'She was screaming, she was sliding, she was moving with terrible speed . . .' Christina lives with her father in an old stone mansion on the edge of a forest. The mansion is surrounded by barbed wire and has signs posted that read TRESPASSERS WILL BE BOILED. Christina's father is the head scientist at the Loompski Laboratories which is located deep in the forest. Her mother was supposedly blown to bits at the same laboratory years ago. Zoom is an ore that is mined from the Starkian Mountain. Taft becomes Christina's friend and the two of them have adventures which lead to a fantastic discovery. The author's brisk narrative and well-defined characters keep the story moving with plenty of quirky imagination. With just a touch of fantasy and humor this story keeps the reader fully engaged. I think it would be a great book to read aloud to a group.

Similar books: Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls by Lynne Jonell; Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus by Kristen Tracy

Reviewed by: cj

Date read: 1/25/2010

ISBN-10: 0805088563

ISBN-13: 9780805088564

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This graphic novel tells the story of Julian who is excited upon learning that he will have to start a new school because his father is getting a job transfer. Julian is excited because he is tired of being known as a nerd. So at his new school, Julian decides that he will do everything he can to fit in, even if it means pretending that he doesn't know the answers to the easy questions that his teachers ask and saying that he hates chess (despite the fact that he has a button that says I love chess!). Julian's plans to fit in don't work out so well, and he becomes discouraged until he meets Greta and Ben. Together, they form the Secret Science Alliance. Everything with the Alliance is going well until the notebook with all of their inventions goes missing. Who has taken the notebook and will they be able to get it back before it's too late?

Awards nominated: Bluestem Award Nominee 2012

Reviewed by: jb

Date read: 6/10/2011

ISBN-10: 1599903962

ISBN-13: 9781599903965

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From the culture that brought you the story of Aladdin, here are the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor. In full color, you will see how he enters the valley of diamonds, fights off the Cyclops, escapes on the back of the giant Roc, restores the peaceful island of the elephants, meets the beautiful Serena and has many close escapes. How can one man have so many exploits in one lifetime?

Reviewed by: vfv

Date read: 11/16/2011

ISBN-13: 9781434227751

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Olive has just moved into an old house in an old neighborhood with her parents, who are college math professors. Although Olive doesn't have a mathematical bone in her body, she does have an inquiring nature. The old house is full of rooms that have been left as they were when previous owners used them, and antique paintings, which were all painted by the former owner, Aldous McMartin. In her investigations, Olive meets a cat, Horatio, who warns her that 'they' are watching and want Olive and her parents to leave. Not wanting to believe the cat, Olive continues her search and finds a pair of spectacles which allow her to enter the paintings. In one, she meets a boy, Morton, who claims he was kidnapped and placed in the painting, where he was trapped. Pretty soon, Olive finds out that Horatio's warning was true, but Olive doesn't give up that easily and she continues to look for answers to the mystery. This is a suspenseful story that keeps the reader guessing until the end.

Similar authors: Neil Gaiman

Awards nominated: 2013 Bluestem Nominee

Reviewed by: vfv

Date read: 6/30/2012

ISBN-13: 9780142418727

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When 11-year old Fadi escapes Afghanistan with his family, his 6-year old sister is accidentally left behind. Fadi knows it was his fault, and tries to find a way to rescue his sister. He makes new friends, and some enemies, at his new school in San Fransisco. When he learns about a photography contest, he realizes his camera just might be the answer to his family's dilemma.

Awards nominated: 2013 Rebecca Caudill Nominee

Reviewed by: donna

Date read: 4/30/2012

ISBN-10: 144240194X

ISBN-13: 9781442401945

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