What Should I Read? Book Talks and More

Spring semester at the Lab School in Hyde Park finds Petra and Calder drawn into another mystery when unexplainable accidents and ghostly happenings throw a spotlight on Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House, and it's up to the two junior sleuths to piece together the clues. Stir in the return of Calder's friend Tommy (which creates a tense triangle), H.G. Wells's The Invisible Man, 3D pentominoes, and the hunt for a coded message left behind by Wright, and the kids become tangled in a dangerous web in which life and art intermingle with death, deception, and surprise.

Jim Hawkins, who narrates Stevenson's classic tale, is rewarded for his assistance to an old pirate, Billy Bones, with a map showing the way to buried treasure. He and his associates set sail for the island on a ship manned by a band of pirates--a fact they discover en route. The pirate king is the notorious one-legged cook Long John Silver, one of Stevenson's most delightfully conceived villains. The pirates are vanquished, the treasure is retrieved, and Stevenson's novel is widely loved, and admired as one of the great adventure novels of all time.

Though legally blind, Paul Fisher can see what others cannot. He can see that his parents' constant praise of his brother, Erik, the football star, is to cover up something that is terribly wrong. But no one listens to Paul - until his family moves to Tangerine. In this Florida town, weird is normal: Lightning strikes at the same time every day, a sinkhole swallows a local school, and Paul the geek finds himself adopted into the toughest group around: the soccer team at his middle school. Maybe this new start in Tangerine will help Paul finally see the truth about his past - and will give him the courage to face up to his terrifying older brother.

When 12-year-old Kenny Huldorf and his family move into their new house, Kenny discovers that his room is haunted by the ghost of a slave named Caleb who was murdered in the early 19th century. Caleb summons Kenny back in time where he must solve Caleb's murder before he is able to return to the present. The author himself makes an appearance as a character in this historical mystery.

Tree-ear, an orphan, has become fascinated with the potters' craft; he wants nothing more than to watch master potter Min at work, and he dreams of making a pot of his own someday. When Min takes on Tree-ear as his helper, Tree-ear is elated--until he finds obstacles in his path: the backbreaking labor of digging and hauling clay, Min's irascible temper, and his own ignorance. However, Tree-ear is determined to prove himself.

When Romiette Cappelle and her best friend, Destiny, decide to order The Scientific Soul Mate System from the back of "Heavy Hunks" magazine, they're not sure what they're getting into. But Destiny, a self-proclaimed psychic, assures Romi that for $44.99 plus shipping and handling, it's the only way they're ever going to find out who their soul mates really are. If nothing else, maybe Romi will get some insight into that recurring dream she's been having about fire and water. But they never expect that the scented candle and tube of dream ointment will live up to their promises and merge Romiette's destiny with that of Julio Montague, a boy she's just met in the "cosmos" of an Internet chat room. It turns out they go to the same high school, not to mention having almost the same names as Shakespeare's famous lovers Sweet-scented dreams of Julio have almost overtaken Romi's nightmares... ...when suddenly they return, but this time

After their mother is murdered as a reprisal for the work of their outspoken journalist father, 12-year-old Sade and her younger brother are sent from their home in Nigeria to live with their uncle in London. However, when they arrive at their uncle's house, Sade and her brother discover that he is missing. Forced to live in a series of foster homes, the siblings are happy when they learn their father has escaped from Nigeria and is looking for them in England. Still, their father is in danger of being sent back to the perils of Nigeria unless Sade can find a way to save him.

Fleeing from a neighbor's assailants, who believe he has identified them to the police, LeRoy leaves his Chicago housing project to live with his grandfather, a shrimp fisherman, in Mississippi.

Gary Paulsen has owned dozens of unforgettable and amazing dogs. In each chapter he tells the story, of one special dog, among them Snowball, the puppy he owned as a boy in the Philippines; Ike, his mysterious hunting companion; Dirk, the grim protector; and Josh, one of the remarkable border collies working on Paulsen's ranch today. Pen-and-ink illustrations by Ruth Wright Paulsen.

The first novel of a new series that mixes classic Greek mythology with modern adventure. After learning he is a demigod, Percy Jackson is sent to a summer camp on Long Island, where he meets the father he never knew--Poseidon, god of the sea.

