Review: Tilly’s Moonlight Garden by Julia Green

Tilly’s Moonlight Garden by Julia Green

Published by Sourcebooks/ Jabberwocky October 2012

Source: ARC provided by the publisher

Summary:

Tilly's parents inherit an old, furnished mansion. One night, awoken by a strange noise, Tilly looks out of her bedroom window and sees a wild fox watching her from the lawn. Tilly follows it through a hidden gate and is amazed to discover a secret, moonlit garden. She returns the following night but this time a young girl called Helen is already there waiting for her. Tilly and Helen become fast friends, but Helen remains elusive about where she lives and why Tilly only encounters her in this seemingly magical woods. Over the Christmas season and into the spring, Tilly and her parents welcome a new arrival to their family, and Tilly befriends a recent arrival at her school. But when Helen bids her farewell, Tilly wonders; was Helen real or only a figment of her imagination?

My Thoughts:

  A truly charming  story about a young girl dealing with major changes in her life. New home, new school and her mother has fallen ill while expecting. Tilly’s father is a preoccupied writer and it seems that Tilly is often left to her own devices. That is where the garden comes in. It becomes a place to escape to, and Helen becomes a friend Tilly can count on when it feels like she is all alone. Reminiscent of books like  The Secret Garden, Tilly discovers a world of mystery as magic and reality seem to collide in the garden.  There she learns about her own resilience, friendship, and that being in a family can mean being forgiving as well. I loved the character of Tilly, and felt her interactions with her Dad were very realistic.  A story that already feels like a classic and would make a good read-aloud in a classroom or home setting. Recommended for ages 7+.

Review: Wonder by R.J Palacio

Wonder by R.J Palacio

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

February 14th 2012 –313 pages

Source: Reviewed from personal copy

Summary:

“I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse” 

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

My Thoughts:

  Firstly, I can not believe this is a debut. Wow. just wow. What a powerful, unforgettable  story.  There is not too much to say other than this is a book for everyone. Within the pages we meet the the beautiful soul of Auggie as he experiences and adjusts to his first year going to a regular school. Told through various perspectives, as readers we learn so much about humanity, cruelty and kindness through the eyes of this young boy. If you share one book with your children, family, or friends –let it be this one.

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead–Book Review

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

Published by Random House Children’s Books

August 7th 2012

Source: Finished copy provided by the publisher

Summary:

When seventh grader Georges (the S is silent) moves into a Brooklyn apartment building, he meets Safer, a twelve-year-old coffee-drinking loner and self-appointed spy. Georges becomes Safer's first spy recruit. His assignment? Tracking the mysterious Mr. X, who lives in the apartment upstairs. But as Safer becomes more demanding, Georges starts to wonder: how far is too far to go for your only friend?

My Thoughts:

I have to begin by saying that Rebecca Stead is an incredibly talented author. I would read anything by her. She crafts memorable stories and her characters come to life. I loved the twists and unexpected turns in this book.  It’s geared towards the middle grades but still relevant for teens and adults. Liar & Spy tells the story of Georges (silent s) as he moves into an apartment after his dad has been “downsized” at work. There, he begins an unpredictable and at times frustrating friendship with Safer.

Georges is named after famed painter Georges Seurat. Seurat was a pointillist and  created Masterpieces using only dots of colour. The author used this brilliantly as she highlighted the contrast between seeing what is right in front of you, and seeing the big picture throughout the book:

(Georges Seurat, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884)

I also have to comment on the messages that went back and forth between Georges and his mom through the Scrabble tiles… I loved this aspect so much.

Liar &Spy has so much heart as we watch these boys cope with their lives in seemingly different ways. Touching on themes of bullying, perseverance, overcoming fears, risk taking and family; to say I was moved by this book would be an understatement. Fans of Rebecca Stead’s award winning novel “When You Reach Me” will fall in love with this one as well.

Highly Recommended, This is one to buy for your reading shelf at home. It would also make a great read aloud for a family to share together.

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Book Review: Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer

Published by Simon Pulse June 2012

Reviewed from ARC provided by the publisher

Summary:

    Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.
And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.
   Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.

