The Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles Series #1) by Rick Riordan (audio)

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane.

One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.

Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them —Set— has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe - a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.

My thoughts:
I listened to this book in the car with my children.  We loved Riordan's Percy Jackson series as well as the first two books in the Lost Hero series, so this seemed like  it was going to be a good fit.  Something about this one though never managed to grab me.  My children seemed to like it well enough, but I had trouble getting into it and it took us forever to manage to get through it all.  Maybe because I am mostly unfamiliar with Egyptian gods, maybe because the characters were so sarcastic with each other and bickered so much, or maybe it was something else, but I would call this my least favorite of Riordan's books.  I am not sure I will be looking for any more books in the series.

After their mother's death six years ago Carter and Sadie were split up, Carter has been traveling with their archaeologist father and Sadie has lived in London with their maternal grandparents.  Once a year they get together but otherwise Carter lives out of suitcases like a nomad and Sadie has a pretty settled life.  On this one day their father unleashes 5 gods at the London Museum and then is imprisoned with one of them.  Carter and Sadie get a crash course in the powered they hold, magic they were unaware of, family members step out to help them, and they have to work together to put things right while traveling through the duwat, Europe, Egypt and the USA.  It almost felt like Riordan was using the same formula as he used for Percy Jackson and the other hero books and just changing it to Egyptian gods and folklore.  If my children are insistent enough I am sure we will read the next book, but I have no current plans to look for it.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9781423113386
• Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
• Publication date: 5/4/2010
• Pages: 516
• Age range: 9 - 11 Years            

• Series:Kane Chronicles Series , #1

The Night Before Preschool by Natasha Wing

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

It's the night before preschool, and a little boy named Billy is so nervous he can't fall asleep. The friends he makes the next day at school give him a reason not to sleep the next night, either: he's too excited about going back! The book's simple rhyming text and sweet illustrations will soothe any child's fears about the first day of school.

My thoughts:
 My youngest child will start preschool this fall and we borrowed this book from the library.  He is very excited to be going to school like his older siblings and to have a back pack and a teacher.  We read this book quite a few times before we returned it to the library so someone else could take a turn with it.  It was nice that he couldn't sleep because he is excited, not because he is scared.  I love all the books that are a take on The Night Before Christmas.  I read them for a lot of different holidays and occasions and the rhyming just adds a little bit of extra fun to them.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (audio)

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can "read" fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service.

                        

My thoughts:
The Rave movie theater by us does free movies for kids during the summer for a ten week period.  This year one of the free movies is Inkheart.  When I saw the audio book at the library I decided it would fit well with our regular "rule" that you need to read a book before seeing the movie.  This was a rather long audio book and took us a few weeks to listen to in the car.  I saw the movie years ago and have to say that I think they must have made quite a few changes from the page to the screen, but maybe my memory is faulty.  It will be interesting to watch it again having read the book to see how it kept true to the author and how it was changed. 

I had no idea that the book was translated into English from German.  Sometimes translated stories can seem less descriptive to me, but this one retained its descriptiveness and does not seem to have suffered from being translated.

Vanessa Redgrave was the narrator for this book and, while I usually enjoy her acting, I did not like how she voiced some of the characters.  Lately I have been more critical of audio book readers as I have been listening to so many of them.  The reader can really make or break a book depending on how he or she reads it and the tone that is used for each character.

Meggie's father Mo can make characters and things come out of books when he reads aloud.  Nine years ago he was reading a book when three men came out of it and his wife and two cats disappeared into it.  Since then he has done his best not to read aloud.  Whenever someone or something comes out, someone or something from this world has to go into the book to take the vacated place.  Meggie thinks her mother ran away to find adventure and has been happy with Mo and their books.  She travels with him when he goes to repair old books until one day someone new shows up, Dustfinger who came out of the book Inkheart.  He wants desperately to be read back into the book and does whatever he can to make it so that Mo, or Silvertongue as he calls him, has to read the book out loud.  What follows is a story of kidnapping, mystery, suspense and intrigue.  I wondered at time if it might be too dark for my children, but they did fine with it.  We'll have to see how it holds up for them when we see the movie next month.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780439709101
• Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
• Publication date: 6/1/2005
• Edition description: Reprint
• Pages: 560
• Age range: 9 - 12 Years

Meet the Author

More by this Author

• Reckless (Reckless Series #1)
• Inkspell (Inkheart Trilogy #2)
• Inkdeath (Inkheart Trilogy #3)
• Dragon Rider

CORNELIA FUNKE is Germany's bestselling children's author after J. K. Rowling and R. L. Stine. In the fall of 2002, she made her brilliant debut in the English-language market with the release of The Thief Lord, the fantastical New York Times bestseller which Kirkus called "One spellbinding story." Ms. Funke lives in Hamburg, Germany with her family.

Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

Percy is confused. When he awoke after his long sleep, he didn’t know much more than his name. His brain-fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight. Somehow Percy managed to make it to the camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he had to continually kill monsters that, annoyingly, would not stay dead. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him.

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn’t do a very good job of it. When the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her “gift” for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn’t say no. Now, because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk.

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother claims he is descended from ancient heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn’t see it. He doesn’t even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery—although not good enough to help the Fifth Cohort win at war games. His big and bulky physique makes him feel like a clumsy ox, especially in front of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely—enough, even, to share the secret he holds close to his heart.

Beginning at the “other” camp for half-bloods and extending as far north as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment in the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all of whom are destined to play a part in the most important quest of all: the Prophecy of Seven.

My thoughts:
I am enjoying this new series.  I like that it is taking the characters from the Percy Jackson series and adding in new elements to keep it fun and exciting.  It  has kept the books from getting stale or feeling like the characters are doing the same thing again.

In book one Jason woke up with no real memory of who he is and where he was before being on a  class field trip.  Anabeth comes and take him, along with Piper and Leo, back to Camp Half Blood.  This time it is Percy who wakes up and find his way to Camp Jupiter, the camp for the Roman Demigods.  He is continually thrown by things being not as he thinks they should be.  Fawns as lazy beggars and Centaurs fighting for the enemy.  All campers, regardless of parentage rooming and fighting together in cohorts.  The problem is he can't remember why these things don't seem right.

Jason, Hazel and Frank go on a quest to Alaska to look for the Golden Eagle that was lost decades ago in a different quest.  But since death is being held captive, no one they kill stays dead, monsters and demigod alike, which makes it especially hard to get away from anyone or anything.  Along the way they meet Iris, Amazon's who work for Amazon.com in a plot to take over the world, giants, monsters and ghosts.  The three have to learn to trust each other with their pasts so they can move forward and work as a unit.

The flashbacks are well done and the narrator does a great job with the voices.  I think he is the same one who did the other five Percy Jackson audio books as well.  Book three does not come out until fall, but all of my children can't wait to see what happens on the next quest in the Prophesy of Seven.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9781423140597
• Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
• Publication date: 10/4/2011
• Pages: 544
• Sales rank: 183
• Age range: 9 - 11 Years

A Wind in the Door by Madeline L'Engle

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

It is November. When Meg comes home from school, Charles Wallace tells her he saw dragons in the twin’s vegetable garden. That night Meg, Calvin and C.W. go to the vegetable garden to meet the Teacher (Blajeny) who explains that what they are seeing isn’t a dragon at all, but a cherubim named Proginoskes. It turns out that C.W. is ill and that Blajeny and Proginoskes are there to make him well – by making him well, they will keep the balance of the universe in check and save it from the evil Echthros.

Meg, Calvin and Mr. Jenkins (grade school principal) must travel inside C.W. to have this battle and save Charles’ life as well as the balance of the universe.

With Meg Murry's help, the dragons her six-year-old brother saw in the vegetable garden play an important part in his struggle between life and death.

My thoughts:
This book is the one that provided me with a lot to think about in elementary school.  It inspired a lot of drawings I did and thoughts about whether or not we are just on a small part of some even bigger being, that our solar system is really just part of a larger organism and such.  Once again the narrator was L'Engle herself.  I still think another reader might have done a better job which is so contrary to my usual thoughts that the author often does the best job.  I guess I feel that way more with memoirs and autobiography than works of fiction.

Again, my children really seemed to enjoy the journey with the characters and their trip inside of Charles Wallace to find out what was going wrong with his Mitochondria and Frandiali(sp?).  I love how their imaginations can grasp things that are so complicated on the surface.  Lately I am seeing my children picking up books more and more often when they have free time and I love to see how they are becoming such voratious readers.  Even my three-year-old takes a book to bed to "read".

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780312368548
• Publisher: Square Fish
• Publication date: 5/1/2007
• Pages: 224
• Age range: 11 - 15 Years
• Series:Time Quintet Series , #2

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract."

A tesseract (in case the reader doesn't know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L'Engle's unusual book. A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.

A Wrinkle in Time is the winner of the 1963 Newbery Medal.

Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

My thoughts:
I loved this book in fourth grade when I read it. It really grabbed my imagination so I couldn't wait to share it with my own children.  This audio book was read by the author, which I usually really like, but this time I didn't.  L'Engle just didn't bring it to life the same way as I recall it when I read it on my own.  At first I thought it was because I am now an adult and am seeing and experiencing it from a different point in my life, but my husbands comment was that the her voice was grating(it was) and that she sometimes mispronounced words (which I had noticed as well).  I worried the whole time that the audio version as going to ruin it for my children, but they really got into it and seemed to enjoy it.  We found a movie version on Netflix, but only my oldest sat through it.  They watched in later in the day after my husband and I had run our first half marathon, so we weren't really in the right frame of mind to watch it with them.  We both kind of wanted to sit and relax after the experience.

Meg, Charles Wallace, Calvin O'Keefe and Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Which go on an adventure through a wrinkle in time to save Mr. Murry.  I think L'Engle's reading made Meg seem whinier than I recall her and made her character less likable, but I can see that my older children asking to pick up the copy of the book that we own and reading it on their own.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780312367541
• Publisher: Square Fish
• Publication date: 5/1/2007
• Pages: 245
• Age range: 11 - 15 Years
• Series:Time Quintet Series , #1

Meet the Author

More by this Author

• 

Madeleine L'Engle

Madeleine L’Engle (1918–2007) was born in New York City and attended Smith College. She wrote more than 60 books, the most famous of which is A Wrinkle In Time (1962), winner of the Newbery Award in 1963. L’Engle continued the story of the Murry family from A Wrinkle In Time with seven other novels (five of which are available as A Wrinkle In Time Quintent from Square Fish). She also wrote the famous series featuring the Austin family, beginning with the novel Meet The Austins (1960). L’Engle revisited the Austins four more times over the next three decades, concluding with Troubling a Star in 1994. The story of the Austins had some autobiographical elements, mirroring Madeleine’s life and the life of her family. Madeleine L’Engle’s last book, The Joys of Love, is a romantic, coming-of-age story she wrote back in the 1940s, and is being published by FSG.

Stink and the Great Guinea Pig Express by Megan McDonald

Overview from Barnes and Nob;e:

Nearly 600,000 Stink books in print

When three guinea pigs from the local pet shop make a great escape, Stink Moody and his friends Webster and Sophie spring into action. Ta-da! The Fantastic Fur Friends round up the little hairballs and bring them safely back to Mrs. Birdwistle’s shop, where they discover — oohla- la! — guinea pig pandemonium! Time for the Great Guinea Pig Giveaway! Stink and company hit the road aboard the Squeals on Wheels Express in a crazy quest to find good homes for 101 squealing, whistling, chirping, wiggly piggies. FUR-eaky!

My thoughts:
Pets are another big obsession with children.  My kids keep asking when we are getting a dog or cat which leads to requests for smaller pets.  Stink and his friends are no exception.  They love the pet store and can't wait to help Mrs. Birdwhistle find homes for all the guinea pigs she has taken in to save them from being experimented on.  Stink even picks out one he really wants to keep as his own.  Using an old RV the gang drives around trying to give away as many of the 101 pigs as they can.  Pet ownership  is more than just wanting an animal and loving it, but taking care of all the other needs.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780763642341
• Publisher: Candlewick Press
• Publication date: 2/10/2009
• Edition description: Reprint
• Pages: 144
• Age range: 5 - 8 Years
• Series:Stink Series , #4

Stink and the World's Worst Super Smelly Sneakers by Megan McDonald

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

"Stink is a delightful protagonist, and McDonald cleverly imparts information on smells. . . . A funny book for almost any collection." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

When Stink Moody’s second-grade class goes on a field trip to the Gross-Me-Out exhibit at the science museum, he learns that his very own nose has amazing sniffing abilities — and that some people have real jobs sniffing stuff for NASA! Soon Stink is engrossed in toilet water, corpse flowers, and all things smelly. But is his fetid footwear foul enough to win a Golden Clothespin Award? Loyal fans will be holding their breath for Stink’s latest outrageous solo adventure.

