You Wouldn't Want to be... - by Various Authors

How terrible is your life? Chances are, it could have been worse. There are many ways to learn about history, but this series takes one of the most interesting views: How awful life was for people living in different places and times throughout human history. Want to know how rough it was to be a Roman Soldier, or to be an American Colonist or Egyptian King? This series will tell you.

With hilarious and descriptive pictures and only a couple paragraphs per page, these books get a lot of information across in a very simple way. They're not easy books, but will hold a lot of appeal for young readers (think fourth grade reading level and up) who want to learn more about the world.

To see a full list of titles in the series, visit your library website, or go to the publisher's site.

Igraine the Brave - by Cornelia Funke

What would you do if your magician parents accidentally turned themselves into pigs, your castle is about to be attacked by an evil neighbor and his army, and the only hope is for you to find and bring home some hair from a giant's head? If you're anything like brave young Igraine, you'd get your suit of armor on, mount your horse, and head out on a dangerous adventure.

This book (by the author of Dragon Rider, Inkheart, and The Thief Lord) is a wonderfully funny story that many readers will fall in love with. It contains magic, dancing books, talking cats, brave children, evil men, sorrowful (sad) knights, kind giants, and enough adventure to last a lifetime. Read this if you're ready for a rollicking romp!

Interesting note: All of Cornelia Funke's books are translated from German, and the author draws all of her own illustrations.

Snap - by Alison McGhee

Eddie is a girl who likes lists. She has a list for just about everything in her life, including all the reasons she should remember to snap the colored rubber bands around her wrist. The only thing she hadn't planned for is what to do when her best friend Sally's grandmother, who she has grown very close to, gets sick. Oh, snap.

There are a lot of interesting things about this book, including the way the author SLOWLY gives the reader clues as to what's really going on in the story. The characters are interesting, and the writing will really make you feel like you're figuring things out along with Eddie. It's a lovely story, though the ending is sad. Life can be very difficult when somebody is very sick, and it's not always clear how to handle that type of situation. Read this book and figure it out along with Eddie and Sally.

Found - by Margaret Peterson Haddix

How do you explain a mysterious airplane landing one night, with no passengers except for 36 babies? It's an interesting way to begin a book, but that's exactly what this author did, and the book will have you on the edge of your seat from that point on.

The story really focuses on 13-year old Jonah, his friend Chip, and his bossy younger sister Katherine. Together, these three find out some unbelievable secrets, get stuck in some situations that you'll be surprised by (think: TIME TRAVELING GHOSTS), and have to take control of their own future. It's a very interesting book, with characters that you feel like you already know. The author does an amazing job of telling this story at just the right pace, keeping your interest without giving everything away too quickly. The way the book ends is kind of cruel - the main characters are being whisked away to an unknown future, and the reader just wants to know what happens next!

Read this book if you like mysterious stories about realistic children who find themselves in very unusual situations! It's realistic, but there's definitely some fantasy throughout the book. I can't wait for the rest of the series to be published.

Mariel of Redwall - by Brian Jacques

An evil rat king, a brave mouse maiden, a powerful badger leader, four daring hares, and more squirrels and moles than you can keep track of. That's what this book has to offer, as well as wild storms at sea, bloody fights, daring rescues, and much more adventure than you would ever hope for. If you love long, challenging books full of adventure and amazing characters, you've found your next book!

If you have never read one of Brian Jacques' Redwall books, you are really missing out. It is truly one of the best series I have ever read, and you can read any of the 19 books in any order you like. The characters are woodland animals in a place very much like England, but hundreds of years ago, before electricity or modern technology. The animals seem just like people, but they have all of the characteristics of their species too. It's hard to explain, so take a peek at the author's website at www.redwall.org to learn more about the series.

The books are difficult for normal fourth grade readers, but I recommend checking out the audio book versions, which are read by a cast of actors and actresses, including the author himself as narrator. (That's how I read this one myself, to be honest, and it was better than reading it myself!)

