Something Upstairs

Something Upstairs
by Avi

As far as Kenny Huldorf was concerned, Los Angeles was a perfect place to live. All his life he had lived in perfect spring and summer-like weather. So moving to Providence, Rhode Island wasn't his idea of happiness. When Kenny got to the new house, he drifted from empty room to room. He remembers a feeling that the house somehow wasn't empty. He stepped into the attic and felt unease, then a faint rustling sound started. As Kenny was leaving, he saw a stain. As he looked at it, the thought came that it was blood, human blood.

Tap. Tap. Kenny looks at the time. 2:35 a.m. He went into the attic. A boy was rising out of the stain on the floor! His name was Caleb, and he was murdered in 1800! Caleb asks Kenny to help him find his murdered and stop him from killing Caleb. Kenny is faced with the decision that will affect his life because he will have to travel back in time, and if he gets hurt or loses something, Kenny will be trapped in the past forever. Will Kenny help Caleb? Will he become a prisoner of the past?

The only way to find out is by reading "Something Upstairs" by Avi.

This book was suspenseful and unpredictable. At first I thought this book would be boring and Kenny would simply do something to save Caleb, but it had lots of twists in the story. I would recommend this book to someone who likes a good ghost story.

-O. Casbarro

Incantation

Incantation
By Alice Hoffman

Imagine living all your life and never knowing your real name. Estrella deMadrigal grew up without knowing she had a different name, a dangerous name: a Jewish name. Estrella lives in Spain over 500 years ago, and at that time, people who were Jewish could be imprisoned, tortured, and even killed. Estrella lives her life blissfully unaware of the danger she and her entire family are in, until one day when everything changes. This is a powerful book about faith and intolerance, and Estrella is a brave and powerful character who confronts her changing world with heart.

-Ms. McConnel

The Breadwinner

The Breadwinner
By Deborah Ellis

Parvana lives in modern Afghanistan, and her life has been shattered over and over again. First there were the bombings which forced her family to move and give up many of their belongings. Then, for no reason, the new government arrests her father, making the family virtually helpless. Because of the rules of the Taliban government, women can not work, and rarely leave the home. Parvana is young enough that she can pass for a boy, so her mother and sister help her to create a disguise so she can earn money to support them during their father’s imprisonment. As a boy, Parvana sees things she has never seen before, and even helps save the life of a stranger. This is a wonderful book which leaves the reader wanting to know more (and yes, there is a sequel!)

-Ms. McConnel

How to Steal a Dog

How to Steal a Dog
by Barbara O'Conner

At the beginning, there is a family that lives in their car. It's just the mom and her two kids, since the dad left a few months before. When the dad left, the family was living in an apartment, but he took all their money except for a jar filled with one dollar bills. Obviously, that wasn't enough to keep their apartment, so they ended up in the car. The daughter decides to steal a dog to collect the reward money and help her family.

I think this book was very good. It was also exciting. Whenever she left to go steal the dog, you always wonder what will happen next. I also like this book because it tells about things that really happen in real life. Read this book to find out what happens!

-B. Clark

Becoming Naomi Leon

Becoming Naomi Leon
By Pam Munoz Ryan

Naomi and her brother Owen have been living quite happily with their Gram in the city of Lemon Tree. All that changes when Naomi’s mother comes back into the picture. After abandoning her children years ago, she suddenly wants Naomi to come live with her. In a fit of desperation, Gram decides that they must go look for the children’s father in Mexico, the father that neither Naomi or Owen remember at all. The journey takes them into Mexico, and Naomi begins to discover more about herself and her own dreams than she had thought possible: in fact, she realizes that she does have the heart of the lion she is named for. This is a beautiful book, and Naomi is a character you can really cheer for.

