City Spies

City Spies

 By James Ponti

At age twelve, Sara Martinez has already lived in many different foster homes.  Her foster parents often cared more about money than their children.  As a computer hacker, she is now facing years of juvenile detention when a new “lawyer” appears and offers her a deal.  Before she knows it, she is whisked off to Aisling Scotland with a man known as Mother.  Sara is to become the hacker in a small team of children who work as spies for MI6.

No one goes by their real name of course.  Each child’s name reflects the city they came from.  Rio, Paris, Kat and Sydney all have different areas of strength and all play different roles on the team.  Sara quickly becomes known as Brooklyn and is thrown into training for a mission destined to take place in the next few weeks.

The team from FARM, as they are known, will infiltrate a global youth summit in Paris where an international organization called Sinclair Scientifica is challenging groups of youth to come up with ways of making artificial rain.  But there is more to this summit than environmentalism.  Stavros Sinclair, the leader of Sinclair Scientifica, is in real danger from a group called Umbra.  It is FARM’s job to keep him safe.

As the youth summit unfolds, our five heroes learn that things are not as they seem.  Brooklyn (Sara) may have to do far more than she bargained for to save her teammates and the rest of the children at the summit.

City Spies is a thrilling adventure that will keep you hooked!  If you are a fan of spy novels (Spy School, Alex Rider series, etc.) you will love City Spies!

Grades 5 and up.

Shine!

Shine!

By J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

Piper Milly is a fairly average kid.  Her mother was a musical prodigy, and her father is a music teacher who enters his school singing groups into competitions and even writes his own show tunes.  Piper can’t even carry a tune.

When Piper’s dad gets offered a job at the exclusive Chumley Academy, he is thrilled.  As part of the package, Piper will get free tuition and now has the chance to attend a very expensive private school.  Mr. Milly can’t wait, but Piper’s going to miss her public school friends.

All the students at Chumley seem to excel in many ways.  Piper may not have a special talent, but she does have a passion: astronomy.  She quickly shows her new teachers and classmates that she has a lot of scientific knowledge and she looks forward to competing in the Science Fair.

But no matter what Piper does, some of the kids at Chumley are downright mean.  The meanest of the bunch is Ainsley Braden-Hammerschmidt, who feels entitled to win every competition in music, science and sports, and really enjoys making Piper feel small.

But Piper is resilient.  She makes her own friends, tries her best, and always shows a willingness to help out when others are in trouble.

When the big competition of the year, the Excelsior Award, is announced, the students go crazy vying for the big win.  Piper wants to win too.  But in the end, she shows that being a good friend is the most important thing of all.  And who knows?  Maybe a kid like Piper will still get a chance to shine!

Shine is a feel-good book that will inspire you to excel, but also to be an all-round good person.  If you’re a kid who needs a confidence boost, try reading Shine!

The Secret of White Stone Gate

The Secret of White Stone Gate

By Julia Nobel

Thirteen-year-old Emmy Willick is back at Wellsworth, a prestigious British boarding school, for her second year.  She is thrilled to be back with best friends Jack and Lola, but is also concerned about what the year will bring.  

During Emmy’s first year at the school, she discovered that her father, who has been absent her entire life, is a target of the Order of Black Hollow Lane, a secret society with ties to Wellsworth.  This connection put her and her friends in grave danger.

Emmy has demonstrated to the Order that she has no knowledge of her father’s whereabouts, and doesn’t have anything they want.  She thinks she and her friends will now be safe.

As school resumes, Emmy, Lola and Jack volunteer to run a charity fundraiser.  When money goes missing, fingers are pointed at Lola, who is then expelled.  Lola moves to a new school in King’s Lynn, but soon becomes the victim of bullying and harassment.  Could all of this be tied to the Order?

As the story progresses, Emmy learns that many students at the school are not what they seem, and that she and her friends are still targets.  Can Emmy, Jack and Lola really stop the powerful Order from gaining more power?

