Superfail

Superfail
by Max Brunner
illustrated by Dustin Mackay

Marshall Preston's laser vision is a disaster! For most kids, having the power of laser vision would be awesome, but not for the crossed-eyed Marshall.  Whenever he tries to use his superpower, the wrong things get lasered! While others at his school have gone on to be recruited to superhero teams, Marshall is left with other classmates who also have difficulty with their own superpowers.

After uncovering a sinister plot, Marshall finds himself working with other kids with flawed superpowers, as well as an eccentric retired superhero, to try to stop the villains before it's too late!

 This entertaining story is full of action and many humorous moments! Although not a graphic novel, this book is heavily illustrated with engaging, color pictures on every page.  This is a fun read that many readers will enjoy! 

The Eureka Key

Secrets of the Seven: The Eureka Key
by Sarah L. Thomson  

When Sam wins a puzzle contest, he is awarded with the trip of a lifetime! However, it soon turns out to be very different than he expected. The trip is off to a rough start when he and Martina, another prize winner, are forced to land the small plane they're on after the pilots and everyone else on board mysteriously pass out. Then, when on a hike in the desert, they are taken hostage and forced to help solve a puzzle. That’s when they learn that this was no ordinary contest they won, it’s a contest to help find seven missing keys before they fall into the wrong hands.

The Eureka Key, the first book in the Secrets of the Seven, is an exciting story full of adventure, suspense and mystery.    I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this great new series!

Author's website: www.sarahlthomson.com

The Wild Robot

The Wild Robot
by Peter Brown

What happens when a robot ends up on an island?  It becomes a wild robot!  When robot Roz becomes shipwrecked on an isolated island, she must learn to adapt to life with a variety of wild animals who, at first, are terrified of what they think is a monster!  Will the other inhabitants of the island ever learn to accept Roz?

Peter Brown has always been one of my favorite authors and illustrators, in fact I recently completed a unit of his work with my kindergartners.   The Wild Robot is his first chapter book and I was just as thrilled with this book as I have been with his outstanding picture books!  This story of friendship, family, and survival is full of entertaining characters and many heartwarming moments.   The excellent illustrations that Peter Brown is known for complete this wonderful story.  It is definitely a book that I plan to recommend to many of my readers and hope that Peter Brown will continue to write more books like this!

Author's website: http://www.peterbrownstudio.com/

Masterminds

Masterminds
by Gordon Korman

Can a town really be perfect?  With a population of only 185 people, no crime, and beautiful homes, Serenity seems to be a perfect small town.  However, Eli Frieden begins to suspect that Serenity may not be as perfect as it seems after he receives a mysterious letter from a friend.    Suddenly, Eli begins to question everything in his beautiful, calm, New Mexico town.   Is his world real?   What secrets are the grownups hiding from them?  Eli and his friends investigate and find a shocking answer!

After finishing this book (the first in the Masterminds series)  I needed to know what happened next and immediately went online to buy the next one!  Masterminds is full of action, suspense, and many unexpected twists.   I loved how Gordon Korman alternated between narrators, allowing the reader to  get to know the different characters and experience the life of Serenity from various perspectives.   I'm looking forward to reading the third book in the series when it gets published in March!

Author's website: http://gordonkorman.com/

The Doldrums

The Doldrums
by Nicholas Gannon

Archer B. Helmsley was born a dreamer.   Growing up in his grandparents' unique home, Archer is surrounded by unusual items collected by his explorer grandparents throughout their travels.   All he wants is adventure, but after his grandparents disappear on an iceberg in Antarctica, his mother barely lets him even leave the house.    When Archer comes up with the idea for the ultimate adventure,  finding his missing grandparents, he and his friends Oliver and Adelaide must come up with a clever plan to get them to Antarctica before his parents, and their scary new teacher Mrs. Murkley, find out what they're up to!

The Doldrums is a humorous book about friendship and adventure.  Full of unique characters, charming illustrations, and many funny moments, this is a book that I know many readers will enjoy!   I was often reminded of the Roald Dahl classic Matilda as I read this, particularly with the character of Mrs. Murkley, who is very much like Matilda's Mrs. Trunchbull.   The ending of this book left me, and will likely leave other readers, curious about what will happen next with Archer, Oliver, and Adelaide.   Fortunately, it looks like author Nicholas Gannon plans to continue with this series and future adventures are in store for these three friends!

Author's website:  http://www.nicholasgannon.com/

Book trailer: 

Moving Target

Moving Target
by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

A legendary spear with the power to change the world has turned Cassie Arroyo's life upside down!   The daughter of an art professor, Cassie is used to traveling the world.  However, when she learns that she is part of an ancient bloodline linked to the Spear of Destiny, she is in for the journey of a lifetime as she and her friend Simone flee from a dangerous organization that is out to get her!   As they embark on the dangerous, possibly deadly, mission of locating the missing spear, Cassie begins to uncover many secrets about her and her father's past that change her life forever.

