The Great Cake Mystery
By Alexander McCall Smith
Recommended for: Ages 7 to 10 for independent reading, or 5 and up as a read aloud. There is a message about the dangers of false accusations, but the light tone makes it suitable for younger children. Though the main character is female the book is gender neutral and the detective plot can easily be enjoyed by both boys and girls.
A Read Aloud Allstar
One Word Summary: Precious.
Full disclosure: I read The Great Cake Mystery with a bias. I was a tremendous fan of the HBO tv series The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, based on Alexander McCall Smith’s wildly popular series of books for adults. Read the Full Review
Horten’s Miraculous Mechanisms
By Lissa Evans
Recommended for: Boys and girls, ages 8 and up
One Word Summary: Mesmerizing.
The wildly inventive middle-grade novel Horten’s Miraculous Mechanisms by Lissa Evans reads like one giant, fantastic, eye-bulging magic show. It relays impressive tricks, careful never to show its hand until
the right moment. It inspires, it dazzles, and it could happen to any one of us at any given time—or so it would be (and is) absolutely delightful to think.
An Up All Nighter
The Obsidian Blade
By Pete Hautman
Recommended for: Both boys and girls, ages 13 and Up for some moderate violence and general complexity of plot. Teen boys are a natural fit for this story with its male protagonist and action-driven narrative, but the story is so well executed that there is no reason why girls shouldn’t connect with it as well.
One Word Summary: Mind-Bending.
What an architect we have in Pete Hautman. The Obsidian Blade is an expertly constructed time travel odyssey that uses tools from the established science fiction cannon to build a narrative that is fresh, terrifying, provocative and wholly thrilling. Read the Full Review
The Magician’s Elephant
By Kate DiCamillo
Recommended for: Both boys and girls, ages 10 and up for discussion of death and a rather gloomy atmosphere.
One word summary: Somber.
Kate DiCamillo is an undeniable master of children's fiction. Her wonderful, almost painfully heartfelt
stories like Because of Winn Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane will endure as classics for centuries to come. Of her canon of stellar stories, 'The Magician's Elephant' shines a little less brightly than others. Read the Full Review
On Our Shelf
Hooey Higgins and the Shark
Shaddows on the Moon
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Behind the Attic Wall
Uglies
By Scott Westerfeld
Recommended for: Girls, Ages 12 and up
One Word Summary: Provocative.
My eyes are too small. My hair is limp. I’m too tall. My feet are huge. My nose is slightly crooked. I have a chip on one of my front teeth. When I sit down I
have belly rolls... What if that didn’t have to be the case? What if we lived in a society where everyone—every single person, including you—could elect to become beautiful? How do you think society do you think would change as a result? Read the Full Review