The Kid Who Ran For President - by Dan Gutman

What if a 12-year-old boy ran for president? And if he did, what if he really had a chance to WIN? That's what this story is about, and it's a good one. Judson Moon is just a normal middle school student who likes to make people laugh, but his friend Lane, who is really into politics, has big plans for him. Before you know it, Moon's life is turned upside down as he learns what it takes to try to win a presidential election. You won't know if he makes it unless you read the book!

I like Dan Gutman's writing because it's funny, and has a nice flow to it. This book is no exception, but it can be challenging keeping up with all the political details. It's a good resource for learning a little about how elections work, but you also may want to check out Dan's book Landslide (see below) for more specific information about U.S. elections.

Read The Kid Who Ran For President if you like stories about kids who dare to try difficult things (kind of like Andrew Clements' stories), interesting realistic fiction, or books that keep you guessing until the end. For a hint of how the book ends, keep your eyes open for the sequel, and the title may give you a clue.

(Dan Gutman's nonfiction book Landslide is a nice companion to his novel.)

Robot Dreams - by Sara Varon

What good is a book with no words? Even though I (Mister K) love to read, and have a passion for words, I fell in love with this wordless graphic novel about a dog and his robot friend.

With some pretty simple and interesting pictures, the author tells the story of a dog who builds a robot, and becomes its best friend. After a trip to the beach where the robot gets rusty, the dog is forced to leave his metal friend behind, and he gets lonely. The book contains the robots attempts to find new friends, but they all end up leaving, too. In his dreams, the robot hopes to meet up with his friend once more, and at the end of the book... Well, you'll be happy with the ending, I'll tell you that.

Although this is an unusual book, it's well worth picking up. You won't be disappointed.

Jim Thorpe - by Joseph Bruchac

This is the amazing true story of Jim Thorpe, a Native American student and athlete from the early 1900's who became a star in several different sports and became world-famous. It is also the story of how the U.S. government educated Indian students, and about what life was like for those children growing up during an interesting time in American history.

The book is told from the first-person perspective of young Jim Thorpe, with the author providing an original and entertaining voice for the narrator. It is a work of historical fiction, though all events are true and accurate.

Read this book if you enjoy football, baseball, basketball, or track and field, of if you'd like to hear about how those sports got started in the first place. It's a great book for lovers of biography and history, for those who are interested in Native American history, and for anyone who loves a good story.

Jack Adrift - by Jack Gantos

As fourth grader Jack Henry's family drives to their new house on the coast of North Carolina, they discover that the roads are all underwater from a flood. The fact that Jack's dad decides to drive through anyway will tell you a little about this wild family.

In this book, young Jack starts a new school where the principal tricks him into being his spy, he falls in love with his teacher, makes a new friend who helps him blow up some toys, and he has plenty of adventures as he tries to figure out what kind of person he is. His dad tells him that he should always tell people what they want to hear, while his mom says he should always tell the truth. Who does he listen to? Read the book!

This is a great series by the author of the Joey Pigza books (which are not as good). Each book focuses on one year of the author's childhood, so these are memoirs (autobiographies) that are possibly true... it's tough to tell for sure. Read this if you want to know what it's like growing up as a boy, or if you're just in the mood for a hilarious story.

Elijah of Buxton - by Christopher Paul Curtis

This is the story of Elijah, an eleven-year-old boy who was born in the town of Buxton, a settlement of freed and escaped slaves in Canada. Although he is living in the 1800's, Elijah will remind many young readers today of themselves: He is full of energy, curious and eager to please, and able to get himself into all kinds of trouble in spite of his parents' warnings. Like Mr. Curtis's other books (Bud, Not Buddy, The Watsons go to Birmingham - 1963), the characters in this story are not only believable, but unforgettable.

Although the story is fiction, the town of Buxton was a real settlement for free slaves, and is still around today. History buffs willl love this book, as will anyone interested in adventure, funny characters, and dangerous situations. The ending is the best part - be ready to laugh, cry, and cheer!

Please Write in This Book - by Mary Amato

What happens when a fourth-grade teacher puts a blank notebook in the back of her classroom with these words written on the cover: "Please write in this book"? In this funny story, we get the answer to that question by reading the responses that the students actually wrote. (Remember that this is fiction, and the students weren't real, folks!)

