I don’t know about you, but I’ve always loved adventure stories. And adventure stories that take place on an island? Or about finding treasure? Well, they’re even better! Here are five books about treasures, islands, and what happens when they come together in a book. No promise about the presence of pirates…but they may be lurking somewhere in some of these exciting stories as well.
Our “5 Books…” lists include five books (usually with a couple extras) on a specific topic, with a short synopsis so you can decide if the story sounds like something you would like. Five Books–one old, one new, one popular with kids, one well-reviewed, and one staff favorite. (Can you guess which is which?)
There was something else out on the sea by the rocks – something dark that seemed to lurch out of the waves . . . What could it be?
Julian, Dick and Anne are spending the holidays with their tomboy cousin George and her dog, Timothy. One day, George takes them to explore nearby Kirrin Island, with its rocky little coast and old ruined castle on the top.
Over on the island, they make a thrilling discovery, which leads them deep into the dungeons of Kirrin Castle on a dangerous adventure. Who – and what – will they find there?
“Only boring people get bored…Interesting people can always find something to be interested in.”
That’s what Tom Trelawney’s father says, anyway. Tom shouldn’t have been interested in playing with matches but he was bored. Now the shed is in ashes. Not a good time, since his parents are going away on vacation and plan to leave him at home. Now strange Uncle Harvey is the only one willing to take Tom in for the time they will be away.
But Tom soon discovers Harvey is going to South America on a treasure hunt, and though nephews aren’t invited, he manages to tag along. The trip is more dangerous that Tom anticipates. Before it’s over he’ll drive a car, fire a gun and run for his life. Tom realizes that life may be about following the rules, but survival may be about breaking them.
Problim Children to the rescue! Sal and his siblings follow a trail of Toot’s toots as they sail through the barrier islands to rescue their baby brother from the evil Cheesebreath. He’s been holding Toot and Mama Problim hostage in the hopes that the Problims will lead him to their granddaddy’s treacherous treasure. But not all treasure is gold, and this one was buried long-ago for good reason.
Can the Problims find Mama, rescue their brother, and destroy the treasure before Cheesebreath and their nasty neighbor Desdemona capture them all? This may be their final adventure! (Make sure to read their previous books too.)
It’s the summer of 1914. Eight-year-old Bernice lives with her family in a lighthouse on Georgian Bay. One day Bernice wakes up to find a stranger named Tom Thomson sleeping in their living room. When she overhears him talk about gold on a nearby island, Bernice is determined to find it.
Inspired by her beloved Mémèr’s stories of their Métis family’s adventures and hardships, Bernice takes the treasure map the stranger left behind and sets out in a rowboat with nothing more than her two dogs for company and the dream of changing her family’s fortunes forever. Can she find the treasure and save her family?
Zane is itching for an adventure that will take him away from his family’s boarding house in Rockaway, Queens. So when he is entrusted with a real treasure map, leading to a spot somewhere in Manhattan, Zane wastes no time in riding the ferry over to the city to start the search with his friends Kiko and Jack and his dog, Hip-Hop.
Through strange coincidence, the kids (and dog) meet a man who is eager to help them find the treasure: John, a sailor who knows all about the buried history of Black New Yorkers of centuries past—and the gold that is hidden somewhere in those stories.
As a vicious rival skateboard crew follows them around the city, Zane and his friends begin to wonder who they can really trust. And soon it becomes clear that treasure hunting is a dangerous business…
Savannah Dare has always wanted to be a pirate. She grew up on legends of Blackbeard from her grandfather—her best friend and fellow treasure hunter.
But now he’s gone. Savannah and her sisters, Frances and Jolene are left to find Blackbeard’s lost loot on their own. It was their grandfather’s dream, and they can’t let him down.
No one else in their small town on Ocracoke Island believes Blackbeard’s treasure is truly still out there . . . no one except their grandfather’s mysterious old business partner, who’s determined to find it himself. And when their family home is endangered, the Dare sisters realize finding Blackbeard’s treasure is their only hope!
It’s tough to be thirteen, especially when somebody’s trying to kill you. Not that Egg’s life was ever easy, growing up on sweaty, pirate-infested Deadweather Island with no company except an incompetent tutor and a pair of unusually violent siblings who hate his guts.
But when Egg’s father hustles their family off on a mysterious errand to fabulously wealthy Sunrise Island, then disappears with the siblings in a freak accident, Egg finds himself a long-term guest at the mansion of the glamorous Pembroke family and their beautiful, sharp-tongued daughter Millicent. Finally, life seems perfect. Until someone tries to throw him off a cliff.
Suddenly, Egg’s running for his life in a bewildering world of cutthroat pirates, villainous businessmen, and strange Native legends. The only people who can help him sort out the mystery of why he’s been marked for death are Millicent and a one-handed, possibly deranged cabin boy.
Ben and Jake are excited when they dig up a boat that has been filled with rocks and sunk in the sandy river bottom that runs behind their houses. But they’re even more excited when they discover a treasure map in an old jar under the seat in the bow. Marked with an “X”, the treasure is buried in the center of three trees on an island in Quicksand Swamp.
Eager to find the treasure, the boys set out for the swamp in their new boat. Little do they know that they will have to battle alligators, quicksand and, worst of all, a murderer as they go on the scariest journey of their lives.
* * *
There you have it! Five books–well, eight, but who’s counting?–where kids go adventuring to find treasure. Which one do you think you’d most like to read? Maybe you should try them all!
As always, if you need help finding these or any other books, just ask one of our librarians. We love matching books and kids!
Have you ever been in a play or musical? Were you confident, or did you have stage fright? Either way, being on stage is both amazing and scary! Some kids are natural hams, others are brave enough to put themselves right out there, and still others have to overcome stage fright. Read all about what it’s like to join a production in one of these fun books!
Our Five Books list include 5 books (or sometimes more!) on a specific topic, with a short synopsis so you can decide if it sounds like something you would like. Five Books–one old, one new, one popular with kids, one well-reviewed, and one staff favorite. (But you’ll have to guess which is which)!
What starts as a diversion to stave off boredom during the holidays soon becomes much more for the seven young members of the Blue Door Theatre Company. The four girls–Lyn, Sandra, Vicky and Maddy–and three boys–Bulldong, Nigel and Jeremy–play every part in the theatre, not only on stage but off it too, producing everthing from the scripts and sets to the music and costumes. They also learn that the show must go on, even in the face of their arch-enemy, Mrs. Potter-Smith, local critic and leader of the Ladies’ Institute.
