Booklist…Survive the (Virtual) World!

It’s time for a new 5 Books list! This time, it’s survival…or is it? In these books, kids are gamers…and they’re either trying to beat the game, or maybe they’re just trying survive it. In some of the books, they don’t even know they’re IN a game! So how are YOUR gaming skills? Good enough to get to the end of the game? What if you thought it was your world?

This was another 5 Books list that got away from me. Too many choices! But you can still look for the qualifications for our Five Books list: 5 books (or 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)!

The books on this list all feature gamers, virtual reality, simulations, augmented realities and surviving the game.

* * *

Insert Coin to Continue by John David Anderson

Meet Bryan Biggins. Most of the time he’s a freckle-faced boy, small for his age, who attends a school known for its unwritten uniform of North Face jackets and Hollister jeans. The rest of the time he is Kieran Nightstalker, the level-fifty dark-elf hero of his favorite video game, Sovereign of Darkness. And then one day Bryan wakes up to find out his life has become a video game. Sort of. Except instead of fighting dragons or blasting bad guys, he’s still doing geometry and getting picked last for dodgeball. It’s still middle school. Only now there’s much more at stake.

Stealing the Twinkie from underneath the noses of those dieting teachers isn’t enough to earn him another life. And battling the creature that escaped from the science lab doesn’t seem to cut it either. And who knew Romeo and Juliet would turn into a zombie bloodbath?!

All the while he’s losing hit points and gaining levels, and facing the truth that GAME OVER might flash before his eyes at any minute. It all seems to be building to something…something that has been haunting Bryan since way before his life turned into an X-Box nightmare, a challenge that only he can face. Will Bryan find a way to beat the game before it’s too late?

Trapped in a Video Game by Dustin Brady

Jesse Rigsby hates video games–and for good reason. You see, a video game character is trying to kill him…

After getting sucked in the new game Full Blast with his friend Eric, Jesse starts to see the appeal of vaporizing man-size praying mantis while cruising around by jet pack. But pretty soon, a mysterious figure begins following Eric and Jesse, and they discover they can’t leave the game. If they don’t figure out what’s going on fast, they’ll be trapped for good!

Read the entire series! And the Choose-Your-Own Adventures sequels, Escape from a Video Game as well!

Z.Rex by Steve Cole

Adam’s father is developing cutting-edge research on virtual electronic game-playing when suddenly he disappears—and Adam finds himself being hunted by men with guns, and worse—a savage, man-eating dinosaur. Is the dinosaur real, or just part of the game? Where is his father? And what happens when your video game turns into real life?

From Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Edinburgh, Scotland, thirteen-year-old Adam Adlar must elude police while being hunted by a dinosaur come-to-life from a virtual reality game invented by his father, who has gone missing.

Read all three books in The Hunting trilogy.

Team Chu and the Battle of Blackwood Arena by Julie C. Dao

Clip and Sadie Chu couldn’t be more different. Popular, athletic Clip wants to become his school’s first seventh-grade soccer captain, while brainy star student Sadie is determined to prove that she can do anything her boastful brother can.  They have just one thing in common: they love laser tag. Like, really love it.

When the Blackwood Gaming Arena comes to town, bringing virtual reality headsets and state-of-the-art courses, they couldn’t be more excited–or competitive. But then a mysterious figure appears and claims to be a part of the game, forcing the Chus and their friends to save themselves from a sinister force lurking inside the simulation. Together, they must fight their way through epic battlegrounds that will test their speed, skills, and smarts . . . but will Clip and Sadie learn that they’re far better off working together than competing for the ultimate victory? The first in what looks to be a fun series!

Gamer Squad: Attack of the Not-So-Virtual Monsters by Kim Harrington

Monsters Unleashed–where you catch virtual-reality monsters on your cellphone–is one of the hottest mobile games around, and Bex and Charlie just can’t stop playing. They even check out an old map in Charlie’s grandfather’s attic in hopes of discovering some forgotten places in town where the rarest monsters might hide.

But they find a strange machine up there too, and after Charlie switches it on, the WiFi goes down . . . and Bex’s entire catalog of monsters vanishes! And that’s not the worst of it: all the creatures she’s collected on her phone escape into the real world. Can the friends nab the beasts before they become monster lunch? What happens when your cool virtual-reality game . . . becomes REAL?

Invitation to the Game by Monica Hughes

The Game is just the beginning… Unemployed after high school in the highly robotic society of 2154, where most jobs are done by machines, Lisse and seven friends resign themselves to a boring existence in their “Designated Area”–an abandoned warehouse in a bleak neighborhood where they must scavenge the disintegrating city for food and supplies, just to make ends meet.

But their dismal existence starts to look up when Lisse and her friends are invited to participate in The Game, an experience highly regarded in their society. The Game is a virtual reality experience where players are challenged to survive. Anxious to escape their dreary lives, the friends embrace The Game, which takes them to paradise. But as they spend more time in The Game, the line between reality and fantasy starts to blur. What started as a simple exercise quickly becomes a test of endurance, trust, and their will to live. But is this new world really only a computer simulation? Or could The Game be…real?

Dragon Ops by Mari Mancusi

Welcome to Dragon Ops, the world’s first augmented-reality video-game theme park. Set on a once-deserted island, our three beta players–classic gamer geek Ian; his adventure-seeking sister, Lily; and their too-cool-for-gaming cousin, Derek–have been lucky enough to score an invite to play before the fully immersive experience opens to the public.

But once inside, they find themselves trapped in a game taken over by a rogue AI dragon called Atreus, and suddenly the stakes go beyond the virtual world. With no cheat codes, guidebooks, save points, or do-overs, they’ll need all their cunning and video-game hacks to beat the game . . . and survive in real life.  One wrong move, and it’s game over.

The first of an exciting trilogy.

Last Gate of the Emperor by Kwame Mbalia and Prince Joel Makonnen

Yared Heywat lives an isolated life in Addis Prime — a hardscrabble city with rundown tech, lots of rules, and not much to do. His worrywart Uncle Moti and bionic lioness Besa are his only family… and his only friends. Often in trouble for his thrill-seeking antics and smart mouth, those same qualities make Yared a star player of the underground augmented reality game, The Hunt for Kaleb’s Obelisk. But when a change in the game rules prompts Yared to log in with his real name, it triggers an attack that rocks the city. In the chaos, Uncle Moti disappears.

Suddenly, all the stories Yared’s uncle told him as a young boy are coming to life, of kingdoms in the sky and city-razing monsters. And somehow Yared is at the center of them. Together with Besa and the Ibis — a game rival turned reluctant ally — Yared must search for his uncle… and answers to his place in a forgotten, galaxy-spanning war. The first book of an exciting series!

Virtually Me by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown

Using personalized avatars, Bradley, Edelle and Hunter look for a fresh start in school when a virtual reality academy opens after a pandemic.  The new classmates will be wearing virtual-reality headsets and attending a three-dimensional, simulated school while interacting as avatars.

Bradley is eager for a brand-new identity. A cool avatar will allow him to escape the bullies who have made fun of him for years and gives him a fresh start to make new friends on his own terms. Edelle is forced to attend the virtual school by her mom who says she’s too obsessed with popularity and how she looks. Even worse, Edelle’s mom insists she chooses a generic avatar. Edelle registers under a new name so no one can identify her. But will she lose her social status if no one can recognize her? Hunter is known for his popularity, charm, and his lustrous hair, except with his recent diagnosis of alopecia, his hair has begun to fall out. VR school allows him to maintain his popularity–and the illusion of a full head of hair–even if it means hiding behind an avatar. He wonders how being isolated will affect his relationships.

As Bradley, Edelle, and Hunter get to know each other in their virtual environment, they realize that the virtual school is not all fun and games and the simulated environment just brings different problems. As they look at their world through a new lens, will they learn about what true friendship means?

Gamer Army by Trent Reedy

After Rogan Webber levels up yet again on his favorite video game, Laser Viper, the world-famous creator of the game invites him to join the five best players in the country for an exclusive tournament. The gamers are flown to the tech mogul’s headquarters, where they stay in luxury dorms and test out cutting edge virtual-reality gaming equipment, doing digital battle as powerful fighting robots. It’s the ultimate gaming experience.

But as the contest continues, the missions become harder, losing gamers are eliminated, and the remaining contestants face the growing suspicion that the game may not be what it seems. Why do the soldiers and robots they fight in Laser Viper act so weird? What’s behind the strange game glitches? And why does the game feel so…real? Rogan and his gamer rivals must come together, summoning the collective power of their Gamer Army to discover the truth and make things right…in a dangerous world where video games have invaded reality.

Kudo Kids: The Mystery of the Masked Medalist by Maia and Alex Shibutani

Andy and Mika are going to Tokyo!  The Kudo Kids have never been to Japan before, so they can’t believe they get to attend the Summer Olympics there. The siblings plan to eat tons of delicious Japanese food, watch every event they can, and win a super-popular new game called OlympiFan.

Developed by a mysterious former medalist, OlympiFan brings players together from all over the world to search Tokyo for virtual medals and clues to the creator’s identity. Andy loves puzzles, and he’s determined to crack this one, especially since the winning team will get to be beta testers for the Masked Medalist’s future games!

Mika wants to find as many clues as she can, but she also has a secret goal of her own–one that could get her into big trouble. But when someone sabotages the game, the Kudo Kids have an even bigger mystery to solve than the Masked Medalist’s identity. If they want to capture the gold, Mika and Andy have to figure out who’s trying to stop their team before someone beats them to the grand prize! Try the second book in the series as well.

Gamer Girls: Gnat vs. Spyder by Andrea Towers

Natalie has a secret. She’s a gamer.  By day, Natalie is an average eighth grade student. At night, she’s Gnat112! Living a double life is hard . . . and keeping a secret from your friends is even harder. When a new girl moves in next door, Natalie is shocked to find out that she’s a gamer, too. What happens when her two worlds collide? If only Natalie could battle middle school like video game aliens!

The first book in a new series.

Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret by Trudi Trueit

Adventure, danger, and a thrilling global mission await Cruz Coronado as he joins an elite school for explorers.

Cruz leaves his tranquil home in Hawaii to join 23 talented kids from around the globe to train at the Explorer Academy with the world’s leading scientists to become the next generation of great explorers. But for Cruz, there’s more at stake. No sooner has he arrived at the Academy than he discovers that his family has a mysterious past with the organization that could jeopardize his future. In the midst of codebreaking and cool classes, new friends and augmented reality expeditions, Cruz must tackle the biggest question of all- Who is out to get him, and why?

Read the entire series!

Last Gamer Standing by Katie Zhao

In Reyna Cheng’s world, gaming is everything. Professional esports teams are the mainstream celebrities. Kids begin training from a young age, aspiring for the big leagues.

Reyna is the up-and-coming junior amateur Dayhold gamer, competing in a VR battle royale against AI monsters and human players. But despite Reyna’s rising popularity and skills, no one knows who she is. Gaming is still a boys’ club and to protect herself against trolls and their harassment, she games the mysterious TheRuiNar.

When Reyna qualifies for the Dayhold Junior Tournament, she knows she’s got what it takes to win the championship title and the $10,000 prize. It’s a chance to make a step forward towards her professional esports dreams and to help her family with the costs of her mother’s hospital bills. But when she’s blackmailed and threatened to be doxed by an anonymous troll, Reyna has to confront the toxic gaming community head-on.  With her dreams and the cash prize on the line, it’s game on!