The Secret of White Stone Gate is a fantastic mystery that brings in the British boarding school element (think Harry Potter).  Highly recommended (but read The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane first!)

Scary Stories for Young Foxes

Scary Stories for Young Foxes

By Christian McKay Heidicker

On a chilly autumn night, seven little foxes are eager to hear some scary stories.  But the old storyteller lives over in Bog Cavern and they are not allowed to go.  After waiting for their mother to fall asleep, seven little foxes sneak out into the night, and prepare to be scared.

So begins Scary Stories for Young Foxes.  What follows are a series of stories about other fox kits.  Each story sends one of the original seven foxes home, too scared to listen to any more. 

One story tells of the evil Mr. Scratch, who would kill the runt of his own litter.  Another tells of the cruel Miss Beatrix Potter (yes, the children’s author), who kidnaps young foxes and other animals, writes a story about them and then has them stuffed.  Another tells of the lovely teacher Miss Vix, who gets bitten by another fox and succumbs to the terrible “yellow”, also known as rabies.

But heroes emerge from these stories as well.  Mia and Uly are both fox kits who get separated from the safety of their mothers.  If they band together, they may just manage to defeat the evil forces that are alive in the woods.

If you love to be a little bit scared, try Scary Stories for Young Foxes.  This book would be especially great on a dark and stormy night!
 

The Disaster Days

The Disaster Days

By Rebecca Behrens

Hannah Steele is a first-time babysitter.  At 13 years old, she’s not sure she should be in charge of anyone.  Luckily she’s babysitting close to home, so she’s not too worried.

Hannah and her charges, Oscar and Zoe, live on Pelling Island, a fictional suburb of Seattle.  Although they are close to the big city, Pelling feels very small indeed.  Houses are separated by the forest and there are only a few families on Hannah’s street.  But having grown up on Pelling, Hannah feels totally safe and secure there.

Hannah’s mom is still at work, her dad is out of town, and Oscar and Zoe’s mom, Andrea, has gone to an event in the city.  None of the kids’ adults are on the island when the earth starts to shake.  Windows shatter, furniture shifts, pottery smashes to the floor and the fridge falls over.  Hannah, Oscar and Zoe are terrified, but they know their parents will come for them immediately.

Day turns to night and no parents arrive.  Hannah knows she must take charge of the situation to keep Oscar and Zoe safe and secure.  She did not ask for the responsibility of taking care of two kids in an earthquake disaster zone, but she knows she must do it. Hannah wonders if having her in charge will be more dangerous than the earthquake.  Will she have enough faith in herself to step up and take responsibility?

Disaster Days is a great book for those who love survival stories (like me).  WARNING: The earthquake aftermath can be quite scary, especially since we are living in the same earthquake zone as those in Seattle.  Read at your own risk!

The Case of Windy Lake

The Case of Windy Lake

By Michael Hutchinson

Sam, Otter, Atim and Chickadee live on the Windy Lake First Nation.  Although they are just kids, these four cousins love to solve mysteries.  They’ve been nicknamed The Mighty Muskrats for their intelligence and tenacity.

When an archeologist visits their community, many of the people are worried he will try to dig up some of their sacred sites.  But when he disappears in the bush, the Mighty Muskrats jump into action, hoping to solve the mystery despite the involvement of the local police and the RCMP.  Time is running out as the archeologist spends many days alone in the bush.

Meanwhile, the Muskrats’ older cousin Denice chains herself to a dock to protest a local mine that threatens the environment.  The cousins’ grandpa says that she is on a vision quest, and the Muskrats try to support her through her ordeal.  But her activism is preventing work from getting done, and the mine manager, Mr. Makowski, is furious.

All of this takes place against a backdrop of a First Nations community and culture where people respect the land and the Elders.  Will the Muskrats be able to solve the mystery and help find the missing archeologist?

The Case of Windy Lake reminds me of classic children’s mysteries like the Famous Five and Nancy Drew, but with an indigenous twist!

This is the first book in the Mighty Muskrats series.