My thoughts:
What kid isn't obsessed with smells, both finding them and making them?  This book capitalizes on that interest and makes having smelly sneakers funny and even desirable.  For some reason the whole sneaker thing kept making me think of the book Holes even though this one has absolutely nothing to do with that one.  Stink finds out that his ability to use his nose could lead to a career in the future.  Understandably, the rest of his family, and especially his sister Judy are less inclined to view his smell obsession in a positive light.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780763636692
• Publisher: Candlewick Press
• Publication date: 2/12/2008
• Edition description: Reprint
• Pages: 144
• Age range: 6 - 9 Years
• Series:Stink Series , #3

Stink: Solar System Super Hero by Megan McDonald

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

Save the planet . . . Pluto! Stink Moody, wise-cracking champion of everything small, is on a new mission: to reinstate his favorite celestial orb.

Look! Up in the sky! Is it a falling leaf ?
A speck of dust? A speeding mosquito?
No, it’s Stink Moody, Solar System Superhero!

When Stink learns that Pluto has flunked out of the Milky Way for being too shrimpy, he feels like he might just explode with a Big Bang. Stink has no choice but to take a stand for the sake of little planets (and little people) everywhere. Will he be smart enough to defeat a panel of big-shot scientists? Will he be strong enough to beat know-it-all Riley Rottenberger and her "Team KPB"? Will he succeed in rescuing Pluto from a fate worse than being swallowed by a black hole? Start the countdown for a funny (and very informative) out-of-this-world adventure—and prepare to have your universe rocked!

My thoughts:
The debate about Pluto is still fairly recent.  When I was in the classroom prior to my children being born, when we taught he solar system Pluto was still a planet.  Fast forward some years (no need to count them all) and now it is not.  Depending what book you are reading, not everything has been updated so this can be a confusing issue to a child.  How can a planet no longer be a planet?  Does that mean that things I think are true today might tomorrow be proved wrong?  If even big things can change what does that mean for the small things in my life?

Stink is small so he is the champion of small things.  He works as a team with his friends to come up with a compelling presentation about Pluto being a planet and Riley works against him.  In doing so they both learn things about being a team and about being willing to compromise.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780763643522
• Publisher: Candlewick Press
• Publication date: 2/8/2011
• Pages: 144
• Age range: 6 - 9 Years                         
• Series:Stink Series , #5

Stink and the Super-Galactic Jaw Breaker by Megan McDonald

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

"Like big sister Judy, Stink sports a talent for self-expression. . . . The quick-witted dialogue will keep readers entertained." — BOOKLIST

When Stink buys a huge jawbreaker that doesn’t break his jaw, he writes to the manufacturer — and receives 21,280 jawbreakers for his trouble! Soon he’s so obsessed with getting free stuff that he misses an envelope in the mail pile, until his best friend starts looking as mad as a hornet. Thirty-six idioms are sprinkled through the story, inspiring a search that’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

My thoughts:
Judy Moody's little brother Stink is a character all right, voiced by the same woman who does Bart Simpson's voice for the television series The Simpsons, Stink says and does some of the silliest things.  He buys a huge jaw breaker that, of course, does not break his jaw.  When he writes to complain he gets free gumballs.  That starts his obsession with getting things for free.  The problem is he gets so focused on the free items and the letters that he misses something very important for his best friend, Webster.  A lesson about seeing what is really important is embedded in this funny little story.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780763632366
• Publisher: Candlewick Press
• Publication date: 2/13/2007
• Edition description: Reprint
• Pages: 144
• Age range: 6 - 8 Years
• Series:Stink Series , #2

Judy Moody Goes to College (Judy Moody Series #8) by Megan McDonald

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

Judy Moody is in a mood. Not a good mood. And definitely NOT a math mood. The substitute teacher in Class 3T thinks Judy's math skills need improving. So Judy has to start meeting with a math tutor. Does this mean flash cards? Does this mean baby games? Does this mean school on weekends? But when Judy meets her tutor — a sick-awesome college student with an uber-funky sense of style — and gets a glimpse of college life, Judy's bad math-i-tude turns into a radical glad-i-tude. Pretty soon, Judy's not only acing her math class; she's owning it. Time to say good-bye to Judy Moody, old skool third-grader, and say hello to Miss College! Small-tall upside-down backward non-fat capp with extra whip, anyone?