* * *

So…after reading these summaries, what do you think? Would you want to enter an actual Virtual Reality? Should video games be as realistic as “real life”? or is it better to give yourself some kind of escape plan..?

As always, if you need help finding these (or any other) books in the Library, just ask one of our librarians for help. We love matching kids with books! And…if you should happen to have any suggestions to add to this list, leave them in a comment. We’d love to know more titles that fit the list!

Happy Reading!
::Kelly::

5 Books Featuring…Undersea Adventures!

So would you live under the sea? Would you want a whale or a dolphin for a pet? How about a giant squid? Would you like to explore an undersea wreck, or frolic with Neptune? How about researching undersea cryptids?

So if sea life is your passion, you’re sure to love these stories featuring undersea adventures, mythological creatures and some straight up science fiction. Check them out!

Our Five Books feature is a booklist of five books (occasionally with a few extras) 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 favorite. But you’ll have to guess which is which!

* * *

Undertow by Steve Behling

Thirteen-year-old Arthur Curry has enough troubles to sink a ship. His mom left him and his dad when Arthur was only three years old. He doesn’t fit in with the other students at school. To them, he’s just “fish boy,” a weird, freaky kid. But Arthur has a secret. Something so secret, even he doesn’t know what it is. With the help of his only friend, Claudia, Arthur will begin to learn the truth about his mother, himself, and a legendary world that may actually exist. Oh, and he learns about octopuses. Octopi. It’s probably octopi, right? A novel based on the DC character Aquaman!

Secret Under the Caribbean by Gordon R. Dickson

Robby is excavating the ruins of an eighteenth-century Spanish sloop. Curious about the value of his excavation, Robby soon lands in the thick of a mystery. Along with his friend Mr. Lillibulero, an undersea police officer, Robby finds himself on the trail of a band of thieves who are attempting to steal the ancient vessel from the archeologists. An encounter with a ghost in Spanish attire , the assistance of Mack, Robby’s sea lion, and a clever disguise help Robby to figure out the mystery and follow the clues to a satisfying conclusion.

Young Captain Nemo by Jason Henderson

Gabriel Nemo is not your typical 12-year-old. A descendant of the famous Captain Nemo, he spent the first years of his life living in obscurity, isolated in his parents’ peaceful underwater research lab. But with his older sister off following in their ancestor’s footsteps, sinking whalers and running away from vengeful navies, Gabriel decides it’s time to forge his own path, and use his Nemotech legacy for good. Armed only with his wits, his friends, and his Nemotech submarine, Gabriel embarks on a series of daring rescues and exciting undersea battles. But when Gabriel’s sister suddenly appears with proof of previously undiscovered sea creatures–giant beasts inhabiting wrecked war planes and ships–Gabriel and his new friends must face their biggest and most dangerous mission ever! The first book in an exciting trilogy!

The Neptune Project by Polly Holyoke

Nere has never understood why she feels so much more comfortable and confident in water than on land, but everything falls into place when Nere learns that she is one of a group of kids who –unbeknownst to them — have been genetically altered to survive in the ocean. These products of “The Neptune Project” will be able to build a better future under the sea, safe from the barren country’s famine, wars, and harsh laws. But there are some very big problems: no one asked Nere if she wanted to be a science experiment; the other Neptune kids aren’t exactly the friendliest bunch, and in order to reach the safe haven of the Neptune colony, Nere and her fellow mutates must swim through hundreds of miles of dangerous waters, relying only on their wits, dolphins, and each other to evade terrifying undersea creatures and a government that will stop at nothing to capture the Neptune kids . . . dead or alive.

The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler

For as long as she can remember, twelve-year-old Emily Windsnap has lived on a boat. And, oddly enough, for just as long, her mother has seemed anxious to keep Emily away from the water. But when Mom finally agrees to let her take swimming lessons, Emily makes a startling discovery — about her own identity, the mysterious father she’s never met, and the thrilling possibilities and perils shimmering deep below the water’s surface. Suddemly, Emily is lured into a glorious undersea world where mermaids study shipwrecks at school and Neptune rules with an iron trident. A long-running series with a new title coming out this spring!

Monster Missions by Laura Martin

Berkeley and her best friend, Garth, live on an old cruise ship, scavenging for supplies from the drowned cities left behind on the ocean floor after the sea swallowed up all the land. They think they’ve seen every kind of aquatic creature, but they never expected to find sea monsters! After awakening a Hydra, Berkeley and Garth are sent to live on a submarine, where they study and hunt undersea monsters. But the Hydra wants revenge on their home ship–and if it succeeds, their families will go down with it. Berkley, Garth, and their crew must find a way to save the ship. But monsters aren’t the only deadly things lurking in the ocean’s depths…

Atlantis: The Accidental Invasion by Gregory Mone

Kaya, raised in the undersea, high-tech world of Atlantis, has always been fascinated by the legends about life above the water. Despite the government’s insistence that they’re only stories, she can’t help but dream about the Sun People-and when a group of officials known as Erasers move to bury those legends for good, Kaya sets out to the surface to uncover the truth once and for all. At the same time, in the world above, where climate change has led to giant tsunamis that threaten Earth’s coasts, all Lewis wants is to spend more time with his scientist father. When he stows away on his dad’s top-secret research trip, he finds himself thrown headfirst into an adventure much bigger than he bargained for. Suddenly, both kids are thrust into an adventure unlike anything they’ve ever seen before!

Jack and the Geniuses: In the Deep Blue Sea by Bill Nye, the Science Guy and Gregory Mone

Jack and his genius siblings, Ava and Matt, embark on an adventure with Dr. Hank Witherspoon to the remote Hawaiian island home of Ashley Hawking, a technology billionaire. Hawking and engineer Rosa Morris have built a revolutionary electricity plant that harvests energy from the ocean’s depths, but someone has sabotaged the project. In his search for the culprit, Jack ventures 2,000 feet below the surface of the ocean in a homemade submarine. He, Ava, and Matt attend the world’s strangest birthday party, face off against an arrogant young genius, and then find themselves lost at sea. The three siblings have to use all their brainpower and cunning to find out who’s behind the sabotage . . . and survive.

Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan

Ana Dakkar is a freshman at Harding-Pencroft Academy, a five-year high school that graduates the best marine scientists, naval warriors, navigators, and underwater explorers in the world. Ana’s parents died while on a scientific expedition two years ago, and the only family’s she’s got left is her older brother, Dev, also a student at HP. Ana’s freshman year culminates with the class’s weekend trial at sea, the details of which have been kept secret. She only hopes she has what it’ll take to succeed. All her worries are blown out of the water when, on the bus ride to the ship, Ana and her schoolmates witness a terrible tragedy that will change the trajectory of their lives. But wait, there’s more. The professor accompanying them informs Ana that their rival school, Land Institute, and Harding-Pencroft have been fighting a cold war for a hundred and fifty years. Now that cold war has been turned up to a full broil, and the freshman are in danger of becoming fish food. In a race against deadly enemies, Ana will make amazing friends and astounding discoveries about her heritage as she puts her leadership skills to the test for the first time. Like Percy Jackson, this is sure to become a favorite series!

Malamander by Thomas Taylor

It’s winter in the town of Eerie-on-Sea, where the mist is thick and the salt spray is rattling the windows of the Grand Nautilus Hotel. Inside, young Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder for the hotel, has an unexpected visitor: Violet Parma, a fearless girl around his age who lost her parents at the hotel when she was a baby. She’s sure that the nervous Herbert is the only person who can help her find her parents. The trouble is, Violet is being pursued by a strange hook-handed man. And the town legend of the Malamander–a part-fish, part-human monster whose egg is said to make dreams come true–is rearing its scaly head. As various townspeople, some good-hearted, some nefarious, reveal themselves to be monster hunters on the sly, can Herbert and Violet elude them and discover what happened to Violet’s kin? The first book in The Legends of Eerie-on-Sea series.

Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret by Trudi Trueit

Cruz leaves his tranquil home in Hawaii to join 20 talented kids from around the globe to train at the Explorer Academy with the world’s leading scientists to become the next generation of great explorers. But for Cruz, there’s more at stake. As soon as he arrives he discovers his family’s mysterious past with the Academy threatens his future. His mother had also attended the Academy and gone on to achieve groundbreaking success in a secret research division, before a tragic lab accident took her life. A near-fatal incident and a cryptic warning confirms his worst fear: His mother’s death was no accident. Now, someone doesn’t want him in the Academy either. In fact, someone doesn’t even want him alive! With the help of his classmates, Cruz puts together pieces of a complicated puzzle. Suddenly, he finds himself at the center of an international quest for a missing formula that only he can decode. By the time he boards the Academy’s flagship Polaris for his semester at sea, the fate of his friends, and maybe even the world, are in his hands. The first in an adventurous series!

* * *

When I was a kid, I loved a cartoon called Sealab 2020. The characters lived in a big research station under the ocean, and they regularly explored the seas with their teachers and friends. I was convinced that by the time I was grown up, I would be able to live under the ocean too, and have adventures with dolphins and sharks, and have to look out for attacks by giant kracken and other sea monsters.

Of course, we’re no closer all these years later to having a settlement under the sea. But it is fun to think about the possibilities. After all, there’s probably still more unknown about what happens in the oceans than what happens on Earth. But that’s why it’s fun to speculate about what might be lurking…down in the deep.

As always, if you need help finding these or any other books, just ask one of our librarians for help. We love matching books and readers!

Happy Reading!
::Kelly::

5 Books Featuring…Mars!

So if you’ve been watching the news at all lately, you’ve probably seen Mars come up. Yesterday, scientists flew a droid/helicopter over the surface of the planet! Although it’s only one small thing, it’s a giant step for knowing how Mars works. Maybe the first step towards eventual colonization of the red planet…

In these books, Mars has already been settled, and people–families–are already living there. What would it be like to live on Mars? Glitz and glamor…or a lot of hard work? Check out these 5 Books Featuring Kids who Live on Mars!

Our Five Books feature is a booklist of five books (occasionally with a few extras) 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 Favorite. (But you’ll have to guess which is which)!

* * *

Once Upon a Space-Time! by Jeffery Brown
Jide and Petra are just two normal kids until they are selected to leave Earth and join their new alien classmates on an intergalactic research mission to Mars. Too bad Petra has no idea how she ended up in the program, seeing as the closest she wants to get to space is being a sci-fi writer. Jide, on the other hand, is the brains of the mission, but his helicopter parents make it clear he hasn’t left their gravitational pull behind quite yet.  What is meant to be an intra-species bonding experience soon turns to hijinx as the kids discover The Potato orbiting around their new space classroom and accidentally launch a mission of their own without any adult commanders around to supervise–or help!

Last Day on Mars by Kevin Emerson
It is Earth year 2213–but, of course, there is no Earth anymore. Not since it was burned to a cinder by the sun, which has mysteriously begun the process of going supernova. The human race has fled to Mars, but this was only a temporary solution while we have prepared for a second trip: a one-hundred-fifty-year journey to a distant star, our best guess at where we might find a new home. Liam Saunders-Chang is one of the last humans left on Mars. The son of two scientists who have been racing against time to create technology vital to humanity’s survival, Liam, along with his friend Phoebe, will be on the last starliner to depart before Mars, like Earth before it, is destroyed. Or so he thinks. Because before this day is over, Liam and Phoebe will make a series of profound discoveries about the nature of time and space and find out that the human race is just one of many in our universe locked in a dangerous struggle for survival.

