Eleven-year-old Tom, presumed dead after drifting away down a river, finds himself trapped in a series of underground caves, with another survivor, and a dog, pursued by murderous treasure-hunters and searched for by his widowed mother.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/25/2009

ISBN-10: 0375838740

ISBN-13: 9780375838743

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Aleksander Ferdinand is the son of the Arch-Duke of Austro-Hungary whose assassination was the spark that started the Great War (World War I). But, Alek's Great War is a battle between the Clankers, who build steam-driven war machines, and the Darwinists, who develop fighting and flying animals never seen before, by controlling their lifethreads. Alek must go into hiding in an abandoned castle so that the Germans will not find him and stop him from ending the war, as his pacifist father would have done. Soon after his arrival, he meets Deryn, an Irish commoner and a girl who is pretending to be a boy so that she can fly in the Leviathan. The Leviathan is a mix of the lifethreads of a whale and a hundred other species to produce the flying animal that inspired the Clankers to devise their zeppelins. These unlikely friends will combat the Clankers and their allies, in the hope of bringing a peaceful end to the war.

Similar books: Airman by Eoin Colfer

Awards nominated: Rebecca Caudill Award Nominee 2012

Reviewed by: vverscaj

Date read: 5/19/2011

ISBN-13: 9781416987062

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When Kepi's father comes home after being maimed while working on the pharaoh's tomb, she wonders why the pharaoh hasn't done more for him. Her father plans to earn a new living baking special herb bread. Kepi's pet baboon, Babu, is stolen while she is searching for the herbs and Kepi follows the boy-thieves as they pole down the river to the next town. A friendly stranger who offers to help turns out to have designs of his own on Babu and Kepi finds herself kidnapped and on a boat traveling to Ineb Hedj, the largest city in Egypt and home of the pharaoh. Kepi decides to seek out the pharaoh and tell him of the injustice of ignoring his injured subjects. Along her way to Ineb Hedj, she finds new friends who join her on her quest, which will have an unexpected and magical end.

Similar books: Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi

Reviewed by: vfv

Date read: 2/16/2012

ISBN-13: 9780061667930

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Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse -- Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods, where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon, a mystery unfolds and together with his friends -- one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena -- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods. This is the first book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series.

Similar books: The Stoneheart Trilogy by Charlie Fletcher

Awards won: Rebecca Caudill Award

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/27/2009

ISBN-10: 064172344X

ISBN-13: 9780786856299

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Commenter: Matt, grade 4

Commenter: St. Charles Reader, grade 0

One morning there was a new girl in Jane's class whose name was Staffa. Staffa was quite small for her age; she looked more like eight than eleven. She dressed and spoke in an old-fashioned manner. She said that she was looking for one best friend, which she found in Jane. Jane invited Staffa to her house, called the boy garden because of all her brothers. Staffa invited Jane to the hotel where she was staying, for tea and to meet her mother, who was weird in a scary way and insisted on being called Lady Matilda. Nevertheless, Jane was delighted when Staffa asked her to join them, when they went home, for a little vacation. Jane was excited when Lady Matilda insisted on buying her beautiful dresses fit for a princess. She was very curious about the little box they carried with them, and kept in a private room in the hotels they visited along the way. Then Jane discovered that Staffa and her mother were royalty from another world. What are their plans for Jane? Will she be able to return to the boy garden?

Similar books: Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Reviewed by: vverscaj

Date read: 9/9/2009

ISBN-10: 0312369611

ISBN-13: 9780312369613

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