means putting your name in the lottery an extra time, but winning the lottery is hardly desirable. Every year each district (there are 12) must send two lottery winners (one male, one female) to the Capitol (a city in the Rocky Mountains where all the citizens live lives of luxury at the expense of the districts) to compete in the Hunger Games. The Hunger games are plain and simple a televised fight to the death. Twenty-four teenagers are placed in a vast wilderness arena with weapons and minimal supplies and left to fight it out over the course of a couple weeks. The winner goes on to live in luxury; the losers, well- they're already dead. And guess what? Katniss just won the lottery.

This book was an instant favorite. Katniss is a compelling female protaganist and the action and survival sequences, which dominate this book, were well written and exciting. The book can be gut-wrenchingly violent at times, but it's no worse than what you'll find on television or the news for that matter. The world is well-crafted and Collins gives just enough information to keep the story engaging, but never so much as to bog down the plot. My one (and only) complaint about this book was that while it could have been an excellent stand alone work, Collins has decided to make it into a trilogy. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt the second book will be able to live up to the first.

Give this book to fans of Reality-TV, survial stories and action addicts grades 5+

The Sorcerer of the North by John Flanagan

Will's a full Ranger now and just arriving in his new fief! At first it seems like things might be too quiet in the backwater he's landed in, but things start heating up quick. First, there's a Skandian raid and then not long after Will is off on a secret mission to the far North, where there have been rumors of an ancient sorcerer back for revenge.

This book packs in the action cover to cover: a ghostly warrior, a sorcerer, poison, a betrayal and- of course- lots of sneaking around in the woods. I loved this book from start to finish, my only gripe with it was its ending. Very little is resolved and it feels like there's a least a chapter (maybe 3 or 4) missing. I'm sure Flanagan will resolve everything from this book in the next one, but I still feel a little cheated. Even with the problem with the ending, this one definitely passes the first book test. In fact, this is one of my favorite books of the series. Give this one to adventure/ medieval enthusiasts grades 5-9.

Brisingr

Christopher De Paolini's third book in the Inheritance Cycle is a marked improvement from his last book Eldest, but ultimately suffers from the same flaws.

First let me start by saying Eragon was wonderful, the book pulled me in and left me wanting more. Eldest on the other hand was only satisfying because I was desperate to hear more about Eragon, the plot in Eldest was forgettable at best and groan worthy at worst (the whole Luke- I am your father rip-off, c'mon really?) Brisingr, also has some groan worthy surprises (don't worry I won't tell you what they are I'll let you suffer thru them on your own terms) and like Eldest the story seems to drag on without any clear direction at time (I cite the lenghty foray into dwarven politics as a shining example- and if you're wondering no nothing surprising happens feel free to skip those 100 pages if you like), however, the story had it's strong points as well. For example Eragon's character is pretty freakin' rad. I enjoyed all the battle sequences with him punching thru shields, leaping over walls and cleaving things in half. And he's got a dragon and she's always blowing fire and eating things, that's pretty sweet too. *Mild spoiler alert, skip to end of paragraph to avoid* His new sword, also freakin' rad. It lights on fire whenever he says it's name (disappointingly it's name is fire) and it plays an integral role in the forementioned cleaving things / enemies in half.

If Eldest had been the first book in the series, I wouldn't have read the next book, Brisingr however, is good enough it to pass the First Book Test and I would continue reading the series based on it's merits alone. Give Brisingr to fantasy buffs, dragon aficionados and people who like saying words like "oathbound," "shadeslayer," or "aye" grades 6+

Rapunzel's Revenge

It's Rapunzel, but set in the wild west and as a graphic novel.

Rapunzel spends her young life blissfully unaware of the world beyond the walls surrounding Mother Gothel's estate, one day she decides to find out what's over the walls. Beyond is a rocky wasteland of dusty stone, smoky chimneys and sad times. Rapunzel also just happens to run into an worn down old miner who turns out to be her birth mother, (what are the chances?) who had been forced to give up Rapunzel at birth by Mother Gothel. Rapunzel, of course flips out and then Mother Gothels counter flips out and sends Rapunzel off to live in a tower made out of a tree (Mother Gothels has growth magic, which lets her wilt or grow vegetation at will). So Rapunzel lives in the tower for 4 years with nothing to do except grow her hair and play with it. Anyway, eventually she grows it long enough to turn into a giant lasso and she rescues herself. The rest of the Graphic Novel she goes around as some kind of cowgirl superhero fighting for good and trying to stop Mother Gothel's tyranny. Oh and she also meets Jack (the guy who climbed the beanstock) and he follows her around helping her out.

