The Boy in the Basement by Susan Shaw

The Boy in the Basement by Susan Shaw is about Charlie, a 12 year old boy who has been forced by his father to live in the basement as a punishment. Charlie is certain he is a bad child who has been "ruined" and that his harsh punishments are deserved. This is the only life he's ever known. Even when he's not confined to the basement, his father doesn't allow him to attend school, play outside, or interact with any other people. Late one night as Charlie snuck outside the backdoor to relieve himself (he was not allowed to use the bathroom as a part of his punishment), the wind slams the door closed, locking him out. Sick with fever and not knowing what do to, Charlie runs down his street until he collapses. After being rescued, he is taken to the hospital where he begins to learn that his life was not "normal" and that his father's punishments were wrong. Charlie is scared to death of his father and imagines a giant spider pursuing him every tie he does something that would break his father's rules. After he leaves the hospital, Charlie goes to a foster home to live with Mrs. H and Ambrose, another foster child. Charlie desperately misses his mother, who was always helpless to stop his father's abuse - even taking it herself - but he knows his home is with Mrs. H. Still, the spider plagues him and he is terrified to do the things he knows his father wouldn't approve of. As his parents' trial looms closer, more and more people want to question Charlie about his experiences and Charlie begins to learn what it is like to live like a "normal" child.

This was a heart-wrenching story. I felt so bad for Charlie the entire time I was reading! To think, he didn't even realize that what his parents did to him was wrong - that he somehow deserved to be treated that way. I don't normally read stories about abuse because they upset me, but this one was different. The actual abuse was never described in detail and the ending was very happy. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read (or has already read) A Child Called "It".

Mind Games by Jeanne Marie Grunwell

Mind Games by Jeanne Marie Grunwell is about a group of middle school students who choose to research ESP in their Mad Science Club. As a result of their research, the group wins $500 in the lottery! The story is told through newspaper articles, lab reports, and experiment reports. Each part is written through the eyes of a different character and all add their own personal perspectives and stories. By the end of the novel, the reader not only has a better understanding of paranormal activities, but also of each character, the ways they are completely different, but also how they find their similarities as a result of being part of this group.

This was a quick read. I really liked the format of the story - being told through the voices of each character through lab reports and experiments. It makes me want to study ESP and even try some of the experiments! I loved the ways the author helped me get to know each character personally through what they wrote in their sections. A great story!!

Below are images of Zener Cards used in some tests for ESP:

If you are interested in exploring your own ESP abilities, check out this link to "Test Your ESP"

Shock Point by April Henry

Shock Point by April Henry is about Cassie Streng, a teenage girl who finds out a shocking secret her step-father, Rick is trying to hide. He's a psychologist and has been prescribing a drug to his patients that causes them to commit suicide! When Cassie finds out, she wants to tell someone... anyone... to put a stop to it. Unfortunately, Rick finds out that Cassie knows and convinces her mother to send her to a "private boarding school" in Mexico called Peaceful Cove. Peaceful Cove is really a prison camp meant to break rebellious teens through power and control and sometimes even pain. Cassie is desperate to escape so she can be reunited with her mother and tell the truth about her stepfather and what he has done. The only problem is, it's nearly impossible to get out... people have even died (or been killed) trying.

This was a great action story and a really quick read. I finished it in a few hours one Sunday afternoon! I really liked the way the author used flashbacks to what happened just before Cassie was kidnapped and transported to Peaceful Cove. It was a really cool way to provide the back story! I also liked the way everything fell into place at the end.

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan is the first book in the new Kane Chronicles, by the author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series. Sadie and Carter had been raised apart ever since their mother died six years ago. Carter lived with their father, an Egyptologist who traveled the world researching and collecting Ancient Egyptian artifacts. Carter never attended school, but received his education through their travels. Sadie lived with her grandparents in a flat in London, only seeing Carter and her father twice each year... until one Christmas night when everything changed. Little did Carter and Sadie know, their mother and father came from the two most powerful lines of Pharoah blood. The two of them were literally the only humans with enough power to stop the coming chaos that would begin taking over as soon as their father, in an attempt to make everything "right", unleashed five Egyptian Gods - Isis, Horus, Nephthys, Osiris, and the red lord, Set. Now, the kids have to figure out who they really are, save their dad, and try to save the United States from Set's evil plan, not to mention stay away from the House of Life (a group of magicians trying to keep the peace between the human world and the world of the Gods since the time of the Pharoahs), who believes Carter and Sadie are at fault for releasing the Gods! Will they set things right before it's too late?