My thoughts:
It is hard for a student to hear that he or she needs extra help, it can really sap their self confidence and make them feel like everyone is better than they are and that they are stupid, so this is a great book for a student who might be struggling a little bit with something.  Not all students grasp concepts at the same rate or learn at the same speed, which in this time of no child left behind and benchmarks that are supposed to be achieved within six week time frames, can make children feel bad about themselves.  I like how McDonald turned needing a tutor into a positive rather than a negative thing and showed how sometimes, we just need to see something a different way to gain an understanding of the concept.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780763648558
• Publisher: Candlewick Press
• Publication date: 1/26/2010
• Pages: 160
• Sales rank: 46,879
• Age range: 6 - 10 Years
• Series:Judy Moody Series , #8

Judy Moody, M. D.: The Doctor is In! (Judy Moody Series #5)

Overview by Barnes and Noble:

Reissued in a way-cool paperback design

She took her own temperature. With the fancy thermometer that beeped. It was not normal. It was not 98.6. Judy's temperature was 188.8! Judy's temperature was 00.0! Judy's temperature was beep-beep-beep-beep-beep. She, Judy Moody, had the temperature of an outer-space alien!

Judy Moody has a mood for every occasion, and now, she, Judy Moody, is in a medical mood! It's no secret that Judy wants to be like Elizabeth Blackwell, first woman doctor, when she grows up. So when Class 3T starts to study the Amazing Human Body, Judy can hardly wait to begin her better-than-best-ever third-grade projects: show-and-tell with something way rarer than a scab, a real-live ooey-gooey operation, and a cloning experiment that may create double trouble for Judy and her friends. RARE!

My thoughts:
Judy is a fun character to read about, she is so full of life and strange ideas.  From thinking they can clone the guinea pigs with a dish and some hair, to stealing something from Stink for show and tell and wanting to cut open Toady to find out how he worked she was always getting into something.  I liked that her hero is the first woman doctor too.  It is nice that our children are growing up knowing that there are plenty of male and female doctors now, but to know that someone at some time felt strongly enough to fight to make this possible is important for them to know.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780763648619
• Publisher: Candlewick Press
• Publication date: 1/26/2010
• Pages: 176
• Sales rank: 60,806
• Age range: 6 - 10 Years
• Series:Judy Moody Series , #5

Judy Moody Saves the World by Megan McDonald

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

Reissued in a way-cool paperback design

Judy Moody did not set out to save the world.
She set out to win a contest. A Band-Aid contest.

It all started with the Crazy-Strip contest - and the dream that she, Judy Moody, might one day see her very own adhesive-bandage design covering the scraped knees of thousands. But when her "Heal the World" motif merits only an honorable mention, Judy Moody realizes it’s time to set her sights on something bigger. Class 3T is studying the environment, and Judy is amazed to learn about the destruction of the rain forest, the endangered species (not) in her own backyard, and her own family’s crummy recycling habits. Now she’s in a mood to whip the planet into shape - or her name isn’t Judy Monarch Moody!

When Judy Moody gets serious about protecting the environment, her little brother Stink thinks she is overdoing it, but she manages to inspire her third grade class to undertake an award-winning, environment-saving project.

My thoughts:
It was nice to see characters thinking about doing better for the environment, even if Judy went about some of her schemes in rather odd ways.  Insisting that her mother stop using lipstick and her father stop drinking coffee and her classmates stop using pencils with wood from the rain forest.  But it was a good issue to bring up with children about how little things we do can make a difference farther reaching their our own homes and communities and it made my children laugh along the way.  All very worthwhile.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780763648596
• Publisher: Candlewick Press
• Publication date: 1/26/2010
• Pages: 160
• Sales rank: 42,835
• Age range: 6 - 10 Years
• Series:Judy Moody Series , #3

Meet the Author

More by this Author

• Judy Moody Gets Famous! (Judy Moody Series #2)
• Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (Judy Moody Series #10)
• Judy Moody Predicts the Future (Judy Moody Series #4)
• Judy Moody (Judy Moody Series #1)
• Judy Moody Goes to College (Judy Moody Series #8)

Megan McDonald

Megan McDonald is the creator of the popular and award-winning Judy Moody and Stink series. She is also the author of two Sisters Club stories and many other books for children. She lives in Sebastopol, California.

Peter H. Reynolds is the illustrator of the Judy Moody and Stink books and the author-illustrator of THE DOT, ISH, SO FEW OF ME, THE NORTH STAR, and ROSE'S GARDEN. He lives in Dedham, Massachusetts.

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

Overview

Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up on a school bus holding hands with a girl. Apparently she’s his girlfriend Piper, his best friend is a kid named Leo, and they’re all students in the Wilderness School, a boarding school for “bad kids.” What he did to end up here, Jason has no idea—except that everything seems very wrong.

Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, and her vivid nightmares reveal that he’s in terrible danger. Now her boyfriend doesn’t recognize her, and when a freak storm and strange creatures attack during a school field trip, she, Jason, and Leo are whisked away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood. What is going on?