Lion of Mars by Jennifer Holm
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 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  it can’t help but feel like home.

The Winds of Mars by H.M. Hoover
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 There they will train to be presidential bodyguards and alwao learn how to defend their fragile, crystal-domed environment.  But at school, Annalyn learns more about the real problems on Mars—the struggle between the commoners and the elites.   When rebel forces strike against her father, Annalyn finds her comfortable existence turned upside-down and her life threatened from unexpected sources.

The Moon Platoon by Jeramey Kraatz
In the year 2085, Benny Love is pretty used to surviving on what he and his family can scavenge on Earth. But when he wins a scholarship for a life-changing trip to visit the Lunar Taj, the first-ever resort on the Moon, Benny thinks he finally has a chance to give his family a better life. Benny can’t wait to fly his very own Space Runner, practice reverse bungee jumping, and explore craters on the dark side of the Moon. But he gets more than he expected when he and the other kids discover the Moon has secrets no one else knows about. Benny is a long way from home–and soon there might not be an Earth to go back to.

Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougal
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!  For when plucky twelve-year-old Alice Dare learns she’s being taken out of the Muckling Abbott School for Girls and sent to another planet, no one knows what to expect. This is one wild ride that will have kids chuckling the whole way through.

We’re Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey
The first time I heard about Planet Choom, we’d been on Mars for almost a year. But life on the Mars station was grim, and since Earth was no longer an option (we may have blown it up), it was time to find a new home. That’s how we ended up on Choom with the Zhuri. They’re very smart. They also look like giant mosquitos. But that’s not why it’s so hard to live here. There’s a lot that the Zhuri don’t like- singing (just ask my sister, Ila), comedy (one joke got me sent to the principal’s office), or any kind of emotion. The biggest problem, though? The Zhuri don’t like us. And if humankind is going to survive, it’s up to my family to change their minds. No pressure.

The Countdown Conspiracy by Katie Slivensky
Miranda Regent can’t believe she was just chosen as one of six kids from around the world to train for the first ever mission to Mars. But as soon as the official announcement is made, she begins receiving anonymous threatening messages…and when the training base is attacked, it looks like Miranda is the intended target. Now the entire mission–and everyone’s lives–are at risk. And Miranda may be the only one who can save them. 

* * *

I guess I went a little over this time…so many Mars books. Of course, I can’t find the one book that I remember reading years ago that was “the best one ever!”. It’s not Have Spacesuit, Will Travel or The Lotus Caves...those are both set on the moon. It’s not Podkayne of Mars, because we don’t own that one. It’s not something by Monica Hughes, H.M. Hoover or Alexander Keys, because those are all on unnamed planets.

Oh well. If you know of a great story that takes place on Mars that was written sometime between 1960 and 1985-ish, let me know! Maybe it will be the “old book” I remember reading. Until then, enjoy these selections.

As always, if you need help finding these or any other books, just ask at the desk. Our librarians love to help match books and readers!

Happy Reading!
::kelly::

Booklist: Aliens on Earth!

A couple weeks ago, we posted a 5 Books Featuring post about Saving the Planet. This was the longer list that was compiled to get to those five books. Some of them didn’t actually fit into the theme, so they didn’t make the whittling down to five titles. But this is such a good list, it’s worth sharing separately!

So…here we go. A new Booklist!

* * *

Aliens on Earth–a Booklist

Is there Life on a Plastic Planet? by Mildred Ames
Hollis is miserable with her life.  She hates her name, her mother keeps bugging her to eat healthy food, her cousin Addison makes her life miserable.  Then Hollis meets Ms. Eudora, who manages a shop that sells dolls, and serves Hollis yummy éclairs while she listens to her problems. It’s Ms. Eudora who comes up with the plan…substitute one of her dolls for Hollis, and Hollis can spend her days at the shop with Ms. Eudora and her magical éclairs.  But is it all too perfect to be real..?

Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson
What sort of madman would unleash an army of stilt-walking, laser-beaming, thoroughly angry whales upon the world? Who cares! All that matters is that his dastardly plan be foiled.Lucky for Lily Gefelty, her two best friends are the intrepid stars of their own middle-grade series novels: Jasper Dash (better know as the Boy Technonaut) and Katie Mulligan (beloved by millions as the heroine of the Horror Hollow series).It’s going to take all their smarts to stop this insane, inane plot from succeeding.

The Invasion by K. A. Applegate
The Earth is being invaded, but no one knows about it. When Jake, Rachel, Tobias, Cassie, and Marco stumble upon a downed alien spaceship and its dying pilot, they’re given an incredible power — they can transform into any animal they touch. With it, they become Animorphs, the unlikely champions in a secret war for the planet. And the enemies they’re fighting could be anyone . . . even the people closest to them.  Read all the Animorphs adventures.  And it’s also a graphic novel!

Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies by Andrea Beaty
When Joules and Kevin Rockman’s parents drop them off at Camp Whatsitooya on their way to an International Spamathon, the twins expect a summer of marshmallows, campfires, and canoe trips. What they do not expect is to defend the earth from an invasion of sugar-addicted, murderous, seven-foot-tall rabbits from another galaxy. Happily, the Rockman twins, veteran watchers of the Late, Late, Late Creepy Show for Insomniacs, are unusually well-prepared for dealing with monstrous beings from outer space. If only their fellow campers were so lucky.

Finn and the Intergalactic Lunchbox by Michael Buckley
Finn Foley has a lunchbox, and when he opens it, weird things come out . . . like a seven-foot-tall robot and a strange, blinking device that glues itself to his chest. The lunchbox also opens wormholes–shortcuts through space–that take Finn to the farthest corners of the galaxy. Sounds awesome, right?  Not so much. Rocketing through the cosmos attracts the attention of the Plague, a race of gigantic bugs. The thing on Finn’s chest belongs to them–it’s the most dangerous weapon in the universe–and they want it back.  To fight the Plague, Finn will need the lunchbox, as well as an unlikely squad of assistants: Lincoln, the bully; Julep, the coolest girl in school; Kate, Finn’s unicorn-obsessed little sister; and Highbeam, a robot spy from another galaxy. If they can learn to work together, they just might have a chance, but the bugs are coming, and they’ll stop at nothing to get their weapon–even if it means destroying the world.

What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World by Henry Clark
When River, Freak, and Fiona discover a mysterious sofa sitting at their bus stop, their search for loose change produces a rare zucchini-colored crayon. Little do they know this peculiar treasure is about to launch them into the middle of a plot to conquer the world!  The kids’ only hope is to trap the plot’s mastermind when he comes to steal the crayon. But how can three kids from the middle of nowhere stop an evil billionaire? With the help of an eccentric neighbor, an artificially intelligent domino, a DNA-analyzing tray, two hot air balloons, and a cat named Mucus, they just might be able to save the planet.

Aliens Ate My Homework by Bruce Coville
“I cannot tell a lie,” says Rod Allbright. And it’s the truth. Ask him a question and he’s bound to give you an honest answer. Which is why, when his teacher asks what happened to last night’s math assignment, Rod has to give the only answer he can: “Aliens ate my homework, Miss Maloney!”  Of course, no one believes Rod this time, so they don’t bother to ask him why the aliens are here. It’s just as well, since he is sworn to silence about their secret mission and the fact that he has been drafted to help them!  It is definitely the weirdest alien invasion ever!  Try the other titles in this humorous series.

Hungry by Alethea Eason
Deborah is starting to notice things about her best friend, Willy–like how cute he looks in his Halloween costume and the adorable way his red hair curls just above his collar. He’s the coolest boy in sixth grade, and the closest friend she’s got . . . that is, until her alien parents tell her she has to eat him for dinner. After all, she’s an alien, too–even if she and her family do live in disguise.  Should she keep Willy alive and survive on forbidden hamburgers and chocolate . . . or point her tentacles at her best friend and gain approval from alien kind?

The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day by Christopher Edge
It’s the morning of Maisie’s tenth birthday, and she can’t wait to open her presents. Maisie is not a typical kid. What she wants most for her birthday are the things she needs to build her own nuclear reactor. But she wakes to an empty house, and outside the front door is nothing but an unsettling, all-consuming blackness–a shifted reality. Even for super-smart Maisie, these puzzling circumstances seem out of her control . . . or are they?

The Jamie Drake Equation by Christopher Edge
How amazing would it be to have a dad who’s an astronaut? To see him go on rocket launches, live in zero gravity, and fly through space like a superhero? Jamie Drake knows. His dad is orbiting Earth in the International Space Station. Jamie thinks it’s cool, and he’s proud of his dad, but he also really misses him. Hanging out at the local observatory one day, Jamie is surprised when he picks up a strange signal on his phone. Could it be aliens? Are they closer to our planet than anyone realizes? With his dad in space, Jamie feels he has no choice but to investigate on his own. But when something goes wrong with his dad’s mission, Jamie is reminded that space is a dangerous place. He decides it’s time to prove that he’s a hero too.

Lunchbox and the Aliens by Bryan W. Fields
Lunchbox felt odd. He wondered how he had known how to open the place where all the yummy stuff was kept. He wondered why he seemed to know so much about these strange animals he was with. He wondered how he knew he was wondering…   Lunchbox is your average basset hound: round, floppy, and not too bright . . . until he’s abducted by aliens. Then he suddenly becomes a lean, mean, garbage-machine-making, uh, machine. Frazz and Grunfloz, the hapless aliens who abducted Lunchbox, have set him the task of converting Earth’s trash into froonga, a food adored by aliens and dogs alike. Will Lunchbox and his boy, Nate, solve the world’s garbage crisis and form the first interplanetary alliance? Or will the fate of the whole solar system come to rest on whether Lunchbox can ever learn to catch a Frisbee?

The Secret of Zoone by Lee Edward Födi
When a bright blue winged tiger appears on his aunt’s sofa, Ozzie can tell he’s in for an adventure. He’s thrilled to follow Tug–a skyger–through a secret door in the basement and into Zoone, the bustling Grand Central Station of the universe, where a thousand doors act as portals to strange and wonderful worlds.  But some doors also hide dangers–and when the portal back to Earth explodes behind him, Ozzie gets more adventure than he bargained for. In a station full of wizards, creepy-crawlies, and the occasional cursed princess, Ozzie has to find a way to repair his door… and possibly save the multiverse in the process.

Boom! by Mark Haddon
From the moment that Jim and his best friend, Charlie, bug the staff room and overhear two of their teachers speaking to each other in a secret language, they know there’s an adventure on its way.  But what does “spudvetch” actually mean, and why do Mr. Kidd’s eyes flicker with fluorescent blue light when Charlie says it to him? Perhaps Kidd and Pearce are bank robbers talking in code. Perhaps they’re spies. Perhaps they are aliens. Whatever it is, Jimbo and Charlie are determined to find out.  There really is an adventure on its way. A nuclear-powered, one-hundred-ton adventure with reclining seats and a buffet car. And as it gathers speed and begins to spin out of control, it can only end one way . . . with a BOOM!