-Ms. McConnel

The Akhenaten Adventure

The Akhenaten Adventure
By P.B. Kerr

In this exciting fantasy novel, twins Phillipa and John discover that they posses certain extraordinary powers, not to mention deep connections with fire and the powerful creatures we know as genies, the Djinn. First, the twins travel to England to visit their strange uncle, Nimrod, and then they find themselves pulled to Egypt and even to the North Pole on an epic quest for something to tip the balance in the battle between good and evil. Villains are everywhere and no one can be trusted, as the twins find out the hard way. This book is the first in a series, so the adventures just keep coming. If you liked “The Lightning Thief” and “Harry Potter”, be sure to read this book!

-Ms. McConnel

Scorpia

Scorpia
by Anthony Horowitz

Alex Rider is the youngest agent in M16, a British intelligence agency. He is not allowed to tell anyone of his "other" life, not even his best friend Tom Harris. Alex seems to always find danger and is very good at getting out of it. People don't expect that from a boy that is only fourteen years old. In this adventure, Alex tried to find out the truth surrounding his father's death. He discovers more than he is ready to learn.

Scorpia is the fifth book in a series by Anthony Horowitz.

-N. Heilman

Everlost

EVERLOST
by Neal Shusterman

What if you woke up only to find out you were dead? Neal and Allie are both killed when the separate cars they are driving in collide head on. After nine months they wake up still wearing the clothes they were killed in and the chocolate candy Neal was eating smeared, eternally, all over his face. While they feel that nothing about themselves has changed they soon realize they no longer have to breathe, eat, or sleep. They also no longer feel pain except in their hearts and yearn for the lives they lost and the family and friends they loved. It seems like they are stuck between life and death like other kids in Everlost and if they are not careful they will sink into the ground and wind up in the center of the Earth to be lost forever.

This book is a wonderful read from an author who has a great imagination and the talent to put his ideas into words.


-Mr. Tim Dale

I Got a "D" in Salami

I Got a “D” in Salami
By Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver

Hank is having a hard time at school, and he is determined to win the spelling competition to prove he isn’t stupid. Even though he spends lots of time studying, the words just don’t seem to stick in his brain, and his teacher sends him home with a “D” on his report card in spelling, and math, and reading. Hank doesn’t want to tell his parents about the report card, and somehow, it ends up in the meat shredder at his mom’s deli. Once Hank starts lying, though, things get out of control, and that shredded report card just may cost his mother her job. Hank is an incredibly relatable character, and the trouble he has in school will be recognized by many students.

-Ms. McConnel

Journey to the River Sea

Journey to the River Sea
By Eva Ibbotson

Although Maia is an orphan, she is surprisingly rich and well-off. When she is sent from her school in England to stay with distant relatives in Brazil, she prepares herself for an adventure on the banks of the Amazon river. Unfortunately, Maia’s relatives hate living in the jungle, and love keeping Maia cooped up inside. Her uncle collects glass eyes, her aunt has a desperate fear of insects, and her cousins, twin girls whom Maia had hoped would be her friends, are quite nasty and rude to her. If it weren’t for her governess, Minty, and the other friends she makes in Brazil, Maia would have a miserable time. When she meets a boy named Fin, Maia finds the adventure she was seeking, and it changes her life forever.

-Ms. McConnel

Matilda Bone

Matilda Bone
By Karen Cushman

Matilda has been raised with all the education of a lady in the middle ages, but without love. An orphan in a large manor house, her only real companion has been the priest who has taught her about heaven and hell, saints and demons, and very little about the world around them. When the priest is called away, Matilda finds herself sent to Blood and Bone Alley, to live and work with a bonesetter named Red Peg. As Matilda tries to remain saintly and thoughtful, she is thrust into the world of medieval medicine, and is forced to rely on her own skills instead of her prayers. However, Matilda can’t quite reconcile her spiritual beliefs with the harsh world around her, and she continues to struggle with ideas of right and wrong. Matilda is a wonderful character, and she grows and evolves as the story progresses, becoming at last someone unique and original.

This book is a fun story, with lots of interesting details about medicine and doctors in the middle ages, including lots of ideas that seem pretty silly to modern readers.