This was an awesome book! It was full of action and adventure and packed with so much information about Ancient Egypt that I didn't know! I really liked the way it was told through both Carter's and Sadie's voices as though they were recording their stories. I would recommend this book to anyone who liked the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series, as well as anyone who enjoys a great adventure!

Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne

Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne is a collection of stories about a boy named Christopher Robin and his friends in the 100 Acre Wood - Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eyeore, Kanga, and Roo, and Rabbit and all of his friends and relations. Each of the ten chapters tells a different story about the adventures and misadventures of these characters. The stories are based on the author's son, for which Christopher Robin was named, and his collection of stuffed animals (see the photo on the right). Winnie the Pooh was originally named Edward! He was renamed Winnie after a black bear who escaped from a zoo in Winnipeg during WWI, and Pooh after a swan Christopher Robin had named Pooh. I read this book with my son and enjoyed the stories as much as he did! The writing is really funny, for people of any age, and the illustrations are amazing.

Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is about Benevolence, the niece of King Ferdinand of Montagne. Ben was raised in the soldiers' barracks by her mother and father (King Ferdinand's brother) and lived a very happy life sheltered from the dramas of the kingdom. That is, until her parents and King Ferdinand were assassinated and Princess Benevolence became the only heir to the throne of Montagne. Ferdinand's wife, Queen Sofia immediately took over her care, forcing Ben to learn the ways befitting her station... preparing her for her future queenly duties. Ben fought this at all costs and ended up imprisoned in the wizard's tower of the castle. By day Ben was forced to endure the awful trainings but by night, she worked in her little cell to discover the secrets to the castle. Purely by mistake Ben discovered her magical abilities and the maze-like paths and tunnels that ran throughout the castle. She also discovered a tiny room above her own which held a magical spell book, teaching herself many spells and enchantments. These proved useful as Ben learned of a plot by Queen Sofia to marry her off in an attempt to strengthen the kingdom. Ben winds up escaping the castle, but becoming a prisoner of the very people she suspects killed her parents! In an exciting turn of events, Princess Benevolence finds peace within herself, her aunt, and even the rival kingdom with which Montange has warred for years...

This was a great fantasy. There was magic, adventure, dragons, a great battle scene, and even a little romance! I loved the way Ben's character changed throughout the story as a result of all of her experiences. I also really liked the role of magic in the story, which was very minimal. There were parts where I laughed right out loud! I would recommend this book to anyone who liked The Goose Girl series or The Princess Academy (both by Shannon Hale).

Tree Girl by Ben Mikaelsen

Tree Girl by Ben Mikaelsen is based on a true story, told to the author by the actual Tree Girl in Guatemala. Gabriela has become known by the other villagers in her Mayan canton as the Tree Girl because of her love of climbing to the tops of the highest trees. She can climb higher and faster than anyone else in the canton! Gabi's life with her large family was going well... she was the only one able to attend school, she was preparing for her quinceanera (a big celebration on her 15th birthday), and the war that was raging on other parts of the country between the soldiers and guerrillas had not yet touched their little village. All that changed during her birthday celebration. Soldiers arrived and took her older brother, Jorge. Her mother became sick and eventually died, leaving sadness and extra responsibilities for Gabi. But worse, soldiers destroyed their canton while Gabi was far away at market and killed nearly everyone. Gabi was able to find her youngest sister, Alicia and her brother Antonio (who died almost immediately). She and Alicia began the long journey to Mexico, hoping to find refuge. Along the way, Gabi and Alicia witnessed unspeakable violence and eventually became separated. All Gabi wanted to do was find Alicia, her only remaining family member and responsibility. She struggled to make it to Mexico alone, foraging for food, finding shelter where she could, and feeling as though she let everyone down because she was unable to protect the ones she loved the most. She felt she was a coward for hiding in a tree while an entire village was massacred in front of her... so Gabi promised herself she would never climb a tree again. Thankfully, things began looking up for Gabi when she arrived in a Mexican refugee camp, found some people she could trust, and was even reunited with Alicia!