What an exciting book!   Moving Target is an thrilling, suspenseful adventure that will leave its readers anxious for the next book in the series.   I know I'm looking forward to September 27th, when the next installment of Cassie's adventures will be available!  


Author's website:  http://www.christinagonzalez.com/index.html

The Blood Guard

The Blood Guard
by Carter Roy

Ronan should have known something was up with his family when their last house suspiciously burned down.   At the time, however, there was nothing unusual about his two very ordinary parents.  Sure, his mother kept him busy with gymnastics, judo, and other after-school activities, but even that never made him suspect that his mother was beyond ordinary.   At least, not until the day she picks him up unexpectedly and tells him some shocking news: his father has been kidnapped and she is a member of a secret society called the Blood Guard.  In a flash, Ronan's life changes and he finds himself on the run from a sinister group out to get information that only the Blood Guard knows.  

Full of suspense, action, and adventure, this series will be a great choice for fans of Percy Jackson or The Genius Files.   The story is very fast paced with many unexpected twists.   

Author's website: http://carterroybooks.com/

The Worst Class Trip Ever

The Worst Class Trip Ever
by Dave Barry

Wyatt's class trip to Washington, D.C. has gone from bad to disastrous!    A smelly hotel room and a directionally challenged teacher are the least of his problems after his best friend Matt gets kidnapped by two men who could possibly be terrorists with a plot to attack the White House.   Of course, if Matt hadn't accused the two men on the airplane of having a missile, maybe they wouldn't be in this mess at all!   Now Wyatt has to save his best friend and, possibly, also the White House!

This hilarious story had me laughing many times while I read it!    This story is an excellent combination of humor and action.  It's a great choice for anyone looking for a funny, school-themed story.

The Copernicus Legacy: The Forbidden Stone

The Copernicus Legacy: The Forbidden Stone
by Tony Abbott

When Wade's father, an astrophysicist, receives an unusual, coded email from an old professor, their family suddenly finds themselves thrown into a dangerous international adventure!   Shortly after receiving the strange email, the family soon learns that the professor has recently been killed, leading the family to travel to Germany to attend his funeral.   What is intended to be a brief trip quickly turns into a wild adventure when Wade's family soon learns that the professor had many secrets, including knowledge of the whereabouts of the 12 relics of Copernicus.   Unfortunately, others are seeking the same information and will stop at nothing to uncover the relics.   Wade, along with his father, stepbrother, cousin Lily, and friend Becca, must race around the world to locate the relics before they end up in the wrong hands.

The Forbidden Stone is a fast-paced adventure story full of many dangerous, suspenseful moments!   It is rare for a story to get my heart-racing, but this is one that often kept me on edge.  I'm looking forward to the second book!   Fans of The 39 Clues series and similar books will likely enjoy this series.  

Book website: http://www.thecopernicuslegacy.com/

Book trailer: 

Stranded

Stranded
by Jeff Probst and Chris Tebbetts

The boat trip was supposed to help them get to know each other better.   At least, that was the plan when four children, whose parents recently married, set off with an uncle on a family boat trip.    Unfortunately, not everything goes according to plan.  When a huge storm hits, the four step-siblings find themselves separated from their uncle as their boat crashes into a deserted island.  Now, they must come together and put aside their differences if they want to survive.

A great first book in what is sure to be an exciting survival series!  


Author's website:  http://www.jeffprobst.com/stranded.php

Book trailer: 

The Sasquatch Escape

The Sasquatch Escape
by Suzanne Selfors

Ben is convinced that spending the summer with his grandfather is going to be boring, until his grandfather's cat shows up with a baby dragon!  When he and his new friend Pearl bring the unique creature to the new vet in town, they realize that it's not an ordinary veterinary hospital, but a vet for imaginary creatures!  If things aren't  weird enough, they accidentally let a sasquatch loose and are forced to catch the creature before he's seen by anyone else!

This funny tale, full of unusual animals, is the first book in what will surely be an entertaining series!  Fans of animal fiction will likely enjoy Ben's wild adventures!

Author's website: http://www.suzanneselfors.com/imaginary.html

Book trailer:

The Abominables

The Abominables 
by Eva Ibbotson 
illustrated by Fiona Robinson

When young Agatha Farlingham is kidnapped by a yeti during a family camping trip, she soon realizes that the creatures are not the mean, violent animals that many believed them to be.  Rather, she finds that her new yeti family is kind and caring and devotes her life to teaching her new friends manners and how to speak.   Years later, as a new hotel is built close to the home of the yetis, the aging Agatha worries about how her yetis will survive without her and enlists the help of two children, Ellen and Con,  to transport the yetis to her family home in England.   With the help of truck driver Perry, Ellen and Con help to bring the quirky family of yetis on a long journey to England.   The journey is not a quiet one, however, as the travelers find themselves involved in many wild adventures along the way!  Will they make it safely to the childhood home of their dear friend Agatha?  And, when they arrive, will they be accepted by her family?

