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Portal Through the Pond (Empty World Saga Book 1)
They said her grandfather was dead. They said her grandmother was crazy. Christy knows they’re wrong.
When her grandmother dies, 13-year-old Christy inherits an old family secret: the pond behind her house is in fact a portal to another world. What’s more, she learns that her grandfather went through the portal when he mysteriously “disappeared” nine years ago. Christy tries to respect her grandmother’s final wishes and not go exploring, but when a classmate named Rob falls into the pond, she has to act.
Since no one would believe her if she told them the truth about the pond, Christy arranges her own rescue party. In order to rescue Rob, she’ll have to brave a bizarre alien landscape, evade hostile creatures, and protect Danny, the boy from next door who followed her through the portal.
Meanwhile on Earth, the grown-ups launch a frantic search, and they’re willing to drain the pond to find out what happened. Will Christy be able to find her grandfather, rescue Rob, and return safely to Earth before she becomes a permanent resident of the Empty World?
From author David K. Anderson for Readers 8-13.
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Chase: The Boy Who Hid – The Hide & Seek Chronicles
A kid inventor. A billion-dollar game of hide-and-seek. One chance to save his family.
His engineer grandfather was the only one who really understood fourteen-year-old Chase. When the old man goes missing, Chase discovers his inheritance: futuristic shapeshifting technology beyond his wildest dreams.
Now he must fly, hide, and spy his way into the government’s classified game of high-tech hide-and-seek, the last place anyone saw Grandad. Given the chance, he’ll do anything to reunite his family, even risk disappearing himself.
From author Z. Jefferies for Readers 11-15.
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Bad Hair Days: A mystery
For Mallow, every day is a Bad Hair Day.
Wearing a wig means Mallow can hide her hair loss. But now someone’s sending her creepy messages. It’s a race to stop them before everyone discovers her secret. Losing her hair was hard enough – but will she lose the people she cares about too?
A touching mystery about family, friendships and being different, from J M Forster, the award-winning author of Shadow Jumper, for Readers 10-14.
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Harley James & the Mystery of the Mayan Kings
Will Harley find the missing Mayan statue and save the World?
Amateur cryptologist Harley James has just landed in the sticky jungle of Tikal, Guatemala—home to the famous Mayan ruins. She’s made a few friends, a few mistakes…and a ground-breaking discovery.
The legendary statue of the long-lost Mayan King.
Just as she is about to impress her father with her discovery, the statue is stolen. Right from her own room!
And what’s worse? The legend says if the statues of the three kings are reunited, they’ll bring back an army from the dead to rule the world.
Follow along with Harley as she tracks down the missing Mayan statue, solves a few riddles and stumbles upon a secret society that will change her life forever!
From author Leah Cupps for Readers 8-12.
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The Lion of Mars
Blast off with New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor-winning Jennifer L. Holm’s out-of-this-world new novel about a kid raised on Mars who learns that he can’t be held back by the fears of the grown-ups around him.
Bell has spent his whole life – all eleven years of it – on Mars. But he’s still just a regular kid – he loves cats, any kind of cake, and is curious about the secrets the adults in the US colony are keeping. Like, why don’t they have contact with anyone on the other Mars colonies? Why are they so isolated? When a virus breaks out and the grown-ups all fall ill, Bell and the other children are the only ones who can help. It’s up to Bell – a regular kid in a very different world – to uncover the truth and save his family … and possibly unite an entire planet.
Mars may be a world far, far away, but in the hands of Jennifer L. Holm, beloved and bestselling author of The Fourteenth Goldfish, it can’t help but feel like home.
For kids 9 – 12
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Sherlock Bones and the Sea-Creature Feature
In this humorous, mystery-solving graphic novel series Sherlock Bones and his ragtag team hunt down a swamp monster!
Sherlock Bones’ home, the Natural History Museum, has added an exciting new exhibit, Reef to Shore, that includes a mangrove forest and shallow coral reef habitat, with touch tanks in between. When Sherlock overhears a that a swamp monster has been sighted, he gathers his team to investigate. At first Sherlock Bones suspects Nivlac, a quirky octopus with a talent for camouflage—and tank pranks.
