The Final Mission Alex Rider Scorpia Rising!

By Anthony Horowitz

One word describes this book—INTENSE!  No more mister nice guy!  Alex one the youngest spies ever in MI6, the British Spy Organization has now turned 15. He and Jac Starbright, his adult caretaker have settled down in London and Alex has decided no more spying. Spying killed both of his parents and frankly he was done with it. 

Alex is enjoying a “boring” no disaster life as just a regular high school student.  Then out of the blue Alex notices a man on the rooftop across from the school and in a split second realizes that he is the target of the sniper. Chaos breaks out! Alex now needs to go underground to just stay alive.  MI6 “helps” him by enrolling Alex into an International School in Cairo, Egypt.  Unbeknownst to Alex the agency needed him again—needed him in a big way and Cairo International School was at the center of it.  Scorpia the world’s most dangerous terrorist organization was planning to steal the Elgin Marbles from Britain and return them to Greece.  The plan also incorporated taking out Alex Rider—he had foiled and even killed a couple of Scorpia members.  It was time for revenge! 

The terrorist characters are intense and the most dangerous enemy Alex will ever fight.  After all he is just a boy—he hardly stands a chance against men who have been terrorists all their lives.  Remember this is the final mission!

I loved this book but I actually put it down because I was really bored in the first 6 or 7 chapters—they didn’t event contain Alex!  Author Anthony Horowitz spent a lot of time carefully depicting each of the Scorpia terrorists. Razeem—he really sent chills up and down my spine!  Nightmares in fact!  I discovered later it was important to be in their heads as the plot was rolled out.  Midway through the book I couldn’t put it down!  The final chapters were thrillers!  This is a must read—I read the first and last ones only.  A good choice!

Author Website:  http://anthonyhorowitz.com/alexrider/

Spells

By Aprilynne Pike

New York: HarperTeen, 2010.

Grades 6 and Up.  359 Pages

 

This is the second book in the Wings series.  It is as delightful as author herself!  I met Ms. Pike just after her first book came out!  She is was very down-to-earth and easy going.  My students loved her!

 

In this book Laurel starts off by spending the summer in Avalon, the faerie realm.  She needs to go there to have very concentrated faerie studies as living in the human world she has missed out on much.  Ms. Pike does a great job describing all the different faeries and the world of Avalon in this book.  While in Avalon, Laurel spends some time getting to know Tamani and his family.  Just when you think this relationship might be going somewhere. . . back to the real world and her boyfriend David.  Laurel continues to practice her potions because she knows that she is going to need some defense against those nasty trolls who want to capture her and have her reveal the gates of Avalon.  No one is safe—not her family or friends.  A new character is added in this book—a human who is after the evil trolls.  Laurel is not sure she can be trusted but David buys into her hook line and sinker!  There are a couple of kisses in this book—but by who?  Who is Laurel really true to?  I am ready to take on book 3 Spells! 

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

By Jacqueline Kelly

New York:  Henry Holt, 2009.

340 pages Grades 5-8

Genre:  Historical Fiction

 

 

The year is 1899, the state is Texas and the lead character is the very spunky Calpurnia Virgina Tate known as Callie V.  Callie is eleven years old and has six brothers and lives at the turn of the century.  The author does a wonderful job portraying life of a young girl at that time.  At Callie’s age she will be learning how to cook the family meals, entering her sewing into contests at the fair and her studies would be how to run a household.  But Callie has many, many questions and they are not about how to knit but about nature.  Why are the green grasshoppers bigger than the yellow ones?  Since, several generations live together in one household Callie gets to spend time with her cranky grandfather, who is a naturalist.  Once grandfather sees Callie’s passion for science he opens her eyes to much more than just science!  Mother tells her she can become a teacher or a telephone operator but Callie secretly wants to become a scientist. Listen to the voice of Callie V as she tries to break out of the mold of “what a young lady should be like”.  This is a delightful historical fiction novel that will have you rooting for women’s rights!

One Dog and His Boy

By Eva Ibbotson

New York: Scholastic Press, 2011.

282 pages Grades 4-7

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

 

How far would a boy go for his dog?  If you said to the ends of the earth you would be talking about Hal.  All he ever wanted was a dog.  Hal was an only child, whose parents were very wealthy—dad traveled around the world making money while mom stayed at home finding ways to spend it.  Both were preoccupied with things other than their son, Hal.  Since Hal’s dad had forgotten to get him a present for his birthday, he promised to take Hal down and let him pick out a dog.  What Hal didn’t know was that the dad had rented the dog for the weekend.  Rented the DOG!  While Hal was at a Dentist appointment his mom returned the dog as she would never let him have a dog for it would ruin their luxurious home.  Hal was devastated.  He planned to runaway to his grandparents home and got some help along the way from a girl named Pippa.  Eva Ibbotson, the author does a fabulous job developing all the characters in this book:  the snobbish parents, the kind maid, animal loving Pippa and Kayley, the dastardly pair who run “Easy Pets” Dog Rental, Fleck the mutt who falls in love with Hal and the five dogs who run off with Hal and Fleck.  Move over Incredible Journey and Homeward Bound, One Dog and His Boy will have you cheering in this wonderful adventure of a boy and his dog!

