The 7th Knot by Kathleen Karr This is the exciting story of two brothers who accidentally uncover a secret cache of valuable art, a fleet of unbeatable weapons, and a secret plot by fanatical Germans to take over the world! Not only that, but a lot of it takes place in castles and dungeons. What’s not to like?
Even though the story is set in 1896, Miles and his brother Wick are totally like-able. They shirk homework and get into scrapes just like some other guys I know. But they do the right thing when the chips are down. I only wish this was a series, because I could definitely read another one.
Can the brothers thwart The Pitbull’s evil henchmen and protect the dragons? You have to read it to find out, but I guarantee you’ll enjoy the ride. I liked the characters in this book. The brothers got along and worked together but still seemed like brothers. The dragons were wild, dangerous creatures. They didn’t talk to the kids or do magic. Also, other than there being dragons, everything seemed like our regular, modern world, which makes this series seem like something that could happen to me and the Dudes (I mean, if we had a secret island).
This is the first in a five book series. It also has something extra: augmented reality content. If you download the AR Reads app onto a second device and point it at certain marked pages in the ebook, you get to watch little scenes like the cut-scenes from a video game. They are the coded messages from The Pitbull as well as videos, and 3-D maps. You don’t really need them to read the story, but they are cool extras, especially when you get to see what The Pitbull looks like in person. They work whether you buy the ebook or the paperback.
The Adventures of Odysseus by Hugh Lupton, Daniel Morden, and Christina Balit. My Dudes Adventure Chronicles are totally inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, and I first read the stories for myself in this book. This book gives you the adventures in sort of the style of Homer, without having to read Greek or poetry. Plus there are really cool pictures in color on every page to help you imagine it!
Odysseus has a brilliant idea for how to win the Trojan war. Then he and his men have to outwit gods and monsters to get home to Ithaca. When he gets there, he’s got to fight a bunch of bad guys who are holding his wife captive and then convince her he really is her long-lost husband. The adventures challenge Odysseus’s brain as much as his fighting skills. Following the whole thing felt like playing a great video game and winning.
Baby Zeke: The diary of a chicken jockey (an unofficial Minecraft autobiography) by Dr. Block. I got into this book because of Mark Sanderlin (the guy who reads the Dudes audiobooks). He is also the voice actor for the Baby Zeke series of Minecraft stories, so I checked them out. Let me tell you, first, that it’s much cheaper to buy this series in two volumes The Complete Baby Zeke: The Diary of a Chicken Jockey: Books 1 to 9: An Unofficial Minecraft Book and The Complete Baby Zeke: The Diary of a Chicken Jockey: Books 10 to 12: An Unofficial Minecraft Book.
The first book by itself is really short–under a hundred pages in paperback, and you’ll feel like you want more. To me it didn’t feel like a whole story but only the beginning of the story. The collections give you a whole lot more story for way cheaper than buying the individual books. You can get them as ebook or audiobook sets or printed and merged into one fat paperback. Of course, I recommend you get the multi-volume set in audiobook because Mark Sanderlin is awesome!
The story is about a baby zombie who doesn’t know why he’s different from other zombies or even how he came to be. Luckily, he soon makes friends with other Minecraft characters, like an adult zombie and a chicken who help him discover his abilities and take part in adventures.
These books are really aimed at reluctant readers like Connor or younger readers, like my little brother, Jayden. But the adventures are exciting, and I was anxious to learn more after the first book. Despite Zeke being a baby, there is plenty of Minecraft violence especially from marauding players (who, remember, are kids like you and me). It’s a whole new perspective.
Banneker Bones and the Giant Robot Bees, by Rob Kent. Okay. I read this because Nate recommended it to me, and you know he loves robots. Banneker Bones and his cousin, Ellicott Skullworth, battle some scary robot bees. But there are also good, heroic, non-insectoid robots as well as awesome jet-propelled scooters, holographic gaming, and the compelling mystery of whether Banneker can possibly be as much of a jerk as he seems.
Big Nate Flips Out by Lincoln Peirce. This is the fifth book in the Big Nate series so far. But reading them out of order is no big deal. This episode is pretty funny and also pretty realistic. I mean, I know more than a few guys (Connor) who are as messy as Nate. But what I really like in this book is when Nate gets hypnotized to be neat. Classic funny for sure! Plus, how can Nate make it up to his friend, Francis, for revealing his biggest secret? And what happened to the school’s yearbook camera? See if you can follow the clues and figure it out. It’s LOL all the way.
Bone Vol. 1: Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith If you haven’t read the Bone series of graphic novels by Jeff Smith, you’ve gotta start. Each of the 9 volumes in the series continues the story of the Bone cousins: Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone as they leave their home and make their way into a totally different land–one of beautiful sorceresses, wise dragons and horrific monsters. And, speaking of monsters, the rat creatures are somehow terrifying menace and adorable comic relief at the same time. Plus, there’s all these hilarious parts where Phoney Bone is trying to make a fortune by betting on cow races and other hokey scams. Remember, this is a graphic novel. You get to see it all instead of having to imagine how it looks. So, despite the fact that the story is pretty deep, it won’t take you long to read each volume. In fact, each time you finish, you’ll be reaching for the next one.
