Review: "The Jolley-Rogers and the Ghostly Galleon"

"Under the light of the moon we go! We'll take yer silver, we'll take yer gold,We'll take what we want to line our hold! Some say we're cursed, some say we're dead! We're in search of a key as you sleep in bed! Heave ho! Heave ho! Under the light of the moon we go!"

In  "The Jolley-Rogers and the Ghostly Galleon" by Jonny Duddle, nothing ever happens in Dull-on-Sea until one night when a crew of ghostly pirates comes ashore and steals treasure from the local museum. No one is quite sure if they really saw pirates. Mervyn Wobley says he saw them brandishing their cutlasses but his wife doesn't believe him.

Matilda loves everything about pirates from her Pirate Pops cereal to her best friend and pirate, Jim Lad. She knows if pirates are involved in the heists, Jim will know what to do.

The people in town have bought up all the safes and boarded up their homes by the time Jim and his Grandpa Rogers sail into the harbor with their crew. After Matilda describes what's been happening in the town since the last full moon, Grandpa Rogers is sure it's the work of Captain Twirlybeard and his crew of the Black Rat ship. He's positive they're hunting for the Key of Souls that unlocks a huge treasure ship at the bottom of the sea. Once opened, the crew would no longer be ghosts and would be free to wreak havoc around the coastlines once again.

Can Matilda and Jim find the key and get the town's treasures back before Ol' Twirly? It's a challenge they're ready for and with the help of Grandpa Rogers and his crew, they'll be able to rid the town of the ghostly pirates forever.

--Trea P., Bridgeton Trails

Review: "Missile Mouse: the Star Crusher" by Jake Parker

In "Missile Mouse: the Star Crusher" by Jake Parker, Missile Mouse is a secret agent for the Galactic Security Agency, also known as the GSA. This mouse is on a dangerous mission traveling through the galaxy to retrieve a special compass showing the location of a centuries ago hidden Star Crusher, a ship that can create black holes that gobble the galaxy one solar system at  a time. The Rogue Imperium of Planets is on the same quest only they plan to use the star crusher to control. the universe.

Missile Mouse encounters dangers such as mercenaries, double agents, a rodent eating plant, a genius, bumbling bad guys and the head of the GSA agency who is not helpful. The story is a bit "Star Wars" meets "Superman" meets "Mighty Mouse." "Missile Mouse is a quick and fun read, especially good for reluctant readers. Appropriate for readers in grades three to six. Click the link above to reserve a copy today.

--Mary G., Grand Glaize

Review: "Terror in the Ghost Mansion" by Paul Storrie

Are you tired of book characters making the wrong choices? Are you looking for a book where you, yes YOU control the story? Well, look no further! Twisted Journeys by various authors is a choose-your-own adventure series in full-color comic book style! You are in control and you can choose your own path through the story.

In "Terror in the Ghost Mansion" by Paul Storrie, you're in a haunted house, a creepy kid ghost is right behind you, and you've hit a dead end in the form of a window. Do you go ahead and jump out of the window and risk getting cut by glass? OR do you take the time to find a chair to smash the window and risk the ghost catching up to you? You decide! Appropriate for readers in grades four to seven. Click on the link above to reserve a book today!

--Ariel V., Oak Bend

Review: "The Only Child" by Guojing

Illustrator Guojing was raised in China under the one-child rule. Her parents worked full-time, and Guojing was often left at home for hours by herself. One day, her father put Guojing on a bus to her grandmother's house. On the way, she fell asleep and missed her stop. Luckily, she was able to find a familiar road and walk to her grandmother's house, but that terrifying childhood experience inspired her to create "The Only Child," her award-winning (and wordless) graphic novel.

In this story, we meet a little girl who is left home alone after her mother leaves for work. She becomes bored after only a few hours, and decides to take the bus to her grandmother's house (leaving a note, of course). Unfortunately, she misses her stop and becomes lost. A stag in the woods finds her, and together they fly into the sky for a nighttime adventure in the clouds. The little girl meets other animals in the sky, but eventually misses her family. The stag returns to her home, where she reunites with her worried parents and grandmother.