This was a very heart-wrenching book. It's hard to believe this sort of thing happens in our world today! I found myself becoming immersed in Gabi's story, really feeling for her and all she's been through. It makes me sad to know it was based on a true story. What a brave girl Gabi is. Because of the violence and acts of war, I would recommend it for more mature readers.

Follow this link for a preview of the first 75 pages of Tree Girl by Ben Mikaelsen

Witness by Karen Hesse

Witness by Karen Hesse is the story of a small Vermont town that is invaded by the Ku Klux Klan in 1924. Many of the townspeople welcomed the Klan, joining their ranks immediately - including the preacher, an 18 year old student, and a prominent shop owner. Some of the townspeople remained wary, not joining but not stopping the hateful behavior. The rest, the African American father and 12 year old daughter, the Jewish father and 6 year old daughter, and even the people who were friends with them, were terrorized and even shot! Thankfully their reign of terror didn't last long... but certainly long enough to cause lasting damage, leaving folks scared, hurt, run off, and one dead.

This story is told through the perspectives of several different townspeople, including the two youngest and most hated by the Klan, 12 year old Leonora and 6 year old Esther. It is also told through some of the people who joined the Klan and even some people who didn't join and actively opposed their presence. I really enjoyed the free verse style of this book and the variety of perspectives shown. I would recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction.

The Miracle Worker a play by William Gibson

The Miracle Worker by William Gibson is a play about the story of Helen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan. Helen was born in the late 1800s a typical child. As an infant, she suffered from an illness that left her blind and deaf. Helen's family struggled to raise her, but never truly found a way to reach her until they hired Annie Sullivan. Annie had been blind herself, but underwent several surgeries to bring her vision up by about half. At age 20, she was summoned by the Kellers to teach Helen. Helen's family had catered to Helen all her life, so she had no manners and no discipline. Annie worked to change that, but it was tough. She knew she somehow needed to get Helen to understand that each object had a "name", which she dutifully finger-spelled using sign language into Helen's hands each time she encountered something. While Helen learned to finger-spell many words herself, Annie knew she did not connect those gestures to the items they named. That is, until one crazy evening during supper when Helen threw a tantrum, splashing the water out of the pitcher at the table. Annie took Helen and the pitcher to the water pump, and that was when the breakthrough occurred. Suddenly Helen wanted to know the names of everything, including her mother and her teacher.

I already knew the story of Helen Keller before reading this book, but it was eyeopening to read about it! Because this is a play, all of the stage directions and emotions are described for the actors to follow. This made everything easier for me, as the reader, to visualize. Wow - if ever there was a teacher to admire, it's Annie Sullivan. She never gave up, even though she wanted to, even though she was stopped at every turn, even though it seemed hopeless.

Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight

Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight is the story of Frankie and his quest to never clean again. Frankie is an incredibly creative boy who turns just about everything he does into an awesome adventure. So, while he has every intention of cleaning his room so he can go hang out with his friend Kenny, he ends up on an exciting quest to save the world from a gigantic robot. That's when he decides (and his mother actually agrees!) that he will not clean his room ever again... it just gets messy again anyway, so what's the point? Everything goes downhill from there, especially when Frankie decides to stop cleaning himself, too! His clothes are stinky, he's stinky, his room even becomes somewhat dangerous! The night Frankie decides to do something about the growing disaster is the night he and his faithful sidekick Argyle (his dog) enter the Closet of Doom for one of the biggest adventures of his life!

I read this awesome adventure with my son. We both absolutely loved it! The story is told through typical (but short!) chapters along with comic book-style text and pictures (sort of like Captain Underpants style). The story was laugh-out-loud hilarious!! The drawings are really cool, too. See my attempt at following the author/illustrator's drawing tutorial in the back of the book on how to draw Frankie, then watch the video to see how Eric Wight actually draws him!