This imaginative tale is full of adventure and humor.  Author Eva Ibbotson has written a heartwarming story that challenges the notion that yetis are violent creatures and instead has portrayed them as gentle, loving, and frequently quirky characters.   With its fun illustrations and exciting adventures, this story will be a hit with many readers!

Wake Up Missing

Wake Up Missing
by Kate Messner

All Cat wants is to be the way she was before her head injury.   The I-CAN treatment center, known for treating head injuries like hers, promises to do just that.   However, shortly after her arrival at the isolated Florida island home of the I-CAN center, Cat grows suspicious of the motives of the doctors.  She soon realizes that she, as well as the other five patients of the center, are part of a secret project.  Will she and the other patients be able escape the center before it's too late?

What a great book!  Wake Up Missing is one of those stories that I started and could not put down.  It's a thrilling combination of science fiction and mystery.   My only disappointment with this book was somewhat of a lack of closure in the end regarding several of the characters.  I was left wanting to know what happened next with everyone.  I'd love to see these characters again in future stories! 

Author's website: http://www.katemessner.com/

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms
by Lissa Evans

When Stuart Horten's mother is offered a new job, his parents decide to move to the small town where his father group up.    Stuart is not happy about leaving his home and all of his friends.   Soon after his arrival, however, Stuart learns of a family mystery.  His great-uncle Tony, a magician, mysteriously disappeared many years earlier.    Hidden somewhere is his uncle's secret workshop, where he created magical tools.   Stuart finds himself caught up in a quest to find his uncle's secret workshop and solve the mystery of his disappearance. 

This was a fun read with a combination of mystery, adventure, and magic!   I loved the characters and the many fun gadgets that Stuart encountered throughout the story.    This book definitely sparked my interest in the "miraculous mechanisms" described in the book.   I'm excited to read the next book in the series!

Author video: 

The Cloak Society

The Cloak Society 
by Jeramey Kraatz

Alex Knight has spent his life planning to become a supervillain like his parents, Shade and Volt.   Growing up in the Cloak Society, an organization of powerful supervillains, he has been trained to use his own powers to aid the group in gaining control over Sterling City.   After spending his whole life devoted to Cloak, he suddenly begins to question their motives after meeting a member of the Rangers, a group of superheroes who have defeated Cloak in the past.    Will Alex follow in the footsteps of his supervillain parents, or will he leave the life that he has always known?

I had a hard time putting this book down! It is fast-paced and full of action and adventure.   I'm looking forward to the next book in this series!  Readers who enjoy the supervillain theme of this book may also consider reading Joshua Dread, another book about a boy from a supervillain family.

Author's website:   http://www.jerameykraatz.com/

Author interview:

Supervillain Personality Test:

Island of Thieves

Island of Thieves
by Josh Lacey

Tom Trelawney didn't mean to burn down a shed.  Unfortunately, the accident with the shed means he has to stay with his Uncle Harvey while his parents go on vacation.   Shortly after Tom's arrival, Harvey announces that he must go on a secret trip to find a hidden pirate treaure.   After much pleading (and a little blackmail), Harvey agrees to take Tom along with him.    What Tom expects to be a fun adventure soon turns into a dangerous quest.   Tom had been worried about making it back to New York before his parents returned,  but now he's worried he may never even make it home at all!

What a great book! Island of Thieves is a good choice for readers looking for a book full of action and suspense! 

Author's Website:  http://www.joshlacey.com/

Always October

Always October
by Bruce Coville

What do you do when your little brother turns into a monster?   Jake Doolittle needs to figure that out.  When he and his mother discover a baby abandoned on their doorstep, they decide to keep it.   Everything goes well until one full-moon night when Jake discovers his new brother LD has turned into a furry green monster!  Jake soon learns that there are other monsters after his new brother and, despite the baby's new fangs and pointy ears, he becomes determined to help save LD.  With the help of his friend Lily, Jake brings LD to the mysterious world of Always October,  a land full of monsters and other creepy creatures. 

I thought this book was great.   Always October is full of adventure, humor,  and many surprising twists!  

Author's website:  http://www.brucecoville.com/

Joshua Dread

Joshua Dread
by Lee Bacon

If you think your parents can be embarrassing, imagine being Joshua Dread!  His parents are supervillains.  While others, including his best friend, idolize famous superhero Captain Justice,  Joshua must struggle with the secret that his parents are the infamous, havoc-causing Dread Duo.
Even though he lives in a home where his parents keep zombies and a killer plant, Joshua tries to be a normal kid.   Unfortunately, when he suddenly begins to develop his own superpower and his parents get kidnapped, Joshua must come to accept that his life will likely never be normal!   

Joshua Dread is a superhero with a hilarious twist!   I love how instead of having superhero parents, Joshua's parents are supervillains.  Despite their attempts to take over the world,  the actions of his parents tend to be more humorous than evil.   Full of action and humor, this book is a great choice for fans of Sidekicks and similar stories.   This also is the first in a series, with a sequel to this great book scheduled to be published in the fall.   I'm looking forward to Joshua's next adventure!

Author's website:  http://www.leebaconbooks.com/