George’s Secret Key to the Universe by Lucy & Stephen Hawking
George is heartbroken when he learns that his friend Annie and her father are moving to the US. Eric has a new job working for the space program, looking for signs of life in the Universe. Eric leaves George with a gift–a book called The User’s Guide to the Universe. But Annie and Eric haven’t been gone for very long when Annie believes that she is being contacted by aliens, who have a terrible warning for her. George joins her in the US to help her with her quest–and before he knows it, he, Annie, Cosmos, and Annie’s annoying cousin Emmett have been swept up in a cosmic treasure hunt, spanning the whole galaxy and beyond.  Read all of George’s other adventures as well!

Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
When Sal Vidon meets Gabi Real for the first time, it isn’t under the best of circumstances. Sal is in the principal’s office for the third time in three days, and it’s still the first week of school. Gabi, student council president and editor of the school paper, is there to support her friend Yasmany, who just picked a fight with Sal. She is determined to prove that somehow, Sal planted a raw chicken in Yasmany’s locker, even though nobody saw him do it and the bloody poultry has since mysteriously disappeared.  Sal prides himself on being an excellent magician, but for this sleight of hand, he relied on a talent no one would guess . . . except maybe Gabi, whose sharp eyes never miss a trick. When Gabi learns that he’s capable of conjuring things much bigger than a chicken–including his dead mother–and she takes it all in stride, Sal knows that she is someone he can work with. There’s only one slight problem: their manipulation of time and space could put the entire universe at risk. Read the sequel too!

Thresholds by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Maya’s family has just moved from Idaho to Spores Ferry, Oregon. She’s nervous about starting middle school and making new friends, but soon that’s the last thing on her mind. First, a fairy flies into her room. Then it turns out that the kids in the apartment building next door do magic, and their basement is full of portals to other worlds. She’s bursting with new experiences and delight . . . and secrets, because she can’t breathe a word to her family, not even when she winds up taking care of an alien!  Make sure to read the rest of this exciting trilogy.

Dognap by Patrick Jennings
When dogs go missing, one boy will find out why.  And the answer is out of this world.
Nothing gets past Logan. When he observes that the neighborhood’s dogs are mysteriously vanishing, he suspects nothing less than a full-scale alien dognapping invasion. The adults don’t believe him, of course, so he enlists his friends to investigate and soon they make a shocking discovery.  Now man’s best friend needs help. Fast. Suddenly, Logan and his team are on a mission unlike anything known to man.

Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key
Tony and Tia have always been together, even if they don’t know exactly where they came from. When their foster parents die, the brother and sister are sent to an ophanage, where the other kids have a hard time accepting their differences. When an evil man sees Tia do something impossible, he pretends to be their uncle and removes them from the orphanage, When Tony and Tia realize that he doesn’t really intend to help them, they decide it’s time to run away and try to find other people like themselves. Maybe, with their few memories and the clues in Tia’s double-star case, they can find someone who knows something of their mysterious past.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger. “Wild nights are my glory,” the unearthly stranger told them. “I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I’ll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract.”  And those words start Meg and her brother Charles Wallace and new friend Calvin O’Keefe on the adventure of a lifetime in search of Meg’s father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem. The first book in the classic series of time and space adventures of the Murray family.

EngiNerds by Jarrett Lerner
Ken is an EngiNerd: one of a super-smart group of friends–all nerds–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. He then secretly sent one to each of the EngiNerds, never letting them know he’s the mastermind.  At first Ken is awed and delighted: what kid hasn’t dreamed of having a robot all their own? Someone who can be their friend, 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!  Read the other books in the series.

Emperor of the Universe by David Lubar
When seventh grader Nicholas V. Landrew, his beloved pet gerbil Henrietta, and a package of ground beef are beamed aboard an alien space ship, they soon find themselves on the run in a madcap chase across the universe. All Nicholas wants to do is get back home before his parents find out and ground him forever, but with the Universal Police hot on his trail, that won’t be easy. Before it’s all over, Henrietta will find herself safely ensconced back in her cage, Nicholas will be crowned Emperor of the Universe, and something even more surprising will happen to the package of ground beef.

Pi in the Sky by Wendy Mass
Joss is the seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe. His older brothers help his dad rule the cosmos, but all Joss gets to do is deliver pies. That’s right: pies. Of course, these pies actually hold the secrets of the universe between their buttery crusts, but they’re still pies.  Joss is happy to let his older brothers shine. He has plenty to keep his hands full: attempting to improve his bowling score; listening to his best friend, Kal, try (and fail) to play the drums; and exploring his ever-changing home, The Realms. But when Earth suddenly disappears, Joss is tasked with the seemingly impossible job of bringing it back. With the help of Annika, an outspoken girl from Earth, he embarks on the adventure of a lifetime…and learns that the universe is an even stranger place than he’d imagined.

You Can’t Have My Planet, But Take My Brother, Please by James Mihaley
Giles is the last person anyone would expect to save the planet. he’s not as charming as his little sister, and not as brainy as his goody-goody older brother. But when Giles witnesses an alien realtor showing Earth to possible new tenants, he knows he’d better do something. With the help of an alien “attorney” and the maddest scientist in middle-grade fiction, Giles just might save humans from eviction from Earth. Let’s hope so. The alternatives are…not so hospitable.

Herbert’s Wormhole by Peter Nelson
Greetings. This story concerns a scientific anomaly that opens a portal, allowing us to traverse the space-time continuum and triggering an adventure that those of limited intelligence might simply describe as “awesome.”
Hey! This is a book about how we get sucked into this wormhole thingy and it drops us in the future where there’s all this really cool futuristic stuff, but also these super-freaky aliens and we mess everything up and have to save the world. How awesome is that?
When Alex, a video game fanatic, is forced on a “playdate” with his neighbor Herbert, an inventor, the two travel to the twenty-second century and face off against aliens, who are not as beneficent as most people think.  Read the other books in the series as well.

The New Kid by A.I. Newton
Zeke the alien is on his way to his first day of school, feeling down because he has to start over again on a new planet, as his scientist parents constantly move to wherever their research takes them. When he gets to school, no one seems to notice anything strange or different about him except Harris, a kid obsessed with science fiction and aliens. Harris sees Zeke doing extraordinary things but can’t convince anyone, least of all his best friend, Roxy, that Zeke might be an alien. Roxy just thinks Harris is jealous that she’s becoming friends with Zeke. But when Roxy invites Zeke over to Harris’s house, will Harris find a way to prove that he’s right?  Read all of The Alien Next Door books!

How to Sell Your Family to the Aliens by Paul Noth
Happy Conklin Jr. is the only kid who has to shave three times a day. Hap’s dad is a brilliant inventor of screwball products, and being a Conklin kid means sometimes being experimented on. So Hap has his beard, and his five sisters each have their own unique–and often problematic–qualities too. And although Hap’s dad has made a fortune with his wacky inventions sold via nonstop TV infomercials, all of that money has gone to Hap’s tyrannical Grandma. While she lives in an enormous mansion, the rest of the family lives in two rooms in the basement.  All Hap has ever wanted is to have a normal life, so when he sees a chance to get rid of Grandma, he takes it! He only means to swap out Grandma, but when he–oops!–sells his whole family to the aliens, he wants nothing more than to get them back. He just has to figure out . . . how?

Flood City by Daniel José Older
Welcome to Flood City, the last inhabitable place left above the waters that cover Earth. It’s also the last battleground between the Chemical Barons, who once ruled the planet and now circle overhead in spaceships, desperate to return, and the Star Guard, who have controlled the city for decades.  Born and raised in Flood City, Max doesn’t care about being part of either group. All he wants is to play his music with the city band, keep his sister from joining the Star Guard, and be noticed by his crush, the awesome drummer Djinna.  Meanwhile, Ato, a young Chemical Baron, has joined his crew for what was supposed to be a routine surveillance mission, only things go from bad to worse between unexplained iguanagull attacks and the discovery of deadly schemes. Ato’s just trying to stay safe, keep his twin brother alive, and not hurt anyone. So when his commander prepares to wipe out Flood City completely, Ato must decide how far he’ll go.  As Max’s and Ato’s paths collide, it changes everything. Because they might be able to stop a coming war. But can two enemies work together to save Earth?

Bloom by Kenneth Oppel
The invasion begins–but not as you’d expect. It begins with rain. Rain that carries seeds. Seeds that sprout–overnight, everywhere. These new plants take over crop fields, twine up houses, and burrow below streets. They bloom–and release toxic pollens. They bloom–and form Venus flytrap-like pods that swallow animals and people. They bloom–everywhere, unstoppable.  Or are they? Three kids on a remote island seem immune to the toxic plants. Anaya, Petra, Seth. They each have strange allergies–and yet not to these plants. What’s their secret? Can they somehow be the key to beating back this invasion? They’d better figure it out fast, because it’s starting to rain again….   An exciting trilogy.

Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind by Jeff Miller
In this exciting sequel to The Nerdy Dozen, Neil Andertol and his gang of dorky gamers are once again called on to fly a top-secret mission–one that is literally out of this world. This time, rescuing mankind means heading into outer space. A top-secret spacecraft has been stolen, and NASA needs the best pilots in the universe to get it back–the Nerdy Dozen. It’s a race against time to stop an earth-shattering disaster. Can the twelve geeks save the day again–or will it be game over?  The Middle book of an exciting trilogy!

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
When her mother is abducted by aliens on Christmas Eve (or “Smekday” Eve since the Boov invasion), Tip hops in the family car with her cat and heads out to rescue her.  So while the rest of the American population gets shipped via rocketpod to Florida–the proposed site of the new United State of America–Tip heads that way on her own to find her mom.  On the way, she meets a solitary Boov mechanic named J. Lo.  He’s unarmed, and he can fix her battered car, so she agrees to give him a ride, which leads to two alarming discoveries.  One is that J.Lo turns out to be not so bad.  The other is that J.Lo is number one on the Boov’s most wanted list for making the hugest mistake in the history of Smekland (or Earth, depending on your point of view). Now Tip and her many-legged friend are the only ones who can save the planet from a really big catastrophe!  Don’t forget to read the sequel: Smek for President.

The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts
Katie Welker is used to being alone. She would rather read a book than deal with other people. Other people don’t have silver eyes. Other people can’t make things happen just by thinking about them!  But these special powers make Katie unusual, and it’s hard to make friends when you’re unusual. Katie knows that she’s different but she’s never done anything to hurt anyone so why is everyone afraid of her? Maybe there are other kids out there who have the same silver eyes…and the same talents…and maybe they’ll be willing to help her.

A Problematic Paradox by Eliot Sappingfield
Nikola Kross has given up on living in harmony with classmates and exasperated teachers- she prefers dabbling in experimental chemistry to fitting in. But when her life is axially inverted by a gang of extraterrestrials who kidnap her dad and attempt to recruit her into their service, she discovers he’s been keeping a world of secrets from her–including the school for geniuses where she’s sent for refuge, a place where classes like Practical Quantum Mechanics are the norm and where students use wormholes to commute to class. For Nikola, the hard part isn’t school, it’s making friends, especially when the student body isn’t (entirely) human. But the most puzzling paradox of all is Nikola herself, who has certain abilities that no one understands-abilities that put her whole school in greater danger than she could have imagined.

What Came From the Stars by Gary D. Schmidt
The Valorim are about to fall to a dark lord when they send a necklace containing their planet across the cosmos, hurtling past a trillion stars . . . all the way into the lunchbox of Tommy Pepper, sixth grader, of Plymouth, Mass.  Mourning his late mother, Tommy doesn’t notice much about the chain he found, but soon he is drawing the twin suns and humming the music of ahanorah.  As Tommy absorbs the art and language of the Valorim, their enemies target him. When a creature begins ransacking Plymouth in search of the chain, Tommy learns he must protect his family from villains far worse than he’s ever imagined.