Leo has a way with tools. His new cabin at Camp Half-Blood is filled with them. Seriously, the place beats Wilderness School hands down, with its weapons training, monsters, and fine-looking girls. What’s troubling is the curse everyone keeps talking about, and that a camper’s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist they are all—including Leo—related to a god.

Rick Riordan, the best-selling author of the Percy Jackson series, pumps up the action and suspense in The Lost Hero, the first book in The Heroes of Olympus series. Fans of demi-gods, prophesies, and quests will be left breathless--and panting for Book Two.

My thoughts:
I bought this book a year ago when our local Borders store was closing.  I started it and got halfway through and then put it down.  Most likely because a review was due for something else.  For some reason I kept passing it over to finish it.  The a couple weeks ago I noticed it as an digital audio book at the library so I checked it out.  I listened to the beginning again just to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything, and then the rest while running.  Some of the god and monster names were hard to keep track of in the audio version, but I enjoyed it and also enjoyed seeing some of the characters from the Percy Jackson series.  Annabeth is looking for Percy, but when she follows the directions she has received she ends up finding Jason instead.

The adventure Jason, Piper and Leo go on is like the ones Percy, Annabeth and Grover went on in the other series.  Different gods, different monsters, different difficulties but similar and similarly engrossing.  I can see myself reading or listening to this one with my children at some point, perhaps come summer.  It is rather lengthy to commit to reading to them or with them during the school year when we don't have quite as much time.  When I downloaded the audio version I accidentally missed one segment so I missed all of the action towards the end when they have to meet and fight a monster and attempt to rescue someone.  Luckily I have the book so later that night I found the pages I missed and read them.  Now I know to be more careful when downloading to my Ipod.  I'd hate to have that happen with a book I didn't own!  Now I need to check if the library has the next book.  I am trying to be really good about not buying new books, as I have so many books waiting to be read in my house already!

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9781423113393
• Publisher: Hyperion
• Publication date: 10/12/2010
• Pages: 576
• Age range: 9 - 11 Years                        
• Series:Heroes of Olympus Series, #1

Judy Moody: Around the World in 8 1/2 Days (Judy Moody Series #7) by Megan McDonald

Overview

Reissued in a way-cool paperback design!

Judy Moody cannot believe her ears. There at the lunch table, a girl called Amy Namey is interviewing Judy's best friends, Rocky and Frank. Even worse, Amy is dressed like Nellie Bly, daredevil woman reporter, much like Judy's emulation of a certain woman doctor. Is this clipboard-carrying girl destined to be Judy's new best enemy? Or new best friend? Judy Moody finds some unexpected potholes on the path to friendship as Class 3T takes a whirlwind tour of the globe, investigating everything from tooth-brushing sticks in Yemen to an Italian "spider dance" along the way. Fans will cheer as Judy finally masters the challenge of making new friends and keeping the old — for sure and absolute positivo!

My thoughts:
I love how Judy Moody is so enamored of Elizabeth Blackwell, first woman doctor.  I can still remember checking out a biography about Elizabeth Blackwell from my elementary school library in third or fourth grade, which was when I started to love reading biographies and autobiographies.  Fro some reason bits and pieces of that book still are lodged in my  memory, it just made that much of an impact and I also think I used it for some class project.  Having real people from history show up in a series like this is great for crossing over from fiction to non-fiction for young readers.

Seeing how these two girls end working together also showed how new doesn't always mean scary, but showed how you can't forget old friends when making new ones.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780763648633
• Publisher: Candlewick Press
• Publication date: 1/26/2010
• Pages: 176
• Age range: 6 - 9 Years
• Series:Judy Moody Series, #7

Judy Moody, Girl Detective (Judy Moody Series #9) by Megan McDonald

Overview

It’s an honest-to-jeepers mystery! Agent Judy Drewdy sets out to solve the case of the missing puppy when a canine-cop-in-training vanishes into thin air.

Judy Moody is in a mood. A sleuthing, Nancy Drew kind of mood. So what’s a WBMS (world’s best mystery solver) to do? Go find a mystery, that’s what! And she doesn’t have to snoop for long: when Mr. Chips, a beloved crime-dog-in-training, goes missing, Judy Drewdy and her chums, agents Dills Pickle (Frank), Spuds Houdini (Rocky), and James Madagascar (Stink) find themselves smack-dab in the middle of a reallife, scare-your-pants-off whodunit. Was Mr. Chips stolen by dirty dognappers? And why are chocolate-chip cookies disappearing all over town? Watch out for red herrings—along with clever references to classic Nancy Drew mysteries—as Eagle Eye Moody and company are hot on the case!