The classic story of seven children with a longing to be on stage: the inspiration for actors from Maggie Smith to Eileen Atkins.
Meg Kendrick and her sister Lulie expect the usual boring train ride to summer camp. But before the girls can say Camp Hockawattamesset, they’re up to their ears in excitement and intrigue! At the train station, the sisters bump into Pippa Phillips, a famous child movie star, who is running away from her aunt and uncle. She thinks they’re exploiting her talents for their own profit. Immediately sympathetic, Meg and Lulie concoct a brilliant strategy to help Pippa–stage one is to disguise the young actress as just another camper, and to sneak her into Hockawattamesset as their cousin.
Once they’re at camp, Pippa and Lulie have a great time…but Meg is having some doubts. Pippa isn’t used to NOT being in the spotlight, and some of her escapades are getting Meg into trouble. She also starts to have some doubts about hiding someone so famous…who has people looking all over for her. As the week goes on, the girls are facing all kinds of complications, including a riotous ballet performance in the camp Talent Show. How can Meg make Pippa and Lulie see that they need to bring some adults into their little conspiracy? Will this end well for Meg, Pippa, Lulie and all the adults in their lives?
Nate Foster has big dreams. His whole life, he’s wanted to star in a Broadway show. (Heck, he’d settle for seeing a Broadway show.) But how is Nate supposed to make his dreams come true when he’s stuck in Jankburg, Pennsylvania, where no one (except his best pal Libby) appreciates a good show tune? With Libby’s help, Nate plans a daring overnight escape to New York. There’s an open casting call for E.T.: The Musical, and Nate knows this could be the difference between small-town blues and big-time stardom.
A hilarious and heartwarming debut novel full of broken curfews, second chances, and the adventure of growing up–because sometimes you have to get four hundred miles from your backyard to finally feel at home. And read the rest of the trilogy too: Five, Six, Seven, Nate! and Nate Expectations.
Monica Garcia has arrived in NYC with her grandmother and a few suitcases to live her dream on Broadway. She’s been chosen as understudy to the star of Our Time, the famed Ethel Merman Theater’s last chance to produce a hit before it shutters its doors for good. Along with her fellow castmates–a.k.a. “the squad”–Monica has a big and very personal reason to want this show to succeed. But rumors of a long-running curse plague the theater. And when strange and terrible things start to threaten their hopes for a successful opening night, Monica and the rest of the squad must figure out how to reverse the curse before their big Broadway debuts. With the help of her new friends, her family, and a little magic, can Monica help save the show–and save their dreams?
From Broadway and television star Mandy Gonzalez comes a story about what it means to dream, be yourself, and be fearless. Read the sequel as well: Boulevard of Dreams.
Megan’s class is putting on their own original musical based on the book The Wizard of Oz, and Megan wants to be the star of the show and play Dorothy. Since she’s deaf, she will sign the songs for her audition. However, a problem develops when Lizzie, her best friend from camp, transfers from her all-deaf school to Megan’s class – and signs the same two songs that Megan was going to do! Luckily, Megan has some other ideas up her sleeve…
From the Best Actress (For Children of a Lesser God) Academy Award winner.
Shannon Carter never considered herself much of a theater person. Not like her two BFFs, Elise, an actress, and Fatima, a techie. Shannon’s always been content to stay backstage, helping wherever she can. But when the director of the summer musical hears Shannon singing, he encourages her to step out of the wings and into the spotlight. At first, Shannon is hesitant. As a twelve-year-old with obsessive-compulsive disorder, she depends on routine.
But when she braves the audition, she discovers that center stage is the one place where she doesn’t feel anxious. She lands a lead role, and everyone in her life is ecstatic . . . except Elise. To make matters worse, Shannon’s eccentric and opinionated grandmother moves in with her and her mom after a fluke house fire. As opening night approaches, Shannon feels pressure to save her friendship with Elise, to make Mom and Grandma Ruby act like grown-ups, and to follow the old theater adage The show must go on.
A contemporary middle-school novel about strained friendships, the positive power of theater, and the realities of being a tween with OCD
When orphans Sorrel, Mark, and Holly are sent to live with their grandmother, a famous English actress, she enrolls them in the Children’s Academy of Dancing and Stage Training, the same academy that made the orphans from Ballet Shoes famous so long ago. It’s the chance of a lifetime, but the academy won’t give the children the “proper” education their parents would have wanted. However, the children learn to love the academy when they discover that Sorrel has dramatic flair, Mark can sing, and Holly charms everyone with her adorable impish ways. Maybe talent does run in the family.
This classic children’s book is perfect for kids who dream of being onstage–dancing, singing, or acting. Don’t miss the other classic Noel Streatfeild books Ballet Shoes, Skating Shoes, and Dancing Shoes!
* * *
I’m pretty sure everyone has already read Raina Telgemeier’s graphic novel Drama, but if not, you should definitely read that one too! If you’ve been to a play (or maybe have a friend in one of the Weston Drama Workshop productions this summer) you may be picturing yourself up on stage as well. Would you rather be in a musical, or a dramatic play? Check out one of the books on this list and see what MIGHT be happening behind the scenes. We also have some great books on being backstage at a musical or Broadway production. Check them out in J 792.02.
If you can think of any titles we’ve missed, let us know! As always, if you need help finding these or any other books, ask one of our librarians. We love matching readers with books!
This started off as another Five Books Feature. But there were so many good Robot Books, it got split into categories of types of robots–funny robots, adventurous robots, kid robots, pet robots… But there was no good way to post each segment separately without having it take forever! So here we are..a giant Robot Booklist!
Have you read any of these books? Are there any robots you would add to the list? (If your favorite robot didn’t make this list, it might have been on an earlier version or the list…check that out here.) And enjoy both the old list and the new one!
Lenora is having a very frustrating summer while her parents have adventures around the globe–until she discovers a strange doorway in her local library. It leads to The Library–the ultimate library, filled with all the knowledge of the universe. And Lenora steps right up to become its newest Apprentice Librarian. Lenora’s new job rockets her across the globe and into outer space, to a future filled with robots, and to a dark nothingness that wants to destroy the library. She quickly learns the only way to save it might be unlocking the knowledge inside its endless shelves… The Library of Ever is an adventure across time and space, but more importantly across human knowledge, as a young girl discovers what makes books truly magical.
