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.

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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!

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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::

Audio and Book Review: Hideout!

Do you enjoy hiking, or boating, or camping? Do you ever think what might happen if you got lost, or stranded on a camping or boating trip? Would you be able to survive in the wilderness? In Hideout, two boys meet in the middle of a swamp. One is just on a day trip, one is struggling to survive alone. Both have secrets, and both need a friend…

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Hideout
by Watt Key, read by Charlie Thurston
7 Hours; 6 CDs

Sam is out on the Pascagoula River in his new boat…a skiff his father gave him for his twelfth birthday. You might think he would be happy to have a new boat, but you would be wrong. Sam’s father is the one who likes boats, Sam just thinks they’re okay. But it is a convenient way to escape from some of his troubles. And the boat might just give him a way to impress his father and help improve Sam’s own image at school.

Sam’s father is the Chief of Police of Pascagoula, and from keeping his ears open, Sam has learned that somewhere out there in the Pascagoula Delta marsh, there is probably a dead body. And if Sam can find it, he might get famous. Famous enough to make the kids at his new school forget about “the fight”…the day where Sam was beat up at his new school, in front of everyone. It’s something that’s constantly stuck in his head–replaying and changing the way he sees himself. So given a chance to do something different, Sam ignores the rule about staying on the river and heads into the swampy marsh.

But he doesn’t find a dead body. Instead, he finds a live one. At the site of an abandoned camp, with missing boards, a rotting dock and practically no roof, he finds Davey–a boy living on his own.

Davey claims that he’s just waiting for his brother to come back with his father. But Sam sees no sign of anyone else. Davey doesn’t have any extra food, a flashlight, or even bug spray. He doesn’t even have shoes! But Davey doesn’t know Sam, or what happened at school. And Sam likes to help people. He can’t imagine Davey staying overnight in the shack, with no blankets, no food and no light. He takes his skiff and heads for home, promising to come back with supplies.

Sam is as good as his work. He returns with water, milk, some food, fishing line, a sleeping bag and matches. Davey is happy to see him, and the two boys start working on the cabin, trying to fix it up like Davey had told his brother he would. Sam thinks it’s a little odd that the brother would expect Davey to do it with no tools or parts, but Davey tells him he’s scavenging the materials from other abandoned cabins.

Sam hates to leave Davey for the night, but he knows he can’t bring him home, and Davey wouldn’t come anyway. But Davey does act like he thought Sam would camp out with him and stay the night. Sam promises to try for the next night.

The friendship between the boys grows and Sam sneaks away as much as he can to help Davey. He uses his friend Grover, who was also part of “the fight” as an excuse to get away, without telling Grover anything about Davey. Soon, the camp is looking much better. Just in time for Davey’s brother to show up…without his father.

But Davey’s brother is not what Sam expected; and maybe not what Davey did either. He has two friends in tow, and they treat Davey–and Sam–like an inconvenience. Except when they’re ordering them around, expecting them to do everything for them. Sam’s uneasy feeling turns into fear when her recognizes their boat as the one his father has been looking for; a group of thieves stealing from business along the river.

Can Sam save both Davey and himself? Can they get away from the group that have taken over their camp and stolen their boat? Things are not looking good as they attempt an escape and end up on a desperate bid for survival…

Hideout is a great audio book too. It’s suspenseful and exciting, and will keep listeners on the edge of their seats. I really enjoyed the narrator, who has a great voice and accent. He tends to do books set in the south as well as survival stories. He does suspense really well, and he varies the voices by both pitch and pacing.

Watt Key writes many adventure and survival stories set in the swamps, marshes and oceans of the Gulf Coast. His books have a strong sense of place, so if you’re planning a visit there, it’s a good way to “preview” the landscape. Hopefully you won’t be setting off on the same kind of survival stories as his characters do though!

Hideout is recommended for kids grades 4 – 7. The audio can be enjoyed by families with kids that are older; I’d recommend pre-reading before sharing with younger kids. Davey and Sam find themselves in some scary situations. Some read alikes include The Storm Runners by Roland Smith, Leepike Ridge by Nathan Wilson, Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart, Hide and Seek by Katy Grant, and Take Me To the River by Will Hobbs…as well as most of Watt Key’s other books.