My thoughts:
After listening to this story, my children were solving mysteries all over the house.  They were hiding clues and probing mysteries they made up in the car and on the bus to and from school.  It really opened their imagination to the idea of there being a mystery to solve.  I thought they would be clambering to read Nancy Drew books when it was done.  My daughter has been reading some of the newest younger version of the books, but not the classic version yet.  I love any books that not only captivate the reader during the reading of, but that boost the imagination for any period of time afterwards!  Plus I love hearing them think aloud as to what the solution to the mystery is going to be.  Where could Mr. Chips be?

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780763643492
• Publisher: Candlewick Press
• Publication date: 8/9/2011
• Pages: 192
• Age range: 6 - 9 Years
• Series:Judy Moody Series, #9

Judy Moody Declares Independence (Judy Moody Series #6) by Megan McDonald

Overview

When a visit to Boston spurs Judy's interest in Revolutionary heroes and heroines, she's soon on a quest for more independence in this hilarious new episode from Megan McDonald and Peter H. Reynolds. Huzzah!

She, Judy Moody, would hereby, this day, make the Judy Moody Declaration of Independence. With alien rights and her own Purse of Happiness and everything.

Hear ye! Hear ye! Everyone knows that Judy Moody has a mood for every occasion, and now a visit to Boston has put our famous third grader in a revolutionary mood. When Judy meets an English girl named Tori at the Tea Party ship, she is gobsmacked to learn how many liberties her British friend enjoys — her very own phone, private loo, and pounds of allowance. When a day of cheerfully doing her chores doesn't earn Judy Moody more rights, and staging a revolt in the form of a tea-throwing Boston Tub Party has her dad reading the riot act, Judy is forced into temporary retreat. Who would guess that a real-life crisis involving her brother, Stink, would finally give Judy a chance to show her courageous quick thinking - -and prove her independence, once and for all?

My thoughts:
From having a reenactment of the Boston Tea Party in the bathtub to having a new British pen pal, Judy shows how her independence and imagination carry her along.  My children laughed along with Judy, Stink, Rocky and Frank.  Judy decides she should be independent and writes her own bill of rights.  Judy is a fun third grader to spend some time listening to.  This audio book was checked out of our local library.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780763648510
• Publisher: Candlewick Press
• Publication date: 1/26/2010
• Pages: 160
• Sales rank: 50,554
• Age range: 6 - 9 Years
• Series:Judy Moody Series, #6

Judy Moody Was in a Mood (Judy Moody Series #1) by Megan McDonald

Overview

"Judy Moody was in a mood. Not a good mood. A bad mood. A mad-faced mood."

To start, Judy Moody doesn't have high hopes for third grade. Her new desk won't have an armadillo sticker with her name on it. Her new classroom will not have a porcupine named Roger. And with her luck, she'll get stuck sitting in the first row, where Mr. Todd will notice every time she tries to pass a note to her best friend, Rocky. An aspiring doctor, Judy does have a little brother who comes in handy for practicing medicine, a cool new pet, and a huge Band-Aid collection.

Judy also has an abundance of individuality and attitude, and when Mr. Todd assigns a very special class project, she really gets a chance to express herself! Megan McDonald's spirited text and Peter Reynolds's wry illustrations combine in a feisty, funny first chapter book for every kid who has ever felt a little out of sorts.

Third grader Judy Moody is in a first day of school bad mood until she gets an assignment to create a collage all about herself and begins creating her masterpiece, the Me collage.

My thoughts:
A couple summers ago we listened to a Judy Moody book in the car on the way to the beach, but I don't think my children were quite ready to enjoy the series then.  My daughter read this book in her second grade class and was really excited about it.  I didn't know which one of the series she had read, so when I checked out the same one she was a little disappointed, but I think she enjoyed listening again anyway and we have since checked out a few more to listen to in the car.

Judy is fun, quirky and imaginative.  She is best friends with a boy, which you don't always see in children's books, and has a little brother with a silly name, Stink.  (We listened to and read a number of Stink books last year so we already know all about him!)  Things don't always go right for her, and she can be very moody and grumpy, but she makes it through all the little trials of school and friends and is a good model for children.  Things might not always go your way, but you can get through it and have fun.