This is a really interesting book, not just because of the great illustrations, but for the story it tells. The reader gets to watch a major classroom fight unfold, grow out of control, and then get solved, all within entries in the class notebook. From disgusting Luke, to fact-loving Milton and bossy Lizzy, every reader will find a character to love.

Read this book if you like to laugh, enjoy goofy illustrations, or just want a quick book that will bring a smile to your face. We can only hope that Ms. Amato (who also wrote The Word Eater and other books), will write more like this.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

In this amazing, mature-audiences-only story of one boy's growing up, author Sherman Alexie pulls the reader into the life of a smart, brave, troubled boy, Junior, a Spokane Indian. Junior wants to make something of his life, and gets his parents to enroll him in the all-white high school in the farm town down the road, where he can start fresh, and have more opportunities. The problem is that he doesn't end up fitting in anywhere he turns. On the reservation, they hate him for leaving, and in his new school, though he is accepted, he never really feels like he fits in or belongs.

This story is not one to be taken lightly. Based on the author's own experiences, this book explores some difficult issues of race, the problems facing Native Americans on reservations, feelings of exclusion and loss, and death. It is a story that will stay in your head well after you have finished reading it, long after your tears have dried. I would not recommend this book for elementary school students in general, though some could surely appreciate and understand the story. Some parts are a bit vulgar, though in a way most boys will understand and appreciate more than their mothers would like. It's billed as a Teen book, but adults will appreciate it too.

One of the coolest things about this book is the way it is illustrated. The illustrator, Ellen Forney, filled the book with cartoons that were supposedly drawn by Junior as he told his story. The drawings help to tell the story, bring it alive, and make you laugh your head off.

Oggie Cooder - by Sarah Weeks

How can a lonely, strangely-dressed fourth grade boy rocket from anonymity (when nobody knows you) to FAME in the blink of an eye? And how on earth could eating processed American cheese have anything to do with it? As weird as this sounds, Ms. Weeks answers these questions in a hilarious page-turner of a novel with great illustrations and lovable characters.

Oggie Cooder has a special gift, charving (for a definition, try reading the book), which is really what the whole book is about. Or maybe it's about the difference between being happy and being popular. Then again, maybe the big idea is that the friends we've been looking for may be those who have been there by our side all along. How about you stop trying to figure out what the book is about, go get yourself a copy, and just read it. You'll get a good laugh, and won't regret it. Besides, it's pretty short, so you'll be able to finish quickly and move on to Sarah Weeks' other great book, Regular Guy.

Swindle - by Gordon Korman

When Griffin found an old baseball card, he figured it would be worth a lot of money. A local collector gave him a little money for it and told him it was basically worthless. What do you think Griffin did when he found out that the guy swindled him out of some big bucks, that the card is really worth a million bucks? He got group of oddball sixth-grade friends together and made a plan to steal it back!

This book has some good description and interesting characters, and is a pleasure to read. It reminds me of Dan Gutman's The Homework Machine (a great story), except that this book has more characters, getting into a lot more trouble!
There is plenty of action, a good ending (though it could be better), and it will appeal to a wide arrange of readers.

The Mysterious Benedict Society - by Trenton Lee Stewart

It all began with a strange test, and it ended with... well, I can't tell you that. What I can say is that four very special (and different) children were selected to participate in a top-secret, incredibly dangerous mission, and that time was running out. The children each possessed very different skills, all of which ended up working together to defeat the strangest enemy any of the children could have imagined.

This book may seem odd, and it is odd, but it is truly one of the most remarkable stories I've ever read. Mr. Stewart's characters are interestingly quirky, and very memorable. The writing is smart and lively, and the tale holds your interest all the way to the end of this very long (nearly 500 page) book. It is a book worth checking out, and one that will surely not disappoint. Lovers of mysteries and adventures will all enjoy this, as will readers of E.L. Konigsburg, whose characters would surely get along with Mr. Stewart's.

I wouldn't have known of this book were it not for Mrs. V coming in and reading it to my class, reminding me how fun it is to be read to, and creating instant fans of all of my students, who have been clamoring for the local library to acquire more copies.