Spaceheadz! by Jon Sciezka
Michael K. just started fifth grade at a new school. As if that wasn’t hard enough, the kids he seems to have made friends with apparently aren’t kids at all. They are aliens. Real aliens who have invaded our planet in the form of school children and a hamster. They have a mission to complete: to convince 3,140,001 kids to BE SPHDZ. But with a hamster as their leader, “kids” who talk like walking advertisements, and Michael K as their first convert, will the SPHDZ be able to keep their cover and pull off their assignment?  With Michael K as their first convert, will the SPHDZ be able to keep their cover and pull off their assignment?  Read all the other SPHDZ books!

Interstellar Pig by William Sleator
When three unusually attractive young adults rent the summer cottage next door, Barney’s boring vacation at the beach seemingly takes a turn for the better. However, after the neighbors unwittingly reveal their extraterrestrial identities, the board game they have taught him becomes a real-life battle, and Barney must outsmart the aliens to save Earth from destruction. The fantastical tale contains some of Sleator’s most inventive characters.  (In the Teen collection)

Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith
Scrub isn’t happy about having to spend the summer with his hippie grandmother in “Middle of Nowhere,” Washington. When he arrives at her Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast, he’s not surprised by its 1960s-meets-Star Wars decor; but he is surprised by the weird looking guests. It turns out that each room in the inn is a portal and his grandma is the gatekeeper, allowing aliens to vacation on Earth. She desperately needs Scrub’s help with disguising the tourists as humans. As if that weren’t difficult enough, the town sheriff is already suspicious of Granny. One wrong move and Scrub could blow Grandma’s cover, forcing the B&B to shut down forever. And when it comes to aliens, every move seems wrong . . .  Full of cosmic chaos and mind-bending mayhem, Scrub’s summer adventure will leave readers wanting to make a return trip.

The Lost Tribes and The Lost Tribes: Safe Harbor by C. Taylor-Butler
Ben and April Webster never knew their parents were scientists on a secret mission until they disappeared. Now Ben, April and their friends have discovered that they are not from Earth, but have been assigned to save the planet– while trying to find their parents. These five friends are in a race against time in this action-adventure story involving ancient tribal artifacts that hold the fate of the universe in the balance.

The Doom Machine : a novel  by Mark Teague
When a spaceship lands in Vern Hollow, Jack’s hometown, he and his no-account inventor-uncle Bud are busy trying to fix a car driven by Dr. Shumway and her daughter, Isadora. Although Uncle Bud secretly knows the aliens are after one of his inventions, everyone is surprised when the space aliens capture seven of Vern Hollow’s residents and take them into outer space on a wild adventure. . . .

Voyagers: Project Alpha by various authors
The entire future of our planet will soon be in the hands of four kids. Sure, they’ll be the best in the world . . . but can they save the world? Earth is about to go dark. Without a new power source, life as we know it will be toast. A global competition is under way to determine who will join the secret mission that might just save us all. The Voyagers will venture to the far reaches of space, farther than anyone’s ever gone before, and they must be prepared to face anything. But first the Voyagers team needs to be chosen. Project Alpha is a competition of physical challenges, mental puzzles, and political alliances. The battle is fierce, and only four will make the cut. . . . A series with each book by a different, favorite author.

Earthborn by Sylvia Waugh
Nesta Gwynn has always known that her parents are different. She thinks it’s because they’re from Boston instead of the little town in England, where Nesta was born and where she’s always lived. But then Nesta discovers that her parents aren’t really from Boston. In fact, they’re not from Earth at all. They’re aliens from a planet named Ormingat and, even though she was born on Earth, Nesta is an alien too. To make matters worse, her parents’s mission on Earth has come to an abrupt end because of a boy named Thomas Derwent. They will have one chance to return to Ormingat and it’s only seven days away. Nesta quickly devises a plan so that she’ll miss the deadline and not have to leave Earth. But if she stays behind, will her parents choose to stay with her or will they go back to Ormingat without her?

You’ll Like it Here (Everybody Does) by Ruth White
While Meggie and David Blue are from another planet, they’re a lot like Earth kids, with similar hopes and dreams, and can’t wait to grow up. BUT they also have GROSSLY UNIQUE qualities, such as blue streaks in their hair that pop up randomly and language skills that sound like nothing on this planet. The story takes these alien kids, along with their mother and grandfather, by accident, to a far planet in which the society is not only oppressive but hostile to individual freedom. People are kept submissive through drugs and brainwashing. The Blues, who have spent time in free societies recognize the upside-down-ness of this world. They’re almost helpless to do anything, but do what they can, plan their escape, and vow to help others.

Alien Superstar by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
No one is shocked by the six-eyed alien strolling around the Universal back lot. The tourists just think he’s part of the show. It doesn’t take long for Buddy to land a role on a popular TV show, playing (of course) an alien. He becomes an overnight heartthrob and is suddenly faced with legions of adoring fans, rides in glamorous limos, and appearances at “all-the-shrimp-you-can-eat” red carpet parties. But can Buddy maintain his secret identity while in the spotlight?  In Lights! Camera! Danger!  Buddy Burger is ready for another wacky adventure! But as he gets more famous, will he be able to hide from his fans that he’s really an alien with suction cups for feet, a sensory enhancer that goes wild for gummy dragons, and six eyes? And will he be able to hide from the oppressive police force of his home planet forever? This funny series is by a popular team of authors.

* * *

And there you have it…a whole booklist of aliens on Earth! You can probably tell from the summaries if they’re funny, scary or somewhere in between. But if you like science fiction with a side of aliens…there’s sure to be something on this list that will appeal to the reader in you!

As always, if you need help finding any of the books on this list–or any others!–simply ask one of our librarians for assistance. We’re always happy to help match books and readers!

Happy Reading!
::kelly::

Booklist…Alternate History!

Greetings!

It’s time to share another Booklist! This time we’re going for something a little more specific than just time travel, or historical fiction–but something that’s a bit in-between: Alternate History. That’s a story based on something in history changing, but the “world” of the book staying true to the time period. Like if hot air balloons were so popular and developed in the 1700s that airplanes were never invented. How would that change how people lived during a time like the American Civil War? It’s pure speculation…and lots of fun to imagine!

So…onto the best of two worlds– Historical Fantasy books!

* * *

Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken
Simon arrives in London to meet an old friend and pursue the study of painting. Instead he finds himself unwittingly in the middle of a wicked crew’s fiendish caper to overthrow the good King James and the Duke and Duchess of Battersea. With the help of his friend Sophie and the resourceful waif Dido, Simon narrowly escapes a series of madcap close calls and dangerous run-ins. In a time and place where villains do nothing halfway, Simon is faced with wild wolves, poisoned pies, kidnapping, and a wrecked ship.
In this world, King James III of Scotland became James the first of England, but the Hanoverians (King George III) are plotting to overthrow the Stuarts.

Airman by Eoin Colfer
In the 1890’s Conor and his family live on the sovereign Saltee Islands, off the Irish coast. Conor spends his days studying the science of flight with his tutor and exploring the castle with the king’s daughter, Princess Isabella. But his idyllic life changes forever the day he discovers a conspiracy to overthrow the king. When Conor tries to expose the plot, he is branded a traitor and thrown into jail on the prison island of Little Saltee. There, he has to fight for his life as he and the other prisoners are forced to mine for diamonds in inhumane conditions. There is only one way to escape Little Saltee, and that is to fly. So he passes the solitary months by scratching drawings of flying machines into the prison walls. The months turn into years, but eventually the day comes when Conor must find the courage to trust his revolutionary designs and take to the skies.

A Riddle in Ruby by Kent Davis
Ruby Teach, daughter of a smuggler and pirate, has been learning how to swindle and steal and pick the most complex locks for as long as she can remember. But a collision with aristocratic young lord Athen sends her spinning into chaos. Little did she know that her whole life has been spent in hiding from nefarious secret societies and the Royal Navy . . . who are both now on her trail. A rip-roaring tale of an alternate colonial Philadelphia, where alchemy–that peculiar mix of magic and science–has fueled the industrial revolution.

Battlesaurus: Rampage at Waterloo by Daniel Falkner
In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte wins the Battle of Waterloo by unleashing a secret battlefield weapon–a legion of giant, carnivorous dinosaurs imported from the wilds of the Americas. Only Willem Verheyen, an outsider living in hiding in the tiny village of Gaillemarde, has the power to ruin the tyrant’s plans. And Napoléon will stop at nothing to find him.
In this alternate world, dinosaurs are still around. Smaller “saurs” are an everyday danger in the forests of Europe, and the Americas are a forbidden zone roamed by the largest and most deadly animals ever to walk the earth. But in his quest for power, Napoléon has found a way to turn these giant dinosaurs into nineteenth-century weapons of mass destruction.

The Metropolitans / Carol Goodman
The day Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, four thirteen-year-olds converge at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where an eccentric curator is seeking four uncommonly brave souls to track down the hidden pages of the Kelmsbury Manuscript, an ancient book of Arthurian legends that lies scattered within the museum’s collection, and that holds the key to preventing a second attack on American soil. When Madge, Joe, Kiku, and Walt agree to help, they have no idea that the Kelmsbury is already working its magic on them. But they begin to develop extraordinary powers: courage, friendship, love…and betrayal. Are they playing out a legend that’s already been lived, over and over, across the ages? Or can the Metropolitans forge their own story?
It’s WWII, but Morgan le Fay is still influencing the world.

League of Seven by Alan Gratz
In an alternate 1875 America, electricity is forbidden, Native Americans and Yankees are united, and eldritch evil lurks in the shadows. Young Archie Dent knows there really are monsters in the world. His parents are members of the Septemberist Society, whose job it is to protect humanity from hideous giants called the Mangleborn. Trapped in underground prisons for a thousand years, the giant monsters have been all but forgotten–but now they are rising again as the steam-driven America of 1875 rediscovers electricity, the lifeblood of the Mangleborn. When his parents and the rest of the Septemberists are brainwashed by one of the evil creatures, Archie must assemble a team of seven young heroes to save the world!

The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove
Sophia Tims comes from a family of explorers and cartologers who, for generations, have been traveling and mapping the New World–a world changed by the Great Disruption of 1799, when all the continents were flung into different time periods.  Eight years ago, her parents left her with her uncle Shadrack, the foremost cartologer in Boston, and went on an urgent mission. They never returned. Life with her brilliant, absent-minded, adored uncle has taught Sophia to take care of herself. Then Shadrack is kidnapped. And Sophia, who has rarely been outside of Boston, is the only one who can search for him. Together with Theo, a refugee from the West, she travels over rough terrain and uncharted ocean, encounters pirates and traders, and relies on a combination of Shadrack’s maps, common sense, and her own slantwise powers of observation. But even as Sophia and Theo try to save Shadrack’s life, they are in danger of losing their own.
This alternate world story starts in Boston, 1891, with a completely different map of our world.

The Lost Kingdom by Matthew Kirby
Billy Bartram, his father, and a secret society of philosophers and scientists venture into the American wilderness in search of the lost people of the Welsh Prince Madoc, seeking aid in the coming war against the French. Traveling in a flying airship, the members of the expedition find their lives frequently endangered in the untamed American West by terrifying creatures, a party of French soldiers hot on their trail, and the constant threat of traitors and spies. Billy will face hazards greater than he can ever imagine as, together with his father, he gets caught up in the fight for the biggest prize of all: America. This is 1753, and a completely different version of the French and Indian War.