My Thoughts:
    I am a fan of Jodi Picoult. I love her writing style, I love the characters she creates and her books have always given me something to think about; a new perspective and way of looking at the world.  I liked Between the Lines in the beginning. I thought the premise was interesting. Imagine if our dreamy book boyfriends could talk to us, or might even be able to leave the pages of their book behind. I know of many avid readers who would love that!!
   I thought Delilah was a believable and likeable character, and I saw a lot of myself in her. I just didn’t feel/believe the chemistry between her and Oliver. Oliver seemed spoiled, insincere and immature and there were a few moments where I felt Delilah should have just closed the book and left him in it.  The book has had mixed reviews..but debuted on the Best Seller list. It just didn’t work for me.

Book Review: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Published by Harper Collins January 2012

Summary: 

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all. 

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. 

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better. 

Thoughts:

Destined to be a classic, The One and Only Ivan had me on the first page. "I am Ivan, I am a Gorilla. It's not as easy as it looks." 

Ivan is a Silverback Gorilla, but instead of being the protector of his family in the wild, he's behind glass in a mall. Soft hearted, intelligent, he finds friendship and companionship in the other animals at the mall. 

Lovely text, and illustrations help us glimpse into Ivan's life, his fears, his hopes and what he misses about his old ways. When Ruby arrives he strives to make a better life for her.  

This story is for everyone. Adults and kids. Ivan is captivating and reminds us that all life is to be valued not just human life. It's a perfect read for middle grades or a read aloud to share with a younger group. Highly recommended.

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Books I'd Recommend To Someone Who Doesn't Read Middle Grade (or jr. fiction)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the fabulous The Broke and the Bookish. 

This week's list is to highlight the  Top Ten Books I'd Recommend to Someone Who Doesn't Read...

... Middle Grade Fiction

My List:

I chose middle grade to recommend because I think it's easy as we get older to overlook the treasures that can be found in books for younger readers. Some of my all time  favourite reads are for this age group!

1.Stunning book plates accompany this story of a china rabbit whose been lost and tries to find his way back to love again. Moving and inspiring I needed almost a whole box of kleenex to get through it but it was worth every one.  goodreads

2. Discover the secrets of your favourite characters from Peter Pan in this prequel-ish retelling of a classic. Lot's of action, fast moving and with authors Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson lots of laugh out loud moments.goodreads

3. I'll never forget this one, as it was recommended to me by a nine-year old boy when I worked at a book store.  He said "you have to check City of Ember out, it was AMAZING". 

They made the book into a movie a few years ago, but it really doesn't do the book justice.goodreads

4.  A fantastic re-telling of Snow White. Gail Carson Levine is the author of Ella Enchanted
and her writing in this story is especially magical.goodreads

5.  I remember hearing a publicity rep talking about this book and how the author P.B. Kerr who generally writes for adults, wrote this book with the hoped of getting his 10 yr old son to read. That piece of info has always stuck with me.  It's a fantastic adventure series that centre's around twin's who discover they have a magical ability. (think Aladdin) goodreads

6. Canadian comedian Sean Cullen is the author and it is laugh out loud funny. One of the highlights is the narrator and the footnotes. I recommend this a lot to reluctant readers.goodreads




7. When I first read this book it was called "Gideon The Cutpurse". I guess they changed it because it wasn't selling well under the original name. I don't know that the series has ever taken off, which is so unfortunate.  I read the first one in a sitting. Two children are transported back through time and become mixed up with a pickpocket who's in trouble with the law.goodreads

8. A great book for mystery readers. It has illustrations with clues to help
you solve the mystery.goodreads

9. This is one of my favourite books (series) to recommend to reluctant readers. It has everything! Fast pacing, action, martial arts, and a quest.goodreads

My review
10. It's no secret that Lauren Oliver is one of my favourite authors and that's because she's a talented story teller. Lisel and Po was magical & heart warming.

I can't wait to see everyone else's list!