Book of the Night: The Black Musketeers by Oliver Potzsch ***************************************************************************** Lukas’s family is attacked by a witch hunter. His parents are killed, and Lukas goes on the run. But why does the evil Waldemar von Schonborn kidnap Lukas’s sister, and what secret does he pursue? Luckily, Lukas finds friends to help him overcome the odds.
This novel is about magic, but it covers real-life history from the 1600’s like battles in Germany during the Thirty Years War. Also, there is tons of sword-fighting and rescues and creeping around secret libraries and dungeons–all the good stuff. Besides, “All for one and one for all!” could totally be the motto of the Dudes!
This is the first book in The Black Musketeers series.
The Boy Who Painted the World by Melody J. Bremen. This is a scary story. I mean, it’s not about murders and zombies and stuff. It’s about a kid who doesn’t have parents or a house to live in, which is really scary if you think about it. I was kind of on the edge of my seat the whole time, worrying where he would spend the night and how he would get food. I guess that’s what it is like for homeless kids. But there’s other stuff I didn’t know about too, like how it is to think like a real artist. Indigo (that’s the kid, but it’s also the name of a color) loves to draw–no, he lives to draw! And the drawing helps him live too. It keeps him company when he is alone and scared, and it helps him meet some people who are also into art. And pretty soon, he’s bringing art to his whole community! It’s a really exciting story, and I think you’ll like it.
The Boys Start the War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is book one in a 12-book series called Boy/Girl Battle. The Hatford brothers want to make the Malloy sisters move away from their small West Virginian town. But the girls are tougher than they bargained for. Pretty soon, both sides are pulling pranks and making mischief. As a veteran of boys against the girls battles myself, I can attest that they are super fun. And, if you don’t have a gang of girls to match wits with, reading this series is the next best thing. Don’t worry. It’s not trying to trick you into liking girls or anything mushy. But you’ll come away respecting them and with some great ideas for mischief too!
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau and The City of Ember: The Graphic Novel which was adapted by Dallas Middaugh and with art by Niklas Asker.
Just gotta say, the graphic novel edition is top shelf. Having the pictures to help you, well, picture the story and the characters is pretty awesome. The problem is that there just aren’t many words. You get the story, but without the details. Despite the moody scenes and the expressive faces on the main characters, I felt like the story just went by too fast. I didn’t feel like I lived it the way I did in the full length novel.
It’s funny too, because I read the novel after the graphic novel, so I already knew what happens in this fascinating fantasy/sci-fi story. Lina and Doon are kids who live in Ember. Ember is this weird city without sunlight. The whole place relies on electricity, and the generator is breaking down. So right away there’s a mystery. Where is this place? Why are there people here? And why don’t they know how to fix the electricity?
I’m not going to give you any spoilers. Just know that Lina and Doon face some real danger and some exciting adventures when they try to save their city!
It’s a totally great ride, and I highly recommend the longer version so you can savor it.
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. If you don’t know what a crossover is, google it. Watch a couple video examples, and you’re set for this basketball-related book. I’m not much of a sports guy, but I LOVED it!
Josh and Jordan Bell are star players on their b-ball team. But the book is not really about the big tournament. I’ve noticed that the best books are like that–they are not about the big game or the big fight or the big competition. They are about what’s going on inside the hero.
Josh has got some stuff to deal with: his brother has a girlfriend, his dad is sick, and Josh has just screwed up big-time in front of everybody.
Here’s the weird thing. We know what Josh is thinking because he thinks it all in poetry (not the rhyming kind). That means every page tells something he feels in a very small space. The book is a super-fast read, and you don’t have to deal with paragraphs of description. It’s like that crossover video plays in your head while you read the lines and you feel it along with Josh. I like a poetry book…who would’ve thought?
Pro tip: This book has tons of awards, so you might want to save it to read for some required reading for school (you can read the whole thing in an afternoon).
The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper. This is the second book of the Dark Is Rising Sequence. It is totally different from the first book which is about other kids who live in another place in England. They found a powerful object: the grail, which was meant to help the good Old Ones battle the Dark. The boy from this book, Will, must gather six magical Signs, and he IS one of the Old Ones. We get a lot more detail on the magic fight this time. The main character is an 11-year-old boys celebrating Christmas with his family at the same time that he is an immortal who jumps backward in time and matches wits with evil to collect the signs. It’s really spooky and also Christmas-y. The only problem is that whole thing feels pretty scripted, like it all has to happen a certain way and will always come out the same. The adult Old Ones basically tell Will what to do at every turn. Still, we don’t quite know how all this stuff will fit together, so I am up for reading the next book in the series just to get some more of that dangerous atmosphere and figure it all out.