My Side of the Mountain - by Jean Craighead George

Alone in the wilderness. High in the Catskill Mountains New York with nothing but a few pairs of clothes and nature all around you. Could you survive a winter? Sam did, and that's what this exciting book is all about.

What would it be like to wander away from your crowded home one day and walk into the wilderness, and stay there? Young Sam Gribley did just that, and the way he survives in the woods will amaze you and keep you reading long after your bedtime has come and gone.

If you liked Hatchet or Getting Air, you're sure to love this story, and the rest of the series. In fact, most students that I've seen read this book ended up calling it one of their all-time favorites. Check it out yourself and see why it's still so popular, fifty years after it was first published!

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key - by Jack Gantos

Have you ever swallowed your house key? Joey Pigza, who narrates this story about a year in his fictional life, did just that one day at school, along with a ton of other things that hurt himself and others. Joey is a good kid, at least that's what he tells us, but he's got "dud meds," which explains some of his wild behavior in school and at home. Joey has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and this is the story of how he and his family deal with that, and how he learns to live with his wild mood swings and tricky family situation. By the end of the book, you'll be sure to agree with Joey that he really is a good kid, but also a very funny one.

This is a great story for lovers of action, humor, school stories, and for anyone who enjoys interesting characters. The way the book is written in the first person makes it even more interesting, and may make you want to read the entire series. For more info, check out Jack Gantos' website at http://www.jackgantos.com/.

Bearwalker - by Joseph Bruchac

12-year old Baron has a tough life. Not only is he the shortest kid in the 8th grade at his new school in upstate New York, but his being Mohawk sets him apart even more. Add to that the fact that his parents are both marines fighting overseas in dangerous places, while he lives with his grandmother, and he's not very happy. At school, Baron has to deal with bullies, but luckily he finds a friend in the kindly school librarian, who helps him escape his troubles through good books (You go, Librarian!)

When the eighth grade heads out for their annual wilderness camping trip, even Baron is excited, but it doesn't take long for things to go very wrong. It wouldn't be fair to give too much away, but let me say that this is a more SCARY book than you would expect. The campers become trapped, good people turn out to be bad, and one scary staff member at the camp is out for blood. Being a member of the Mohawk Bear Clan, Baron has always been fascinated with bears, especially a legend about a half-bear, half-man called the bearwalker who leaves his victim's bones piled up in a cave. He soon recognizes that this deranged man may in fact be a bearwalker, and that he alone can save all of their lives.

This book is GREAT! It's labeled as a children's book, but seems to be a bit more of a teen story, although I think advanced fourth graders could handle it. The reader learns a lot about the Mohawk people and their legends (the author himself is of that tribe, see his website), and gets a good scare in the process. This story left chills running down my spine...

Johnny Hangtime - by Dan Gutman

Normally, if a character in a book throws himself off the top of a skyscraper, it's a problem. For John Thyme (better known as stunt kid Johnny Hangtime), the main character in this action-filled story, it's just another day of work. Johnny is a 13-year old responsible for all of the wacky, dangerous stunts in Hollywood director Roland Rivers' blockbuster films. The problem? While Johnny does all the stunts, stuck-up actor and Hollywood star Ricky Corvette, sucks up all the fame. There are even bigger problems though, when Johnny is asked to do the most dangerous stunt of all, the one that his stunt-man dad died trying three years earlier. This book will have you at the edge of your seat from start to finish, not just from the fast-paced excitement of Johnny's stunts, but trying to figure out what will come next. Action fans, adrenaline junkies, movie buffs, this book is for you! While this is not Dan Gutman's most award-winning book, it is his personal favorite of all of his books, according to his website. Pick up your own copy, and you may find that it's one of your new favorites too.

Just for fun, here's an interview with Mr. Gutman, featuring questions from kids and teachers around the world.

Lemony Snicket (David Handler) Speaks

I recently went to see David Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket) speak, and found him captivating. Yes, he's just a weird guy with an odd sense of humor who happens to be a writer of children's literature, but in doing so, he gives hope to all of us weird guys with odd senses of humor that we may one day achieve some level of success. Here's a video interview with Mr. Handler from the Barnes and Noble Booksellers website for your viewing enjoyment.