In the future, robots have eliminated humans, and 12-year-old robot XR_935 is just fine with that. Without humans around, there is no war, no pollution, no crime. Every member of society has a purpose. Everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Until the day XR discovers something impossible: a human girl named Emma. Now, Emma must embark on a dangerous voyage with XR and two other robots in search of a mysterious point on a map. But how will they survive in a place where rules are never broken and humans aren’t supposed to exist? And what will they find at the end of their journey? Humorous, action-packed, and poignant, The Last Human tells a story about friendship, technology, and challenging the status quo no matter the consequences. It’s not just about what it means to be a robot–it’s about what it means to be a friend.
Jed is a regular kid with a normal, loving family . . . that is, if it’s normal for a loving family to drop their child off in the middle of nowhere and expect him home in time for Sunday dinner. Luckily, Jed excels at being a regular kid who-armed with wit and determination-can make his way out of any situation. At least until the morning of his twelfth birthday, when Jed wakes to discover his parents missing. Something is wrong. Really wrong. Jed just doesn’t realize HOW wrong. Yet. A cryptic list of instructions leads Jed into a mysterious world at war over . . . junk. Here, batteries and bottled water are currency, tremendously large things fall from the sky, and nothing is exactly what it seems. Resilient Jed, ready to escape, bargains his way onto a flying tugboat with a crew of misfit junkers. They set course to find Jed’s family, but a soul-crushing revelation sends Jed spiraling out of control … perhaps for good.
Can a robot survive in the wilderness? When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is–but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island’s unwelcoming animal inhabitants. As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home–until, one day, the robot’s mysterious past comes back to haunt her.
Melanie Gate is a foundling with a peculiar talent for opening the unopenable–any lock releases at the touch of her hand. One night, her orphanage is visited by Traveler, a gearling automaton there on behalf of his magical mistress, who needs an apprentice pronto. When Melanie is selected because of her gift, her life changes in a flash, and in more ways than she knows–because Traveler is not at all what he seems. But then, neither is Melanie Gate. So begins an epic adventure sparkling with magic, wit, secret identities, stinky cats, fierce orphan girls, impostor boys, and a foundling and gearling hotly pursued by the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the land.
When Akiko comes home from school one day, she finds an envelope waiting for her with no stamp and no return address. The message inside reads Dear Akiko: We are coming to get you. Meet us outside your bedroom window tonight at 8:00. Don’t forget your toothbrush. How could anyone meet her outside her window? She lives on the 17th floor, for goodness sake. But that evening, as Akiko is preparing to study for tomorrow’s geography test, she finds a small spacecraft hovering outside her window with two odd little men and a robot inside. They have been sent to whisk Akiko off to the Planet Smoo where she will lead a team enlisted to find the King of Smoo’s kidnapped son, Prince Froptoppit. Akiko, the leader of a rescue mission? She’s too timid to be on the school’s safety patrol! So begins Akiko’s adventure across the land of Smoo to find a prince and become a leader.
Maya’s nervous about fifth grade. She tries to keep calm by reminding herself she knows what to expect. But then she learns that this year won’t be anything like the last. For the first time since kindergarten, her best friends Jada and MJ are placed in a different class without her, and introverted Maya has trouble making new friends. She tries to put on a brave face since they are in fifth grade now, but it’s too much! Just when everything seems to be changing, she finds a robot named Ralph in the back of Mr. Mac’s convenience store closet. Once she uses her science skills to get him up and running, a whole new world of connection opens up as Ralph becomes a member of her family and Maya begins to step into her power as she discovers she can always turn to her curiosity if she’s feeling lost.
Annalyn Reynolds Court is one of many children of the powerful, handsome president of Mars. Like her favorite half-brother, Evan, she must enroll at the elite military academy in the capital city of Olympia. There they will train to be presidential bodyguards and also will learn how to defend their fragile, crystal-domed environment from invasion. Although Annalyn performs brilliantly in school, she finds her teachers unwilling to answer certain questions… Who are these enemies that so jealously resent her father’s leadership? Is it true, that MTs–mind-transfer chips—allow some people to live forever as androids? Even before graduation, a deadly struggle between commoners and elites turns Marian society upside down. Now a commander, Annalyn can rely on only her super-intelligent protector robot, Hector, when she finds herself facing a monumental decision.
When a towering giant made of iron appears out of nowhere, young Hogarth sees him not as a monster, but a friend. The townspeople are terrified of the giant and devise a plan to bring him down. But Hogarth believes in his friend, and rescues him when no one else will. Together, they teach the people of the village and beyond to conquer their fears, for beneath the giant’s rough armor there beats a mighty heart. A story so gripping that when you begin to read it aloud, everyone stops to listen. And once you know it, you never forget it. Forty plus years after publication, it was made into a motion picture.
Strange things are happening at Hexwood Farm, not far from London. On another world entirely, a harassed Sector Controller gets a letter from a maintenance team apparently trapped in Hexwood. A small boy called Hume encounters a robot and a dragon there. Anne Stavely, lying in bed with a virus in her nearby home, watches person after person disappear into the old farmhouse and not come out again. When she feels better, Ann decides to investigate. She goes into the wood, where she meets a tormented sorcerer called Mordion who seems to have arisen from a sleep that has lasted centuries. Yet Ann KNOWS she had seen him enter the farmhouse that morning. Nothing seems to happen in the right order. Nothing quite makes sense. And things keep getting stranger and stranger until, long before the end, the strangeness has spread from Earth right out to the center of the galaxy.
On a winter’s day in a British town, Alex receives a package in the mail: an old tin robot from his grandfather. “This one is special,” says the enclosed note, and when strange events start occurring around him, Alex suspects this small toy is more than special; it might be deadly. Right as things get out of hand, Alex’s grandfather arrives, pulling him away from an attack–and his otherwise humdrum world of friends, bullies, and homework–and into the macabre magic of an ancient family feud. Together, the duo flees across snowy Europe, unraveling the riddle of the little robot while trying to outwit relentless assassins of the human and mechanical kind.
