The Secret to Platform Thirteen by Eva Ibbotson

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6?The door between our world and the enchanted Island is only open for nine days every nine years. Unfortunately, in the last minutes before it closes in 1983, the baby prince of the Island is kidnapped by a nasty woman named Trottle. For nine long years, the king and queen pine and plan for his rescue. Which of the magical creatures of their land should be sent to rescue their lost child? Finally, the team is chosen: Cor, an ancient wizard; Gurkie, a lovable agricultural fairy; Hans, a one-eyed giant; and Odge, a resourceful young hag. Guided by the ghosts who guard our end of the portal (called a gump), the team sets out to rescue little Raymond Trottle. While they are charmed by the kitchen boy, Ben, they are horrified by the piggish Raymond, who does not cooperate with their plans. The plucky group, with the help of Ben and the few magical creatures they find in London, tries to cajole and then, desperate, tries to steal Raymond before the gump closes. Ibbotson's lively fantasy is full of fun with its Dahl-like, but less mean-spirited, humor. Children will enjoy the magical creatures, including the cuddly mistmakers who emit fog when they hear music. The author's odd characters are endearing? Poor Odge is something of a failure as a hag, but a rousing success as a friend. Certainly readers won't be surprised to discover that kindly Ben is the lost prince, but they will be delighted by the adventure. Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This book is a Utah Children's Award Winner and rightfully so! It is a quick, magical read that even my son (at 5 yrs. ) enjoys reading. It was definitely read by J.K. Rawlings before she wrote her famous Harry Potter novels and is similar to the Narnia tales by C. S. Lewis.

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• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141302860
• ISBN-13: 978-0141302867

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

From Publishers Weekly
In this tantalizing SF thriller, planet-hopping parasites are inserting their silvery centipede selves into human brains, curing cancer, eliminating war and turning Earth into paradise. But some people want Earth back, warts and all, especially Melanie Stryder, who refuses to surrender, even after being captured in Chicago and becoming a host for a soul called Wanderer. Melanie uses her surviving brain cells to persuade Wanderer to help search for her loved ones in the Arizona desert. When the pair find Melanie's brother and her boyfriend in a hidden rebel cell led by her uncle, Wanderer is at first hated. Once the rebels accept Wanderer, whom they dub Wanda, Wanda's whole perspective on humanity changes. While the straightforward narrative is short on detail about the invasion and its stunning aftermath, it shines with romantic intrigue, especially when a love triangle (or quadrangle?!) develops for Wanda/Melanie. 10-city author tour. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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• Hardcover: 624 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (May 6, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0316068047
• ISBN-13: 978-0316068048

Joe read this one aloud to me. It may have been easier to follow the story closer had I read it myself. I did not enjoy this as much as the Twilight series. That said, it was a well written book about humanity.

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9 In this second installment in the series, Percy, Poseidon's 13-year-old demigod son, is desperate to rescue his friend Grover, captive of the bloodthirsty Cyclops Polyphemus, and to retrieve the healing Golden Fleece. The sheepskin is needed to restore the protection around Camp Half-Blood, the only safe haven for the children of gods and humans, heroes-in-training in our modern world. However, the camp has already been compromised and the quest for the Golden Fleece has been awarded to the bully Clarisse. Encouraged by Hermes, Percy sets off for the Bermuda Triangle anyway with his friend Annabeth and classmate Tyson, who turns out to be a half-brother and a Cyclops as well. Adventure follows chaotic adventure at a rapid pace, and readers with even a passing acquaintance with the Odyssey will enjoy this fresh use of familiar stories. Percy is an appealing kid, and the subject of a chilling prophecy may resonate with readers. Those who start the series with this title will be drawn in by the clever humor and have the opportunity to go back to The Lightning Thief (Hyperion, 2005) before the inevitable sequel appears. Kathleen Isaacs, Towson University, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Miramax (March 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423103343
• ISBN-13: 978-1423103349

Land of the SIlver Apples (II) by Nancy Farmer (Audio)

From AudioFile
THE LAND OF THE SILVER APPLES continues the saga begun in THE SEA OF TROLLS. It is Britain, 790 A.D. Young Jack, a bard-in-training, learns that his little sister, Lucy, so different from the rest of the family, is actually a changeling and his real sister is living with the hobgoblins. Lucy disappears during an exorcism, and Jack descends into the out-of-time Land of the Silver Apples to rescue her and his lost sister. Gerard Doyle gives an engrossing narration. He gives voice to a hobgoblin king, kelpies, yarthkins, elves, and other assorted creatures, human and magical. He maintains a balance between nail-biting action and the tangled mix of pagan and Christian traditions that simmered in eighth-century Britain. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Hardcover: 496 pages

• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (August 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416907351

*** I listened to the audio CD version of this. The reader was excellent yet I had a hard time "getting into" this book. I felt that Nancy Farmer was asked to write a Fantasy story (series, actually) and followed a script of an adventure novel--her heart was not in it. There is not the magic of creativity as there is in the Harry Potter novels where the author clearly enjoys living in a fictional world and presenting it.
I have loved her books about coming of age young adults in Africa or the fictional African future or fictional land of Opium between the Mexican and U.S. borders.