Rules - by Cynthia Lord

What's it like to be a twelve-year old girl? I wouldn't know, but I bet it's not easy. It's probably even more difficult when everything your family does seems to center around your little brother with Autism. This is the situation that our main character Catherine finds herself in, and life with her brother David is really getting on her nerves, especially since she seems to be the one mainly in charge of watching out for him, and teaching him the rules of how to get along in this world.

When Catherine tries to make new friends, things really get complicated. The new girl next door who she really wants to be friends with is one of those "perfect" girls who seem too good for everyone, and the boy she is getting to know just happens to be in a wheelchair, and isn't able to talk. Somehow, Catherine must find a way to make sense of her world, and by the end of the book she does. It's not easy though, and this book shows that life isn't always clean, and that family and friendships can be a bit messy.

This is a great book, and I'm excited to read more by the author. She really gives us interesting characters and puts them into realistic situations that make the reader reflect on his or her own life. This will appeal to readers who enjoy realistic fiction, friendship stories, and characters who struggle and grow because of it.

Molly Moon, Micky Minus, and the Mind Machine

This fourth book by the mysterious Georgia Byng is her best yet, and considering how WONDERFUL this series is, that's a real compliment.

Molly, her friends, and her loyal pup Petula spend this book going back in time (Or is it forward? It's tough to keep track) to rescue someone very important. I can't tell you who without ruining some of the suspense of earlier books in the series, but it's really not important. In each book, Molly discovers new powers and learns to use them to do good deeds, and this book is no different. One thing I love about this series is that Molly is a very realistic character, and the reader gets the feeling that she's far from perfect, just like us. Mrs. Byng really knows how to pull the reader in and hold our attention, and though this book takes a long time to read, it's a tough one to put down. There are a number of outrageous characters, some wild situations, and an ending that is full of shocks, but still satisfying and well worth the read. If you haven't started the series yet, what are you waiting for, you fool?

Check out the Meet Molly Moon website for all kinds of cool stuff, and to learn more.
(Special thanks to FGD Eggplant for loaning me this book, and to her and Em for letting me join the MM fan club!)

Getting Air - by Dan Gutman

Can this be the perfect book for fourth grade boys? (They're a picky crowd, if you haven't noticed.) Really, it's a great book for anyone who loves a good adventure, and WOW is it an adventure.

Three teenage boys and one sister are traveling by plane from the east coast to California for a skateboarding competition, and are psyched. Their plane is full of old ladies heading to a knitting convention, and the boys strike up a friendship with one kind knitter as the plane takes off. Before long, though, terrorists take over the plane and threaten to blow it up. The kids and grannies work together to solve this problem, and as if this isn't enough of an adventure, they soon discover that the plane is about to crash deep in the Canadian wilderness. The only survivors are the kids, their friend the knitter, and a friendly flight attendant. Can they survive in the wild until their rescuers find them? It's not likely, except for one lucky fact - the youngest kid, Julia, is not only a brilliant Girl Scout, but has been reading Gary Paulsen's book Hatchet, in which the main character found himself in a very similar situation. What happens to our heroes? Do they ever skate again? If you're lucky enough to get your hands on this captivating book, you won't be willing to set it down until you've found out.

This is a MUST-READ for any middle age boy, anyone who likes to skate (board, that is), readers who love nature and the wilderness, and of course, anyone who has enjoyed the fabulous story Hatchet. It seems that Mr. Gutman had been reading Mr. Paulsen's book when he wrote this story, and we readers are lucky that he did, as this is the best Gutman yet.

The Million Dollar Kick - by Dan Gutman

I have always been impressed by how much third and fourth graders liked Dan Gutman's The Million Dollar Shot, which I agree is a pretty good book. I assumed that this book was just a take-off on that book, and wouldn't be as good. When my student MG convinced me to read it, though, it knocked my socks off!

