Loved the next two books as well!!!!  Can't wait to share them with everyone.

All the Answers by Kate Messner- Ava Anderson is scared, scared to take tests, scared to try out for jazz band, scared to do anything. But with the help of her friend Sophie, Ava gets by. Suddenly one day everything changes when a simple blue pencil found in a desk drawer at home begins to answer any question Ava asks. Magically, it helps her pass her tests, it provides the latest gossip of who likes who at school, it even gives her an answer to which family member is very sick and in need of immediate help. Does knowing all the answers make a person happy or just add to Ava’s fears? For a fantasy, this book feels realistic. Grades three and up will connect with Ava, Sophie and Ava’s family. 

Cinder The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer- Wow love this series!  This is mix between Cinderella and Star Wars! Cinder is a teenage cyborg mechanic. She lives with her stepmother and two step sisters in a futuristic world where the moon is colonized by people who have obtained almost magical powers of brainwashing, and the earth, where Cinder lives, is a mix of humans, cyborgs, and androids. Cinder’s life is hard. She spends her days fixing everyone’s technology and then gives all she earns to her evil step mom! Her past is a mystery. She knows something happened to her that caused her to have surgeries which made her the cyborg she is today. When she meets Prince Kai and becomes caught up in the struggles of earth and the moon, she begins to learn secrets of her past.  This is a great read for middle grades up. Full of action, intrigue, can’t wait to read the next page kind of book!!

 

I have had great fun with some wonderful intermediate and YA books!!

The Finisher by David Baldacci: This is fantasy, fully packed with action, the first in a new series by Baldacci written for young adults. The heroine, Vega Jane, and her mentally handicapped best friend Delph conjure comparisons to Katniss and Peeta of the Hunger Games. They are in constant danger, on the run, and at one point must even participate in a village contest that takes place yearly in their home town Wormwood. As the story unfolds, we begin to wonder where town’s people are disappearing to, and are they protecting themselves from outside enemies or creating a prison for themselves so they can’t ever leave. Monsters and magic will keep young readers entertained to the last page. Although I had some trouble connecting to the characters initially (this book reminds me of so many other fantasies combined!), but by the end I was hooked!

The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabstein: Grabsein is at it again as he creates a world where literary characters actually come to life. Billy Gillfoyle has to spend the summer at a recluse cabin in the woods by a lake. As Billy investigates the cottage he is staying in, he finds a treasure, a bookcase loaded with classic children’s tales such as Robinhood, Tom Sawyer, and Hercules. The problems begin when Billy goes to investigate an island located in the middle of the lake and finds that the characters from these books he has been reading while at the cottage are coming to life on the island. Will he be able to get off the island?  Will this summer end?

The Way Home Looks Now- This is a touching story of a 12 year old Chinese American boy that loves baseball and loves his family. But his family is grieving the loss of his older brother and can’t seem to find their way back to living life. Can a simple thing like little league baseball awaken the family and help them heal? Wendy Wan-Long Shang weaves a wonderful story of loss, friendship, and hope all centered around the Great American sport of baseball. Sports lovers will enjoy this read –probably best suited for grades five and up.

Serafina and the Black Cloak- by Robert Beatty is an edge of your seat, magic mystery! Set in the late 1800s at the famous Biltmore mansion in North Carolina, twelve year old Serafina lives a hidden life in the basement of the mansion with her father who runs all the “Modern” machines of the estate! Children of the estate begin to mysteriously disappear and only Serafina and her one and only friend Braeden Biltmore know that the man in a black cloak is magically stealing away the souls of the missing. How can they stop this evil being? Who will believe what they have seen? This is a suspenseful read, a little scary possibly for younger readers because of the sorcery and death, but definitely for intermediate and upper grade readers.