This story takes place in rural China on a dark, snowy day. The imagery is striking, yet quiet--silly, yet full of powerful emotion. "The Only Child" will appeal to fans of Raymond Brigg's "The Snowman" or other wordless tales. School Library Journal recommends this for readers in grades one to four. Click on the link above to reserve a copy today.

--MacKenzie S., Natural Bridge

Review: "Compass South" by Hope Larson

In "Compass South" by Hope Larson, there are not many options for orphans in New York in the 1800's. So when Alexander and Cleopatra Dodge's father sets sail and doesn't return, they join the Black Hook Gang to try to make some money. When they are caught in the midst of a heist, they give up the name of their leader to gain their freedom and are sent to New Orleans. There they find an ad searching for missing twins, Sam and Jeremiah Kimball, who's wealthy grandfather is looking for them. Sam and Cleopatra decide to pose as the twins, but they are not the only ones! A race to Sn Francisco begins as the twins are separated and forced to partner with their rivals as they avoid the Black Hook Gang, the infamous Pirate Worley, and even panthers on a wild search for fortune. "Compass South" is a great read for fans of "Treasure Island." School Library Journal lists this fast-paced graphic novel as appropriate for readers in grades four to eight.

--Heather N., Eureka Hills 

Review: "Nnewts" by Doug TenNapel

If you are in need of some magic, adventure and mystery this summer, pick up a copy of Doug TenNapel's latest graphic novel series, "Nnewts." Life in Nnewtown is quiet and normal--farmers farm, shopkeepers sell, soldiers patrol, and Herk's legs still aren't strong enough for him to climb out of the family pool. As Herk's dad is on the verge of a powerful and magical discovery, evil Lizzarks are planning to invade Nnewtown, and no one is prepared. Could it be that Herk is the one to save them all? 

With fabulous artwork and exceptional creativity, fans of TenNapel's "Cardboard" will be pleased with "Nnewts," and anyone who loves a good adventure will find it in these pages. The first two volumes are out now, "Escape From the Lizzarks," and "The Rise of Herk." These books are appropriate for readers in grades four to eight. Click on the link above to reserve a copy today.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Review: "Shadows of Sherwood" by Kekla Magoon

Join Robyn as she breaks the law throughout Nott City and Sherwood forest as she seeks to find out what happened to her parents in "Shadows of Sherwood" by Kekla Magoon.

Robyn’s life in the Castle District of Nott City is shattered one night when she returns to find her parents missing and blood on the floor. When she grabs the emergency pack that her dad hid for her, Robyn finds a mystery written through moon lore.  She hopes that when she solves the clues, she’ll be able to find where her parents have been taken. But she can’t do it alone, so she teams up with some new friends and starts to hit back at the Sheriff as the noose tightens around the unregistered people of Sherwood Forest. This is a futuristic, exciting twist on the old Robin Hood tale, and you don’t want to miss it! School Library recommends this book for readers in grades five to eight.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Review: "Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible" by Ursula Vernon

Who do you get when you cross an evil witch, some royal rodents, and a cursed hamster wheel? "Harriet the Invincible," that's who! When Princess Harriet Hamsterbone realizes that a sinister curse has left her indestructible until her twelfth birthday, she decides to abandon her royal obligations and go on a hero's journey. Armed with her sword, her wits, and her trusty quail Mumfrey, Harriet sets out on a quest to slay dragons, ogrecats, and any other monster foolish enough to pick a fight. On Harriet's twelfth birthday, however, the curse backfires, and it is up to the rough-and-tough princess to save her family, her castle, and the entire royal court. Written by "Dragonbreath" author Ursula Vernon, the "Hamster Princess" series is sure to be a hit among royal readers young and old. Recommended for readers in grades three to five.

--MacKenzie S., Natural Bridge

Review: "Masterminds" by Gordon Korman

"You can waste your whole life wandering only to find that what you're searching for is right in your own backyard," reads the gazebo in the park of a small town called Serenity, New Mexico. In "Masterminds" by Gordon Korman, Serenity is a perfect town with no crime, poverty, homelessness, or unemployment. The middle of nowhere location has only thirty kid residents. Follow thirteen year old Eli around the town as he shockingly discovers that nothing is as it seems to be. Eli and his friends find that no one can trusted--especially their parents. 