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

Happy Reading (and Listening!)
::Kelly::

5 Books Featuring…Stuck Overnight Somewhere You’re Not Supposed to Be (or: the longest title ever)

Have you ever found yourself somewhere so amazing, so spectacular that you thought you might like to live there? Or how about ending up somewhere that you actually wouldn’t want to live…but you’re stuck there anyway? Maybe you decide to run away to a museum…or maybe you’re stranded in a school because of a sudden blizzard. Both are problems, but for very different reasons.

Whether they’re there by planned design, or stranded by accident, or just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, today’s 5 Books features kids ending up overnight in a place that’s not designed for overnight living!

Our 5 Books Featuring… 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 to read. 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)! And if there are more than five…well, sometimes it’s hard to narrow some topics down.

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Foreverland by Nicole Kear
Margaret is tired of everything always changing. Middle school has gone from bad to worse. Her best friend is becoming a stranger. And her family–well, it’s not even a family anymore.  So Margaret is running away to Foreverland, her favorite amusement park. Hiding out there is trickier than she expects–until she meets Jaime, a thrill-seeking, fast-thinking runaway who teaches Margaret how to stay one step ahead of the captain of security.  At first, this after-hours, all-access pass to the park is a dream come true: sleepovers in the Haunted House, nonstop junk food, and an unlimited ticket to ride. But as the runaways learn each other’s secrets, they must face the reasons they left their normal lives behind. With the Captain closing in and Jaime’s future on the line, can Margaret finally take control?

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
When Claudia decided to run away, she planned very carefully. She would be gone just long enough to teach her parents a lesson in Claudia appreciation. And she would go in comfort — she would live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She saved her money, and she invited her brother Jamie to go, mostly because he was a miser and would have money.  Claudia was a good organizer and Jamie had some ideas too; so the two took up residence at the museum right on schedule. But once the fun of settling in was over, Claudia had two unexpected problems: She felt just the same and she wanted to feel different; and she found a statue at the Museum so beautiful she could not go home until she discovered its maker, a question that baffled the experts, too.  The former owner of the statue was Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Without her — well, without her, Claudia might never have found a way to go home.

One Mixed-Up Night by Catherine Newman
Two best friends on the run… to IKEA.  Frankie and Walter aren’t really running away. Just like the kids in their favorite book, they are running to somewhere. Specifically, a massive furniture store. They’ve been obsessed with the Ikea catalog for years. So they make a plan, pack their backpacks, give their parents the sleepover switcheroo . . . and they’re in.  One night all on their own, with no grown-ups or little brothers.  One night of couch jumping, pillow forts, delicious meatballs and unlimited soda refills.  One night of surprises and twinkle lights and secrets they have been keeping–and waiting to share.  One unforgettable night in Ikea. Two best friends, from preschool snack time to middle school heartbreak, spending one night at their favorite place on Earth. What could go wrong?

Trapped by Michael Northrop
The day the blizzard started, no one knew that it was going to keep snowing for a week. That for those in its path, it would become not just a matter of keeping warm, but of staying alive. . . .
Scotty and his friends Pete and Jason are among the last kids at their high school waiting to get picked up the day of the worst nor’easter to hit New England in decades, and they soon realize that no one is coming for them. Still, it doesn’t seem so bad to spend the night at school, especially when their crush Krista and her best friend Julie are sleeping just down the hall. But then they discover mean guy Les; weird Elijah; and one gruff teacher, also in the building. Their cell phones don’t work. Their rides don’t show up. The teacher goes for help and never returns. The power goes off. As hours, then days, pass, the water stops, the heat goes off, and they get increasingly hungry, cold, and scared. As the days add up, the snow piles higher, and the empty halls grow colder and darker, the mounting pressure forces a devastating decision.

Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson
Strange things have been happening inside the Florida park: parts from one ride are found mysteriously moved to another; in the Fantasmic! show, the dragon inexplicably triumphs over Mickey; little blips in story lines and “offstage” antics by characters trouble managers. Finn Whitman, a middle-schooler, goes to sleep one night and has the dream of a lifetime: he “wakes up” inside Disney World as his DHI character, a glowing hologram. He meets an old man there, Wayne, who claims to be one of the original Imagineers and explains to Finn that he “and your friends” have a mission to save the park from forces that humans can neither see nor hear. Not believing his dream, but not totally discounting it, Finn, back in real life, sets out to find the four other kids who were chosen to be DHIs and in doing so he learns an eerie fact: he is not alone in this “dream.” The others have had similar experiences. What if this is for real? There’s only one way to find out…spend the night at Disney World….

Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms by Kathleen Rundell
Wilhelmina Silver’s world is golden. Living half-wild on an African farm with her horse, her monkey, and her best friend, every day is beautiful. But when her home is sold and Will is sent away to boarding school in England, the world becomes impossibly difficult. Lions and hyenas are nothing compared to packs of vicious schoolgirls. Where can a girl run to in London?  The only place she feels comfortable is at the zoo, with the animals that seem so familiar to her.  Will to escape into the streets of London, which she navigates with ingenuity and survival skills honed in Africa.Will she have the courage to survive?

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Two of my favorite books about spending the night somewhere that you aren’t supposed to be did not make this list. The first, Secrets of the Shopping Mall by Richard Peck, is no longer owned by any library in Minuteman. If you ever see it through, it would be a fun (if slightly dated!) book to try. It’s about two friends who hide from a gang trying to find them in a shopping mall…only to discover that there’s someone…or something…is already living there. This one is a little more horror than realistic, but it does fit. The other is Help! I’m a Prisoner in the Library! by Eth Clifford, where sisters Mary Rose and Jo-Beth accidentally get locked in a library in the middle of a blizzard. This one is still popular, and it’s definitely a fun read. It’s a little younger than the other books on this list, so it didn’t really fit. It does have the very BEST title though.

So where would you choose to spend the night if you were to be somewhere other than home? The Metropolitan Museum of Art? Ikea? Your school? The London Zoo? An amusement park? Or maybe Disney World? Or maybe you would also enjoy a creepy shopping mall or a cold dark library? What would be the creepiest? The most fun? The place you would never want to leave…

If you need help finding these or any other book in the library, or if you would like some suggestions on other titles to try, just ask one of our librarians. We love helping connect books and readers.

Happy Reading!
::kelly::

Audio and Book Review: Lions & Liars

Are you tired of the snow? Ready for some summer fun? Then you’ll love today’s audio book!

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Lions & Liars
by Kate Beasley, Illustrations by Dan Santat
Read by Robbie Daymond
5 CDs, 5 Hours, 41 Minutes

Frederick Frederickson has the kind of life you’d think someone named Frederick Frederickson would have. He’s usually picked in the last batch for sports, he’s not even on the radar of the cool kids, and if there’s a wrong place to be at the wrong time…that’s where you’ll find him. His friend Joel has a theory–some kids are lions, some kids are gazelles. And some kids are the fleas on a meerkat’s butt. Joel think’s Frederick is a flea. Frederick doesn’t agree.

The one thing Frederick feels he has going for him is his annual family vacation. Every year, they go on a 7-day cruise, and Frederick can drink fancy drinks with fruit impaled on little swords and sit by chocolate fountains and just enjoy life. In fact, he’s only a day away from the family cruise trip, so getting his nose flattened by a dodgeball isn’t going to bother him. Except he didn’t count on Hurricane Hernando. And his mother getting worried enough to cancel their trip. But that’s exactly what she does. Frederick has been bragging for weeks about the cruise to his friends! How will he be able to face them knowing that this will be a week of regular school–no drinks, no fountain, with a whole other year before he can go again?

His mother’s idea of a consolation is going to Joel’s birthday party. Well, consolation and dinner…since the family has already cleaned out their cabinets and refrigerator due to thinking they were going to go on a cruise. Frederick would rather sit at home than face Joel and Raj, his other best friend, after the way he has thrown the cruise in their faces, but his mother forces him and his sister Sarah Anne to attend.

Joel is not the type to let it go, and Raj is sticking to his side. They bring Frederick down to the dock, where Joel’s father’s new boat is tied up. Frederick feels like a loser, he doesn’t need Joel rubbing it in. But then Joel goes a step too far, and Frederick snaps. He’s going to PROVE to Joel that he, Frederick Frederickson, is a Lion. He’s not going to be a flea anymore. Frederick gets into the boat, intending to prove to Joel and Raj that he has a great sense of adventure, that he can be as enterprising as the next guy. That he can face life straight on, and operate a stupid little motorboat just fine!

Except the motor falls off the boat. And the anchor line isn’t tied to the anchor. And there are no oars. And before Frederick can jump off and swim to shore, and alligator swims up beside the boat. Frederick Frederickson, despite the best efforts of his friends and his sister, floats downstream.

After a cold and lonely night (with the alligator pacing his free-floating boat) Frederick lands on the beach of a disciplinary camp for troubled boys. Of course, he doesn’t really know this at the time. All he knows is that the counselor who finds him thinks he’s a boy called Dashiel Blackwood. And because he’s tired of being a Frederick, he decides to be Dashiel. A boy he imagines is a real lion. Someone who he can practice on, and see if he can apply some new techniques when he returns to being just Frederick.