Bluecrowne by Kate Milford
Lucy Bluecrowne is beginning a new life ashore with her stepmother and half brother, though she’s certain the only place she’ll ever belong is with her father on a ship of war as part of the crew. She doesn’t care that living in a house is safer and the proper place for a twelve-year-old girl; it’sboring. But then two nefarious strangers identify her little brother as the pyrotechnical prodigy they need to enact an evil plan, and it will take all Lucy’s fighting instincts to keep her family together.
In a very different 1810, Lucy and Laio may hold the fate of Nagspeake in their hands.

The Inventors at No. 8 by A.M. Morgen
Meet George, the third Lord of Devonshire and the unluckiest boy in London. Why is George so unlucky? First, he’s an orphan. Second, unless he sells everything, he’s about to lose his house. So when his family’s last heirloom, a priceless map to the Star of Victory (a unique gem said to bring its owner success in any battle) is stolen by a nefarious group of criminals, George knows that there is no one less lucky–or more alone–than he is. That is until Ada Byron, the future Countess of Lovelace, bursts into his life. She promises to help George recover his family legacy, and is determined to find her own father along the way–all in a flying machine she built herself. Joined by a mischievous orangutan and the long-lost son of an infamous pirate, Ada and George take off on a cross-continent journey through the skies that will change their lives, and perhaps the world, forever.

The Inquisitor’s Apprentice by Chris Moriarity
The day Sacha found out he could see witches was the worst day of his life. Being an Inquisitor is no job for a nice Jewish boy. But when the police learn that Sacha Kessler can see witches, he’s apprenticed to the department’s star Inquisitor, Maximillian Wolf. Their mission is to stop magical crime. And New York at the beginning of the twentieth century is a magical melting pot where each ethnic group has its own brand of homegrown witchcraft, and magical gangs rule the streets from Hell’s Kitchen to Chinatown. Soon Sacha has teamed up with fellow apprentice Lily Astral, daughter of one of the city’s richest Wall Street Wizards–and a spoiled snob, if you ask Sacha. Their first case is to find out who’s trying to kill Thomas Edison. Edison has invented a mechanical witch detector that could unleash the worst witch-hunt in American history. Every magician in town has a motive to kill him. But as the investigation unfolds, all the clues lead back to the Lower East Side. And Sacha soon realizes that his own family could be accused of murder!

The Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel Jose Older
It’s 1863 and dinosaurs roam the streets of New York as the Civil War rages between raptor-mounted armies down South. Magdalys Roca and her friends from the Colored Orphan Asylum are on a field trip when the Draft Riots break out, and a number of their fellow orphans are kidnapped by an evil magistrate, Richard Riker. Magdalys and her friends flee to Brooklyn and settle in the Dactyl Hill neighborhood, where black and brown New Yorkers have set up an independent community — a safe haven from the threats of Manhattan. Together with the Vigilance Committee, they train to fly on dactylback, discover new friends and amazing dinosaurs, and plot to take down Riker. Can Magdalys and the squad rescue the rest of their friends before it’s too late?

Live in Infamy by Caroline Tung Richmond
What if the Axis powers had won World War II? In the eighty years since the Axis powers won World War II with their genetically engineered super soldiers, America has changed drastically in the hands of the unforgiving victors. But there are still those who aspire to what the country used to stand for: freedom for all. In the Western American Territories, Ren Cabot has lost nearly everything to Imperial Japan’s rule. After the public execution of his mom for treason five years ago, Ren and his family live under constant scrutiny of the Empire, afraid that one wrong step will rip apart what remains of their family for good. However, when a chance encounter with a resistance group offers Ren an opportunity to save lives and quite possibly topple the government, he agrees to their deadly plot. But his role will lead him straight into the heart of the enemy, and if caught, death would be a much better fate than what the Empire will do to him. . . .

York: The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby
It was 1798 when the Morningstarr twins arrived in New York with a vision for a magnificent city: towering skyscrapers, dazzling machines, and winding train lines, all running on technology no one had ever seen before. Fifty-seven years later, the enigmatic architects disappeared, leaving behind for the people of New York the Old York Cipher–a puzzle laid into the shining city they constructed, at the end of which was promised a treasure beyond all imagining. By the present day, however, the puzzle has never been solved, and the greatest mystery of the modern world is little more than a tourist attraction. Tess and Theo Biedermann and their friend Jaime Cruz live in a Morningstarr apartment–until a real estate developer announces that the city has agreed to sell him the five remaining Morningstarr buildings. Their likely destruction means the end of a dream long held by the people of New York. And if Tess, Theo, and Jaime want to save their home, they have to prove that the Old York Cipher is real. Which means they have to solve it.

The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands
“Tell no one what I’ve given you.”
Until he got that cryptic warning, Christopher Rowe was happy, learning how to solve complex codes and puzzles and creating powerful medicines, potions, and weapons as an apprentice to Master Benedict Blackthorn–with maybe an explosion or two along the way. But when a mysterious cult begins to prey on London’s apothecaries, the trail of murders grows closer and closer to Blackthorn’s shop. With time running out, Christopher must use every skill he’s learned to discover the key to a terrible secret with the power to tear the world apart. It’s 1665 in London where Christopher and his best friend Tom follow a trail of puzzles, codes, pranks, and danger toward an unearthly secret with the power to tear the world apart.

Fights and Chimes and Mysterious Times by Emma Trevayne
Jack Foster has stepped through a doorway and into Londinium. Londinium is a smoky, dark, and dangerous place, home to mischievous metal fairies and fearsome clockwork dragons that breathe scalding steam. The people wear goggles to protect their eyes, brass grill insets in their nostrils to filter air, or mechanical limbs to replace missing ones. Over it all rules the Lady, and the Lady has demanded a new son–a perfect flesh-and-blood child. She has chosen Jack. His only hope of escape lies with a legendary clockwork bird. The Gearwing grants wishes–or it did, before it was broken–before it was killed. But some things don’t stay dead forever.
In nineteenth-century England, a boy is about to discover a mysterious mechanical world he may never escape.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet. Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men. Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She’s a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered. With the Great War brewing, Alek’s and Deryn’s paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure. One that will change both their lives forever.

The Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede
Eff was born a thirteenth child. Her twin brother, Lan, is the seventh son of a seventh son. This means he’s supposed to possess amazing talent — and she’s supposed to bring only bad things to her family and her town. Undeterred, her family moves to the frontier, where her father will be a professor of magic at a school perilously close to the magical divide that separates settlers from the beasts of the wild.
Eff must finally get over believing she is bad luck and accept that her special training in Aphrikan magic and develop her extraordinary power to combat magical creatures that threaten settlements on the western frontier.
It’s not the Wild West of our world, but one where things took a different direction!

* * *

If you could write a book based on one thing in history changing…what would it be? Would it look like one of these books…or would it be totally different?

If you can think of another book that fits in this category, let me know in the comments below. I know I’m probably forgetting something obvious! But a few other titles that came up were too close to Time Travel (also a fun genre!) or Steampunk (ditto) Speculative fiction is so much fun!

If you need help finding these or any other books when visiting the library, please ask one of our librarians. We’re always happy to help you find exactly what you’re looking for!

Happy Reading!
::kelly::

5 Books Featuring…Robots!

Tin Men? Metallic Humans? At any rate, the heroes in these books aren’t exactly flesh and blood…but they are friends with humans. But what makes somoene human? Is it their body, or is it their personality and sense of self? As you join these adventures with these human and not-human friends, you’ll have to decide–which one is the hero? If you like books featuring adventures and figuring out what is human…this booklist is for you!

Our Five Books feature is a booklist of five books (occasionally with a few extras) 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 Favorite. (But you’ll have to guess which is which)! And if there are more than five…it’s anyone’s guess why they’re all there!

But now…on with the metal magic!

* * *

Fuzzy by Tom Angleberger
When Max – Maxine Zelaster – befriends her new robot classmate Fuzzy, part of Vanguard One Middle School’s new Robot Integration Program, she helps him learn 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. Because Vanguard has an evil presence at its heart: a digital student evaluation system named BARBARA that might be taking its mission to shape the perfect student to extremes!

The Last Human by Lee Bacon
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? A humorous, action-packed 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.

Andy Buckram’s Tin Men by Carol Ryrie Brink
Andy’s imagination (and his Popular Mechanics collection) leads him to builds four tin men from scraps of metal. Campbell is ferocious looking, but actually just a big, cute baby. Bucket was created to do the chores that Andy hates. Lily Belle was created because Andy’s friend Sparrow needed a friend. And the fourth tin man? He’s to help Andy with the leaky rowboat he uses to get between jobs to pay for all his ten men. All four robots help him with the farm work and other jobs, as well as being his companions. But when flood waters overrun his small farm, Andy, his baby cousin Dot, and all four robots are swept down the river. No one would have ever dreamed of the heroic services the robots will perform in an emergency to save Andy, Dot, Sparrow and each other.

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
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.
Don’t miss The Wild Robot Escapes, the sequel!

Eager by Helen Fox
It’s the end of the 21st century where technocrats rule and robots take care of humans’ every need. Your house watches you, knows your secrets, and talks to you. And your closest friend can be—a machine? Gavin Bell and his sister Fleur come from a middle-class family. Their much-loved, old-fashioned robot, Grumps, is running down and can’t be repaired, so a scientist friend loans them EGR3, an experimental new robot to help Grumps. EGR3, known as Eager, learns from his experiences, as a child would. He feels emotions—wonder, excitement, and loss. When the ultra high-tech, eerily human BDC4 robots begin to behave suspiciously, Eager and the Bells are drawn into a great adventure. As Eager’s extraordinary abilities are tested to the limit, he will try to find the answer to this question: What does it mean to be alive?

Tin by Padraig Kenny
Christopher is ‘Proper’: a real boy with a real soul, orphaned in a fire. He works for an engineer, a maker of the eccentric, loyal and totally individual mechanicals who are Christopher’s best friends. But after a devastating accident, a secret is revealed and Christopher’s world is changed forever… What follows is a remarkable adventure, as Christopher discovers who he really is, and what it means to be human.

Cog by Greg Van Eekhout
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.
The journey that Cog, ADA, Proto, Trashbot, and Car take 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.

Friendroid by M.M. Vaughan
Danny’s a kid. Eric’s a kid, too. They’re on the way to being best friends, until they hit a snag. 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.

* * *

So there you have it. Five…(okay, eight)…stories of dangerous situations, daring rescues, and friendships that will last forever.

It almost makes you want to go out and build a friend!

I haven’t read every one of these books, but now I plan to! And I hope you will as well. There were a couple books that I would have loved to add, but we don’t own them anymore. If you can find them at another library, or maybe in your parents’ old collections of their childhood favorites, maybe you could try those books too: My Robot Buddy, by Alfred Slote and Conrad by Christine Nostlinger. Both fun reads from long ago…

If you need help finding these or any other books, just ask one of our librarians when you call or visit the library. We’ll look forward to seeing you!