The Graphic Novel was an interesting idea and the art was great (although i didn't care for the way Rapunzel red braid looked like hot dog links), but it was somehow lacking. About half-way thru I started looking for excuses to stop reading "Gee, I really should vacuum right now" and "Hmm, I think I've got some dishes in the sink that I ought to wash." When washing the dishes starts sounding more appealing than reading, I know something is off with the book. However, I finished reading it and all in one sitting too. I wouldn't say this book was bad, on the contrary I enjoyed it, but I would say this book was a disappointment, great potential with only fair execution.

For wild west enthusiasts grades 5-9.

Peak

"My right ear and cheek were frozen to the terra cotta wall.
"To reach the top you must have resolve, muscles, skill, and...
"A FACE!"

Peak is the oddly named son of the world's most famous climber ("It could have been worse. My parents could have named me Glacier, or Abyss, or Crampon,") and a great climber in his own right. So great, in fact, that he starts climbing New York City skyscrapers and tagging them. When he gets busted tagging his sixth building, the judge threatens to throw the book at him (3 years jail time) to prevent copycats from endangering themselves. However, his lawyer and father come up w/ a plea bargain, Peak has to leave the country immediately to live w/ his father, Josh, (who he hasn't seen in 7 years) until all the media attention surrounding "spider-boy" (Peak) blows over.
Peak ends up in Tibet with his father on the slopes of Everest, but it turns out Peak's father has an ulterior motive, he wants to get Peak up the mountain making him the youngest climber up Everest and (hopefully) making his fathers climbing company rich.

This book was fast paced and exciting cover to cover. Life and death climbs, multiple visits from the Chinese military and yaks. Lots and lots of yaks. What more do you need? Give this one to adrenaline junkies Grades 6+

Found

An unscheduled airplane arrives at an airport terminal on board are 36 babies and no one else! Who are they? Where did they come from? No one no knows. Now skip forward 13 years to suburban Ohio, Jonah had never thought much of being adopted, but when he starts getting creepy letters that say things like "you are one of the missing," he starts wondering about his past. His adoption records have always been sealed, but maybe its time to investigate a little bit of his own. You see where this is going? Down a one way to street to freakin' awesome that's where!

I loved this book start to finish whenever I wasn't reading it I was thinking about reading it and now that I'm done reading it, I'm dreaming about reading the next book in the series (Sent to be released August 2009). Some authors just flat out know how to write and Magaret Haddix is one of those authors, she could write a book about making and toast and it would turn out awesome- with this kind of subject matter of course the book is great.
Give this book to Sci-Fi lovers grades 5 thru 9.

Nation

"When much is taken, something is returned." Nation is the latest book by Terry Pratchett (best known for his adult sci-fi series Discworld). The book is set in an alternate universe South Pacific and follows 13 year old Mau as he copes with the aftereffects of a tsunami, which kills everyone else on his island. As weeks pass, refuges begin to arrive from the surrounding area, because Mau's island (though tiny) is one of the largest in the area and holds religious significance for the people of the area.

This book is part survival story and part coming of age story, it's about rebuilding a society and young love, it explores issues such as belief and the responsibilities of leadership and it also explores the possibilities of tree climbing of octopuses and irreverent parrots "AWK - show us your drawers!", that is to say this book does it all. The only part i didn't enjoy was the last chapter (no worries no spoiler here) which suddenly jumps hundreds of years in the future and acts like this whole thing had been a story told to children by an old man by the sea. That would have been okay with me if the book had begun with the storyteller, or even if he had been referenced somewhere in the middle of the story. An unfortunate end to an otherwise great story. Offer this book to fans of survival and adventure stories grades 6+

Keeping Score

Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, the entire New York Yankees team, the 50s were a great time to be a baseball fan in New York, whether you were a Dodgers, Giants or Yankees fan. Of course, Maggie Fortini doesn't see it that way, because her team, the Dodgers, always fall just short of winning the world series. Maggie, already the Dodgers biggest fan, becomes an even more ardent supporter when she learns to keep score from one of the guys down at her dad's fire station- Jim (a Giants fan yuck!). Maggie and Jim quickly become close friends because of their shared interest in baseball. So much so, that even after Jim is drafted and sent to Korea Maggie writes him letter after letter. But when the letters abruptly stop coming Maggie wonders were they ever really friends at all?

