Summer Reading 2015 Scarlett Undercover

This is a great story for readers who enjoy a good mystery and like the idea of a young, female detective. This is not one of your mother's Nancy Drew stories. Scarlett is an early high school graduate who has started her own detective agency. Her backstory (which really needs to be its own book, soon), has the police detective who investigated her father's murder take her under his wing and teach her surveillance and other skills. He also signs her up for Muay Thai martial arts lessons. Scarlett, or Lettie, takes a case looking into the suicide of a local teen. Her client is Gemma, the younger sister of one of the dead boy's friends. Lettie thinks she will just be providing Gemma with some closure, but stumbles upon a dangerous secret that has been guarded for thousands of years and a cult of followers that will kill to get the treasure the secret protects.

Filled with ancient legends, the mystique of King Solomon, cults, assassins, tattoos, mysterious philanthropists, blackmail, and basic detective work, this is a story with a resourceful protagonist that will leave readers eager for more of her adventures. And with all the discussion lately about needing more diversity in books for young readers, it doesn't hurt that Scarlett is a Muslim teen, albeit one who follows contemporary American habits rather than the traditional customs that her sister Reem does. Altogether a good, fast-paced, mystery with interesting characters and unique plot twists.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Summer Reading 2015 From a Distant Star

"Starman" meets "The Fifth Wave" is what captures the feel of the story for me, although there is no alien invasion like in the Wave. Lucas is in a coma, dying from cancer when an object from space crashes on his family farm. His dog Mack is sniffing around the object before coming back into the house to snuggle next to Lucas. What no one realizes is that an extraterrestrial entity was present in the pod and it has hitched a ride on Mack and then entered the body of Lucas to protect itself. What they do see is Lucas making an incredible return to health.

Emma, Lucas's girlfriend, thinks that the potion she bought from the local magic practitioner, believes that she is responsible for the miraculous recovery her boyfriend makes that night. But Mrs. Kokesh, the potion maker, had warned that the Lucas she got back might not be the same boy she had loved before the cancer. At first Emma thinks that is why Lucas seems to have trouble speaking without unless he repeats what someone else says, and other oddities in his behavior. But at last Emma and Lucas's brother Eric figure out what has happened, and then the three teens have to solve the problem of how to get the real Lucas back and the visitor in his body back where he belongs.

Along the way there are sneaky government agents, conspiracy nuts, square dancers, SETI, and a major road trip. There are very realistic details portraying how a family with a teen dying of cancer would be dealing with the situation, but then the quest to get "Scout" (the alien visitor) home becomes a "Smoky and the Bandit" chase across the miles from the farm to where the radio equipment they need is located. We can see Emma's and Eric's love and concern for Lucas in the lengths they go to for his sake, and we root for a happy ending for Emma and Lucas's family, as well as for Scout.

If you like sci-fi/fantasy and don't mind some romance mixed in, or like romance and don't mind if some sci-fi/fantasy is mixed in - then read From a Distant Star.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

For more information about the author and her other books, visit her website.

Summer Reading 2015 Serafina and the Black Cloak

Since I live in East Tennessee, Biltmore House in North Carolina is a nearby tourist destination. I have visited several times and marveled at the luxuries available for the family and their guests- including a bowling alley and indoor pool. I've also seen some of the servant's quarters and areas like the kitchen. But the areas Serafina and her father are most familiar with down in the basement and mechanical rooms, are places that I've never seen. Serafina's father helped to build Biltmore and then stayed to tend the machines that keep it running, like the dynamo that provides electricity for the lights and modern conveniences. Unlike the other workers with families, he has chosen to live down in the boiler room (without permission) and he has his daughter hidden away down there with him. He constantly warns her that she must stay hidden, not draw attention to herself, and stay out of the forest around the estate.

Serafina is most active at night, preferring to come out while everyone is asleep and hunt for rats. (She catches them and then carries them out and throws them into the forest.) But one night, she hears something strange and following the noise, she becomes the witness to an attack on a young girl by a figure in a black cloak. The sinister figure tries to catch Serafina, but she manages to escape using her knowledge of the nooks and crannies of the house. Although her father thinks this is one of her fanciful stories or a nightmare, they learn the next day that the daughter of a guest has disappeared. Serafina is determined to find someone who will believe her and help her learn the identity of the dark figure.

Eventually she meets the Vanderbilt's nephew, Braeden, and they become an unlikely pair of friends. They both witness the figure attacking a young groom named Nolan and Braeden tells her of another guest whose daughter disappeared from the gardens. As readers make their way through the story, they may begin to notice the clues that lead Serafina to identify the villain, and they may also put together the hints of Serafina's own origins. 

Although most of the action centers in the mansion itself, some scenes take place in the forest around the estate (including some spooky moments in an abandoned cemetery). There are plenty of details provided about the house and its furnishings, the clothing of the staff and guests, and even examples of the range of people who were invited there. For middle grade readers (or older) who enjoy the world of Downton Abbey, this would be a similar world.

I really enjoyed how the story wove history, period detail, local legends, and fantasy elements together. Serafina is an heroine full of life and courage, even when she is frightened for herself and others. I also liked the friendship the grew between her and Braeden, overcoming the class distinctions and showing the commonalities between individuals no matter what their background. My favorite quote from the book is, "Our character isn't defined by the battles we win or lose, but by the battles we dare to fight." Serafina is definitely a daring character.