Except after the first night, no one–well none of the counselors anyway–believes that Frederick is NOT Dashiel. Some campers are dubious, but Frederick has convinced them all with his lies! But a day of straight lying is harder than Frederick thought, even to be a lion. He wants to go home. Unfortunately, part of life at Camp Omigoshee is to sever connections to the outside world for the duration. There are no phones and no computers–and no way to alert his family that he’s okay. There’s also no way for the counselors to know that there’s a hurricane coming. With Hurricane Hernando headed straight for Camp Omigoshee, can Fred–er, Dash, help his bunk mates Ant Bite, the Professor, Specs and Nosebleed to survive a category five hurricane? Will the boys survive? Are they lions…or fleas?

Lions & Liars is a wonderful book. It’s humorous, but there’s a good deal of truth behind the humor. The characters are maybe slightly exaggerated, but that’s what makes them fun characters! I love all the backstories of the campers. Frederick too. I was a little hard on Joel and Raj, but even they come around in the end. The story covers quite a few topics–friendship, finding yourself, survival and adventure!

The audio of Lions & Liars is funny. Not slapstick funny, but situation-ally funny. The scrapes the boys get into are on point and the way things escalate without control just make it funnier. Even though Frederick is trying his best, his good intentions often cause more trouble than would ever be thought possible. The narrator does a wonderful job of bringing each character to life through their voices, as well as bringing to life their behaviors. Lions & Liars truly sounds like it’s recorded by a full cast, with all the differences between the voices. It’s not surprising that the reader is a professional, and does may other audio titles. I may have to look up more of his work!

Lions & Liars would be a great book for kids in fourth through seventh grades, boys especially. The audio is accessible to kids in third grade and up, and it would be a great discussion book for families. Some similar read-alikes are Holes by Louis Sachar, Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly, 24 Hours in Nowhere by Dusti Bowling, and Restart by Gordon Korman. The audio is wonderful, but if you listen, make sure to check out the print book too–Dan Santat’s illustrations are hysterical, and add so much to the story.

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So there you have it! A funny book to read, and maybe to share with a family or friend. I’ll tell you a secret–this book wasn’t really on my radar. Last year, a fifth grader told me it was the BEST book he’d ever read, and then his mom told me it was the funniest book their family ever listened to. With a recommendation like that, well, of course I had to read it too! (And now you know–if you tell me about a book you loved, I will find it and read it too…and it might even end up here!)

As always, if you need help finding this or any other book in the library, just ask one of our librarians. We always love to match kids and books! We’re excellent at recommendations too…if you’re looking for something new.

Happy Reading!
::kelly::

Five Books Featuring…Storms!

Thunder!  The smell of ozone and fresh rain is always exciting.  But sometimes…a little too exciting?  Power outages, thunder, lightning strikes, floods…these books all feature wild storms that lead to the climax of the story.

Our Five Books feature is a short booklist of five books 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)!

Now—Crash! Sizzle!  Boom!  On with Five Books Featuring…Storms!

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The Lotterys More or Less / Emma Donoghue
Sumac Lottery is the keeper of her family’s traditions — from Pow Wow to Holi, Carnival to Hogmanay — Sumac is on guard to make sure that no Lottery celebration gets forgotten. But this winter all Sumac’s seasonal plans go awry when a Brazilian visitor overstays his welcome. A terrible ice storm grounds all flights, so one of her dads and her favorite brother can’t make it home from India. And then the power starts going out across the city…  Can Sumac hang on to the spirit of the season, even if nothing is going like a Lottery holiday should?

A Talent for Trouble / Natasha Farrant
Desperate to meet up with her unpredictable father, quiet Alice persuades two friends to abandon their boarding school’s orienteering exercise and head for a remote, inaccessible island. As they confront storms, illness, injury, and a gang of international jewel thieves, the quest tests their courage and loyalty and strengthens the bonds of friendship. Readers will cheer the runaways on, laugh with them at their foibles, and share Alice’s pleasure in overcoming the obstacles that stand in her way. This combination adventure, school story, and family story will delight fans of all three genres.