Frances Stenzel was just trying to prove her scientific worth to her parents so they would take her with them to their scientific symposiums for once–instead, she reawakened her great-grandfather’s secret and most terrible invention. Before it can destroy the town, she sets off after it, with her pet chimp and sarcastic robot tutor by her side. But monster-hunting isn’t easy, and she’ll have to face a persistent constable, angry locals, and an unexpected friendship ahead–all while the trail for the monster goes cold and time is running out before her science career, and the city itself, are doomed…forever.
Meet Resilience, a Mars rover determined to live up to his name. Res was built to explore Mars. He was not built to have human emotions. But as he learns new things from the NASA scientists who assemble him, he begins to develop humanlike feelings. Maybe there’s a problem with his programming…. Human emotions or not, launch day comes, and Res blasts off to Mars, accompanied by a friendly drone helicopter named Fly. But Res quickly discovers that Mars is a dangerous place filled with dust storms and giant cliffs. As he navigates Mars’s difficult landscape, Res is tested in ways that go beyond space exploration. As millions of people back on Earth follow his progress, will Res have the determination, courage, and resilience to succeed… and survive?
Everyone in Peter Powers’ family has super awesome superpowers–except Peter. All he can do is make ice cubes and flash freeze little stuff. At least his brother and sister have finally stopped picking on him–mostly. But at school, an even more menacing bully has it out for Peter and his friends. As if that wasn’t enough, Boulder City is being raided by robots! When his parents are captured, will Peter and his siblings be able to work together and save the day? Or will the town–and possibly the world–be iced? Join Peter Powers and his fantastic family for their second action-packed and fun-filled adventure to find out!
Ken is an EngiNerd: one of a super-smart group of friends who have been close since kindergarten. They may be brainiacs, but they’re just like everyone else: they fight with one another, watch too much TV, eat Chinese food, and hate walking their dogs. Well, maybe not JUST like everyone because Ken’s best friend Dan has been building robots and secretly sending one to each of the EngiNerds. At first Ken is awed and delighted: what kid hasn’t dreamed of having a robot all their own? Someone who can clean their room, walk the dog, answer homework questions…how amazing is that? But be careful what you wish for: Dan’s robot, Greeeg, may look innocent, but his ravenous consumption of food–comestibles–turns him into a butt-blasting bot. And once the other robots ‘come alive’ it’s up to the motley crew of EngiNerds to not only save the day, but save the planet!
Finn is the first kid born in space and he spends his days aboard The Famous Marlowe 280 Interplanetary Exploratory Space Station…looking for a new planet to call his own with his robot Foggy and his three best friends Abigail, Elias, and Vale of Explorers Troop. He’s used to wild, galaxy hopping adventures. But when Explorer Troop 301 gets stuck on a planet that’s about to explode, Finn and his friends will have to face giant aliens, a leader with mind control powers, and one evil, fluffy bunny rabbit in order to save the planet . . . and themselves. Join Finn and his friends in all their adventures as they take off to explore uncharted planets, help the occasional alien, and solve a mystery that threatens to destroy the Marlowe.
For monster sleuths Tank and Fizz, proving fourth-grade bully Rizzo Rawlins is planning to cheat in the upcoming Battle Bot Cup should be a piece of cake. But cake crumbles fast, and the case soon leads the detectives to a mysterious hacker known only as the Codex, who threatens all of Rockfall Mountain with a very dark fate. With the help of their wizard-in-training partner, Aleetha, Tank and Fizz leap into action, dodging deadly battle bots and sinister spellbooks in a race to stop the return of a very angry ancient demon.
Kid-genius and inventor Frank Einstein loves figuring out how the world works by creating household contraptions that are part science, part imagination, and definitely unusual. In the series opener, an uneventful experiment in his garage-lab, a lightning storm, and a flash of electricity bring Frank’s inventions – the robots Klink and Klank – to life! Not exactly the ideal lab partners, the wisecracking Klink and the overly expressive Klank nonetheless help Frank attempt to perfect his inventions…until Frank’s archnemesis, T. Edison, steals Klink and Klank for his evil doomsday plan!
Marty, Ralph, and Skyler might make the ultimate secret combo when battling alien-slime ninjas in their favorite video game, but in real life they’re just regular kids. That is, until the three best friends discover Awesome Dog 5000, a robotic dog with very real power-ups. Awesome Dog can “bark” a sonic boom, “walk” at speeds over three hundred miles per hour, and “fetch” with an atomic cannon. Life for Marty, Ralph, and Skyler just got a major turbo-boost! Attention, readers! AWESOME DOG 5000 is a wild action-comedy told through a mix of text and black-and-white illustrations, with a mystery to solve at the end. Can you handle the awesomeness?
In a future United States, civil war is devastating a country on its last legs. On one side- the Patriots. On the other- President Vex’s corrupt government. In the middle- everybody else, just trying to survive. The war is going from bad to worse, but out in the sparsely populated Worselands, twelve-year-old Klynt Tovis doesn’t see much of it. Instead, Klynt spends most of her long summer days bored, or restoring artifacts in her Museum of Fond Memories. Real pet dogs are a thing of the past- after they were found to be carriers of a sickness the government ordered them all killed. But one day an incredible antique shows up at the farm- a D-39 robodog, “Real as a dog can be!” Klynt is overjoyed, but the good luck doesn’t last. When the war makes its way into the empty Worselands, she and D-39 find themselves thrown into an epic journey for survival and hope.
Lacey Chu is a girl who codes. She has always dreamed of working as an engineer for MONCHA, the biggest tech firm in the world and the company behind the “baku”–a customizable “pet” with all the capabilities of a smartphone. But when Lacey is rejected by the elite academy that promises that future, she’s crushed. One night, Lacey comes across the broken form of a highly advanced baku. After she repairs it, the cat-shaped baku she calls Jinx opens its eyes and somehow gets her into her dream school. But Jinx is different than any other baku she’s ever seen…He seems real. As Lacey settles into life at school, competing with the best students in a battle of the bakus that tests her abilities, she learns that Jinx is part of a dangerous secret. Can Lacey hold on to Jinx and her dreams for the future?