The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9–In England in the early medieval period, young Jack is chosen by the village's bard to serve as apprentice in award-winning author Nancy Farmer's exciting fantasy (Atheneum, 2004). After the bard is attacked by a Nightmare, Jack develops the ability to feel everything at once, which causes him to be vulnerable to the "Life Force," the power that exists in all things in nature. When they realize that Viking berserkers are coming, Jack and the bard raise fog to hide the village, but Jack and his sister, Lucy, are captured by Ivan One-Brow and his crew and are taken to the court of Ivar the Boneless and his evil half-troll wife, Queen Frith. Jack casts a spell to make the queen's hair fall out. To save his sister from being sacrificed to the Norse goddess Freya, Jack must accept a quest to travel to the icy Troll kingdom to find Mimir's Well, from which he must drink in order to learn the magic spell to replace the Queen's hair. Throughout his journey, Jack must deal with an argumentative Norse Jill, trolls, giant troll bears, a dragon, and giant spiders. As he completes his quest, Jack matures and realizes that all beings have the Life Force within them and must answer to its calling, whether it is Yggdrisil, the giant life tree of the Norse, or the simple need of berserkers to raid and pillage. Farmer weaves the threads of Norse and Celtic mythology into a coming-of-age tale that followers of Tolkien and J.K. Rowling will enjoy. Gerard Doyle does an excellent job of narrating the story, giving each of the large cast of characters a unique voice. Although a lengthy audiobook, listeners will want to complete the journey.–Lisa D. Williams, Chocowinity Middle School, NC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 459 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (September 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689867441

I Capture the Castle (Audio) by Dodie Smith

Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain wants to become a writer. Trouble is, she's the daughter of a once-famous author with a severe case of writer's block. Her family--beautiful sister Rose, brooding father James, ethereal stepmother Topaz--is barely scraping by in a crumbling English castle they leased when times were good. Now there's very little furniture, hardly any food, and just a few pages of notebook paper left to write on. Bravely making the best of things, Cassandra gets hold of a journal and begins her literary apprenticeship by refusing to face the facts. She writes, "I have just remarked to Rose that our situation is really rather romantic, two girls in this strange and lonely house. She replied that she saw nothing romantic about being shut up in a crumbling ruin surrounded by a sea of mud."

Rose longs for suitors and new tea dresses while Cassandra scorns romance: "I know all about the facts of life. And I don't think much of them." But romantic isolation comes to an end both for the family and for Cassandra's heart when the wealthy, adventurous Cotton family takes over the nearby estate. Cassandra is a witty, pensive, observant heroine, just the right voice for chronicling the perilous cusp of adulthood. Some people have compared I Capture the Castle to the novels of Jane Austen, and it's just as well-plotted and witty. But the Mortmains are more bohemian--as much like the Addams Family as like any of Austen's characters. Dodie Smith, author of 101 Dalmations, wrote this novel in 1948. And though the story is set in the 1930s, it still feels fresh, and well deserves its reputation as a modern classic. --Maria Dolan --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Entertainment Weekly
...an odd, shimmering timelessness clings to its pages. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English

I listened to the audio of this...well read. A strange romance that ends as it is beginning.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

A very charming, funny, fast paced adventure set in the Sixth Grade about a boy (12 yrs.) who discovers that his ADHD and dyslexia have a purpose. He teams up on a quest to save the known world with a young girl (also 12) and best friend who happens to be a satyr...Polish up on your Greek gods and mythology--this is a great read!

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Miramax (March 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786838655
• ISBN-13: 978-0786838653
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

This is the fourth in a series by Ms. Meyer. It was interesting to see what would happen between Bella and (vampire) Edward Cullen. Before this book was published it was mentioned that Ms. Meyer had to watch the violence because her audience was between 8-80 yr. olds (mostly girls/women). A couple of chapters I worried that her imagination took her too graphic (in a violent way) into childbirth/labor and that it would change young girls view of having children. I appreciated the later two thirds of the book and felt it had a satisfactory ending. Anyone have another good romance to recommend?