Defending Your Castle: Build Catapults, Crossbows, Moats, Bulletproof Shields, and More Defensive Devices to Fend Off the Invading Hordes by William Gurstelle. This is one of Nate’s favorite non-fiction books. It’s kind of a wish-book for kids like the Dudes (and probably some paranoid adults).
Each chapter gives you an overview of how some famous warrior of history attacked or defended a castle, fort, or city. Then the author gives you real instructions for how you could build things like a palisade wall or an armored castle door using modern tools and supplies that you could buy at the hardware store. There’s even a Kevlar backpack shield!
Of course, the Dudes don’t have money, and our parents don’t let us use power tools. Besides that, we better hope that Teresa and her soccer team don’t acquire any siege engines. But a kid can dream. The history parts are really cool, and the diagrams and plans are bound to give you ideas. I advise reading it on the beach so you can try out some of the plans on your sand castles.
The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau. This is the third in the Book of Ember series. However, my copy said it was the fourth book. This is because there is another book, The Prophet of Yonwood, which is a prequel. Anyway, this book is the continuation of the story of Doon and Lina from the first and second books. This time, they return to Ember to find out about a secret piece of technology that could make surviving in the post-apocalyptic world easier. But there are others who also want it and dangers in the dark city that their people left behind. This series just grabbed me. Ever since I read the first book, I keep thinking about that world where people are struggling to survive and don’t remember how humanity got in this mess. In the world of Ember, the art of reading is rare, and the only answers come from tattered books the society of the past left behind. We’ve had our own brush with dystopia in the real world lately, so I’m grateful for all the great places summer reading can take me.
Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja by Marcus Emerson. It’s about this guy named Chase who starts a new school and right away gets recruited into a secret organization of ninjas. How cool is that? The only problem is the things he has to do to get in. Don’t worry. With the help of his cousin, Zoe, Chase will figure it out.
This book is the first in a series, and each book is really short, so keep it in mind for school book reports too!
The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli The Title doesn’t sound all that exciting. But the main character, Robin (a boy), lives through all kinds of excitement. His parents are off serving the king and queen, and Robin can’t wait to become a knight and serve in battle. But, instead, he gets sick and loses the use of his legs. Then the whole city of London gets the plague and all the servants die. Luckily, this monk takes Robin to the monastery where he learns to swim and to carve stuff out of wood–Ryan would totally be into that. Then he gets to ride a horse to a castle where he learns to shoot with a bow and arrow and to climb ladders without using his legs (try it!). Then the castle gets attacked, and it is up to Robin to escape and bring in reinforcements!
Also, this book is short. So I read the whole thing in one day. But it’s a Newbery Award winner, so you’ll get points with parents and teachers for reading it!
The Dragon Defenders: Book One by James Russell. Flynn and Paddy live on a secret island with their family. But the island has dragons, and a bad guy named The Pitbull sends men to kill a dragon and steal its egg. The bad guys have motor boats and helicopters, but the boys have slingshots and bows and arrows. They also have better knowledge of the island.
Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger This book starts in a dimestore with the purchase of a fake mustache that turns an ordinary kid into an evil mastermind intent on stealing the presidential election. So, yeah, weird.
Having written a political thriller myself, I know just how hard it is to get the right level of ridiculousness with impossible hilarity. And Tom Angleberger has done it with Fake Mustache. This book has got two points of view (nerdy kid, and TV cowgirl), and really short chapters, so you feel like you’re flying through it. It’s also got brainwashing and an assassin and sticky hands and snot guns (Deven will love it). There’s even some light romance–if you’re into that sort of thing.
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. Mattie lives with her mom and grandfather over their coffee shop in the heart of the city of Philadelphia. But, when yellow fever strikes the city, Mattie is left on her own to deal with it. Should she hide or should she run? How can she protect herself and her home? When the city is quarantined, how can she find food and take care of her grandfather? This is an epidemic in a time with no vaccines and no tests and no internet to keep you sane. It’s like a futuristic dystopia but set in the past. I really got into it, and I think you will too.
The Fort by JP Poley with pictures by Jason Blower. This book is not fiction. At least, I hope it’s not. It sounds like an old guy telling some really cool stories about this fort he and his friend built back in the day.
It’s like you’re listening to your dad, but he actually did cool stuff when he was a kid. In the book, these two guys build this awesome fort with a dug-out room and a tower and every thing. They do it all by themselves.
They hang out there and keep valuables like candy and baseball cards. They even spend the night in the fort. Exciting stuff happens too, like getting attacked by girls and even a flood!
The book is only 50 pages, but I wish there was more. Apparently the 1980’s wasn’t as uncool as my parents make it sound.
A Girl, a Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon by Karen Romano Young has a mystery, but it isn’t a mystery book like Encyclopedia Brown. The main character, Pearl, who is the librarian’s child is trying to solve the mystery of a stolen head (don’t worry, it’s a statue, so there is nothing gross). But she’s also trying to save one special library branch that serves her neighborhood. Pearl’s life has all the realistic things you expect in a story about the city: people of all colors and nationalities, a mysterious homeless guy (The Dudes have experienced that in the suburbs too!), subways and newspaper stands and government budget problems, a gossipy business owner, eccentric artists, a fledgling rock band, a nosy reporter, and developers who want to tear down the library and build apartments.
