Children's Fiction Recent Picks

February 2010

The underlined title links will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.

The demigod files by Rick Riordan.
"How do you handle an encounter with Medusa on the New Jersey interstate? What's the best way to take down a minotaur? Become an expert on everything in Percy's world with this must-have guide to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Complete with interviews, puzzles, games, and original short stories by Rick Riordan." (Amazon.com)

The dark planet, by Patrick Carman.
"In the dazzling conclusion to the epic story of Atherton, Patrick Carman takes readers on the most rewarding journey of all, to the perilous realm of The Dark Planet: Earth. When Edgar discovers a way to leave the mysterious satellite world of Atherton, he couldn't have imagined the gloom that awaited him on the dark planet, where the oceans are toxic, the forests are full of mutant monsters, and children toil in darkness, controlled by ruthless maniacs. Max Harding, an orphan of the Silo, the maker of Atherton, and the last hope of a dying world, left this place behind, and now Edgar is determined to complete the mad scientist's spectacular plan, revealing Atherton's true purpose. Edgar's quest to discover Earth's dark secret leads to an out of this world adventure in the final book of the Atherton trilogy." (Amazon.com)

The Homeschool Liberation League by Lucy Frank.
"After an awesome summer at Wilderness Discovery Camp, eighth-grader Katya dreads going to public school, which she finds 'stupefying'. She convinces her parents to homeschool her so she can enjoy her newfound interests in science and nature. Their idea of homeschooling is very different from hers. She spends most of her days working in her mother's beauty shop and doing lessons from the incredibly boring DIM (Daily Instructional Matrix) instead of wandering the area examining plants and animals. She begins dating Milo, a violin prodigy who is homeschooled as well and hates it, and they form the Homeschool Liberation League in order to change their parents' approach to education. With the help of Katya's friend Francesca, a reporter for the school paper, Katya and Milo work to achieve the outcome that they desire. Various local residents assist with Katya's schooling, particularly Eddie Horton, a regular customer at the beauty shop. The main characters are engaging, and the teens' actions and emotions realistically show the struggles that come with adolescence. Frank includes text messages and emails, which lend authenticity to the way these teens interact. The story is well crafted and moves at a good pace." (Amazon.com)

School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari; illustrated by Carrie Gifford.
"Everyone is afraid of something... Madeleine Masterson is deathly afraid of bugs, especially spiders. Theodore Bartholomew is petrified of dying. Lulu Punchalower is scared of confined spaces. Garrison Feldman is terrified of deep water. With very few options left, the parents of these four twelve year-olds send them to the highly elusive and exclusive School of Fear to help them overcome their phobias. But when their peculiar teacher, Mrs. Wellington, and her unconventional teaching methods turn out to be more frightening than even their fears, the foursome realize that this just may be the scariest summer of their lives." (Amazon.com)

Zoobreak by Gordon Korman.
"When Griffin Bing's class goes to a floating zoo, they don't expect to see animals being treated so badly. They don't expect to find Cleo, Dog Whisperer Savannah's pet monkey who's been missing for weeks. And they really don't expect to have to hide the animals once they've rescued them! Hilarity ensues as Griffin's team once more pulls off a heist... trying to break the animals back into a (better) zoo! No animals were harmed in the making of Gordon Korman's funny, crowd-pleasing next middle grade novel." (Amazon.com)

Flight of the phoenix by R.L. LaFevers; illustrated by Kelly Murphy (Book 1: Nathaniel Fludd, beastologist).
"Nathaniel Fludd's life has taken a turn for the worst. With his parents lost at sea, he lands on the doorstep of a distant cousin - the world's last remaining beastologist. Soon Nate is whisked off on his first expedition, to Arabia, where the world's only phoenix prepares to lay its new egg. When disaster strikes, Nate quickly finds himself all alone. Will he be able to see the phoenix safely hatched, keep his accidental pet gremlin out of trouble, and rescue his guardian from the Bedouin? If he fails, nothing will stand between the world’s mythical creatures and extinction. Too bad Nate's not the sort of boy who enjoys adventure... yet." (Amazon.com)

A faraway island by Annika Thor; translated from the Swedish by Linda Schenck.
"It's the summer of 1939. Two Jewish sisters from Vienna - 12-year-old Stephie Steiner and 8-year-old Nellie - are sent to Sweden to escape the Nazis. They expect to stay there six months, until their parents can flee to Amsterdam; then all four will go to America. But as the world war intensifies, the girls remain, each with her own host family, on a rugged island off the western coast of Sweden. Nellie quickly settles in to her new surroundings. She's happy with her foster family and soon favors the Swedish language over her native German. Not so for Stephie, who finds it hard to adapt; she feels stranded at the end of the world, with a foster mother who's as cold and unforgiving as the island itself. Her main worry, though, is her parents - and whether she will ever see them again." (Amazon.com)

The locked garden by Gloria Whelan.
"When her father, a well-known psychiatrist, accepts a position at a remote asylum in northern Michigan, Verna is reluctant to leave their home, which holds happy memories of her mother, who died two years earlier in 1898. Once settled into their cozy new house on the asylum grounds, though, Verna and her younger sister welcome their new life, particularly after the arrival of their young maid, Eleanor. Although she is a melancholia patient, Eleanor brings a warmth that contrasts sharply with the girls' guardian, Aunt Maude, who can be 'as menacing as a hornet's nest.' Tensions rise as Aunt Maude grows furiously jealous of the affection Eleanor shares with the girls, who, in turn, plot to send Maude packing. Descriptions of the sprawling, grand asylum and its mysteriously locked wings may lead readers to suppose that they've begun a gothic novel. They'll quickly realize, though, that the evocative setting is a backdrop to the sensitive, sometimes comedic family story filled with character lessons for Verna and compassionate questions about mental illness and its treatment." (Amazon.com)

The witch's guide to cooking with children by Keith McGowan; with illustrations by Yoko Tanaka.
"A modernized version of Hansel and Gretel... Sol, 11, and Connie, 8, move to Schoneberg with the man they believe is their father (he is their father's twin) and their stepmother. The children soon discover that the neighbor's pet dog has a habit of digging up human bones, and that 'Dad' has a great motive for wanting them gone. The story alternates between the siblings' dawning understanding that nothing in the town is as it seems and the journal of their neighbor, a witch, in which she reminisces fondly about her past meals... Highly stylized illustrations do much to enhance the story...." (Amazon.com)

The circle of gold: the Book of Time III by Guillaume Prevost; translated by William Rodarmor.
"Sam rescued his father from Dracula's castle, but that doesn't mean their troubles are over. Now Allan Faulkner lies in a coma in the Sainte-Mary hospital, tossing about and muttering aloud about saving Sam's late mother. Sam has no choice but to go back in Time to see her. His inability to control his destination, however, means he journeys to ancient China, Renaissance Rome, and even 2025 - where he sees his own grave! Can Sam prevent this grisly ending and save his mother once and for all?" (Amazon.com)

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