This is the story of Whisper Nelson, a grumpy seventh grader who hates sports, who somehow ends up in a contest to win a million dollars. Against all odds, she wins the contest, and the money will all be hers... if she can score a penalty kick against one of the greatest soccer goalies of all time. Unfortunately, the only goal Whisper ever scored was in her own team's net during the one soccer game she played in her life. Will Whisper find a way to win the money? You will read the book to find the answer, but you will fall in love with the book for the quality of the writing and the story. This book will hold you captivated from the first page to the very end, and will become a favorite of many readers. It's not really about soccer, it's more about... life. Things don't always happen like we want them to, and sometimes the only thing to do is just go with it and see what happens. Grab your own copy of this book, and see what happens when Whisper does just that.

This book will appeal to sports fans, those readers who enjoy great realistic fiction and a bit of suspense, and any fan of Dan Gutman. I'm not a big fan of his Baseball Card series, but I'm really coming to appreciate his work, and he's becoming one of my favorite children's novelists (and that's saying something!)

Archer's Quest - by Linda Sue Park

So you're sitting in your bedroom minding your own business, just doing your homework, when suddenly an arrow whips toward you, snatching your hat and thunking it into the wall. Personally, I'd freak out. This book's main character though, 12-year-old Kevin, is pretty cool about it. It turns out that a 12th century Korean archer had been transported from his own time in Korea to Kevin's house in New York in 1998. The book tells the story of Kevin and his new archer friend, Chu-Mong, trying to figure out how to get the archer back to his own time. The author does a good job of making this fantasy situation feel like a normal realistic fiction tale, and she really lets the readers experience the whole adventure as if we were sitting right next to Kevin.

This story is full of action and suspense, and is also a bit of a mystery. The writing is clear, fast, and easy to follow, and the book never slows down enough for the reader to lose interest. The ending is satisfying, and there are enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the very end. This book will satisfy anyone who likes... good books! Readers who like Korean (or any) history, archery, and characters stuck in impossible situations who have to struggle to solve them will especially appreciate this story.

Check out the author's website. There's more to it than it first appears. Remember that she also wrote the wonderful Newbery winner A Single Shard.

The Transmogrification of Roscoe Wizzle - by David Elliott

What would it be like to turn into a giant bug? It's a question you'll be asking yourself by the end of this funny (but weird) book.

Roscoe Wizzle is a pretty normal third-grader, at least he's always thought so. This story follows Roscoe as he mysteriously begins to turn into a bug, and his parents don't even notice. It's up to him and his brilliant best friend Kinchy to save everyone else in their town from the same fate.

This is a short book, with big words. It may be one of those books that actually makes you a little smarter by reading it. Along the way, you'll probably have some good laughs, too. The story is creative, but for a book that seems to be ideal for third and fourth graders, the vocabulary seemed a bit too awkward.

No Talking - by Andrew Clements

Anyone who's spent any time on this site will know that I'm a HUGE Andrew Clements fan. It should really be saying something, then, when I say that this is my favorite of his books so far. Sure, I loved Landry News and School Story, and The Report Card, and I have a soft spot for Room One, but this book may top them all.

Can not talking for two days make you a better person? Or will it just make you better than the other gender? These are some pretty odd questions, but they're important to this story. Imagine an entire fifth-grade group of students who just love to talk, and nobody can get them to be quiet. They're so bad that the principal has to stand in the cafeteria every day and shout into her megaphone just to be heard. Got it? Now imagine that they were all suddenly silent, and you could hear a pin drop in that same cafeteria. A little weird, right? Absolutely, and that's the beauty of this story. Not only is it an amazing book about two kids who decide to have a little contest and learn a lot about what it really means to be leaders, but the concept of the story has my teacher brain spinning. For two full days, fifth-graders Dave and Lynsey lead the boys and girls in a no-talking contest, and the result amazes everyone, especially their grumpy principal.

Read this book if you love school stories, if you have ever wondered whether boys or girls talk more, or if you are one of those folks who has always known that kids are really smarter than their teachers.

A Dog's Life - by Ann M. Martin

Woof. There aren't many books that can make you feel like a dog, but this is definitely one of them. Ann Martin tells this amazing story about a stray dog (named Squirrel) from the dog's point of view, and by the end of the story, I had a strange urge to curl up and lay on the floor in front of the fireplace, head between my paws.