But there are other things…suspicious notes, a secret midnight edition of the newspaper, and wild creatures that aren’t as wild as Pearl expects. And then there are these strange sidebars in the book itself, written by a mysterious stranger who goes by the initials: M.A.M. Is there more to life in the city than seems realistic? Can you “suspend disbelief”? And, most of all, do you want to if it means saving the Lancaster Avenue branch of the New York City Public Library?
Bonus: there are lots of books mentioned within this book. If there are any you haven’t read, give them a try.
If you read my recs, you know that I like books that take me on a ride, but this one took me on a different ride than usual. It wasn’t sword fights or falling off cliffs. It was more like I wasn’t sure what the book was about or how it was going to end. I kept changing my mind about what was real and even about whether I wanted the library to be saved. That’s a ride worth taking. Hope you enjoy it too.
The Green Ember by S.D. Smith and Illustrated by Zach Franzen. Wow! This story really grabbed me and took me down the rabbit hole. It’s about these two rabbit kids, Heather and Picket, whose peaceful home is attacked by a wolf army. (The chase scene at the beginning of the book had my heart pounding.)
They get taken in by this group of rabbit resistance that are trying to rebuild their society after a bitter betrayal destroyed their king. Heather and Picket’s family is involved in the whole secret history. Turns out rabbit parents, just like humans, don’t bother to tell their kids the good stuff either.
There is an evil crow king and a war council and a secret heir to the crown. And Heather and Picket will have to make choices and sacrifices as they fight to build a better world. So I will totally be back for the other books in this 4-book series to see how they do it.
Henry Reed’s Babysitting Service by Keith Robertson. Henry’s the kind of guy who likes to make the most of his summer. That’s why he starts a babysitting service with his best friend, Midge. Parents are willing to pay, and it sounds, easy. But (as the Dudes and I can tell you) babysitting little kids always leads to surprises. There’s a kid who keeps disappearing, and a kid who does death-defying stunts. There’s even an accidental flood! This book is set in some olden times too, where kids drink cokes at every meal, which is kinda fun to imagine. But all this stuff could totally happen in our neighborhood. Kids still want to make money over the summer and parents still want to find someone who can manage their little kids.
Holes by Louis Sachar One time, I was in a bookstore, and this kid came up to me and said, “You’ve got to read Holes! It’s my favorite book.” So, okay, the kid was a little weird. But, I like a guy who gets jazzed about books. So I checked it out.
Holes by Louis Sachar is a great book. It’s got hidden treasure and poison lizards and a prison break.
It’s about how this kid, Stanley, is cursed and fated but learns to control what kind of friend he’s going to be and what kind of person he’s going to be. And I couldn’t put it down. So, let me just say: Dude, you’ve got to read Holes!
Hooky by Miriam Bonastre Tur. Hooky was originally a web comic released on the Webtoon app. It’s now out in print as a two-book series, and I read book 1. The story is about twin witches, Dorian and Dani, who miss the bus to witch school and get caught up in a wild magical adventure, meeting new friends along the way. Like a lot of anime/manga that I’ve seen, nothing is really explained. You just jump into the world and go “what?” when crazy stuff happens (like that there are fire-spitting
frogs or floating castles). The characters are funny and silly, and there are plenty of laughs. But don’t be surprised that there is a dark element here. Some angry witches are planning to destroy non-witches, and there is a prophecy about an evil witch king. People die and fall in love (not in that order) and change allegiances, which definitely kept me reading. It’s super fast to read too because it is mostly pictures.
I Am the Ice Worm by MaryAnn Easley. I grabbed this out of a Little Free Library in my neighborhood because it had such a weird title. But, once I started reading it, it grabbed me back. The story is about a 14-year-old girl named Allison, who’s in a plane crash in Alaska and gets rescued by the Inuit (they are native people who live in the arctic). Living with them is totally different than her life in California or really anyone else’s. I mean, night lasts all day, and you can actually just die from the cold there. And there are no schools or doctors or 9-1-1. They are totally off the grid, so no bathrooms or electricity. And everybody eats frozen fish and seal oil. It’s wild. And there is this mystery too, about a girl who everybody hates and a fire that’s started on purpose. And what will Allison do if the mail plane never comes to take her to her mother? If you read this, you won’t be bored.
In the Shadow of the Mammoth by Patricia Nikolina Clark. This book is about the time and the people that lived here in North America 12,000 years ago! The author was inspired by real archaeological finds in Washington State near where I live. The story is fiction, but there are a bunch of scientists who say this is really, maybe how these prehistoric people could have lived. Anyway, the story is about a boy named Zol who is 11 and about to become a mammoth hunter for the tribe. Only he’s scared because his dad was killed that way.
