Judy Moody Gets Famous !
Publishers Weekly This sequel to Judy Moody handily matches the original in zip and wit, portraying the spunky Judy in her quest for recognition. Famous for her changeable moods, the third-grader wants to become just plain famous after her arch rival, Jessica, wins a spelling contest to earn the title of Queen Bee, an honor […]
The Ironwood Tree
Publishers Weekly: The penultimate volume in The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 4: The Ironwood Tree by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black pits Jared and Simon Grace against quarry-dwelling dwarves who have kidnapped their sister, Mallory. The children must escape these and other dangers that surface as a new arch-villain arises at the book's conclusion, prepping readers […]
The Wrath of Mulgarath
Publishers Weekly: Favorite chapter book tales continue this fall-some come to their riveting conclusions. The adventures of the Grace children, The Spiderwick Chronicles #5: The Wrath of Mulgarath by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, concludes as Jared, Mallory and Simon square off against an evil ogre who has kidnapped their mother. They enlist help of […]
Into the Mist
School Library Journal: Gr 4-7 -Fans of Patrick Carman's "Land of Elyon" trilogy will be delighted to learn about Roland and Thomas Warvold's unusual and dangerous childhoods in this prequel (Scholastic, 2007) to the series. Their story begins in an orphanage where the brothers are forced to perform manual labor along with the other maltreated […]
Beyond the Valley of Thorns
Kirkus Reviews: Alexa Daley and her father return to the walled city of Bridewell, where Mr. Daley has more strictures for Alexa's behavior than ever. Nevertheless, Alexa leaves Bridewell through its underground tunnels led by Yipes, her tiny companion from Dark Hills Divide. Instructions in a letter from Warvold lead them in a quest to […]
The Tenth City
Synopsis: This is it: the final battle. On one side is the evil Victor Grindall and his horrific leader, the imprisoned Abaddon. On the other side is a girl named Alexa, who holds the fate of Elyon in her hands. If good is to win, Alexa must find a way to overcome the Lonely Sea, […]
The Dark Hills Divide
Publishers Weekly: In his debut fantasy, the launch of the Land of Elyon series, Carman crafts an intriguingly insular world, and introduces a plucky, convincingly curious heroine who yearns to see what lies outside of it. Alexa Daley, 12 years old, lives within the walled kingdom of Elyon with her father, the mayor of Lathbury, […]
Wilderness
The New York Times – Jerry Griswold: Wilderness is that rare young adult novel that can speak to every member of the family: hardpressed moms, perceptive fathers, belligerent girls and risk-taking boys. Still, it seems primarily a boy's book, reminding me how I loved stories about survival that began with a small plane crashing in […]
Breakfast At Bloomingdale's
Synopsis: Kat's come to New York City with a dream: to be a big fashion designer and to see her name on a label in Bloomingdale's. Back in Kentucky, she imagined a city paved in Prada . . . but the reality isn't quite so fashionable. Still, there are friends to be made, boys to […]
Click
Publishers Weekly: Ten distinguished authors each write a chapter of this intriguing novel of mystery and family, which examines the lives touched by a photojournalist George Keane, aka Gee. The first chapter, by Linda Sue Park, begins with Gee's death and how it affects his granddaughter Maggie, who ponders the cryptic gift he has left […]