Readers will enjoy the riveting adventure-driven plot that involves cloning, criminal masterminds, and unexpected twists. Each book chapter is narrated in the voice of one of four "special" kids who are finding out more and more about their identity on each adventure in this mystery. The first book in a new series by Gordon Korman, "Masterminds" will have you on the edge of your seat waiting for book number two! Appropriate for readers in grades three to seven.

--Alison R., Headquarters

Review: "Stormstruck!" by John Macfarlane

Adventure and survival story fans take note of "Stormstruck!" by John Macfarlane for a tale of danger after danger. When twelve-year-old Sam overhears his parents talking about putting down his aging dog, Pogo, he decides to take matters into his own hands. Sam loads Pogo into his family's sailboat, intent on hiding out on a nearby island. His plan goes awry when a series of storms catch him off guard and leave him stranded on the wreckage of a ship whith no supplies . . . and no sailboat. Will Sam and Pogo be rescued before it's too late? Read "Stormstruck!" to find out!

--Kelly B., Prairie Commons

Review: "Lost" by S.A. Bodeen

In "Lost" by S. A. Bodeen, Sarah and her family are shipwrecked on a island. Strange and mysterious things are happening like a shark with crocodile legs and a bird with a large yellow and black stinger. Sarah's father and her stepbrother, Nacho, disappear as her stepmother becomes ill. It's now up to Sarah and her older step brother, Marco to find her dad and Nacho and try to figure out what is happening on this beautiful island. If you like mystery and adventure this easy read is for you! This is number two in the Shipwreck Island series, and it is appropriate for readers in grades four to six.

--Trea P., Bridgeton Trails

Review: "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau

"The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau is an exciting story of discovery and courage in the face of a dark unknown. In it, the people of Ember have never known anything outside of their underground city. For as long as anyone remembers, the lights of Ember have kept the city illuminated amidst the endless darkness that surrounds them on all sides. When the city's lights begin to flicker and the food supplies are running low, twelve-year-old friends Lina and Doon piece together fragments of an ancient parchment that seems to point to a way out of the darkness. Will Lina and Doon risk everything to cross the dark expanse and possibly save the people of Ember? Appropriate for readers in grades three to six.

--Madeline B., Mid County

For Super-Spy Fun, Check Out "The Double Cross" by Jackson Pearce

Do you need a little danger and adventure in your life? Pick up Jackson Pearce's new book, "The Double Cross." You will especially like this book if you appreciated Stuart Gibbs' "Spy School."

How cool would it be to grow up in a secret spy compound? You'd get to attend spy school with the other kids and learn how to put on disguises, evade detection, and lie well enough to get away with it. Only it's not so great for Hale. While his formerly geeky best friend Walter managed to hit puberty and grow muscles, Hale was left behind to always come in last during physical tests and become the brunt of everyone's jokes. Despairing of ever making it to Junior Agent, everything changes when Hale's parents, super-spies, disappear. In an effort to discover their whereabouts, Hale stumbles upon some pretty big and evil secrets that SRS, the spy agency, is keeping from everyone. Does Hale have the skills necessary to save his parents and his little sister, Kennedy? This book is appropriate for grades four to six.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

New Middle Grade Series Alert! "The Dungeoneers" by John David Anderson

"Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach him to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime. Teach him to steal, though, and he won't have to eat fish every day for the rest of his life."

Are you looking to get into an exciting new series this summer, one full of adventure, danger, and humor? Seek no longer, adventurers, but pick up "The Dungeoneers" by John David Anderson. If you loved Harry Potter or N.D. Wilson's Ashtown Burials, you will most likely enjoy romping through dungeons with Colm and his friends.