When Earth comes under attack by aliens, hilarious heroine Alice Dare and a select group of kids are sent to Mars. But things get very strange when the adults disappear into thin air, the kids face down an alien named Thsaaa, and Alice and her friends must save the galaxy! From her diary: The fact that someone had decided that I would be safer on Mars, where you could still only sort of breathe the air, and sort of not get sunburned to death, was a sign that the war with the aliens was not going fantastically well. I was worried that I was about to be told that my mother’s spacefighter had been shot down, so when I found out that I was being evacuated to Mars, I was pretty calm. And, despite everthing that happened to me and my friends afterward, I’d do it all again. Because until you have been chased by invisible aliens, befriended a robot goldfish, and tried to save the galaxy, I don’t think you can say that you’ve really lived. But if the same thing happens to you, here’s my advice: Always carry tape!
The Robot Federation and the Feline Empire have been at war for eons. And now that fight is coming to a tiny primitive planetoid…Earth. The mission for both cats and robots: retrieve the Singularity Chip. With it, cats can live past their nine lives, and robots are granted eternal battery life. Meanwhile, twin siblings Max and Min Wengrod are as different as can be. Min always gets good grades, and she loves to read and build robots. Max hates school, and prefers to play games and spend time online with friends. When Max rescues two kittens and is determined to keep them, Min is horrified that these furballs could ruin her chances at the Battle of the Bots competition. But with hidden forces at play in their own house, and the larger war between cats and robots fast approaching, will the twins be able to put aside their differences before they get caught in the crossfire?
When a new boy joins their class, everyone thinks he’s . . . odd. George doesn’t behave like other kids. He doesn’t think like other kids. But he’s great at football and snacking, and that’s what matters to Dan and Maxie and friends, who resolve to make George feel welcome. Over time, they learn that he’s just like them, in most ways, except one: George is a robot, part of an ambitious new experiment, with sinister people bent on destroying him. When his lab pulls him out of school, can George’s new friends recover him–and set him free?
It’s the first day at Vanguard One Middle School for a new student—Fuzzy, a state-of-the-art robot! When Fuzzy arrives at the school as part of the Robot Integration Program, seventh grader Max is thrilled. She loves robots. The two become fast friends, and Max teaches her new classmate everything he needs to know about surviving middle school – the good, the bad, and the really, really, ugly. Little do they know that surviving seventh grade is going to become a true matter of life and death! When they discover the super-secret purpose behind the Robot Integration Program, they realize they’ll have to combine Fuzzy’s super smarts with Max’s super savvy to outwit the adults…and an even trickier foe, Vanguard One’s sinister operating system, the all-seeing Vice Principal Barbara!
Who…or what…is Jimmy Coates? Eleven year old Jimmy is on the run. The good news is that he has some sweet new abilities that let him outrun, outjump and outkick anybody—even adults. The bad news is that the mysterious organization that kidnapped Jimmy’s parents is after him and he has no idea why. Except that it might have something to do with his new fighting capabilities. And the fact that he might not be entirely human…
No matter what anyone tells you, I’m real. That’s what the note says that Max finds under his keyboard. He knows that his best friend, Josie, wrote it. He’d know her handwriting anywhere. But why she wrote it–and what it means–remains a mystery. Ever since they met in kindergarten, Max and Josie have been inseparable. Until the summer after fifth grade, when Josie disappears, leaving only a note, and whispering something about “whatnot rules.” But why would Max ever think that Josie wasn’t real? And what are whatnots? As Max sets to uncover what happened to Josie–and what she is or isn’t–little does he know that she’s fighting to find him again, too. But there are forces trying to keep Max and Josie from ever seeing each other again. Because Josie wasn’t supposed to be real…
In an alternative England of the 1930s where the laws of mechanics govern even the most talented engineers, a mismatched group of mechanicals want nothing more than to feel human. Under the guardianship of the devious and unlicensed Gregory Absalom, an engineer who creates mechanical children, they have no choice but to help him in his unlawful practice. But through his unethical work, Absalom winds up creating a loyal and lively group of friends who will go to the ends of the Earth for one another. When the story’s protagonist, Christopher, discovers a devastating secret about himself and the friends are torn apart, it’s up to his friends to find him. What they’ll discover is the secret about the dark experiment that ended in disaster many years before…
Cog looks like a normal twelve-year-old boy. But his name is short for “cognitive development,” and he was built to learn. But after an accident leaves him damaged, Cog wakes up in an unknown lab–and Gina, the scientist who created and cared for him, is nowhere to be found. Surrounded by scientists who want to study him and remove his brain, Cog recruits four robot accomplices for a mission to find her. Cog, ADA, Proto, Trashbot, and Car’s journey will likely involve much cognitive development in the form of mistakes, but Cog is willing to risk everything to find his way back to Gina. Five robots. One unforgettable journey. Their programming will never be the same.
Danny’s a kid. Eric’s a kid, too. He’s also a robot, but he doesn’t know that. For Danny, it becomes hard to ignore Eric’s super strange tendencies. He has weekly “dentist” appointments and parents who never stop smiling. It’s almost impossible to wake him up and he’s always getting fancy gifts from his mysterious uncle. Danny always assumed that Eric was just a spoiled rich kid…until he discovers Eric’s hidden robot reality. As the two friends dig deeper into Eric’s origins and purpose, powerful forces swarm into town, and Danny and Eric are left with more questions than answers–and more danger than humanly possible.
* * *
And there you have it. Robots from our world, robots from the future, robots from the past, robots from alternate realities. Read them all, and see what kind of robot you would make…if you could create such a feat of mechanical engineering. Maybe it could be a new goal!?!
As always, if you need help finding these or any other books in the library, ask one of our librarians. We love to help match kids with books!
Museums. A great way to pass the time, or a boring place for a field trip? It all depends on your perspective! The kids in these books all love art and/or jewels…whether they’re planning the greatest heist in the world to steal it, or a protective caper to save it. Either way, art spells T*R*O*U*B*L*E in all of these books!
This also started out as a 5 Books Feature…but there were just too many great titles not to share them all. See if you can figure out which are old, which are new, and which are award winners….
Hannah Jordan lives in a museum…well, sort of. She is the daughter of the caretaker for mansion-turned-museum The Elms in Newport, Rhode Island. Hannah’s captivated by stories of The Elms’s original occupants, especially Maggie Dunlap, the tween heiress subject of a painting that went missing during a legendary art heist in 1905. But when a mysterious mirror allows Hannah and Maggie to switch places in time, suddenly Hannah is racing to stop the heist from happening, while Maggie gets an introduction to iPhones, soccer (which girls can play!), and freedoms like exploring without supervision. Not to mention the best invention of all: sweatpants (so long, corsets!). As the hours tick away toward the art heist, something’s not adding up. Can the girls work together against time–and across it–to set things right? Or will their temporary swap become a permanent trade?