-Ms. McConnel

Inkdeath

Inkdeath
by Cornelia Funke

Mo and his family have been living on a deserted farm ever since they escaped the Castle of Night, to hide from Adderhead. For them life is peaceful, but just about every night Mo is called by his fellow robbers to go and help a defenseless village as the Bluejay. His wife Resa is desperate for a way back to the real world, so she must sink as low as asking Orpheus, a man who almost killed Mo, to write her family back. He agrees, but only if Mo summons the White Women, Death's daughters, so he can talk with them. In a graveyard, Mo calls them. One by one they appear around him, and just like that he disappears in the midst of their shadowy bodies.

"Inkdeath" has definitely been my favorite book in the entire trilogy. Like the other two, it is a fairly long book, but it never drops your attention. There was not a dull moment in this story. Every time you think the story might be cooling down, a dramatic change pops out of nowhere that you would never have seen coming. Have you ever read a book that is so predictable that you fall asleep while reading? Well, "Inkdeath" will sure wake you up with all of its exciting twists and turns. All of the characters are described in such detail that they practically jump off of the page. The only bad part about this book was when I had to close the cover for the last time. I would definitely recommend "Inkdeath" to anyone who wants to dive into a thrilling story.

-E. Porter

Inkspell

Inkspell
by Cornelia Funke

Even though a year has passed, Meggie still can't keep "Inkheart" off her mind. Dustfinger, who's been desperately searching for a way to get back into the book, has finally found a solution with a man who says he can read him back in. When this magical story teller intentionally leaves Farid, Dustfinger's apprentice, out of his promise, Farid goes in search of Meggie. With the opportunity in front of her, Meggie reads Farid and herself into the book with Orpheus's words. When that same crafty story teller, along with Basta and Mortola show up in Elinor's front porch, he reads Basta, Mortola, Resa, and Mo into the story, leaving him and a cumbersome thug alone with Elinor and Darius. while in the story, Mo is forced to take on a new role as the Bluejay. As all these newcomers to the story adapt and entwine themselves within the book, they discover that the story has derailed from its original track and has evolved in ways none of them could have imagined.

Overall, I perceived "Inkspell" to be a thrilling and enticing adventure. I really liked how each chapter started with an excerpt from another story that still deals with the events of the chapter. The book is fairly long but is keeps you captivated with ever-changing scenes and plot events. I really liked how you got to see and understand more about the characters. Lastly, I thought the ending was adequate but it left me thirsting for the next book in the series.

-E. Porter

Inkheart

Inkheart
by Cornelia Funke

This book is a thrilling adventure about a 12-year-old girl named Meggie who becomes entwined in a story much like the ones she reads. Meggie lives a fairly regular life with her dad who restores books, when one night a strange man named Dustfinger appears on their doorstep. After her dad talks with the man he tells her that they are going to her great aunt's house. Dustfinger goes with them and while they are there her father is kidnapped. The next day, Dustfinger leads them to where he says her father was taken. It turns out to be a trap. Meggie is locked in the same cell as her father, and on that night she discovers that nine years earlier her father was reading aloud when Dustfinger and the villains who are responsible for their confinement appeared. Somehow, the characters came out of the book. For every character taken out of a book, something must go in. On that night so many years ago, Meggie's mother was trapped in the story that started the wild adventure that would change Meggie's life forever.

I would say that overall Inkheart is a good novel. One of the big issues that I disliked was the length of the book. It had a good beginning and a great end, but the middle wasn't the best. Despite this, whenever there was an interesting part, the event seemed to jump right off the page. The characters in the book were well-developed and made you feel like they were real people. The ending was hands down the best part, with suspense and unseen events at every turn. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get lost in a story full of adventure.