If you enjoy historical fiction, mysteries, fantasy, or combinations of those themes - you should give this book a try. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Spring Reading 2015 Grayson Volume 1: Agents of Spyral

I haven't read any of the Nightwing saga (although my nieces have discussed it with me), so this was a bit of a chronological jump in my own reading from Robin to Grayson. The artwork really brings out the brooding guy with a mysterious past persona, as well as emphasizing the defined muscles from all his acrobatics and martial arts training. The organization of Spyral is even more mysterious and there are plenty of instances that make the reader say, "Hmmm, no wonder Batman wants them investigated." Their ulterior motives are not clear and neither are their morals. Then again, what do you expect from a group that exists to use mind erosion, brainwashing, and misdirection?

The action is fast-paced. The banter is funny. The plot is devious. And you feel as if you've stepped into a reality where Dick Grayson grew up and became James Bond. There are guns, gadgets, women, international intrigue, and a troubled past that makes our hero more determined to save the world. Fans of the Boy Wonder will enjoy seeing him in an adult role, out on his own.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Summer Reading 2015 Aoleon The Martian Girl, Part 1: First Contact

I just finished Part 1 of Aoleon The Martian Girl. For those adults who worry that kids don't get enough high level vocabulary from the books they read, here is a story that would lay that worry to rest. Words such as pincers, trajectory, affirmative, vector, hemisphere and many others are used throughout the book. And there is no need to worry about whether this is a book for girls or boys, since the title character is female and the Terran she meets and befriends is male. The story itself is funny and fast-paced, with Aoleon and Gilbert being chased by F-22 Raptors and a top-secret Aurora Interceptor before they leave Earth and travel to Aoleon's home. Even though Gilbert lives on a farm in Nebraska, he has always had an interest in space and is very open-minded about meeting an alien. It seems that young people of all planets have things in common, since Aoleon's mother calls and tells her to get home for dinner. Of course, instead of just yelling out the back door, this mother has to contact her daughter's space capsule.

Adults will notice that several of the things Gilbert says refer to popular sci-fi movies. For instance, when they reach Mars and descend into the Olympus Mons, he blurts out, "That's no volcano - that's a space station!" And when a moog (a Martian pet) tries to lick him and gets its suction-cup tongue stuck to his helmet, he says, "I just hope nothing bursts out from my chest!" There are also distinct similarities between Farmer Johnson (who owns the field in which Aoleon chooses to create her crop circle), and Edgar from "Men in Black." 

The situation on Mars is tense, with the government controlling many aspects of life and trying to capture a prophet who wants to return Mars to democratic ways. We won't actually learn much about that until later in the story, but it gives the adventure some added depth. Rather than just two interplanetary friends on a joy ride, Aoleon and Gilbert are actually "chosen" to help prevent an invasion of Earth. I'm very interested to see how two kids are able to stop an evil dictator from seizing control of our planet.

The author was kind enough to send me an advance copy of the book to review.

Summer Reading 2015 Little Red Riding Hood: An Interactive Fairy Tale Adventure

In this choose-your-own-adventure version of Red Riding Hood, the reader has three scenarios to choose from. Will it be the modern day city where the evil fairy tale wolves have retired, but still hunt in the park at night? How about the wartime setting of children being smuggled through the woods to keep them safe from the wolfish soldiers? Or perhaps the future where everyone wears Focus Hoods and is under the mind control of the hoods, except for brave resistance fighters like Agent Granny would suit you better? Whichever setting you choose, there are also many choices within each story. Do you trust the wolf or run? Do you try to fight or freeze in terror? Does someone rescue you? Do you rescue yourself? Or do wind up becoming dessert for a hairy villain?

Eric Braun has chosen story lines that take the traditional elements of Red Riding Hood and turn them into brand new adventures full of twists and turns. I think many readers will wind up doing what I did - going back again and again to see what the consequences of each choice are and which leads to the best outcome. This would be excellent to include in a unit on fairy tales, or for lessons on cause and effect. Whether they are in a school library, on a classroom bookshelf, or part of a child's personal book collection, copies of this book will see a lot of use.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Summer Reading 2015 The Secrets of Blueberries, Brothers, Moose, and Me

I finished this book earlier today, but I had to wait a bit before writing about it. The voice of Missy (the main character), sounded amazingly similar to my own at that age and it brought back memories and feelings from those times in my life that needed to settle a little. Missy is at that age where everything is changing - her brother is worried about going to high school, her father is getting remarried, her best friends have decided they are too old now to do some of the things they have always done together - nothing is the same. As most tweens and teens do, Missy fluctuates between anger, bewilderment, and laughter as she tries to come to terms with her life.

By the end of the story, Missy comes to the end of a long roller coaster of emotional upheaval and has a very mature thought as she watches her mother and father. "...do you turn those things off - close them like a book you once loved but couldn't possibly read again? And if so, are our lives made up of books like that? Entire collections of moments that make us who we are, but are impossible to keep open all at once?" As a librarian and book lover, I love the imagery and find it very true.

I don't want to give you the idea that this is a maudlin book, because it has plenty of bright moments, too. One of my favorite scenes is when Missy goes to her friend's house to help her pack for summer camp. Constance and Allie are going to camp, but Missy always helps on Packing Day. This year, Allie has decided she wants to be called Allison and both girls are worried about packing their bras (now that they wear them). Missy proclaims in a robot voice, "I-See-That-You-Two-AreVery-Grown-Up-Now-That-You-Go-to-Sleepaway-Campand-Also-Wear-Bras...Perhaps-We-Should-Also-Discuss-Marriage-And-Careers." Although sometimes the humor is the kind that is laughing to keep from crying, Missy is very funny.

For readers going through those transitional times in their own lives, whether it is going from tween to teen, from elementary school to middle school, or some other big adjustment, this story will resonate with you. Perfect for those who enjoy realistic fiction, coming-of-age stories, writers like Cynthia Rylant or Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.