In the book, Zol and his friend, Tungo, live in the shadow of the ice-age glaciers. And they do exciting stuff like practice spear-throwing and get attacked by a wolf and a saber-toothed cat. They hunt and fish and gather for every morsel of food. And they make their own stuff, like weapons and a birdcage for when Zol tames a crow. I had the most fun reading this book and imagining how things were! You’re gonna love it.
The Island Stallion by Walter Farley. You might have seen the movie of The Black Stallion. It’s awesome. But it’s based on a book, and that guy that wrote that book wrote a whole bunch of horse novels. I’ve read like twenty of them. And The Island Stallion is my favorite! The reason is that the island from the title has a secret valley hidden behind high cliffs of rock. To find the horses, the main character, Steve, and his friend, Pitch, has to scale rock walls and discover hidden tunnels lost since the time of the Spanish Conquistadors. Can he save the fiery stallion called Flame? You will not stop reading until you find out!
Journey to the Bottomless Pit: The Story of Stephen Bishop & Mammoth Cave, by Elizabeth Mitchell. If you’re looking for real-life adventure, try Journey to the Bottomless Pit: The Story of Stephen Bishop & Mammoth Cave by Elizabeth Mitchell. This is the true story of this guy, a slave in Kentucky in the 1830’s, who explored and discovered huge parts of Mammoth Cave, which is the longest cave known in the world!
Stephen was really smart and had a great memory. He mapped the whole cave in his head, and, later, he made a map on paper, which is included in the book. So cool!
He also discovered a species of blind cave fish. And there are pits and secret rooms and underground rivers. Even though this is nonfiction, it’s really exciting.
Lawn Boy, by Gary Paulsen.
This book turns the classic summer job on it’s head and turns the hero into a corporate officer in just a few, hilarious, pages. It’s got the stock market, it’s got pinching heads, it’s even got a weird grandmother!
And the best thing about it? It’s super short, in case, like me, you got busy with your friends and forgot to do summer reading for a while! I finished this before my mom could finish her lecture about how important it is to avoid screen-time by reading books.
Live and Let Swim, is part of the My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish series by Mo O’Hara. There’s also a spin-off series about the bad guys called My Fangtastically Evil Vampire Pet. First, let me say that this book is not one story but two! The book also contains a second zombie goldfish story: My Pet’s Got Talent. I had never read any zombie goldfish stories, and this is book #5, but it was totally fine to start in the middle of the series, as long as you accept the basic premise: that Tom has a zombie goldfish that can hypnotize people and Tom’s big brother is evil and has a vampire kitten. Once you get on that train, you’re on the way to wacky town anyway.
So that’s a warning: you either love something that is this far off from reality or you don’t. If you like wacky, it still has to be funny and a good ride.
I liked this book because: The good guys were normal kids who had a clear enemy: evil megalomaniacal big brothers, the pets were powerful, and the parents were clueless. Maybe you can relate? Anyway, I also liked how all the chapters in the first story were take-offs on James Bond titles: “Tomorrow Never Dives”, “The Boy with the Golden Fish”, etc. The plots are completely unbelievable, but the solutions are clever. Using a pet talent show to take over the world? Foiling the bad guys with a teleporting turtle? All in all, it’s a good time.
Midnight Magic by Avi. Escape your world by jumping into the year 1491 and a spooky old castle. The main character is a magician’s apprentice, Fabrizio. Everybody believes his master’s tricks are real sorcery, so he’s in trouble (because sorcery was illegal back then). The only way out is to get rid of a ghost so the king’s daughter can marry.
Of course, the king’s daughter is one of those girls, like Teresa, who is both smart and crazy and has her own scheme going. And Fabrizio is caught in the middle. There are hidden passages, secret identities, and wailing spirits.
The people in this book were great. I loved the sly humor whenever Fabrizio and his master teased each other. And the way Fabrizio balanced sucking up to powerful people and unnerving them with his sleight of hand.
Even Fabrizio couldn’t decide whether this ghost was real or, as his master says, “there must be a rational explanation”. So it was a good mystery right down to the last page.
I would love to spend more time with these characters, and, if you’re interested, there’s a prequel to Midnight Magic called Murder at Midnight.
My Family Divided: One Girl’s Journey of Home, Loss, and Hope by Diane Guerrero with Erica Moroz. Sort of like the Dudes, it’s the author telling about what happened in her life when she was a kid. The problem is, a lot of bad stuff happened that wasn’t her fault. Her parents came to the U.S. as visitors and decided to stay, which is sort of illegal. So Diane has to keep their secrets and worry. And then, one day, the worst happens: her parents are taken by officers of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and sent away to Columbia. That leaves her, a middle schooler, alone and taking care of herself.
This book is kind of scary, even for kids like me whose parents have all the papers they need to stay in the country. I mean, the idea that officers wouldn’t help you, that the government wouldn’t care, that there could be no way to legally solve your troubles. It sounds like the Nazis rounding people up.