I love this book for many reasons, one of them being the way it made me see the world from a dog's-eye-view. The writing is lovely, almost poetic, and flows so smoothly you could almost forget you're reading. The story begins with Squirrel, her brother, and their mother living in a shed behind a human family's house. From this moment on, the book holds the readers attention without a single slow section. There is adventure, fighting, hunger, freezing, and a whole range of emotions, and you really will experience all of these things as if you were a four-legged furball! The book feels very mature to me, and I think it's a wonderful read for children (ages 8 and up will get the most out of it), adults, and especially dog lovers. This is a must-read!

The Homework Machine - by Dan Gutman

Take four fifth-graders with nothing in common, sit them together at a table, have one of them accidentally confess a secret, and you'll be amazed at what happens. This is what happened in The Homework Machine, and the title will give you a hint about the nature of the secret. This is a very good school story, and a lot different than what you can usually expect from Mr. Gutman. He's famous for his sports books (like The Million Dollar Shot), but this book has nothing to do with sports, and is mainly about computers and friendships. It's probably not what you'd expect, but if you read it, you're probably going to really enjoy yourself.

This book has an interesting format: It is written in the form of notes from a detective who is interviewing the characters. Yes, they are in trouble for something big! The idea is that each of them came into the police station and recorded his or her statement on tape, and then somebody typed it all up into this book. This sounds like it would be hard to follow, with the speaker changing every couple of pages, but it actually makes it even more interesting and enjoyable to read, and is a neat idea for future novelists to try themselves.

The Adventures of Vin Fiz - by Clive Cussler

What if you had a machine that would make your toys grow to full size and come to life? Sounds cool, doesn't it? That's what ten-year old twins Lacey and Casey Nicefolk thought too, and these farm kids decided to transform a toy model of an old-fashioned airplane into transportation for a cross-country adventure, from the Pacific to the Atlantic. For the trip, the only things the kids planned to bring were their dog (Floopy the basset hound) and a bottle of grape soda called Vin Fiz. Along the way, the kids have all sorts of unbelievable adventures, but I can't tell you what, or even if they made it home again. If you want to know, read the book!

Although this story was full of adventure, I didn't love the writing. The author tried to pack too much excitement into some parts of the book, while other sections were a bit boring. Also, the character names were a little too cute for my tastes, and the writing felt a little dreamy in the ways the sentences and paragraphs looped together. It felt like the author was trying to make it kind of old-fashioned, and I guess that worked. On the bright side, Mr. Cussler used a superb number of interesting adjectives, just enough to give this book some challenge.

Woe is I jr. - by Patricia T. O'Conner

How do you know whether to use the word which or that? How do you choose between I and me in a sentence about you and your friend going to the library? What are the correct rules for using that pesky apostrophe? Why wasn't a grammar book this simple written a long time ago? The first three questions can be answered by reading Ms. O'Conner's Woe is I jr., the fourth is pointless, since the book has obviously been written.

This is a fabulous grammar handbook for students, most appropriate for fourth graders and above. The author clearly lays out all of the rules that parents and teachers not only want their children to follow, but often forget themselves. Rules are taught in a fun, simple way, with many useful examples. In addition, the book is full of poems and pictures to illustrate the rules, and to help them stick. Although the author seems to have tried a little too hard at times to appeal to children (lots of name-dropping of characters from children's books, and a lot of silly little comments in parentheses), I haven't yet used the book with children, and this may be the perfect approach to take. In a dark sea of grammar guides, this one shines!

Mr. Chickee's Funny Money - by Christopher Paul Curtis

When fourth-grader Steven Carter is given a dollar bill from his blind neighbor Mr. Chickee for helping him out, he doesn't think anything of it... until he looks more closely. The bill actually has 15 zeroes (a quadrillion dollars?) and features the face of the famous soul singer James Brown. Luckily, Steven is a detective, and leads Flint's Future Detectives in his town of Flint, Michigan (also the hometown of the author!) When he and his parents take the money to the U.S. Treasury Department, they realize that it might not be such FUNNY money after all. When secret government agents start hunting down Steven to get the money back, things get exciting.

Along with his younger friend Russell and Zoopy the giant dog, Steven must stop at nothing to keep Mr. Chickee's money safe and get to the bottom of this mystery.