-E. Porter

Julie of the Wolves

Julie of the Wolves
By Jean Craighead George

Miyax is a young Eskimo girl who is sometimes called “Julie” by her friends and teachers. She goes through a lot of hardship in her childhood: first, her mother dies, then, her father disappears on a hunting trip. Miyax is left with no choice but to marry her betrothed when she is thirteen. At first, she is happy in her new life, but when her husband attacks her, she makes up her mind to flee. Out alone on the Alaskan tundra, Miyax loses her way, and food is running out. Will she be able to convince a powerful wolf pack to adopt her as one of their own, or will she starve alone in the frozen north? This is a wonderful adventure novel.

-Ms. McConnel

Tangerine

Tangerine
By Edward Bloor

Paul Fisher is legally blind, but that doesn’t stop him from playing soccer. With the help of extra strong glasses, Paul can see just fine, as long as you don’t sneak up behind him. A malicious “accident” caused Paul’s blindness, and readers are kept wondering what really happened until the end of the book. Paul’s brother, Eric, is a football star, and Paul’s parents don’t come to any soccer games because they are always cheering Eric on. In their new home of Tangerine, Florida, both boys start to grow and to create lives for themselves, but tragedy just keeps striking, like the lightning that kills a boy at football practice. This is a wonderful book for anyone who has ever felt just a little bit different.

-Ms. McConnel


Paul is a boy who moves from Houston, Texas to Tangerine, Florida. He is legally blind but can see with glasses. He lives in an expensive neighborhood and goes to an expensive school. Then, one rainy day, a big sink hole opened up and gobbled up the seventh grade trailers. He has to go to a much older, worn-down school. Paul wasn't always blind. He does not remember who or what made him blind. Does he find out?

This is a story filled with ups and downs, twists and turns. If you hang on for the ride, you will be amazed at how it all turns out.

-L. Hall

"Tangerine" is a book about a kid named Paul Fisher. He has a brother who his dad watches play football all the time. Paul is blind, but he play soccer (goalie). At the beginning he is moving from Houston, Texas, to Tangerine, Florida. When he gets there many weird things happen. A kid on his brother's football team is struck down by lightning, and another boy, the inventor of the Golden Dawn Tangerine, is hit by someone and dies. While Paul is in Tangerine he finds out things about how we was blinded and more.

If you want to find out more of what happens in "Tangerine", you'll have to read the book! This book has amazed me and made me want to keep it. When I got to the end, I wanted it to just keep going.

-J. Clemson

Dovey Coe

Dovey Coe
By Frances O’Roark Dowell

Dovey is 12 years old, a bit of a rebel, and on trial for murder. Her sister, Caroline, spent the summer being wooed by the richest boy in town, Parnell. Dovey hates Parnell, and has not made any secret of her feelings for him. Is it any wonder, then, that when she is discovered at the scene of the murder, she is the only suspect? Dovey is a great character who will jump off the pages of the book and into your mind. This book is a quick read, and very enjoyable.

-Ms. McConnel

The Egypt Game

The Egypt Game
By Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Moving to a new town is never easy, but for April, who’s used to Hollywood, moving to live with her grandmother in a small apartment is a rough transition. April’s just waiting for her mother to send for her, once she gets her big break into the movies. In the meantime, April sticks out like a sore thumb at school: she wears big false eyelashes, and has a wild imagination. When April meets Melanie, she finds her match in imaginative powers. In a deserted old alley way, the two girls invite the Egypt Game: a world of make-believe and ancient Egyptian magic and mystery that grows increasingly real. More kids join the game, but then the unthinkable happens: a child in the neighborhood is murdered. Will one of the “Egyptians” be next? I loved this book when I was a student, and re-reading it reminded me just how exciting and suspenseful the story is!

-Ms. McConnel

Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express
By Agatha Christie

A man with many enemies is murdered in the night on a train, and the train is stuck in a snow bank. The murderer can not escape, yet the train full of witnesses swear they saw someone running away. Pieces of the crime don’t seem to fit, however, and the detective Hercule Poirot starts putting the pieces together in a way that seems to make the passengers nervous. Who is the killer? And can Poirot solve the case before the killer selects another victim?