Happy Reading!
::kelly::

Old Favorite: Escape to Witch Mountain

Sometimes, a movie is made that is so popular, people forget that it was actually based on a book.  Escape to Witch Mountain wasn’t exactly a memorable top ten box office smash, but it was one of Disney’s most popular live-action movie, both in theaters and, eventually, on TV.  Popular enough to create enough demand for a sequel, and then…another sequel, and a made for TV movie, and finally, a modern remake.

But the book is, and always will be, an Old Favorite.  On with Escape to Witch Mountain!

* * *

Tony and Tia had always lived with Granny Malone…or at least as far back as their memories allow them.  It’s a dirty, ugly neighborhood, that only gets worse when Granny Malone dies, and the two of them are turned over to Social Services.

Because of their odd looks–pale hair, olive skin and dark blue eyes, almost black–they’ve always had a hard time fitting in.  It doesn’t help that Tia doesn’t talk, and Tony has a reputation for fighting (which is really just defending his sister from bullying.)  No one wants to take in troubled orphans.  So the two of them are sent to Hackett House, a group home that is more of a place for delinquents than a home.

It’s a horrible place, and neither Tony nor Tia are happy.  They know they belong in a place that’s full of music, and movement and maybe even magic.  But Hackett House is ugly, and full of kids who are either bullies, or who are too scared of bullies to help the two newcomers.  The only things of value they own are taken from them upon their arrival–the only thing they manage to keep is Tia’s starbox–a square purse with a strange design of two stars on it, each of them with eight points.

When Truck, the biggest boy at Hackett House steals Tia’s starbox, Tony has to get it back.  He fights with Truck, and even though the other boy is older, bigger and stronger, Tony wins.  Everyone is amazed, and Tony is in trouble. He’s restricted to the dormitory, forbidden to contact anyone, even Tia.

But it doesn’t matter.  He can always talk to Tia.  Whatever she says, even though no one else can hear it, Tony does.  They talk through his confinement, while she explores their new residence.  She tells him that the matron is planning to take all the kids to Heron Lake for a week, and asks him if he can see it.  Tony closes his eyes, and concentrates…and he can.  Tony can always see places that he and Tia will go.  And Tia tells him that something is going to happen to them at Heron Lake…because Tia always gets feelings that turn out to be true.

And it is true!  When they’re in Heron Lake, they meet a frail little woman–a nun.  She admires Tia’s star box, then tells her that she’s seen that design before.  Tony asks her where, and she says that it was on a letter she received years ago.  Unfortunately, she cannot remember where the letter came from…all she can remember is one word: Caraway.  Or maybe it was Garroway, or Hideaway.  And that it might have come from the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The man who wrote it was looking for his family.

Could they have a relative looking for them?  When they return to Hackett House, Tony plays his harmonica, and sets the little dolls he and Tia keep dancing.  The magic brightens their world temporarily, until he feels himself surrounded by mountains.  He tells Tia, and she knows that they’re going there.  Sometime soon.

Will Tony and Tia find their family?  How will they get away from Hackett House to do that?  Tony can move objects with music, Tia can sense what’s coming and even though she can’t talk to people, she can talk to Tony and to animals.  Why are they so different from all the people around them?  Does it have to do with where they come from?  And what IS Witch Mountain?

Read Escape to Witch Mountain and find out!

* * *

Escape to Witch Mountain came out in 1968, a science fiction novel by Alexander Key.  He wrote several fairly popular books, where kids, usually orphans, find themselves alone, trying to find their way home.  (One of my other favorites of his is Escape to the Lonesome Place, which is not as well known, but very well remembered by readers.)  Most of the kids have psychic powers, as do Tony and Tia, and they usually are stuck in horrible circumstances, until they find a kind person or family to help them.

In 1975, Walt Disney made a movie of the book with the same title.  It was one of their most popular live-action films, so popular in fact, that they made a sequel called Return from Witch Mountain.  Alexander Key wrote the screenplay, then wrote a novel based on the screenplay.

I loved Escape to Witch Mountain when I read it in fourth or fifth grade.  It didn’t have a picture on the cover, somehow the book jacket at my library had fallen off.  But I was a weird kid who read all the old and battered books on my library shelves, because I thought those were the best books.  (And it was mostly true!)  So I went into it knowing nothing about the book–not even a blurb to say what it was about.  It grabbed me immediately!  I kept reading, enthralled in Tony’s protectiveness, Tia’s special bond with animals, and both their powers.  I wanted to…oooh, I can’t say, because I don’t want to ruin the surprise!

I also loved the movie, and the sequel.  There were several other movies made, based on the book, the last one in 2009.  As always, the movies are good, but the book is better!  The original Disney movie is pretty close to the book, but there is still a lot of internal communications between the siblings that doesn’t translate to the screen.  So read the book, even if you saw the original movie, which is now a classic.  And definitely read the book if you saw the 2009 movie starring The Rock.  That one basically borrowed the title and a bit of the plot…but not much!

Escape to Witch Mountain is a good science fiction adventure for kids fourth through sixth grade.  It’s fairly short, about 200 pages, so not a long read.  It’s really good, and you’ll be happy you read it!  I wish there was an audio version…I have always thought that it would make a good book to listen to on a trip.

Some read alikes would be The Alchemyst by Michael Scott, Bedknob and Broomstick by Mary Norton,  Raven’s Gate by Andrew Horowitz, and The Forgotten Door, also by Alexander Key.

So read Escape to Witch Mountain (and the sequel, Return from Witch Mountain) and enjoy!  Let me know what you think next time we’re both in the library!

Happy Reading!
::kelly::

Book and Audio Review: Fuzzy

Beginning a new year of school is not so easy.  But when you’re a robot, it’s REALLY difficult.  From Tom Angleberger, author of the Origami Yoda,  Inspector Flytrap and QwikPick Papers series, as well as Horton Halfpot and Fake Mustache comes another humorous and heartfelt story about a unique character.

* * *

Fuzzy
By Tom Angleberger and Paul Dellinger, Narrated by Erin Moon
4 CDs, 4.5 Hours

Max Zelaster is a pretty average student a Vanguard One Middle School.   Of course, to even BE at Vanguard One, you have to be pretty bright; the weekly UpGrade Tests see to that; if kids don’t meet their potential they’re DownGraded to a less desirable school in the Federal School Board Program.  The one thing Max excels at is robots…she just loves everything about them…from programming to design.

So when Vanguard One becomes the test site for RIP, the new national Robot Integration Program, Max is hoping that she might get a chance to participate.  When the awkward-looking robot shows up, Max is less than impressed…especially when it trips and falls, barely missing her as it crashes to the ground.  Her quick actions in getting it back up and running though brings her to the attention of Dr. Jones and Lieutenant Colonel Nina, the people running the program.   The two ask Max to be the robot’s guide in the school.  They explain that Fuzzy–whose name is classified, but the nickname comes from the fuzzy logic he uses to problem solve–might be good at retrieving information and learning from experience, but he has no idea how to be a student.  Max agrees.  What an opportunity to learn!

Soon Fuzzy is immersed in Max’s classes, and Max is finding out more and more about Fuzzy.  And even though he’s proving to be a very good friend, she’s asking more and more questions about why a robot is being integrated into a middle school.  It’s kind of weird, right?  Why would a robot have to learn how to be a kid?

Unfortunately, as soon as things start to go smoothly in their classes, Fuzzy manages to get Max in trouble with Vice Principal Barbara, the artificial intelligence that runs the school.  Fuzzy may be making friends and learning all kinds of new skills, but Max is racking up discipline tags, tardiness tags and citizenship tags…and so is Fuzzy.

What is going on with Vice Principal Barbara, who seems to be lurking around every corner, through her view screens, janitorial robots and the eyes, hands and ears she has (literally!) all over the school?   She seems to have it in for both Max and Fuzzy…and all those tags are mounting.  Even though the adults don’t believe them, Max and Fuzzy know that half of the tags are for things that never even happened.  Through the Vice Principal’s actions, Max becomes a student At Risk.  If she’s DownGraded, she could lose her place at Vanguard One, as well as all her friends and any chance to find out more from or about Fuzzy.

Through some excellent code-cracking and a little sneaking around, Max and Fuzzy  start to uncover some truths about the Robot Integration Program and about Rossum Technologies, which runs the program for the government.  They’re sure they’re onto something, because as soon as they start getting some answers, armed men (and one woman) try to kidnap Fuzzy!  When they get him back, it’s Max’s turn.  With some quick  teamwork by Max and her friends, the kids are onto a government conspiracy with Fuzzy at the center.

Can Max and Fuzzy save Fuzzy from being turned into scrap…or worse?  Can they save Max from being kicked out of Vanguard One Middle School?  Can they discover what, exactly is going on with Vice Principal Barbara and Rossum Technologies?  Only time, friendship and a lot of detective work and effort will tell.

Fuzzy is such a fun audio book!  Narrator Erin Moon is a professional actor and award-winning narrator of over 150 audio books.  She gives each of the characters a distinct voice, and the overall package is wonderful.  I love the short chapters in the book, and the terse style translates very well to the audio.  In fact, I want to go look up Erin and see what else she’s narrated, just because I enjoyed Fuzzy so much.

I would highly recommend Fuzzy as a book or an audio book for kids from fourth through eighth grade.  The whole question of artificial intelligence and school tests, which would probably pass unquestioned by younger readers, would be a great discussion topic by older readers.  The book is deceptively easy, because there is a lot of weight to the subject matter.  Like all of Tom Angleberger’s books, there’s also a lot of humor.  Just ask anyone who has read Origami Yoda, or Fake Mustache.  Fuzzy is a science fiction book with a bit of humor, a smidgen of adventure, with a bit of mystery thrown in.  Anyone who likes any of those things should love Fuzzy.

* * *

So if you’re looking for a good book for a car trip, or just to read around town, try Fuzzy.

Some similar books are: Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks,  Robot Revolution by James Patterson, or Eager by Helen Fox.

Some similar audio books are: Crunch by Leslie Connor and Have Spacesuit, Will Travel by Robert Heinlein.

As always, whether you’re looking for a book or an audio book, our librarians can help you find the perfect one to suit your needs!  Just ask us…we love to help.

Happy Halloween and Happy Reading!

::Kelly::

Booklist: Twins in SciFi, Time Travel and Humor!

And now, the last of our Double Trouble booklists.  Humor, Time Travel and Science Fiction featuring twins.  (And there is one set of triplets in one of these series…I guess they’re not  all in the Realistic category.)  Ready?  Let’s go!

* * *

Double (or Triple!) the Trouble Family Stories:
Twins, Triplets, Quadruplets…

HUMOROUS STORIES

The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry

Abandoned by their ill-humored parents to the care of an odious nanny, Tim, the twins, Barnaby A and Barnaby B, and their sister, Jane, attempt to fulfill their roles as good oldfashioned children. Following the models set in lauded tales from A Christmas Carol to Mary Poppins, the four Willoughbys hope to attain their proscribed happy ending too, or at least a satisfyingly maudlin one. However, it is an unquestionably ruthless act that sets in motion the transformations that lead to their salvation and to happy endings for not only the four children, but their nanny, an abandoned baby, a candy magnate, and his long-lost son too. Replete with a tongue-in-cheek glossary and bibliography, this hilarious and decidedly old-fashioned parody pays playful homage to classic works of children’s literature.