Thirteen extremely valuable pieces of art have been stolen from one of the most secretive museums in the world. A Vermeer has vanished. A Manet is missing. And nobody has any idea where they and the other eleven artworks might be . . . or who might have stolen them. THE PLAYERS Calder, Petra, and Tommy are no strangers to heists and puzzles. Now they’ve been matched with two new sleuths — Zoomy, a very small boy with very thick glasses, and Early, a girl who treasures words . . . and has a word or two to say about the missing treasure.The kids have been drawn in by the very mysterious Mrs. Sharpe, who may be playing her own kind of game with the clues. And it’s not just Mrs. Sharpe who’s acting suspiciously — there’s a ghost who mingles with the guards in the museum, a cat who acts like a spy, and bystanders in black jackets who keep popping up. Also read Chasing Vermeer, The Wright 3 and The Calder Game.
Marvin lives with his family under the kitchen sink in the Pompadays’ apartment. He is very much a beetle. James Pompaday lives with his family in New York City. He is very much an eleven-year-old boy.After James gets a pen-and-ink set for his birthday, Marvin surprises him by creating an elaborate miniature drawing. James gets all the credit for the picture and before these unlikely friends know it they are caught up in a staged art heist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that could help recover a famous drawing by Albrecht D#65533;rer. But James can’t go through with the plan without Marvin’s help. And that’s where things get really complicated (and interesting!). This fast-paced mystery will have young readers on the edge of their seats as they root for boy and beetle.
Moxie Fleece knows the rules and follows them–that is, until the day she opens her front door to a mysterious stranger. Suddenly Moxie is involved in Boston’s biggest unsolved mystery: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art heist. Moxie has two weeks to find the art, otherwise she and the people she loves will be in big-time danger. Her tools? Her best friend, Ollie, a geocaching addict who loves to find stuff; her Alzheimer’s suffering grandfather, Grumps, who knows lots more than he lets on; and a geometry proof that she sets up to sort out the clues. It’s a race against the clock through downtown Boston as Moxie and Ollie break every rule she’s ever lived by to find the art and save her family. If you like this book, also try Ollie and the Science of Treasure Hunting.
Butterbean knew she wasn’t always a good dog. Still, she’d never considered herself a BAD dog–until the morning that her owner, Mrs. Food, fell in the hallway. Admittedly the tile was slipperier than usual, mostly because Butterbean had just thrown up on it. Now Butterbean and her fellow pets have to come up with a grand plan to support themselves in case Mrs. Food is unable to keep taking care of them. When they discover a mysterious man in their building who seems to have lots of loot, they plan a heist. Oscar the mynah bird is the brains of the operation. Walt the cat has the necessary slyness and slink. Marco and Polo are the reconnaissance rats. And Butterbean…well, no one would ever suspect a cute little wiener dog, right? Can these animal friends can pull off the heist of the century? Also try The Great Ghost Hoax.
Someone has stolen a page from a rare book in the New York Public Library. At least, that’s what Devlin’s friend Liza thinks she’s seen, but she can’t be sure. Any other kid might not see a crime here, but Devlin Quick is courageous and confident, and she knows she has to bring this man to justice-even if it means breathlessly racing around the city to collect evidence. But who is this thief? And what could the page-an old map-possibly lead to? With her wits, persistence, and the help of New York City’s finest (and, okay, a little bit of help from her police commissioner mother, too), Dev and her friends piece the clues together to uncover a mystery that’s bigger than anyone expected-and more fun, too. The first of the Devlin Quick Mysteries…read the others too!
When a young boy is discovered in Washington DC’s National Gallery without any recollection of who he is, so begins a high-stakes race to unravel the greatest mystery of all: his identity. He has forgotten almost everything about himself. What is his name? And why is a group of covert people after him? Perhaps it has to do with where he was found–sitting in the National Gallery before a Degas sculpture. Perhaps it is for what he knows–oddly detailed facts about artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Leonardo Da Vinci… As the risks continue to rise, the boy must piece together the disjointed clues of his origins to stop one of the greatest art frauds every attempted! Follow the boy’s adventures in The Rembrandt Conspiracy and The Crown Heist.
Ahh, summer vacation! Jeremy Wilderson, Scottsville Middle School’s first (and only) retrieval specialist, is enjoying a slower-than-usual season of retrieving (NOT stealing) lost objects in order to help the under thirteen population of Scottsville. But crime doesn’t take a vacation! And when sabotage strikes the Summer Art Show, it’s up to Jeremy to figure out what’s going on. Of course, his arch-rival Becca Mills, who just happens to think Jeremy, and his friends Case, and Hack are involved in the crime, is also looking into it. Jeremy has only a few hours to stop the sabotage before contest entries are slashed and burned. But Jeremy’s specialty is retrieval…not detective work! The only solution is to team up with Becca to solve the case, something Jeremy’s not exactly thrilled to do. Not to mention, he has to keep his alliance with Becca a secret from Case and Hack, who will disown him if they see him working with the enemy. Somewhere between being stuck inside an air vent and slathered in red paint, Jeremy has to wonder: is he in over his head? Also check out Under Locker and Key…Jeremy’s first mystery.
When Claudia decided to run away, she planned very carefully. She would be gone just long enough to teach her parents a lesson in Claudia appreciation. And she would go in comfort-she would live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She saved her money, and she invited her brother Jamie to go, mostly because be was a miser and would have money. Claudia was a good organizer and Jamie bad some ideas, too; so the two took up residence at the museum right on schedule. But once the fun of settling in was over, Claudia had two unexpected problems: She felt just the same, and she wanted to feel different; and she found a statue at the Museum so beautiful she could not go home until she bad discovered its maker, a question that baffled the experts, too. The former owner of the statue was Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Without her–well, without her, Claudia might never have found a way to go home.