I loved how her favorite historical person was Elizabeth Blackwell, first woman doctor.  I remember reading her biography from my elementary school library years ago and being very impressed with her and the boundaries that she pushed.  She also appears in one of the Magic Treehouse books so I think my children had a bit of an idea of who she was.  I'm also loving that these books are only a couple hours or so long, since it makes it easier on the younger two to follow the story.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780763648497
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication date: 1/26/2010
Pages: 176
Age range: 6 - 10 Years
Series: Judy Moody Series, #1

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Overview

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

My thoughts:
I'm not sure why it took me so long to pick up this book, I know many people compared it to The Hunger Games and I really enjoyed that trilogy.  A friend listened to it with her children on audio and told me they really got into it.  I was a bit leery as I knew there would likely be violence, but I checked it out of the library and we listened to it last week.  I am still feeling like there is more violence than I would like for their current ages, but they got very into the story and seem to comprehend well what is happening.  We stopped to talk at more than one point about violence or the way characters were treating each other, but it is a well done story that appeals to a wide age group.  Yesterday we stopped by the library to pick up books two and three on audio as well.

If I were comparing The Maze Runner to The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games would win.  I'm not sure if it is because the main character is female or if it has to do with the dystopian worlds and how they were portrayed.  In both children are being used for a purposes children were not intended for by people who should be protecting them.  It will be interesting to learn in books two and three more about what and why the maze was built and what exactly the end goal was.

Imagine the terror of waking up only being able to remember your name and nothing else about yourself and being dumped in a place where everyone else is in the same boat.  Then the monsters in the maze and the distrust by others in your group sounds exhausting.  I don't even really know where to begin talking about this book.  The author creates a very well drawn world that becomes very real in your mind.  I imagine Thomas and his hints of deja vu about the maze and the the mysterious girl who is sent up the day after him.  How do you get people who have been working together for months or years to trust someone who is new but thinks he knows what they need to do to get out of the maze.  What will the world be like outside of this experiment?

It will be interesting if this makes it to the big screen as a movie.  I looked and it seems like talks are in the works with a tentative 2013 date for a film, but I couldn't find a whole lot of details.  I know lots of times things fall through, but this seems like one that will go all the way especially with the success recent book to movie adaptations for YA books.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780385737951
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publication date: 8/24/2010
Pages: 400
Age range: 12 - 17 Years
Series: Maze Runner Series, #1

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo by Obert Skye

Overview from Barnes and Noble:
WELCOME TO FOO

Fourteen-year-old Leven Thumps (a.k.a. "Lev") lives a wretched life in Burnt Culvert, Oklahoma. But his life is about to change and his destiny be fulfilled as he learns about a secret gateway that bridges two worlds — the real world and Foo, a place created at the at the beginning of time in the folds of the mind that makes it possible for mankind to dream and hope, aspire and imagine. But Foo is in chaos, and three transplants from that dreamworld have been sent to retrieve Lev, who alone has the power to save Foo.

Enter Clover, a wisecracking, foot-high sidekick; Winter, a girl with a special power of her own; and Geth, the rightful heir to Foo. Their mission: to convince Lev that he has the power to save Foo. Can this unique band of travelers help Lev overcome his doubt? Will Lev find the gateway in time? Or will Sabine and his dark shadows find the gateway first and destroy mankind?

My thoughts:
This was our audio book last month in the car.  I found it a couple years ago for a dollar at Waldenbooks, before that went out of business.  I put it on the shelf to save for when we needed a book to listen to.  No one wants to ever be without a book do they?  I plan for this awful possibility so much that we could be snowed in for months and I would never run out of new books to read.

But back to the book, I had my doubts about it because it seemed like if was reduced to a dollar it must not have been very good.  It turns out it is the first book in a children's fantasy series.  Foo is a world connected to ours, where all dreams happen, sometimes people are sucked into Foo from places where sidewalks don't quite meet up.  Currently in Foo there is a being who wants to rule both Foo and our world and the only ones who can save it are two teenagers, as well as two beings from Foo who have come here to guide them.

There is a lot of adventure and a few somewhat scary scenes.  Suspense is well done and the worlds seem real.  I am on the fence about continuing the series.  I wasn't a big fan of the readers voice, not that I can narrow down what it was about his reading, but something about it made me less likely to want to listen if that makes sense.  If I find the next book at the library we'll keep going, but I don't see myself buying more of them.  They reminded me a bit of the Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins and maybe even a touch of Harry Potter or Spiderwick Chronicles.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781416928065
Publisher: Aladdin
Publication date: 7/11/2006
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 400
Age range: 9 - 12 Years