 

If Only

By Carole Geithner

New York:  Scholastic Press, 2012

327 pages  Grades 5-7

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

 

If only…her mother hadn’t died.  This is the story of thirteen year old Corinna Burdette who is just getting ready to start her eighth grade year when her mom dies just a month before school starts.  It is already hard  just being a thirteen year old but add to that having no mom around, friends who feel sorry for you and don’t know what to say (so they just ignore you) and a dad who is so grief stricken that he is having a tough time just trying to be dad let alone mom and dad.  This story is beautifully told in first person.  This story gives Corinna and all other kids who have lost a mom a voice and hope. Come experience Corrina’s eighth grade year as she grieves the loss of her mother and tries to find herself again.  This is a wonderful novel for middle schoolers (and adults too)!

Junonia

By Kevin Henkes

New York:  Greenwillow Press, 2011.

176 Pages  Grades 4 & 5.

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Alice Rice lives in Wisconsin and goes every February to Sanibel Island for her birthday.  It is so much fun, all the same people come every year—it has been very comforting to know what to expect each year.  This year Alice is turning ten years old and she is very excited, she has the week all planned out.

But nothing is as Alice expects—Alice is often mad and even angry.  What could possibly upset her world?  I often felt that Alice was being spoiled by her parents and that she truly acted like an only child. By the end of the book I came to realize that at 10, “we” were the center of our own universe and that stepping out and showing sympathy and empathy is all part of growing up!!

 

The Runaway Dolls

By Ann Martin and Laura Godwin       

New York:  Hyperion Books, 2008.

323 pages   Grades 4-6

Genre:  Fantasy

This is the third book in The Doll People Series.  This is a delightful story of Annabelle Doll, an antique doll of sorts and her best friend, Tiffany Funcraft.  Tiffany is a large, newer, plastic doll.  They were just beginning to enjoy the time that their human family has gone away on vacation when they discover a package from Tiffany’s old doll maker.  Since the wrapping was loose, the dolls who come to life while their humans are gone, loosened the lid and out popped a doll that looked a lot like Annabelle.  Annabelle is convinced it is her long lost little sister.  Annabelle is sure that her mom will make Tilly Mae go back in the box so Annabelle, Tiffany and Tilly runaway—right out the cat door.  That is when the adventures begin!  They get so far away from home it looks like they might get split up and have new owners—read the final book in The Doll People Story!  It is a delightful read!

 Great for 5^th and 6^th graders!!

Ann Martin website

The Emerald Atlas

By John Stephens

This is a first novel for John Stephens which appears to the first in a series of adventures for–four year old Kate, two year old Michael and one year old Emma.  Three children whose lives were in danger were given away one Christmas Eve by parents who were desperate to keep them safe.  Over the next ten years they were in and out of eleven horrible orphanages.  The last orphanage was different—they were the only three children there.  While there, they find  a “magic” book that allows time travel.  They accidentally go back in time and they meet a mighty wizard, a very evil countess, dwarves, a great warrior and find some magical powers that lie within themselves.  They yearn to find their parents but get only a passing glance—as they struggle to save themselves and all the children of a town that had been taken by the evil countess.  If you like Harry Potter, The Alchemyst, or Narnia—you’ll love this first book in the trilogy! 

Author Website:  Has a great book trailer!

Eight Keys

By Suzanne LaFleur

Hi I’m Elise welcome to my miserable life.   I am getting ready to start 6^th grade at the Middle School and I was really kind of excited until the day before school starts, I was playing Knights with my very best friend, Franklin when I took a tumble down a hill (while I was defending my castle) I had scratches and scrapes that bled all over the place.  So on the first day of school when the temperature was soaring I was forbidden to wear long pants to cover up my hideous legs.  Then in my first class I set  my backpack down and it scrapes my leg and my scabs open up…(read the page that corresponds to this).  Amanda made my life miserable!  I get way behind in homework and I am in a downward spiral.  Franklin my best friend seems to make kids picking on me worse.  I go home to Aunt Bessie and Uncle Hugh who really love me but I still feel empty inside.  My mom died giving birth to me and dad died a couple years later from Cancer.  I am not really sure who I am until I find the Seven Keys.  Perhaps the first one was hanging in the barn but each one opens a secret to who I am.  Join me in the adventure of Eight Keys and my totally awful start to middle school.

Planet Middle School

By Nikki Grimes

New York: Bloomsbury, 2011.

154 Pages.  Great for grades 5 & 6.

 

A funny and uplifting coming of age story. Just what does that mean? Coming of age usually means a time of change—changes physically, emotionally and academically.  That is just what is happening to Joylin as she enters puberty and tries to balance her bodily changes with her life—basketball.  She and her best-friend Jake have been playing basketball one-on-one for as long as she can remember but now he prefers  playing with guys and he is afraid to play her tough, now that she is more “womanly.”  That just makes Joylin mad but she gets a huge crush on a new boy Santiago, and now she is just confused!  She trades in her sweats for a first ever skirt! Experience the ups and downs of being a middle schooler in this uplifting story told in free verse poems.  Find out from Joylin what is truly important in life!  Author Website:  http://www.nikkigrimes.com/books/bkplanet.html