But then, loud bellowing leads Bones and team to the mangroves, where they find a horrifying long-haired green beast! Can they escape the creature—or is it too late for our frogmouth bird skeleton and his ragtag mystery-solving team?
Great for readers 8-12.
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Unplugged
From New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman comes a hilarious middle grade novel about a group of kids forced to “unplug” at a wellness camp—where they instead find intrigue, adventure, and a whole lot of chaos. Perfect for fans of Korman’s The Unteachables and Masterminds series, as well as Carl Hiaasen’s eco mysteries.
As the son of the world’s most famous tech billionaire, spoiled Jett Baranov has always gotten what he wanted. So when his father’s private jet drops him in the middle of a place called the Oasis, Jett can’t believe it. He’s forced to hand over his cell phone, eat grainy veggie patties, and participate in wholesome activities with the other kids whom he has absolutely no interest in hanging out with.
As the weeks go on, Jett starts to get used to the unplugged life and even bonds with the other kids over their discovery of a baby-lizard-turned-pet, Needles. But he can’t help noticing that the adults at the Oasis are acting really strange. Could it be all those suspicious “meditation” sessions?
Jett is determined to get to the bottom of things, but can he convince the other kids that he is no longer just a spoiled brat making trouble?
For readers 8 – 12.
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Samantha Spinner and the Super-Secret Plans
Here’s another great book for readers 8-12. The author is Russell Ginns.
For Samantha Spinner it just isn’t fair. Her uncle Paul disappeared, and here’s what he left:
Samantha’s sister Buffy got a check for $2,400,000,000.
Samantha’s brother Nipper got the New York Yankees.
And Samantha got a rusty red umbrella with a tag hanging off its worn handle. The tag says “Watch out for the RAIN.”
Thanks a lot, Uncle Paul.
But really, after all the strawberry waffles, stories, and puzzles they’ve shared, how could Uncle Paul just leave without saying goodbye? And what is the meaning of that mysterious message?
The answer is simple: Sam knows in her heart that Uncle Paul is in danger. And if he taught her anything, it’s that not everything is exactly what it seems. Which is why we should pay close attention to that rusty red umbrella, and never trust a monkey at a hula-hoop contest.
The RAIN is coming, and Samantha Spinner is about to find herself mixed up in some super-important, super-dangerous, super-secret plans.
And if she’s brave enough and smart enough, she just might find Uncle Paul.
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Sally Lockhart Mystery
“Beware The Seven Blessing. . . .”
When she first utters these words, sixteen-year-old Sally Lockhart doesn’t know their meaning. But when an employee of her late father hears them, he dies of fear. Thus begins Sally’s terrifying journey into the seamy underworld of Victorian London, in search of clue that will solve the puzzle of her father’s death. Pursued by villains and cut-throats at every turn, she at last uncovers two dark mysteries. One involves the opium trade; the other, a stolen ruby of enormous value. Sally soon learns that she is the key to both — and that it’s worth her very life to find out why.
This is a great book for kids of all ages from the award-winning Philip Pullman better known for His Dark Materials trilogy. There are four books in this series: The Ruby in the Smoke, The Shadow in the North, The Tiger in the Well, and The Tin Princess. Try them — you’re going to really like them.
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Simone LaFray Book Review
Simone LaFray and the Chocolatiers’ Ball
Steve O’Farrell, author
Simone LaFray had never questioned one thing – the character of her father. A fourth generation chocolatier and owner of a world famous patisserie, in her eyes he could do no wrong. However, her eyes were trained to see everything that was wrong. A covert agent with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this extraordinary 12-year-old was living a double life, walking in the veiled footprints of her mother, icing eclairs, dusting pastries, and darting between the shadows. What could be sweeter? When a notorious thief returns to Paris seeking revenge against her mother, a series of unforeseen and potentially devastating events ensue, leaving Simone to question everything. Her father can’t be the man they say he is, can he? Her concealed life is evaporating, the store hangs in the balance . . . and did I mention she needs a ball gown? Life in a French patisserie may not be as sweet as you thought. Simone LaFray and the Chocolatier’s Ball pulls the invisible girl out of the shadows and into the spotlight. Is she ready?