A great book, Maggie's character is instantly lovable and I really got into the whole baseball thing when I was reading the book (I still kinda want to learn how to keep score). A great book for sports fans (especially female sports fans) for ages 10-14.

Saga

Saga is the sequel to Epic and even though it not quite on the same level, it's still freakin' rad! Saga, like Epic, is set in a video game, but this time the setting is cyberpunk instead of fantasy. Erik's character Cinderella is back, but this time she's not the central focus of the book, instead we meet 15 year old Ghost, an anarchist airboarder who lives "off the the grid." Like Epic Saga has a strong dystopian theme, but Saga takes it in a more anarchist direction. Teens who are into anarachy signs and punk rock will relate.

Saga is much grittier than Epic, which some will like, as for me its a great book, but my heart is heart still pines for Epic ;)
For grades

Every Man for Himself

This is a collection of short stories about being a guy and mostly coming of age stories. Honestly I only picked it up because Mo Willems wrote one of the stories and I've been on a Mo Willems kick for the last few months (I even bought an elephant and piggy toy recently). The story by Mo Willems was good, it was about super heroes, but honestly it wasn't the best one in the book- I think my favorite one was about a boy had a raffle to see who his prom date would be- so funny. I didn't recognized most of the authors, but when i was reading the bios at the back I found out one of them wrote the graphic novel Blankets, which I love. Overall I really enjoyed this collection, although I worry it might not be as appealing to teens as nostalgic adults, nevertheless give this one to teen boys, I suspect they'll get something out of it and possibly even *gasp* enjoy it. Ages 14+

The Maze of Bones

What would happen if you discovered that your family was one of the most powerful in human history? What if you were told that the source of the family's power was hidden around the world, in the form of 39 clues. What if you were given the choice - take a million dollars and walk away... or get the first clue? If you're Dan and Amy Cahill, you take the clue - and begin a very dangerous race.

Wow money, mystery and danger, awesome isn't? The answer is yes, although with admittedly a few reservations. I really liked the adventure and all the traveling in the book. I'm trying not to spoil anything, but the "maze of bones" is a real place and it's awesome. I've been there and it made me want to go again so bad.

One thing that did bug me about the books were the really obscure clues that the kids instantly knew how to solve. Maybe it's just because I'm bad at that time of thing, but "Seek out Richard S" would never make me think of Richard Sanders of Poor Richard's Almanac.
This book will be a hit the adventure junkies out there though. Great book for grades 4 to 7, maybe even 8.

Exodus

2099- Earth's ice caps are melting. Can refuge be found?

For one hundred years earth's ice caps have been melting. Powerful storms that last for months scour the North Atlantic and the oceans are rising. The residents of the Island of Wing had thought they were safe. How much more could the oceans rise? Only the oldest residents still remember the tall sheer cliffs that held the island high above the ocean, now even at low tide the cliffs have disappeared beneath the waves. All of the surrounding islands have gone under and last summer the school house washed away. Now the residents of Wing have a terrible choice leave their homes or risk the wrath of the ocean.

I loved this book, it was like waterworld, but without Kevin Cosner and not nearly as ridiculous. Fans of the post-apocalyptic fiction genre will love this book as will eco-conscious teens, because the book ask the question what happens if we don't change our ways and the polar ice caps keep melting? For grades 8 and up.

Epic

Wow what a book! Epic combines my two of my favorite genres futuristic dystopia and fantasy adventure. On New Earth everyone's lives revolve around Epic, a fantasy adventure computer game. Success in Epic, results in benefits for yourself, your family, possibly even your whole town. When Erik's mother loses a dispute against Central Authority things start looking grim for his family, they could be relocated to a new area and maybe even be split up. Erik's only hope is Epic, if he plays well enough he could save the whole family.

I started this book at 11 o'clock at night with the intention of reading one chapter and then going to sleep. I read the first chapter, it was good so I read another. The second chapter was even better, I kept going. Three hundred pages later I finally made myself put it down and go to sleep. The next morning I read a little more before. I had intended to bring it to work with me so I could finish it during much lunch break, but alas I forgot it and spent all day thinking speculating about what the last 14 pages contained. I highly recommend this book! It has it all vampires, knights, magic, swashbuckling! For grades 7 and up.