-Ms. McConnel

The Man who was Poe

The Man who was Poe
By Avi

When Edmund mysteriously loses first his mother, then his aunt, then his sister, he finds himself thrust into the dark city streets of Providence, alone and frightened. He encounters a very strange man who seems to want to help him to recover his family. Edmund has little choice but to work with this stranger, despite his seeming insanity. Edmund realizes that he is working with the great American writer, Edgar Allen Poe, but all is not as it should be. Is Poe using Edmund to create yet another tragic mystery story for his pen, or does he genuinely want to help the boy find his family while they are still alive? Edmund must decide to accept help from the only adult willing to listen, whatever the consequences, or set out to find his family alone, facing the unknown evils of the city.

-Ms. McConnel

Dealing with Dragons

Dealing with Dragons
By Patricia C. Wrede

Princess Cimorene is anything but a typical princess: she won’t learn dancing, embroidery or etiquette, but she LOVES fencing, cooking, and juggling, all of which are not the proper activities for a princess, according to her parents. Finally, her parents go too far, and try to force her to marry a prince from a near-by kingdom. Cimorene takes her fate into her own hands and heads off to find the fierce dragons on the outskirts of the kingdom, thinking that if she is eaten, she won’t have to be married. Instead of frying her for dinner, the dragons allow her to live with them as their cook. This wonderful book is the first in a series of four, providing ample time for Cimorene to keep doing exactly what isn’t proper.

-Ms. McConnel

Al Capone Does My Shirts

Al Capone Does My Shirts
By Gennifer Choldenko

Moose hasn’t committed any crime, but he still finds himself forced to live on Alcatraz Island, America’s most famous prison and home to such criminals as the gangster Al Capone. While Moose just wants to play baseball and try to forget about living next door to criminals, his sister, Natalie, needs him to help her while she tries, fails, and tries again to be accepted into a school which can address her special needs. As if Natalie doesn’t make Moose stressed out enough, Moose gets roped in to some schemes with the other children on the island, including the sneaky daughter of the warden, Piper. It’s the Great Depression, and people are out of work everywhere. Will Moose be the reason his father loses his job? Will Natalie ever have a place she will feel at home? Will Al Capone break all the rules of the prison to help Moose? Read the book and find out!

-Ms. McConnel

Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl
By Eoin Colfer

Boy genius Artemis Fowl doesn’t need to commit robbery: his family is one of the richest in the United Kingdom. Artemis turns to a life of crime simply to test his wits. But does he go to far when he steals from the Fairies, who work very hard to keep their existence secret from humans? With the help of his bodyguard, Butler, and Butler’s sister, Juliet, Artemis must outwit the Fairies or see his home, and possibly his life, destroyed. This book is the first in an exciting series packed with action, crime, and wonderful characters.

-Ms. McConnel


Artemis Fowl is a criminal mastermind, a genius, and he’s 12. Combining his 12 year old and adult personalities becomes very dangerous and at the same time useful. With the still childish belief in fairies he decides to capture one for its gold and simply to test his own genius. With the size of his intellect it isn’t long before a fairy, Captain Holly Short, is his prisoner. He soon learns that these aren’t your once upon a time kind of fairies but a super advanced race that means business. When Holly’s comrades come to save her everything doesn’t go quite as either side had planned.
I have to admit, when I read the back and saw that it was another book about fairies, I wasn’t that excited. It wasn’t 20 pages before I didn’t want to put the book down. Yes, there are still fairies in the book but the way the author describes them I completely forget that he is talking about fairies. There is hardly a dull second throughout the book. There is always a new turn or twist to be had. The setting, characters, and actions are described so well I felt like I was watching a movie. Overall I would definitely recommend this book to fairy-tale lovers and sci-fi readers alike.