This story is odd and tricky, but is hilarious and very rewarding. Steven is a great lead character, and the rest of the folks in this book are pretty interesting too. Read this book if you like Curtis's writing (he also wrote The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963 and Bud, Not Buddy), if you enjoy surprises, unbelievable situations, big dogs, secret agents, and young detectives.

Half-Moon Investigations - by Eoin Colfer

Fletcher Moon is the youngest detective in his Irish town, and he can prove it with the badge he earned through an on-line detective school. Perhaps he had been showing off that badge a bit much, though, because one day it was stolen, which began a long series of problems for Fletcher. Called "Half-Moon" because of his short size, Fletcher has to fight to earn people's respect, and he ends up having to fight to prove himself innocent of the same crimes he's investigating.

This book is full of wonderfully interesting characters, such as Red Sharkey, a trouble-making teenager from a family known for their criminal ways, and April Devereaux, a pretty-in-pink rich girl who gets pretty much anything she wants. Add to this an oddball principal who draws mean pictures of her students, a burning playhouse, stolen hair, a secret society, and a surprise talent show performance, and you have a book that is hilarious, intelligent, unforgettable, and a fabulous mystery.

This book will appeal to readers of Mr. Colfer's Artemis Fowl series, mystery fans, and anyone who likes reading about underdogs who manage to come out on top in the end. Though this book is billed for 9-12 year olds, it's a bit more challenging than your average fourth-grade book.

Gregor the Overlander - by Suzanne Collins

This incredible book begins with 11-year-old Gregor feeling sour about having to babysit his two-year old sister, Boots, instead of going to summer camp. If only his dad hadn't disappeared two years earlier, leaving his mom to care for their family by herself. The plot takes a major turn as Gregor and his little sister accidentally fall through a loose grate in their laundry room, falling nearly forever into the great unknown, much like Alice on her way to Wonderland. Far from Wonderland, though, Gregor soon discovers not only are he and Boots in a place called the Underworld, filled with all sorts of creatures like the giant cockroaches that capture them, but that there may actually be a reason he is there. Among the giant bats, spiders, rats, and cockroaches is a community of humans, who reveal a strange prophecy that will change Gregor's life forever.

This is the first book in the Underland Chronicles series, and is a captivating read. The characters set off on a quest much like other fantasty stories (such as Lord of the Rings, Rowan of Rin, A Wrinkle in Time, Dragon Rider, Eragon), but this journey depends on the cooperation and trust of an odd collection of creatures who would normally never trust one another. There are traitors, heroes, battles, but no magic. The real scene-stealer in this book is young Boots, who not only turns out to be an important hero in her own right, but whose silly baby talk is just as hilarious as Sunny's in A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Read this book if you love adventure, hero tales, fantasy, quests, of if you've ever wondered what may happen if you fell into a sewer and kept going. It's not an easy book (similar in difficulty to Dragon Rider), but is much easier than Eragon.

Letters from Camp - by Kate (and Sarah) Klise

Imagine a summer camp in Missouri run by six adult siblings who, years before, used to be a popular family musical group. At this camp run by The Harmony family, once known as the Harmony Family Singers, brothers and sisters are invited to come and learn how to get along with one another. In this story, six children come to the camp, but find that things are a LOT different than they had expected! Instead of your normal summer camp, these kiddos were made to work hard, eat terrible food, wear hideous clothing, and much worse, while the Harmony siblings sat back and plotted their comeback musical tour. Just when you think this is bad enough, it turns out that something much more terrible is actually going on at camp Happy Harmony, and it's up to the children to save the day, before somebody gets away with MURDER!

This is a unique book, written in the Klises' usual style. The story is told through a variety of letters, memos, notes, and other forms of written communication between the different characters, and must be pieced together by the reader to make any sense. This is not only a more challenging way to read, it is also very enjoyable and rewarding. This book is great for mystery lovers, for readers who love using illustrations to understand the story, and for those who enjoy seeing kids outsmart adults time after time. If you like this story (and you will!), you must read Regarding the Fountain, the first in a series by the same sister duo. Kate does the writing, while Sarah illustrates, and the result is unforgettable!

To see random pages from this book, click HERE.