Book Review: Diary of A Wimpy Kid- Cabin Fever (Guest Post)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid- Cabin Fever

By Jeff Kinney

Published November 2011 by Abrams

My ten year old son is a huge fan of this series. I brought the book home for him, and he read it in a night. He's written the "review" today.

  This Diary of a Wimpy Kid book is about Greg and his friend Rowley as they try to have a Christmas Sale. They put posters up on the school about the sale. It starts to snow and all the marker's get smudged. They take the posters off and there are green stains left. So they runaway and everyone thinks it's graffiti. Greg and Rowley become outlaws. Later Greg gets stuck in his house because of a snow storm. The family food is mysteriously disappearing and they run out of power. It's up to Greg to solve the mystery. Out of a 1-5 rating I would rate it a 4 because it wasn't as exciting as the other books but it was still a good book and it was hilarious.

Book Review: Darkfall Review and Q & A with Janice Hardy

Darkfall by Janice Hardy -Healing Wars #3

Published by HarperCollins Oct 4th 2011

Hardcover 336 Pages

Reviewed from ARC provided by the author

Summary

Nya’s the one who brought it. And the people love her for it.

With Baseer in shambles and Geveg now an impenetrable military stronghold, Nya and the Underground have fled to a safer location—without Tali. Nya is guilt-ridden over leaving her sister behind and vows to find her, but with the rebellion in full swing and refugees flooding the Three Territories, she fears she never will.

The Duke, desperate to reclaim the throne as his own, has rallied his powerful army. And they are on the move, destroying anyone who gets in the way.

To save her sister, her family, and her people, Nya needs to stay ahead of the Duke’s army and find a way to build one of her own. Past hurts must be healed, past wrongs must be righted, and Nya must decide: Is she merely a pawn in the rebellion, a symbol of hope—or is she ready to be a hero?

I can't say enough how much I love this series. Strong female protagonist, in junior fiction with definite cross over appeal for young adults.  Nya is a such a wonderful main character. I connected with her in Shifter (the first book in the series) and feel like I've watched her grow and develop through these past two books. 

  Still  on the run from the Duke, Nya is thrown into the role of being "hero" and "saviour" for everyone and all she wants to do is save her sister and her friends. She finds out quickly that playing the role of hero can come with unexpected responsibilities and consequences. The characters in this series are so well developed that I began to feel like we were old friends, and when I turned the final page of Darkfall, I was sad that it was over.          One aspect that I wish the author had developed more was the relationship between Daniello and Nya. Their friendship showed signs of becoming more...I could feel it as I read but "more" didn't happen. Maybe it's a good thing? Maybe every book has love develop too quickly and easily? I really wanted a relationship for these two though, they're perfect together.
 The Healing Wars trilogy hasn't garnered a whole lot attention in the Blogger world, but it definitely deserves attention. Compelling and well written. Highly recommended.

I was fortunate to be able to talk Janice Hardy about her series:

1. When did the idea for the Healing Wars series come to you?

I was playing around with common fantasy ideas, trying to see how I could turn them on their heads and do something different. During that time, I went to see the first X-Men movie. One of the characters is named Rogue, who is my favourite superhero, and her power is that she accidentally absorbs other people’s powers when she touches them. I left the movie thinking, “wow, what if you did that with healing? Accidentally healed people when you touched them?”

2. What was your inspiration for writing about healing vs. Pain?

It was that “what if?” idea that really got me thinking about the world and how this magic would work. It was a long process, spread out over several years (my first idea was terrible and got stuck in a drawer for a long time). The thing that really intrigued me though, was that (at that time) healing is almost always portrayed as something positive. I’d never seen any real downsides to it. I wondered what the negatives might be, and could something as good as healing be used for evil. Once I figured out this society bought and sold pain like other goods, the whole thing started coming together.

3. Did you know it would be a trilogy when you began writing? Anyway I can convince you to write more about Nya and Danello?:)

The series idea came to me about halfway through THE SHIFTER. I hadn’t planned on doing a series, but I saw a larger story arc developing that could turn into a trilogy. It started out a one girl’s struggle to save her sister in a dangerous and difficult world, and ended up being a story about a girl who saves her world. The more Nya got drawn into the troubles of her society the more she had to act and do something about it. I had no choice but to go along for that ride.