Colm Candorly knows what it's like to be poor. With eight daughters and one son, Colm's dad works his fingers to the bone fixing shoes in their small town, but there never seems to be enough to go around. With eight torturous sisters, Colm has learned the art of sneaking and stealing to keep his sanity. One day, he gets fed up with his lot in life and decides to put his skills to use by pick-pocketing in the town square. While he brings in a haul, Colm also brings down judgement on himself, and he has the choice to either lose his hand or join The Dungeoneers Guild, leave his family, and hone his lock-picking skills at a school for thieves of all sorts. Filled with friendship, adventure, and hard choices to make, "The Dungeoneers" will keep you reading late into the night, and when you finish, you won't be able to wait for Colm's next adventure to begin. Appropriate for fourth to seventh grade. Request a copy today by clicking on the link above.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Staff Review: "All Four Stars" by Tara Dairman

Sometimes children turn out just like their parents. Sometimes they don't, and it can be a little puzzling. Sometimes a child is so different from their parents that it can be painful. But sometimes it makes a really great story, like in Tara Dairman's "All Four Stars." 

Gladys Gatsby loves food. She loves to eat it. She loves to cook it. She loves to write about it. Gladys doesn't like just any food, either. She loves gourmet food. Unfortunately, her parents don’t cook, or cook badly, and they don’t trust Gladys in the kitchen. So Gladys cooks on the sly, and one day her cover is blown (literally!) when she sets the kitchen curtains on fire with a blow torch while making crème brulee.  Banned from the kitchen for six months, Gladys starts to get desperate. When her new sixth-grade teacher enters a cover letter that Gladys wrote to apply for a food critic job into a newspaper writing contest, Gladys’ letter actually ends up on an editor’s desk, and Gladys finds that her future aspirations have arrived already! But how will she get into New York City to visit her assignment when she’s banned from anything food related? By getting creative, of course!

This book is perfect for the enterprising middle grade foodie in your life! Reserve a copy by clicking the link above.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Staff Review: "The Map to Everywhere" by Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis

Need some fantasy and adventure in your life? Go on a hunt for "The Map to Everywhere" by Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis!

When Marrill’s adventurous mom gets sick yet again and the family decides to stay in one place for once, Marrill fears that her adventures are over. Until, that is, she steps outside to find the Pirate Stream flooding a nearby parking lot. Floating on the magical stream is a magical ship captained by a wizard and an almost-invisible boy named Fin who are on the hunt for the elusive Map to Everywhere before the ominous Weeping Prophet discovers its location.

One thing is for sure—there’s no going back once this adventure gets started, and the fate of the world may be at stake! Full of intrigue, magic, and adventure, you won’t be able to put it down! Best for grades four to six.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Staff Review: "The Scavengers" by Michael Perry

Do you have a middle grade reader who's longing to read "The Hunger Games" or "Divergent," but they're not quite ready yet? Do you enjoy reading about strong-willed female protagonists that don't back down? Good news! For an action-filled story of danger and suspense, pick up Michael Perry's "The Scavengers," and get to know self-sufficient Ford Falcon.

Ford Falcon lives outside the bubble with her parents and her annoying little brother Dookie.  She spends her day scavenging in an old dump for things to use or trade in town for food. Thanks to her friend Toad, Ford’s family is surviving alright without the URCorn that fuels the people under bubble. At least, until her dad turns into a GreyDevil, her mom is kidnapped, and her little brother is attacked. It’s up to Ford to brave the Bubble City and fight to put her family back together again.

Perfect for a middle-grade audience, but featuring zombies, conspiracies, and secrets, "The Scavengers" will satisfy the dystopian/post-apocalyptic tooth in anyone longing for the more mature fare in teen fiction. Best for grades four to seven.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Staff Review: "The Glass Sentence" by S.E. Grove

Are you tired of reading cookie-cutter fantasies with the same plucky adventurers? Do you want to get lost in a unique world with complex characters, exotic settings, and fascinating inventions? Join Sophia from "The Glass Sentence" by S.E. Grove as she travels through the complex world after the Great Disruption, when the ages of the world got jumbled and lost. Part steam-punk, part science fiction, part fantasy and all adventure, it's an engrossing page-turner. 