It’s also really interesting on another level: It turns out Diane is famous now. She’s an actress on a TV show. So you can see how she starts as a kid, training and working and hoping in order to become a real actress for her job.
The truth is, if she didn’t become a famous actress, her story probably wouldn’t have been published.
This book was a fast read and really exciting. I finished it in about three days. I highly recommend it.
The Neddiad: How Neddie Took the Train, Went to Hollywood, and Saved Civilization, by Daniel Pinkwater.
Neddie is a kid in the 1940’s whose family moves from Chicago to Hollywood, California by train (with a car full of canaries!)
Right away he collects a secret Native American talisman and meets a ghost of a bellboy (which is a job kids used to have). And there are these fat aliens at the donut shop…Okay, so this book is completely weird. But Neddie has to save the world and it all comes together.
The thing is, with all this stuff coming at him, Neddie can handle it because his whole childhood reading adventure novels has prepared him. Plus, he meets some awesome friends (who will continue to have strange adventures in later books). And he has a strong sense of responsibility for the world and his part in it–which makes him the kind of hero I like to read about! If you have an adult who will read to you, get them to read this book out loud. It is hilarious to see your mom shocked and confused when she turns the page and something really unexpected happens!
Nyxia by Scott Reintgen. A diverse group of tweens are taken to space and put in competition against each other. The stakes: money and healthcare for their families back home in return for a spot on a dangerous mining operation on a foreign planet. Of course, they can’t trust the company that is using them. Of course, these poverty-stricken kids can’t resist trying to win anyway. But Emmett, the main character, is also trying to be a good person.
This book was on my middle school’s suggested summer reading list. The competition, the secrets, and the mysterious substance, nyxia, gripped me from the start and kept me turning pages. But I gotta tell the truth: there are some harsh parts–“accidents” in the competition, virtual tournaments that result in real injuries, and even character death. It’s not like a video game. People suffer real consequences when their bodies are damaged. If imagining that is not for you, back away.
Also, there is some romance. I mean, kids like each other and there is some kissing. At one point, a boy and girl are kissing and tugging at clothing and go into a room for some private time. Don’t know what happened in there and don’t want to know. Just saying, parents might have something to say about it.
But the point of the book isn’t about violence or sex. It’s about knowing who you are and how you want to treat people, even when you don’t love them–even when they are trying to hurt you. It’s about choosing how you’re going to react and who you are going to be.
Here’s another big warning: the story doesn’t end with this book. Most of the mystery is about the destination planet which they just reach by the end of this book. So, if you get drawn in, like I did, you’ll have to read the other two books in the triad (huh, never heard it called that before).
Over Sea, Under Stone, by Susan Cooper.
This is the first book in The Dark is Rising Sequence (Yikes! What a great series title.) It’s about three kids whose family rents a vacation house with their mysterious uncle on the coast in Cornwall, England. This area has a lot of connections to the King Arthur legends, and right away the kids get involved with a mystery involving an ancient map and a group of evil villains who are desperate to find its secret.
I liked this book because it starts out very real and everyday and then gets mystical and dangerous. I also loved that it’s a clash between good and evil, and I’m all about that.
Like the Dudes, the siblings in the story are all different, but they have to work together. And they do awesome stuff like climb cliffs and explore caves. And there’s a loyal dog too. I’ll totally be reading the other four books in the series to see how it all comes out.
A Parcel of Patterns by Jill Paton Walsh. And I’ll tell you right off that they talk in a weird old-fashioned way, which I love. Here’s an example:
“It was not named abroad for many days. Though my father had called it Plague that struck down poor Edward Cooper…”
The story takes place in the real village of Eyam, England, in 1665. And everything that happened in the story is real: like how the Plague came in a package from London, where they also had Plague. And the people at Eyam (which was out in the country) decided to quarantine the whole village in order to protect the villages around them from the sickness. They miss their family and friends, and they set aside their plans, and they argue a lot about what is the right thing to do. And, if you’ve been listening to the grown-ups this summer, this’ll all sound pretty familiar. Which is weird, ’cause in the 1600’s they didn’t have high tech medicine or the internet. The people of Eyam get their advice from their preachers, and their only medicines are herbs a local woman grows in her garden.
As far as sickness goes, Plague is way gross-er than COVID. People get these giant boils and fevers make them crazy enough to run out in the street naked. Then, when they look like they’re getting better, they suddenly die! Yikes.
The Plague nearly wiped out the village, but they sacrificed a lot to keep it from reaching others, so I have to think they were heroes. If you want to learn about it, this is a fast read, despite the fancy language.
The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau, which is the second book in the City of Ember series. If you haven’t started the series yet, you could start with Book 1 or start here, with Book 2 and go back later to read Book 1 as a prequel (kind of like how Star Wars gave us three stories before and three stories after the original three stories). The City of Ember Series is this epic story about the world after something horrible has happened. The kids in the first book escape the City of Ember and travel to a new place: The town of Sparks. They are trying to find out what happened to the world and also trying to find a safe place to be. In fact, everybody is just trying to survive. And it’s not easy.