Folks do ask me about more Nya stories, and while I have no plans right now to do them, if I thought of a new place for the story to go I’d write it. I might do some fun short stories though. Cover some history the books don’t really get into.

4. If there was one thing you hope readers will take away with them after reading your books, what would it be?

That was a great story. I wish I had more profound hopes, but for me it’s all about the storytelling. My favourite authors always whisk me away into their stories, and I love the feeling I get when I finish a fantastic book. I want to give that same feeling to my readers. If they take more away than that, it’s a bonus.

5. Can you tell us what your next project might be?

I’m nearly done with a YA fantasy about an undercover spy. It’s been fun because the protagonist is very different from Nya in how she solves her problems. Nya is all impulse, the new girl is all calculation. 

6. Anything else you’d like to share with your readers?

Let’s see… I just redesigned the website, and you can find some extras up there now. Maps and covers from the foreign editions of the books. Very shortly, I’ll also have some deleted scenes from the books. You’ll be able to read the original ending for THE SHIFTER, and one of my favourite scenes from BLUE FIRE that just didn’t work after revisions.

Thanks so much Janice for stopping by my blog! 

For more information about Janice and The Healing Wars Trilogy, please visit her website:

http://www.janicehardy.com/

You can read my thoughts on The Shifter and Blue Fire, by clicking on the title links.

Book Review: Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

Published by Harper Collins October 4th 2011

Hardcover 304 Pages

Reviewed from ARC provided by the publisher

Summary

Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.

That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable

Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.

I'm not sure how I'll write a review that will do this book justice. It's also hard to write my thoughts on it knowing how personal this book was to to the author.

    I connected to the characters immediately. Liesl was lovely. Positive, considering all the trauma she had recently been through. Forced to live in an attic alone after the passing of her father. Locked up by her stepmother, she has only her memories to keep her company. Until Po and Bundle  appear in her room one night, it's the memories of her father keep her going, his love and belief in her. Po is from "the other side" and Lisel hopes this means that he might be able to contact her father, that she might be able to say the things to him, she never got to say.
Contrast that with Will. An apprentice to an abusive magician, like Liesl he's alone in the world. They never would have crossed paths if it weren't for the wooden boxes. One containing the "most powerful magic in the world" the other carrying the ashes of Lisel's father.The adventure that ensues is one of friendship, sacrifice and love.

  Lisel and Po feels like a classic. It feels older than it is and I was reminded of the feelings I had reading books like The Little Princess, and the Secret Garden by Frances Burnett. The feeling that you know you are reading something timeless, and special. One thing that really stood out for me were certain words that were repeated in the book...the  word ineffable -which means "to incredible to describe" this is a word that Lisel grew up hearing while sharing moments with her father.  Will grew up hearing the word "useless" and it takes helping Lisel for him to realize his true worth.

    Lauren is a wonderful storyteller, gifted with ability to weave such beautiful words together. The illustrations and cover fit the tone and mood of the story.There is a lot of emotion between the lines of the story and I'm so grateful that Lauren shared it with us. Lisel and Po has appeal for girls and boys and would be a great choice for a read-aloud in a middle grade class or to share at home. Highly recommended.

Big Nate on A Roll by Lincoln Peirce

Big Nate on a Roll by Lincoln Peirce

Published by Harper Collins May 2011

Reviewed from Finished Copy provided by the publisher

Summary

For fans of the hilarious Diary of a Wimpy Kid series: Here comes BIG NATE, accidental mischief maker and definitely NOT the teacher's pet.

Big Nate is on a roll!

Nate’s a big deal in his scout troop . . . until Artur—aka Mr. Perfect—joins up. Now Nate’s stuck in second place. And Artur means business.