In a world of warring and unexplored Ages, Sophia Tims lives with her famous cartologer uncle, Shadrack Elli, in Boston, New Occident. After teaching Sophia the basics of map reading on glass, metal, and fabric, Shadrack is kidnapped by Nihilismians, an end-of-times-cult. With the help of Theo, an escapee from a circus who's trying to get home, Sophia takes a clue that her uncle left and sets out for the Baldlands to try to get Shadrack back. Caught up in a race to find the Carta Mayor, a living water map that shows all of time, Sophia and Theo meet up with pirates, a man who makes chocolate dinnerware, and a dangerous princess with thorns growing out of her arms. Can Sophia put all of the maps together in time to save the Baldlands from being swallowed up by an arctic age? "The Glass Sentence" is so engrossing that you'll be chomping at the bit for the next installment in the "Mapmakers" series. Great for fifth grade and up.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Superstition Mountain Series by Elise Broach

Elise Broach has written some great books that you should not miss! 

"Missing on Superstition Mountain" --Mr. and Mrs. Barker and their sons, Henry, Simon, and Jack, along with their cat Josie, have moved from Chicago to a very remote area of Arizona. There really isn't much to do and the boys are quite bored until the day Josie runs off into the Superstition Mountain range, an area the boys are forbidden to enter. The boys are forbidden to enter the mountain as many explorers went missing or have been found dead in the canyons of Superstition. But what are three boys to do when their beloved cat runs off and won’t come when called? The boys go up the mountain and find danger, excitement, adventure, perhaps ghosts and, oh yes, three skulls. This is a must read for anyone that likes mystery and adventure. 

"Treasure on Superstition Mountain" Henry, Simon, Jack Barker and their new friend Delilah investigate the suspicious deaths and disappearances of adventurers looking for gold in the Superstition Mountain. They question locals, encounter a bizarre and mysterious librarian, come across a graveyard where many that are buried have the same names of people that are alive and well, and they visit a ghost town where one nearly comes to a dreadful end. When they get all the facts available, the foursome travel back into the Superstition Mountain range to search for answers and gold, but they are not the only ones on the mountain.Book 2 is another page turner that you won’t be able to put down until the end and then you will be itching to get your hands on "Revenge of Superstition Mountain."

Check out other books by this great author in our catalog.




Mary G., Grand Glaize 

Staff Review: "Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective: The Case of the Time Capsule Bandit" by Octavia Spencer

Miranda Rhodes is a tough 12 year old who has been solving mysteries in her Brooklyn neighborhood for the last year, ever since her mother died.  It's just been her and her mystery author Dad who doesn't seen to notice much.  But now Dad's decided they need a change and they're moving to the sleepy town of Deer Creek, Tennessee.  It's fun to visit in the summer, but Randi doesn't want to live there.  What crimes could possibly happen for her to solve?

She changes her mind when the town's time capsule is stolen from right under everyone's noses.  The legend is that the time capsule tells where the town's treasure is buried.  It cold mean riches for everyone.  Without it, the whole town could go under and the place will get turned into a golf resort!  With the help of her new friend, D.C., Randi is on the case and is determined to find the time capsule, catch the crook and find the town's missing treasure. 

Randi is spunky and sassy-not a girly girl, but not exactly a tomboy.  She is a big-time rule-breaker.  She loves martial arts and especially admires Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.  She's not really the kind of girl I would be friends with, but I think a lot of kids can relate to her.  She misses her mother so badly, but her and her Dad never really talk about it and that only makes it worse.  This gets brought up and worked through a bit in the book, but I'm hoping it comes up again in other books.  I suspect a step-mother is not too far in Randi's future.

Dario Cruz, who goes by D.C., and his mother bought the apple orchard in Deer Creek, but they're having trouble paying the mortgage.  He's a hard worker and helps his Mom as much as he can.  Because D.C. was born premature, he has some health problems.  He wears hearing aids to help him hear and he has asthma that he works to control.  But he also loves martial arts and his hearing impairment makes him great at reading lips!  

This dynamic duo forms the Ninja Detectives to save the town!  There's a great cast of characters in this book.  The crooked politician, the crabby old miser, and the greedy bank president are all suspects.  But add the kindly ice cream parlor owner, the overweight sheriff and the sweet housekeeper/nanny and Deer Creek feels a little like Mayberry.
"Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective: The Case of the Time Capsule Bandit" is the first book in the series by Academy Award winning actress Octavia Spencer, but look for more to come.  Great adventure story to middle grade students who liked The Goonies, Missing on Superstition Mountain or Chasing Vermeer.

 --Angie RH, Headquarters