When Harrison “Hal” Beck is forced to accompany his travel-writer uncle on the last journey of a royal train, he expects a boring trip spent away from video games and children his age. But then Hal spots a girl who should not be on board, and he quickly makes friends with the stowaway, Lenny. Things get even more interesting when the royal prince and princess board for the last leg of the journey–because the princess’s diamond necklace is soon stolen and replaced with a fake! Suspicion falls on the one person who isn’t supposed to be there: Lenny. It’s up to Hal, his keen observation, and his skill as a budding sketch artist to uncover the real jewel thief, clear his friend’s name, and return the diamond necklace beforeThe Highland Falcon makes its last stop. Read the other Adventures on Trains too!
When the world’s greatest masterpieces are stolen, it’s up to three kids to track down the culprits!Henry, Anna, and Jose head from Boston to Paris for their most dangerous mission yet: to solve the mystery of an international art heist! Shortly after they arrive, they learn that a member of the Silver Jaguar Society is working as a double agent, passing information to the criminal gang the Serpentine Princes — but who could it be? When the senior members of the Society go missing, it’s up to Henry, Anna, Jose, and their smug new comrade, Hem, to mount a rescue while staying hot on the trail of a missing masterpiece. Running around — and below — a foreign city filled with doppelgangers, decoys, and deceit, the three sleuths discover they’re the only hope for the Society’s survival! Also read the other Silver Jaguar books–Hide and Seekand Capture the Flag.
Beatrice Archer may love history, and Rome may be chock-full of it, but that doesn’t mean she wants to move there! Too bad Beatrice’s father got a job as the head of the history department at the American Academy in Rome–now, Beatrice has no choice but to get used to the idea. When she arrives in Rome she explores her new city as much as she can, but it isn’t until she hears talk of a strange neighborhood legend that Beatrice perks up. A centuries-old unsolved mystery about the beautiful turtle fountain outside her window? Sounds like fun! Before Beatrice has a chance to explore, though, she sees a dark figure emerge from the shadows of the square in the middle of the night–and steal the famous turtle sculptures that give the fountain its name. When no one believes her story, Beatrice knows that it’s up to her to solve the crime and restore the turtles to their rightful place. With the help of her new friend Marco, she navigates a world of unscrupulous ambassadors, tricky tutors, and international art thieves to unravel one of Roman history’s greatest dramas–before another priceless work of art is stolen.
So you’re only halfway through your homework and the Director of the FBI keeps texting you for help…What do you do? Save your grade? Or save the country? If you’re Florian Bates, you figure out a way to do both. Florian is twelve years old and has just moved to Washington. He’s learning his way around using TOAST, which stands for the Theory of All Small Things. It’s a technique he invented to solve life’s little mysteries such as: where to sit on the on the first day of school, or which Chinese restaurant has the best eggrolls. But when he teaches it to his new friend Margaret, they uncover a mystery that isn’t little. In fact, it’s HUGE, and it involves the National Gallery, the FBI, and a notorious crime syndicate known as EEL. Can Florian decipher the clues and finish his homework in time to help the FBI solve the case? Read all three of the T.O.A.S.T. Mysteries! (And although they aren’t art mysteries, his more recent City Spies series is also full of capers and heists.)
Lured by the promise of more money than they’ve ever dreamed of, five young criminals are hired to steal a heavily guarded treasure from the most powerful sorcerer in the city. There’s Callan the con artist, Meriel the expert at acrobatics (and knives!), Gareth the researcher, Lachlan who can obtain anything, and Foxtail, whose mysterious eyeless mask doesn’t hinder her ability to climb walls like a spider. Though their shadowy backgrounds mean that they’ve never trusted anyone but themselves, the five must learn to rely on each other in order to get the job done. But as Callan has been warned most of his life, it’s best to stay away from magic. It can turn on you at any moment, and make you think you’re the one running the con game, when in reality you’re the one being fooled. Faced with these unsurmountable odds, can the friends pull off this legendary heist, or has their luck finally run out?
When Ted and his big sister, Kat, take a trip to New York to visit their cousin Salim and their aunt Gloria, they think they’re prepared for big-city adventures. But when a famous painting is stolen from the Guggenheim Museum, where Aunt Gloria works, the surprises begin to mount faster than they could have anticipated. With the police looking at Aunt Gloria as the prime suspect, Ted, Kat, and Salim become sleuthing partners, following a trail of clues across NYC to prove her innocence–and to pinpoint the real thief. Ultimately, it comes down to Ted, whose brain works in its own very unique way, to find the key to the mystery. A sequel to The London Eye Mystery.
Scarlett McCain is a shoot-first ask-questions-later kind of outlaw. She scrapes by on bank heists, her wits–and never looking back. She’s on the run from her latest crime when she comes across Albert Browne. He is the sole survivor of a horrific accident, and against her better judgement, Scarlett agrees to guide him to safety. This is a mistake. Soon there are men with dogs and guns and explosives hot on their heels. Scarlett’s used to being chased by the law, but this is extreme. It was only a little bank she’d robbed . . . As they flee together across the wilds, fighting off monstrous beasts, and dodging their pursuers, Scarlett comes to realize that Albert Browne is hiding a terrible secret. And that he may be the most dangerous threat of all.
SoHo, 1981. Twelve-year-old Olympia is an artist–and in her neighborhood, that’s normal. Her dad and his business partner Apollo bring antique paintings back to life, while her mother makes intricate sculptures in a corner of their loft, leaving Ollie to roam the streets of New York with her best friends Richard and Alex, drawing everything that catches her eye. Then everything falls apart. Ollie’s dad disappears in the middle of the night, leaving her only a cryptic note and instructions to destroy it. Her mom has gone to bed, and she’s not getting up. Apollo is hiding something, Alex is acting strange, and Richard has questions about the mysterious stranger he saw outside. And someone keeps calling, looking for a missing piece of art. . . . Olympia knows her dad is the key–but first, she has to find him, and time is running out.
Phineas and Althea Hall’s father receives an unexpected appointment as curator of a collection of Egyptian antiquities, including one mummy. Neither of the kids is enthusiastic about moving for the job, but they grudgingly agree to make the best of it. As it turns out, their father isn’t exactly qualified to be curator of the amazing–if not very valuable–collection. When the mummy at the center of the collection is stolen, Mr. Hall finds himself the prime suspect. Phineas and Althea are soon involved in a mystery that quickly escalates to kidnapping and attempted murder. Will they be able to figure out what, exactly, is going on and clear their father before it’s too late?