After book 1, I really wondered how things went for the heroes, Lina and Doon, and all the people who had to leave Ember due to lack of food and electricity. So I had to come back to this book world to discover more.
Lina and Doon thought they would learn all the answers when they left Ember. But the People of Sparks are just as much in the dark about what they call “The Disaster” that ended our world (global connection and modern conveniences) and created theirs (basically pioneer farming and scavenging for scraps). Was there a war? A plague? Climate disaster? No one knows, but everyone seems to be suffering.
In this book, the people of Ember create a crisis in Sparks when they show up and need food and a place to live. Can the town of Sparks absorb so many refugees? Will they have enough food? And what’s the best thing to do when you don’t know the answers to those questions? There is a mystery going on and a clash of leadership.
At the same time, Lina goes traveling and gets a wider view of the devastation. There are more questions than answers, which is just how I like it. Can’t wait to return again for the third book. Reading this series just might become a summer tradition.
The Pirate Treasure by Zander Bingham with illustrations by Andrea Dailey. This is part of the Jack Jones Adventure Series. Three modern kids go to a Caribbean island and brave secret passages and booby traps to discover a hidden Spanish Galleon. What a great idea! The setting and the map and clues are all awesome. So I can totally recommend this book on the plot alone.
However, to me, the kids talked like adults. And they weren’t quirky or interesting in themselves. So, while I loved the adventure, I didn’t care about the characters the way you do in, say, Treasure Island, where you wonder about the treasure, but you also worry for Jim’s safety and you like Long John but wonder if he can be trusted.
Of course, lots of people just want to follow the story. If that’s you, this story, and the others in the series will give you some thrills and chills. Also, the pictures are amazing, so you get to see all the cool caves and booby traps. They are pretty quick to read, too.
The Player King by Avi. I read this because Mom bought it at a book fair and said I would find it fascinating. I’m not in favor of parents forcing kids to read certain books. But it worked out okay this time.
What would you do if you were an orphan, a servant in a tavern, and some priest came and told you you were royalty. It’s 1486 in Oxford, England, and Lambert Simnel looks a little like the young Earl of Warwick. Two powerful men tell Lambert that he IS the missing Earl who should be king. They teach him manners and give him a crown. They even raise an army to fight King Henry VII.
What will a peasant boy do with so much power? Who are his real friends and enemies? And what life does he really want? No one ever tells Lambert the truth. But I love how he figures out each powerful grown-up’s secret fears and needs. They think he is nothing so they can just use him.
But, by making him king, they are giving him power. Who will he choose to raise up or destroy? No one asked if he wanted this power. If he had a choice, what would he do?
This book is a great ride and a quick read, and it left me thinking what I would do with grown-ups kneeling at my feet. Awesome story–plus, it’s true and part of history.
The Secrets of Alaburg, by Greg Walters. This book is translated from German. In fact, it’s billed as the “German Harry Potter”, but I would say it is not that. But it is long (488 pages – which is not a problem for me), and there is a magic school, and there is a crew of classmates who live together and struggle to pass their classes and develop their magic skills. Oh, and there is a magic tournament!
On the other hand, outside of this hidden school in the mountains, there is not a modern muggle world like ours. Instead, there is a medieval world of hamlets and dark forests where a new evil menace is growing.
The main character, Bryn, and his friends are in training to take on this menace, so, awesome!
I really liked the diverse group of misfits that become Bryn’s friends–a human (Bryn), a dwarf, an orc, and a half-fairy. (Like the Dudes, they don’t really have girls who are friends — at least in this first book). But there is a girl Bryn “like-likes” who needs to be rescued.
The kids have to learn to work their different skills together to be effective in battles. And I liked the idea that the school is meant to combat racism (like between the magical races and humans) but, like all schools, it sometimes makes things worse.
The second book in the series is now available, and I’m looking forward to it!
Sophie Washington: The Gamer by Tonya Duncan Ellis. This book is a little young for me, but it was a fast read, if you’re looking for something to quick finish up your summer reading.
Your parents will love it because it’s about giving up screen time for Lent. (That’s a thing some churches do. Ryan and Connor tried giving up fighting once, but it didn’t work out.)
Anyway, Sophie’s little brother, Cole, gives up video games, and Sophie gives up tattling. You can imagine about how well that works out. Like a lot of siblings, Sophie and Cole are at odds until a dog comes into the picture, and suddenly they have to work together. Sophie even tries to help Cole when he screws up.
There is also some girl stuff–relationships at school. Not my cup of tea, just saying. But Teresa would be all over it. I thought Sophie was gonna be one of those goody-good, kiss-up-to-the-parents kind of girls. But she actually had a lot going on. And I could totally relate to her problems with her little brother (and her new dog). Cole is even into art, like Jayden! It doesn’t pay to be the oldest.