The Book of Storms / Ruth Hatfield
Danny O’Neill has never been what you’d call adventurous. But when he wakes the morning after a storm to find his house empty, his parents gone, and himself able to hear the thoughts of a dying tree, he has no choice but to set out to find answers. He soon learns that the enigmaticBook of Storms holds the key to what he seeks . . . but unraveling its mysteries won’t be easy. If he wants to find his family, he’ll have to face his worst fears and battle terrifyingly powerful enemies, including the demonic Sammael himself.   In the beautifully imagined landscape of Ruth Hatfield’sTheBook of Storms, magic seamlessly intertwines with the everyday, nothing is black and white, and Danny is in a race against time to rescue everything he holds dear.

Eye of the Storm / by Kate Messner
In the not-too-distant future, huge tornadoes and monster storms have become a part of everyday life. Sent to spend the summer in the heart of storm country with her meteorological engineer father, Jaden Meggs is surprised at the strides her father’s company StormSafe, has made with custom shelters that keep her family safe in even the worst of storms. At her exclusive summer science camp, Eye On Tomorrow, Jaden meets Alex, a boy whose passion for science matches hers. Together, they discover that her father’s company is steering storms away from the expensive neighborhoods and toward the organic farming communities that are in competition with his bio-engineered food company, NatureMade. Jaden must confront her father, but when she does, she uncovers a terrifying family secret and must call on both her scientific knowledge and her faith to save the people she loves most from one of her father’s monster storms.

Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms / Katherine Rundell
Even a life on the untamed plains of Africa can’t prepare Wilhelmina for the wilds of an English boarding school.  Wilhelmina Silver’s world is golden. Living half-wild on an African farm with her horse, her monkey, and her best friend, every day is beautiful. But when her home is sold and Will is sent away to boarding school in England, the world becomes impossibly difficult. Lions and hyenas are nothing compared to packs of vicious schoolgirls. Where can a girl run to in London? And will she have the courage to survive?

Storm Runners / Roland Smith
Chase and his dad are “storm runners”, traveling across the country chasing hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. Anywhere the Weather Channel is concentrated, they aren’t far behind. When disaster strikes, Chase’s dad is ready to lend a hand… and if he makes a buck along the way, that isn’t such a bad thing either. It’s an exciting life for thirteen-year-old Chase, and it definitely beats sitting in a classroom the whole school year. But in the aftermath of the hurricane of the century, Chase realizes his “disaster hunter” dad isn’t the hero he makes himself out to be. Now it’s up to Chase to do the right thing… and in the process rescue the father he once knew.

Hurricane : a novel / Terry Trueman

After hours of cowering in the dark with no lights, no warmth, and the terrible noises of the rain and wind pounding on the walls, José walks out his front door and steps into a nightmare. Everything is gone. Everything except for the desperate courage of those who survived that terrifying night.  But his nightmare has only begun as he and the few who are left in his small village dig for survivors, search for food and water, and try to start pulling their lives back together.

The Lion’s Paw / by Robb White

Ben is the keeper of his dad’s sailboat, and memory—as his father has been declared missing, likely killed in action, in battle. Ben lives in a marina on the Atlantic Coast of Florida, dreading the day, fast approaching, when his uncle will make him sell the boat and accept the grim fact that his father is never coming back.
Nick and Penny are runaways from an orphanage who hide on Ben’s boat. He tells them of his crazy notion that somehow his dad will return if he can only find a rare shell, the lion’s paw. Penny and Nick persuade Ben to take on the quest and join him.  So they set off through Florida towards the Gulf of Mexico, with Ben’s uncle, the Coast Guard and bounty hunters giving chase. Will they find the Lion’s Paw, deal with a mighty storm at sea with the forces of evil closing in?

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And there you have it.  Five books (plus three) featuring rip-roaring storms.  Would you rather deal with floods, hurricanes, power outages or magical powers?  Try each of these books and compare.  Maybe a regular thunderstorm wouldn’t be so bad!

So grab one of these books and a flashlight this weekend, and read.  Let me know if you enjoyed any of these, or other books!

Happy Reading!
;;kelly::

 

Five Books Featuring…Watched Whales!

Whales.  The largest mammal in the world…and maybe the most mysterious.  In these stories, kids befriend whales and learn much more about themselves than they learn about the whales.  This “five” books ends up being eight…but it was too hard to decide which ones to remove!  From high fantasy to historic to survival to realistic fiction with just a touch of magic…these books are all wonderful reads.  Especially if you like the sea and whales.

Our Five Books feature is a short booklist of five books (sometimes more!)  on a specific topic, with a short synopsis so you can decide if it sounds like something you would like.  Five Books–One Old, One New, One Popular with Kids, One Well-Reviewed, and One Favorite. (But you’ll have to guess which is which)!