The Last Treasure by Janet S. Anderson

The Last Treasure by Janet S. Anderson is about Ellsworth Smith, one of the youngest heirs to John Matthew and Elizabeth Smith's last treasures. John and Elizabeth had 13 children in the mid-1800s and their biggest dream was for their family to always be together. They even built special houses for the family around a square block, each facing the "Sward" in the center where a beautiful pond and oak and pine trees stood. Through a series of events through the years, many of the children (and the children's children) moved away and the Square started to decline... the remaining family members had to close up some of the houses and even sell some of Elizabeth's lovely paintings to have enough money to live! Before he died, John Matthew hid treasure in each of three houses on the south side of the Square. Up to now, only two of the treasures had been found. The one remaining in "Richard's" house (one of the John Matthew and Elizabeth's children) was still a mystery. Desperate to solve the mystery and hopefully earn some money to keep the Square in decent shape, Elizabeth writes a letter to Ellsworth (Zee) inviting him to come and stay with her. His father, Ben Robert, was initially against the idea because he was holding a grudge against his father (who still lives on the Square) as a result of his father's feelings about Ellsworth's mother. He finally gives in, though, and Zee arrives at the Square. He and his cousin Jess are certain they can find the treasure in Richard's house if they can just get into the mind of John Matthew. When the solve the mystery and figure out the secret of the final treasure, they realize just how important keeping the family together really is.

This was a great mystery! I was so glad the author included a map and a family tree in the beginning of the book. At times I was a little confused about who each of the characters were and how they were related, but it all made sense in the end. I really liked the message behind the mystery and they way the search for the treasure came together at the end.

The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson

The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson is about seventeen year old Destiny Faraday. She's been shuffled around from boarding school to boarding school since she was seven, when her parents abandoned her in favor of her baby brother. All Des wants is one fair day, where everything works out right. She had no idea what kind of chain of events would ensue after stating her wish aloud for a visiting professor who finds her ditching class one October morning. One bizarre coincidence after the other finds Des ands three classmates on the road trip of a lifetime, ending in a strange, but perfect twist of fate.

This was an excellent story! Typically, I am not surprised by twists in the plots of stories, but this one really got me. I really liked the way the author unraveled Des's story slowly and the way each of the other three friends were able to have their version of a 'fair day'.

Storm Warning (The 39 Clues Series, book 9) by Linda Sue Park

Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park is about Amy and Dan Cahill's continued search for the 39 clues, leading to power and fortune. In the installment, Amy, Dan, and their au pair Nellie end up in Jamaica searching for something famed pirate Anne Bonny may have possessed. Things Are never simple for Amy and Dan, however, with the other powerful branches of the Cahill family trying to stop them at any cost (even death). In this story, Amy and Dan discover that Nellie isn't who she says she is and that she may have been hired to betray them all along. They also discover the truth a out the Madrigals, the Cahill branch to which they belong, and the real reason the Madrigals exist and behave the ways they do.

As always, this was a great adventure! I love the 39 Clues Series because of all of the geographical history about each of the places the Cahills travel and also the historical facts the authors present. I always thought there would be 39 of these books (one for each clue), but something happened in this book to make me think the rise may be coming to a close more quickly! I'm excited to read the next book which takes place in England.

The Capture (The Guardians of Ga'Hoole) by Kathryn Lasky

The Capture by Kathryn Lasky is about Soren, a young barn owl who was stolen from his family at only 20 days old by St. Aegolius patrols. Soren, terrified and not sure how he ended up out of the safety of his family's nest, meets Gylfi, a young elf owl who found herself in a similar situation at St. Aegolius. Neither owl understand the bizarre rituals their captors force them to do - marching around during the full moon saying their "old names" over and over (all of the owlets at St. Aggies are given numbers instead of names). They also don't understand why the other owls there behave like zombies. Despite getting into a lot of trouble together, Soren and Gelfie are determined to find out exactly what is going on at St. Aggies, why owlets and eggs are being snatched from all of the Owl Kingdoms, and what the flecks in the owl pellets are being harvested for. What they find out scares them into action - first escape, then to find their long lost families. Their ultimate goal? To find the Ga'Hoole tree and the owls of legend from the tales of yore and stop the villains at St. Aggies for good.

This was a really good fantasy/adventure story! It was an excellent start to the series, giving the reader all of the background information about the different owl species and kingdoms. I am excited to read the other books in this sees to see if Gylfie and Soren accomplish their goals.