Will Nate take the grand prize? Or wipe out, big time

                I am excited today to host a very special guest reviewer on Lost in the Library

My ten year old son Andrew's thoughts on Big Nate:

   Big Nate On A Roll is a great book that is related to Diary of A  Wimpy Kid. It is really funny because this kid Arthur comes to town and is stealing everything from Nate! But he actually doesn't know that he's really annoying him and at least at Timber Scouts Camp Nate will be away from Arthur....or will he? Poor Nate, Arthur joined the Scouts Camp. As Nate continues on with his life, the timber scouts are selling posters to raise money. At first Nate thinks this idea is cheesy but then he's sees the grand prize- A custom skate board. It turns into a battle between nate and arthur for the prize.

This book was really funny and my favourite part was how surprised Nate was after Arthur joined the Timber Scouts. You should definetly read this book. Today.

Seer of Shadows by AVI

Seer of Shadows by AVI

Published by Harper Collins 2008

208 Pages

Middle Grade Fiction

Summary from Goodreads

Newbery Medalist Avi weaves one of his most suspenseful and scary tales—about a ghost who has to be seen to be believed and must be kept from carrying out a horrifying revenge.

The time is 1872. The place is New York City. Horace Carpetine has been raised to believe in science and rationality. So as apprentice to Enoch Middleditch, a society photographer, he thinks of his trade as a scientific art. But when wealthy society matron Mrs. Frederick Von Macht orders a photographic portrait, strange things begin to happen.

Horace's first real photographs reveal a frightful likeness: it's the image of the Von Machts' dead daughter, Eleanora.

Pegg, the Von Machts' black servant girl, then leads him to the truth about who Eleanora really was and how she actually died. Joined in friendship, Pegg and Horace soon realize that his photographs are evoking both Eleanora's image and her ghost.

Rich in detail, full of the magic of early photography, here is a story about the shadows, visible and invisible, that are always lurking near.

I like "booktalking" this book during class visits, it's always very well received. There is something about a ghost story and in this case, ghosts being revealed through photos and seeking revenge that seem to grab even the most reluctant reader.  The fact that it's written by such wonderful storyteller, is a bonus. I thought the photography process from the late 1800's was well researched and I found it fascinating. AVI creates an endearing main character in Horace and I was rooting for him from the beginning. Recommended.

The Clockwork Three

The Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby
Published in October 2010 by Scholastic Press
400 Pages
Reviewed from finished copy provided by publisher.
Junior Fiction

"Summary from goodreads"
Three ordinary children are brought together by extraordinary events. . . Giuseppe is an orphaned street musician from Italy, who was sold by his uncle to work as a slave for an evil padrone in the U.S. But when a mysterious green violin enters his life he begins to imagine a life of freedom.
Hannah is a soft-hearted, strong-willed girl from the tenements, who supports her family as a hotel maid when tragedy strikes and her father can no longer work. She learns about a hidden treasure, which she knows will save her family -- if she can find it.

And Frederick, the talented and intense clockmaker's apprentice, seeks to learn the truth about his mother while trying to forget the nightmares of the orphanage where she left him. He is determined to build an automaton and enter the clockmakers' guild -- if only he can create a working head.

Together, the three discover they have phenomenal power when they team up as friends, and that they can overcome even the darkest of fears.
 
I like the steam punk genre. There's something about the mechanics of clockwork that intrigue me. I think it's been around for ever, but I love that it has a name now. :)
 
The Clockwork Three is a debut novel for Matthew Kirby whose also a teacher. The book follows the lives of three children who are strangers in the beginning, and whose lives intersect at various parts within the novel. Each chapter follows one of the characters as they make their way through the hand that life has dealt them. Guiseppe was my favourite character as he had such a beautiful and loyal heart and I think his story was one of the saddest although all three had suffered terrible tragedies.
I also connected with  Hannah. Her love for her father and family and faith in all things that are good enables her to overcome incredible obstacles.
The only character I had trouble connecting with was Frederick. I'm not sure why other than a lot of the exciting parts happened when Kirby was writing about the other two children. There were times where I skimmed his chapters.
 
The three stories come together in the end and we see how we can touch other peoples lives without realizing it and how sometimes the people we meet are the people we need at that time.
 