So here we go…Five Books Featuring…Whales!

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Deep Wizardry / Diane Duane
Coming to the aid of a wounded whale, Kit and Nita are plunged into deep wizardry. The whale is a wizard, and she enlists Kit and Nita in battle against the sinister Lone Power. Becoming whales themselves, Nita and Kit join in an ancient ritual performed by whales, dolphins, and a single fearsome shark. But which poses more of a danger: the Lone Power, or ed’Rashtekaresket, the enormous shark as old as the sea?

The Deep / Helen Dunmore
Sapphire lives in two worlds. On land she walks the rocky shores of the Cornwall coast–but under the sea she can swim like a seal by the side of her Mer friend Faro.  Now both of Sapphy’s worlds are threatened. In the profound depths of the ocean, where the Mer cannot go, a monster called the Kraken is stirring. He has the power to sweep Ingo away and shake the land from its foundation.  Because of her mixed blood, Sapphire can enter the Deep. With a great whale as her guide, she will journey to a place so far from the sun, no light can find it–and confront an evil that’s even darker.

Ice Whale / Jean Craighead George
In 1848, a young boy witnesses a rare sight–the birth of a bowhead, or ice whale, that he calls Siku. Years later, he unwittingly brings about the death of an entire pod of whales, and only Siku survives. For this act, the boy receives a curse of banishment. Through the generations, this curse is handed down: Siku returns year after year, in reality and dreams, to haunt the boy’s descendants. Told in alternating voices, both human and whale, Jean Craighead George’s last novel shows the interconnectedness of humankind and the animals they depend on.

Whale Rider / Witi Ihimaera
Kahu, a member of the Maori tribe of Whangara, New Zealand, fights to prove her love, her leadership, and her destiny. Her people claim descent from Kahutia Te Rangi, the legendary “whale rider.” In every generation since Kahutia, a male heir has inherited the title of chief. But now there is no male heir, and the aging chief is desperate to find a successor. Kahu is his only great-grandchild–and Maori tradition has no use for a girl. But when hundreds of whales beach themselves and threaten the future of the Maori tribe, it is Kahu who saves the tribe when she reveals that she has the whale rider’s ancient gift of communicating with whales.

Song for a Whale / Lynne Kelly
From fixing the class computer to repairing old radios,  Iris is a tech genius. But she’s the only deaf person in her school, so people often treat her like she’s not very smart. If you’ve ever felt like no one was listening to you, then you know how hard that can be.  When she learns about Blue 55, a real whale who is unable to speak to other whales, Iris understands how he must feel. Then she has an idea: she should invent a way to “sing” to him! But he’s three thousand miles away. How will she play her song for him?

Stranded / Ben Mikaelsen
Koby’s whole life changed after the accident four years ago. Between the smothering concern of her separated parents and the awkward glances from the kids at school, Koby only feels at home when she is on the ocean in her dinghy.  That all changes when she rescues two dying pilot whales. Day after day, she visits the whales as they begin their long road to recovery. She finds a new friend in Dr. Tracy Michaels, a veterinarian, and gains the admiration of her classmates. But most importantly, Koby starts to recognize her own strength and courage.

Why the Whales Came / Michael Morpurgo
Gracie and her friend Daniel have been warned by their parents time and again to stay away from the Birdman, the island recluse. Despite their fears, they come to know and trust the old man. When a whale is beached, they help the Birdman convince their hostile neighbors to help the whale back into the sea, rather than slaughter the animal and bring a curse upon the island.

A Possibility of Whales / Karen Rivers
Natalia Rose Baleine Gallagher loves possibilities: the possibility that she’ll see whales on the beach near her new home, that the boy she just met will be her new best friend, that the photographers chasing her actor father won’t force Nat and her dad to move again. Most of all, Nat dreams of the possibility that her faraway mother misses and loves Nat–and is waiting for Nat to find her.  The thing is, Nat doesn’t even know who her mother is. She left Nat as a baby, and Nat’s dad refuses to talk about it. Nat knows she shouldn’t need a mom, but she still feels like something is missing.  In this heartfelt story about family, friendship, and growing up, Nat’s questions lead her on a journey of self-discovery that will change her life forever.

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So there you are: Five…(plus three!) books featuring whales.  With all the choices on genres, something should appeal to every reader.

Now I want to go on a whalewatch.  See you there!

Happy Reading!
::kelly::