 

 The Boy Who Howled by Timothy Power

As far back as he can remember, Callum has been living in the wild as the furless mascot of a wolf pack. But when his pack sends him back to live with his own kind, fitting in is quite a challenge. He doesn’t remember English well and introduces himself as “Clam.” Then when he tries to impress an Alpha boy in school by stealing his food, people seem offended! Can Callum find a way to make humans his pack? This hilarious and inventive story will have readers rooting for Callum.

 

Seriously, Norman! by Chris Raschka

Now that the whole thing is over (and we all survived!), I can tell you what happened. Picture this for a second. Rock wall six inches on my left. Sheer cliff hundreds of feet down on my right, my best friend Norman in front of me, mumbling something, and my mom behind me saying, “Step, step, step.” EEEEEEYAAAAAH! Next time my mom bugs me about sitting in front of the computer too much, I’m going to say, “Thanks, I prefer it where the near-death experiences are virtual!” No, seriously, this story is about Norman and about how he grows and learns stuff. Uses his imagination. Observes things. Like his dad, who is so devoted to money! Like how his dad is mixed up with weird creeps of the underworld. All over the world! Why, why are grown-ups so insane? That’s exactly the question that Norman, Anna and Emma (the twins), and I, Leonard, try to answer. And with the help of Norman’s new tutor, Balthazar Birdsong (also fairly nuts), we nearly do!

 

Unlucky Charms by Adam Rex

Last sighted with twins Erno and Emily en route to England, Scott is reportedly searching for a rift in the space-time continuum so that he might save the queen and convince the fairy court to stop their so-called invasion.
Kids today, right? Too many wizard books, not enough fresh air, if you want Goodco Cereal Company’s opinion.  But  Goodco execs are not angry. They only to see Scott get the help he needs before he hurts himself. Or gets hurt.  Sightings of Scott with a two-foot-tall leprechaun named Mick are of course ridiculous and should be reported immediately to Goodco.
Scott, Erno and Emily must save the world from the diabolical schemes of the evil breakfast cereal company which has been luring magical creatures to our world through a rift in the space-time continuum.  Also read Cold Cereal, the first book about Scott’s quest to save the world!

 

The Butler Gets a Break: a Bellweather Tale by Kristin Clark Venuti

All is (temporarily) peaceful in the village of Eel-Smack-by-the-Bay. An art heist has been averted, an albino alligator refuge established, and a family of refugee circus performers, gainfully employed. After much thought (and a tell-all memoir) Tristan Benway has decided to remain in the employ of the Bellweather family, and the children, especially, have tried to mend their ways. But old habits die hard, and when the triplets – Brick, Spike, and Sassy – experiment in negative space on the lighthouse stairs, Benway ends up in the hospital with a broken leg, and the Bellweathers are left without a butler. The family’s efforts to find an interim servant fail miserably. Their troubles mount as they become mixed-up with a band of roving Gypsies, paleontological discoveries gone awry, and encounters with rare attack squirrels.  But letting the recuperating Benway know of their plight is not an option. As the Bellweathers spin increasingly amazing stories of their “new servant” at Benway’s bedside, the poor butler starts to wonder if he was ever needed…
Also try Leaving the Bellweathers!

 

The Templeton Twins Have an Idea by Ellis Weiner

Suppose there were 12-year-old twins, a boy and girl named John and Abigail Templeton. Let’s say John was pragmatic and played the drums, and Abigail was theoretical and solved cryptic crosswords. Now suppose their father was a brilliant, if sometimes confused, inventor. And suppose that another set of twins—adults—named Dean D. Dean and Dan D. Dean, kidnapped the Templeton twins and their ridiculous dog in order to get their father to turn over one of his genius (sort of) inventions. Yes, I said kidnapped. Wouldn’t it be fun to read about that? Oh please. It would so. Luckily for you, this is just the first in a series perfect for boys and girls who are smart, clever, and funny (just like the twins), and enjoy reading adventurous stories (who doesn’t?!). Coming Soon book 2: The Templeton Twins Make a Scene!

* * *

 

Double (or Triple!) the Trouble Family Stories:
Twins, Triplets, Quadruplets…

SCIENCE FICTION and TIME TRAVEL

 

The Magic Half by Annie Barrows

Miri is the non-twin child in a family with two sets of them–older brothers and younger sisters. The family has just moved to an old farmhouse in a new town, where the only good thing seems to be Miri’s ten-sided attic bedroom. But when Miri gets sent to her room after accidentally bashing her big brother on the head with a shovel, she finds herself in the same room . . . only not quite. Without meaning to, she has found a way to travel back in time to 1935 where she discovers Molly, a girl her own age very much in need of a loving family. A highly satisfying classic-in-the-making full of spine-tingling moments, this is a delightful time-travel novel for the whole family.

 

The Roar by Emma Clayton

Mika lives in future London, behind The Wall: Solid concrete topped with high-voltage razor wire and guarded by a battalion of Ghengis Borgs, it was built to keep out the animals, because animals carry the plague. Or so Mika’s been told. But ever since Ellie vanished a year ago, Mika’s suspected his world may be built on secrets–and lies. When a mysterious organization starts recruiting mutant kids to compete in violent virtual reality games, Mika takes the chance to search for his twin sister–and the truth. Check out the sequel The Whisper!

 

Angel of the Battlefield by Ann Hood

While exploring The Treasure Chest, Felix and Maisie are transported to a Massachusetts farm in 1836. Disappointed that they have not landed in their beloved New York City, they wonder why they were brought to Massachusetts to meet a young girl named Clara Barton. Perhaps Clara has a message for the twins? Or maybe they have one for her? Read the entire The Treasure Chest series!

 

 

Many Waters by Madeleine L’Engle

Sandy and Dennys have always been the normal, run-of-the-mill ones in the extraodinary Murry family. They garden, make an occasional A in school, and play baseball. Nothing especially interesting has happened to the twins until they accidentally interrupt their father’s experiment. Then the two boys are thrown across time and space. They find themselves alone in the desert, where, if they believe in unicorns, they can find unicorns, and whether they believe or not, mammoths and manticores will find them. The twins are rescued by Japheth, a man from the nearby oasis, but before he can bring them to safety, Dennys gets lost. Each boy is quickly embroiled in the conflicts of this time and place, whose populations includes winged seraphim, a few stray mythic beasts, perilous and beautiful nephilim, and small, long lived humans who consider Sandy and Dennys giants. The boys find they have more to do in the oasis than simply getting themselves home–they have to reunite an estranged father and son, but it won’t be easy, especially when the son is named Noah and he’s about to start building a boat in the desert. This is book four in the series; read the whole Time Quintet series, which starts with the award-winning A Wrinkle in Time!

 

The Chronal Engine by Greg Leitich Smith

When Max, Kyle, and Emma are sent to live with their reclusive grandfather, they think he’s crazy, especially when he tells them about his time machine. But after Emma is kidnapped at the exact time that her grandfather predicted, Max and Kyle are forced to believe his eccentric stories—even the one about the Chronal Engine in the basement. Now, to save Emma, Max, Kyle, and their new friend Petra must pile into a VW Bug, and use the Chronal Engine to take the road trip of a lifetime—right back to the Cretaceous period. With dangers all around, the teens find themselves dodging car-crushing herbivores in addition to the terrifying T. rex. In this ancient environment, can three contemporary teens hunt down a kidnapper, forage for food, and survive long enough to return home?

 

The Secret of ROVER by Rachel Wildavsky

The Secret of Rover follows the clever and resourceful twins Katie and David as they race across country in their attempt to outwit an international team of insurgents who hold their parents and baby sister captive in a foreign land. Held hostage because they invented a spy technology called Rover that can locate anyone in the world, Katie and David’s parents are in grave danger. Now, it’s up to Katie and David to rescue them. But first they must find their reclusive uncle, whom they have never met—the only person they know who can help them.

Booklist by Julie G!

* * *

And we’ve now reached the end of our multiples madness!  If you enjoyed this booklist, let us know!  And if you have any ideas for future booklists, let us know that too!

::Kelly::

Old Favorite: The White Mountains

Earlier this month, author John Christopher died. He was 89 years old, and wrote one of my favorite science fiction trilogies.  The White Mountains was the first book of the Tripods trilogy (which became a quartet 19 years after the first book was published) about a world taken over by aliens, with little hope for the humans still living.  Books like The Giver and The Hunger Games and owe a lot to the success of John Christopher’s post-apocalyptic world of the Tripods.

* * *

Will Parker has grown up in a world controlled by alien masters…where humans are complacent, and their lives are simple.  No one knows what the masters look like, only that they move about in giant machines on three legs, called “tripods” by almost everyone. Thirteen is the last year of childhood;  at fourteen, every child goes through their Capping Ceremony, where they acheive adulthood through the implantation of a metal cap on their head. After that, even the most rebellious children turn into functional adults, unquestioning their need to obey their masters.

Will’s best friend Jack, a year older,  is about to be capped. Both Will and Jack are happily anticipating his crossover into adulthood.  Both boys are extremely intelligent, and have managed to roam around the country surrounding their tiny village, exploring the artifacts left over from before the Tripods.  When they’re adults, they hope to solve some of the mysteries left over from that time. Things like how is metal made, or what is a volt, and why is it dangerous? But after Jack’s capping ceremony, he tells Will that it’s time to put away the thoughts of foolish children. Jack the adult has no curiosity, no sense of exploration or fun. Will finds himself both angry and afraid, and alone in the village.

When he meets a mysterious Vagrant named Ozymandias, Will begins to question the ways of the Tripods.  Along the way, he is saddled with a younger cousin, Henry, who also questions their future.  The boys start looking for answers, and soon finds himself in terrible danger.  When the Tripods come for them, Will and Henry flee their home. Together, they narrowly evade capture and seek out others with the goal of bringing down the “masters”. Along the way, they find a French boy who they nickname Beanpole who joins their cause. With the spider-like Tripods on their trail, can three boys manage to survive long enough to find people like themselves and save their world?

And that’s just the first book!  The others are just as suspenseful and exciting.

* * *

I found the whole Tripods trilogy thrilling to read, back when I read it as a fifth grader and now, as an adult. They’re relatively short by today’s Harry Potter book standard, but there’s a lot of action, adventure and emotions packed into these concise stories.  Every word counts, and chapters end leaving you wanting to turn the page to see what happens next.

John Christopher wrote other science fiction novels. both under this name and under other pseudonyms. I also liked The Lotus Caves and Wild Jack. Nothing though, will live up to The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead and The Pool or Fire which were definitely his most memorable books. When the Tripods Came, which came out 20 years after the original three books were published, is a prequel, telling how humankind fell to these strange alien invaders.  It adds some interesting back-story is now said to be the first book of the series. However, I think that the three originals are stronger on their own, and that the prequel should be read last…or maybe second. (It does give some interesting back-story on things that Will, Henry and Beanpole discover, but personally, I think it ruins some of the twists and turns of The White Mountains.) Because of that, The White Mountains is definitely is the best way to establish the history of the Tripod universe.

I would recommend these books to boys who like science-fiction adventure, or for readers who want to read The Hunger Games but aren’t quite ready for a 400 page book. (The White Mountains is just under 200 pages.)  The White Mountains is accessible for kids in fourth grade and up, but the later books do have some tough concepts for younger readers. They might be better for fifth and sixth graders, if they can get over the “shortness” of them.  They’re a must for anyone who likes science fiction.

So try The White Mountains today, and check out When the Tripods Came, The City of Gold and Lead, and The Pool of Fire.  And let me know what you think!

::Kelly::