A good book to recommend to the 9-12 age range.

The Magnificent 12-The Call: Book Trailer

Here's a book trailer for a fabulous book by Michael Grant-

you can read my review here

I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom

Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom by Susin Nielson

Release date: August 10th 2010

Publisher: Tundra Books

"Violet's TV-director dad has traded a job in Vancouver for one in Los Angeles, their run-down house for a sleek ranch-style home complete with a pool, and, worst of all, Violet's mother for a trophy wife, a blonde actress named Jennica. Violet's younger sister reacts by bed-wetting, and her mother ping-pongs from one loser to another, searching for love. As for Violet, she gets angry in ways that are by turns infuriating, shocking, and hilarious."

Violet is a wonderfully likable character. I instantly connected to her and though my heart ached because of her situation, her antics and outbursts had me laughing out loud.

I think girls (at any age) whose parents have been through divorce will relate to Violet, her feelings of abandonment and her sheer desperation for a better relationship with her father.

She's helpless in regards to her parents decisions, where her father chooses to focus his attention, and the men that her mom chooses to date...she's fed up and takes matters into her own hands. Wouldn't life be better if her mom were to marry George Clooney? If only she could meet him. . .

A truly exceptional read. It reminded me of how I felt reading a book by Judy Blume or Paula Danzinger.


...George Clooney (sigh) -

Magnificent 12:The Call by Michael Grant

"Twelve-year-old Mack MacAvoy suffers from a serious case of mediumness. Medium looks. Medium grades. Medium parents who barely notice him. With a list of phobias that could make anyone crazy, Mack never would have guessed that he is destined for a more-than-medium life

And then, one day, A three-thousand-year-old man named Grimluk appears in the boys' bathroom to deliver some startling news: Mack is one of the Magnificent Twelve, called the Magnifica in ancient times, whatever that means. An evil force is on its way, and it's up to Mack to track down eleven other twelve-year-olds in order to stop it"

Michael Grant is a great story teller. I've enjoyed his books for teens and this one written for younger (junior fiction 8-10) totally met my expectations. I read this one out loud to my nine year old and he enjoyed the adventure, magic and we laughed out loud a lot. I needed to explain some parts of the book as he's not yet familiar with Lord of the Rings but he caught on quickly.-I can't wait until it arrives in the library and I can recommend it!

Title: Magnificent 12- The Call

Author: Michael Grant

Publication Date: August 24th 2010

Publisher: Harpercollins

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

"In this funny, uncannily wise portrait of the dynamics of a sixth-grade class and of the greatness that sometimes comes in unlikely packages, Dwight, a loser, talks to his classmates via an origami finger puppet of Yoda. If that weren’t strange enough, the puppet is uncannily wise and prescient"
I saw this book on the shelf at a Chapters and I just had to have it.

Sometimes the people who make the best friends can come unexpectedly in the strangest of packages. Great for those who loved Diary of a Wimpy kid by Jeff Kinney. Comes with directions on how to make your very own origami Yoda.

Trackers by Patrick Carman

"In the 21st century of bits and bytes everyone leaves a digital footprint-even the most advanced cyber-criminal. That's where the trackers come in. Four tech-savy kids armed with high-tech video cameras and incredible coding skills, the trackers can find almost anyone, anywhere. As the four dig deeper into the shadowy world of online crime, they soon learn that things are not always as they seem"

A fast paced, action packed read with a great combination of reading and interactive online activities, Trackers is an especially great choice for any reluctant reader.

Book Recommendation

I recently read and enjoyed Escape from Memory by Margaret Peterson Haddix. It isn't a new book, it was published in 2003. It was recommended to me by a library patron. A ten year old girl who said it was her most favourite book. That's high praise!

Although it didn't become my favourite book, I did really like it. The story revolves around Kira, a teen living in Ohio, who becomes surrounded by mystery after being hypnotized at a slumber party. She ends up revealing unknown memories and begins speaking in an unusual language. She's no longer sure of who she is or who to trust. Fast paced and plot driven, we follow Kira as she uncovers the truth. Ages 9 and up.