Spy School Secret Service by Stuart Gibbs. This is the 5th book in the series, but I had no trouble starting there. You’re inside the head of the main character, a spy kid called Ben Ripley. His thoughts give you enough of an idea what happened in previous books that you might decide to check out the others. Even if you don’t, this book is fun. The action takes place inside and under famous tourist sites in Washington D.C. like the White House, the Washington Monument, the Pentagon, and the Smithsonian.
The spy kid characters are fun and I was pretty invested in some of the relationships. I also liked that the main character wasn’t actually good at fighting, so he had to emphasize other skills.
It takes all kinds to make a spy team, you know.
You learn some neat insider spy stuff like how to infiltrate a high security area and how to contact your team over a tapped phone line without getting them in trouble. And, like the best spy stories, the real question is “Who can you trust?” There’s plenty of backstabbing and double-agent-ing among both the kids and the adults. So, watch your six.
The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett. Miles Murphy is all set to be the celebrated prankster of his new school. The only problem is the school already has a master prankster–and he’s better than Miles (or is he?)!
Get ready for an all out prank war.
I loved this book for two reasons:
1) We Dudes love a good prank, and these pranks are original and funny.
2) The villain. The principal is the butt of some of the pranks. He also has it in for Miles, which makes him a true enemy. He’s clueless and funny, but still dangerous, so none of the pranks seem like they are just mean.
Also, there are cows. The setting is this weird town that’s known for its cows. And there are tidbits of funny cow info throughout the book. To me this is a mark of good writing–not cows, I mean–but the fact that each scene is funny or important. You never feel like you’re waiting around for the good stuff to happen, ’cause it’s all good! So, kudos to Mac Barnett. Also, the pictures by Kevin Cornell really add to the story. I was glad to see this book begins a series. I’ll definitely be reading more.
Treasure Island! by Robert Louis Stevenson. I don’t want to give anything away, but just the name tells you there is a treasure hidden on an island. And Jim Hawkins is a kid who’s caught up in the middle of it.
Long John Silver befriends him and takes him on board a voyage to find the treasure. But can you really be friends with a pirate? Jim has both friends and enemies on the ship. And, when they get to the island, everybody starts double-crossing each other–well, not everybody. You’ll have to read for yourself to find out who the good guys are.
Basically, if you’ve ever seen a pirate movie, this is what it was based on. And, to me, this is still the best story. Also, they talk like in “ye olde dayes”, which adds to the atmosphere and didn’t really slow me down. Get ready for blood-curdling chills and swashbuckling action!
The Unteachables by Gordon Korman. The kids in it aren’t friends at first. They’re the “bad” kids who get stuck in an 8th grade class together to make a hard time for the “bad” teacher, Mr. Kermit.
Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different kid or Mr. Kermit or even an adult who used to be Mr. Kermit’s student a long time ago.
The kids are a mess, and so is their teacher. They do a lot of crazy things and make big, hilarious mistakes. Kiana isn’t officially enrolled in school, Aldo is a lizard’s favorite person, everyone is afraid of Elaine, and Mateo calls the teacher Squidward! But I liked them right away.
Mr. Kermit reminded me of Mr. Isaak. And the kids were a lot of fun to spend time with. (Wait until you see what they do with the props from the pep rally!) And that’s kind of the point of reading–to get in the heads of different characters and to spend time with people who you’ve come to know and like.
Warriors#3: Forest of Secrets by Erin Hunter. And, boy, are there secrets! Secret grudges, secret kittens, secret love, and don’t forget the mysterious prophecies that the main character, Fireheart, gets in dreams from a dead friend.
I like this series because there’s a lot of strategy and sometimes battles between the rival wild, cat clans. Also, it’s all about friendship and loyalty, which, being a Dude, I can totally feel.
Also, it’s a good, long series, so there’s always another book if you’re hungry for more. The first book is: Warriors #1: Into the Wild
We Can’t All Be Rattlesnakes by Patrick Jennings. This is a prison story. What’s it like to be taken from your home and held against your will? Will the other prisoners help or hurt you? How do you feel about your jailer? And…do you have a chance of escaping? These are the makings of a great prison drama. But this prisoner is a snake–a gopher snake who is captured and held prisoner as a pet! Did you ever think about it that way? It makes me wonder what my dog is thinking. Anyway, this snake’s life as a prisoner is full of excitement from scaring the math teacher to going on hunger strike. You’ll be rooting for him and his fellow detainees. It’s a really quick read too. I didn’t put it down until I was finished. Warning: some minor characters/animals do die.
Willow, by Eva Sharma. This book was written by an 11-year-old girl as a Covid Pandemic lock-down project. Not only that, but she’s donating proceeds from the book to a non-profit that promotes better race relations! How awesome is that? My mom bought me the book, so here’s my review:
This book pulled me right in. With an orphan and a factory/orphanage, it reminded me of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events. The main character, Willow, certainly has to handle things herself, because the world the adults have created is kind of screwed up. I liked how something exciting happened every chapter, and also how Willow is so attracted to nature. She’s almost like a different kind of human being. She’s solving a mystery too–about herself and her family. I highly recommend this book.
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