On a foggy night in Amsterdam, a man falls from a rooftop to the wet pavement below. It’s Alfie McQuinn, the notorious cat burglar, and he’s dying. As sirens wail in the distance, Alfie manages to get out two last words to his young son, March: “Find jewels.”But March learns that his father is not talking about a stash of loot. He’s talking about Jules, the twin sister March never knew he had. No sooner than the two find each other, they’re picked up by the police and sent to the world’s worst orphanage. It’s not prison, but it feels like it.March and Jules have no intention of staying put. They know their father’s business inside and out, and they’re tired of being pushed around. Just one good heist, and they’ll live the life of riches and freedom most kids only dream about. Watch out! There are wild kids on the loose and a crime spree coming . . . Also read Sting!
Sixth grader Edmund Xavier Lonnrot, codename “Eddie Red,” has a photographic memory and talent for drawing anything he sees. When the NYPD is stumped by a mastermind art thief, Eddie becomes their secret weapon to solve the case. Edmund’s photographic memory and drawing talent have propelled him into service with the NYPD to help solve a series of mysterious art thefts. Sitting in art museums drawing vases and watching black-and-white surveillance footage for hours on end is less than glamorous, but Eddie takes his job seriously . . . sometimes too seriously. Soon Eddie id drawn deeper into New York’s famous Museum Mile and closer to a dangerous criminal group known as The Picasso Gang. Read the other books in the Eddie Red: Undercover series.
* * *
So are you visiting an art museum this vacation? Maybe when you’re appreciating the art, you could also keep an eye out for a mystery! In the meantime, read one of these books.
As always, if you need help finding these books–or any other materials in the collection–ask one of our librarians for help. We love matching books and readers!
Wide open spaces, stagecoaches, outlaws, horses and lawmen!
So saddle up your pony and join us for Jo and the Bandit by Willo Davis Roberts.
* * *
Josephine Eleanor Elizabeth Whitman and her little brother Andrew have been stuck on a stagecoach for four days, ever since their Grandma died and the local sheriff shipped them off to their Uncle Matthew in Muddy Wells, Texas. Neither Jo nor Andrew have ever met Uncle Matthew, what with him arguing with Grandma about some foolishness, but he wasn’t supposed to be their guardian anyway, their Aunt Harriet was. They haven’t met Aunt Harriet either, but she had sent back word that she was due to have a baby at any time, and it would be too much for her to take on two new children. So Grandma had written to Uncle Matthew to tell him to expect them.
Uncle Matthew is a rancher and a lawman. Actually, it turns out the other stage passengers going to Muddy Wells know him. Jo trys to find out more about him, but although everyone seems surprised that he would be taking in his niece and nephew, no one seems to want to talk about him. All Jo and Andrew can discover is that the deputy on board refers to him as Old Judge Macklin, the hanging judge.
Jo’s questions are interrupted though by gunshots, as the stage is attacked by outlaws. They jolt to a halt and are told to exit. The outlaws are grimy and mean and demand all the passengers’ valuables. One young outlaw seems more compassionate than the others, and tries to help Jo, but he is stopped by their leader. With the stage driver wounded, the Deputy takes charge of driving to Muddy Wells, and Jo tries to help stop the bleeding and help the wounded man. Their arrival in Muddy Wells is unexpected in many ways–not only is Judge Macklin surprised that he has to track down the outlaws, but he’s surprised at Jo and Andrews arrival.
After having to convince the Judge that he can’t just send her away because she’s a girl, not a boy, Jo tries to make herself useful. While the Judge appreciates her drawings of the outlaws, he isn’t so happy about her reorganizing his ranch. Jo is determined to make herself useful…even as she goes against everything the Judge stands for to befriend the young outlaw, Rufus, she finds hiding in the barn.
Will Jo be able to convince the Judge to tolerate her presence? Will she be able to help Rufus escape from a life of crime? Will Muddy Wells survive the battle of wills between uncle and niece?
Read Jo and the Bandit and find out!
* * *
Willo Davis Roberts wrote was best known for her mysteries and suspense stories for young readers. She was trained as a paramedic, and started writing mystery and romance stories featuring nurses in her spare time to help support her family. When she submitted the manuscript for the book that would become The View From the Cherry Tree, her editor looked at it and suggested that she rewrite it as a book for children. She did, and she was suddenly embarking on writing for a whole new audience.
She won several Edgar Awards for her mysteries, but she enjoyed branching out to other genres, including science fiction, realistic fiction and one western. There aren’t many westerns for kids…the genre kind of ended with Bonanza and Gunsmoke. But Jo and the Bandit is a fun throw-back to that era.
Jo was raised by a grandmother who taught her to be independent, and she isn’t shy about sharing her opinions. Nothing the Judge says or does manages to quash her spirit. She has a firm sense of right and wrong, and is not afraid to tell anyone–her uncle included–what they should be doing. But she’s also sympathetic and compassionate, and willing to help a boy who is in a terrible situation. Even if it does put her at odds with the Hanging Judge.
This is a quick read, only 185 pages. Jo’s voice is strong, and readers will appreciate her viewpoints on what life was like for girls in the 1870s. The descriptions in the books give a strong sense of place, and may even leave you feeling like if you look out the window, the dusty streets of Texas might just be out there.
Jo and the Bandit would be best for third through sixth grade readers who like adventure. Some stories with a similar feel are Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulsen, By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman, or The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis. You could also try any of Willo Davis Roberts’ many, many books for middle grade readers. She was an excellent writer, and I really miss not having a new one to look forward to every year.
* * *
So enjoy this trip to the Wild West, and let us know if you liked the book!
Josephine Eleanor Elizabeth Whitman and her little brother Andrew have been stuck on a stagecoach for four days, ever since their Grandma died and the local sheriff shipped them off to their Uncle Matthew in Muddy Wells, Texas. Neither Jo nor Andrew have ever met Uncle Matthew, what with him arguing with Grandma about some foolishness, but he wasn’t supposed to be their guardian anyway, their Aunt Harriet was. They haven’t met Aunt Harriet either, but she had sent back word that she was due to have a baby at any time, and it would be too much for her to take on two new children. So Grandma had written to Uncle Matthew to tell him to expect them.
BellaOnBooks's Blog 