-E. Porter

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
By John Boyne

When Bruno comes home to find the maid packing his belongings, he isn’t really sure what is happening. His mother tells him they will be moving, leaving Berlin at the command of the “Fury” to move to a place which Bruno calls “Out-with”. Bruno does not really understand why they have moved, nor does he understand why there is a large fence outside his window which separates his family from people called “Jews”. This story takes place during World War Two, but Bruno doesn’t really know about the war. He just knows he’s lonely…until he meets a boy on the other side of the fence.

-Ms. McConnel

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
By Avi

Charlotte Doyle, a well-to-do teenager, finds her world torn apart when her family moves from England to America. Forced to sail after her family, she finds herself the only passenger on a sailing ship with secrets in every corner. There is a stowaway, a cruel captain, and a murder…which Charlotte faces trial for! Will she make it to America, or will she be lost at sea, killed by the crazed captain and the bloodthirsty crew?

-Ms. McConnel

Crispin: The Cross of Lead

Crispin: The Cross of Lead
By Avi

Crispin finds his life turned upside down following the sudden death of his mother. Before, he had been a lonely boy without a father or a friend. Now, he is an orphan, running through the night, pursued by people who are determined to kill him: and he doesn’t know why. As he flees, he meets Bear, a traveling minstrel and entertainer, who begins to care for Crispin as if her were his own son. But who is Crispin’s father, and will he save him if he can be found? Or will Crispin end up facing the same fate as his mother: death?

-Ms. McConnel

The Wright 3

The Wright 3
By Blue Balliett

Petra and Calder have solved mysteries before, but they have never been in such a creepy situation as this! With the help of Tommy, who has just moved back to town, the students begin investigating some strange happenings at an old house in their neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. The town wants to destroy the house, and the children are determined to solve the mystery and save the historic landmark: but what if the wrong people find out what they are doing?

-Ms. McConnel

LeRoy and the Old Man

LeRoy and the Old Man
By W.E. Butterworth

When LeRoy witnesses a gang stabbing, his mother sends him to Mississippi to live with his grandfather until things calm down. At first, LeRoy thinks this is going to be awful, but his grandfather turns out to be more interesting than he expected. LeRoy learns to run a shrimp boat in the Gulf of Mexico and to drive a truck for the first time. LeRoy and his grandfather begin to form a tight bond, which is suddenly in danger of ripping apart when LeRoy’s father comes back into town and asks LeRoy to choose between what is right and what is easy. This is a great story about family and making the right choices when life is hard.

Chasing Vermeer

Chasing Vermeer
By Blue Balliett

What if some of the most famous paintings in the world were frauds? An art thief tells the world just that, after stealing a priceless painting by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. The thief leaves a ransom note, but they aren’t asking for money: they are asking museums all over the world to look at their art work and declare which works are not actually painted by Vermeer, and are just very good frauds. Sixth graders Calder and Petra team up in Chicago, Illinois, thinking they can find the stolen painting and solve the fraud issue all at the same time. Coincidences lead them along, but this mystery may have been more than they bargained for!

-Ms. McConnel

The House of the Scorpion

The House of the Scorpion
By Nancy Farmer

Matt has always known he was different: he doesn’t have a father, and the woman who acts like his mother tells him he has only been loaned to her for a short while. When Matt sees some other children, however, he learns the truth: he is a clone of the most powerful man in the country of Opium, and clones are considered less important than farm animals. Slowly, Matt begins to piece together the clues all around him, and when he discovers what his life is for, he can not accept the horrifying answer. This is a wonderful science fiction story set in the not too distant future, and as Matt overcomes more and more challenges, the reader can’t help but wonder when his luck will run out.

-Ms. McConnel

The House of The Scorpion revolves around Matt. A clone made from a high authority person in Mexico. His name is El Patron. When he is not around every body treats Matt like trash. But when he is around, the treat him was well as El Patron. In the book Matt, along with his favorite helper Rosa, tries to find what out what is means to be human. But is it possible that he is not a clone............the truth will change Mat forever. To find out the truth about Matt you have to read the book The House of the Scorpion

-S. Rauf