Set between 1919 and 1920, LETTERS FROM RIFKA tells the story of a 12-year-old Jewish girl who, along with her parents and her brother, attempts to escape persecution in her homeland of Russia. The family manages to flee to Poland, and from there, they plan to immigrate to the United States, already home to Rifka's three older brothers. Although the rest of her family is cleared to travel to America, Rifka, who has developed ringworm, is left behind in the care of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, a group that eventually relocates her to Belgium, where she grows from a frightened child to a responsible young woman. Rifka still dreams of being reunited with her family, but before she can do so, she must face a dangerous sea journey and an extended stay at Ellis Island. Based on the author's own family history, LETTERS FROM RIFKA presents a historically accurate depiction of an immigrant's experience in the early 1900s, and is told via Rifka's letters to her cousin in Rus

Katie Takeshima's sister, Lynn, makes everything seem glittering and shining. But when Lynn becomes desperately ill, and the whole family begins to fall apart, it is up to Katie to find a way to remind them all that there is always something glittering in the future.

Maia, orphaned at 13 in England, is very unhappy to be staying with distant relatives hundreds of miles up the Amazon. She becomes friends with a mysterious English boy who lives with the local Indians. But when they are forced to flee upriver, they are pursued by some very eccentric characters.

Set in Boston on the brink of the American Revolution, this historical novel tells of observant 14-year-old silversmith apprentice Johnny Tremain, who, due to a bad burn on his hand, must give up silversmithing. Noticing the unrest in the city, Johnny becomes a dispatch rider for the Committee of Public Safety and is soon caught up in the thrilling undercurrents and rumblings which led to the Boston Tea Party and ultimately to the Battle of Lexington and the start of the Revolutionary War. Winner of the 1944 Newbery Medal.

Matteo Alacran was not born; he was harvested. His DNA came from El Patrin, lord of a country called Opium -- a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt's first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster -- except for El Patrin. El Patrin loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself. As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, including El Patrin's power-hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the The Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn't even suspect.

When gruff Tom Oakley first sees Willie Beech, the evacuee he agrees to care for, he cannot believe how thin and undernourished he is. The boy is terrified of everything, and when Tom sees the welts and bruises, he realizes that the eight-year-old boy has been abused by his single mother. Gradually, Tom gets Willie to trust him, and this trust soon blossoms into love. When Willie is summoned back to his mother in London, Tom is determined not to lose the boy he has come to love as a son.

Inspired by an illuminated poem from 13th-century Germany, this witty, historically accurate collection--the winner of the 2008 Newbery Medal--forms an exquisite bridge to the people and places of medieval England.

A priceless ruby has been stolen and an innocent family framed for the crime. Can Seikei prove himself a worthy samurai by uncovering the real thief? Honors include a nomination for the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Young-Adult Mystery and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

Living in a North Carolina holler with her parents and eight siblings, 12-year-old Livy Two is an aspiring songwriter and self-appointed guardian to her little sister Gentle, who is going blind. But when tragedy strikes, can Livy Two continue to stay strong for her family?

In this work of historical fiction, 14-year-old Matilda Cook is caught in the 1793 Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic. When Matilda recovers from the illness, she attempts to find her missing mother and is taken in by a family friend--a freed slave named Eliza.

Eleven-year-old Elijah lives in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of runaway slaves near the American border. He's the first child in town to be born free, and he ought to be famous just for that. Unfortunately, all that most people see is a "fra-gile" boy who's scared of snakes and talks too much. But everything changes when a former slave steals money from Elijah's friend, who has been saving to buy his family out of captivity in the South. Now it's up to Elijah to track down the thief--and his dangerous journey just might make a hero out of him, if only he can find the courage to get back home.

My name is Dovey Coe and I reckon it don't matter if you like me or not. I'm here to lay the record straight, to let you know them folks saying I done a terrible thing are liars. I aim to prove it, too. I hated Parnell Caraway as much as the next person, but I didn't kill him. Twelve-year-old Dovey Coe never did like Parnell Caraway. She didn't like his slick way of wooing her older sister. She didn't like the way he maligned her beloved deaf brother. But while she didn't like him, she certainly didn't murder him. All the evidence, however, points to Dovey. Now the girl who's used to protecting everyone around her has to rely on a "city" lawyer who doesn't know goldentod from goldenroot to protect her. Dovey's not one to sit back when troubles are brewing, but just this once she might have to...or will she?

The 2001 winner of the Delacorte Press Prize for a First Young Adult Novel tells the story of a girl who while preparing for her 15th year celebration--her "quince"--probes into her Cuban roots and unwittingly unleashes a hotbed of conflicted feelings about Cuba within her family.

In this historically accurate novel, 13-year-old Sundara flees Cambodia with her family to escape the Khmer Rouge. One of many boat people, Sundara and her aunt and uncle get separated from the rest of their family. Together they escape to a small town in Oregon where Sundara struggles to fit into a new culture as well as remain true to her old one.

Berlin 1942 When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance. But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy ...

Twelve-year-old villain, Artemis Fowl, is the most ingenious criminal mastermind in history. His bold and daring plan is to hold a leprechaun to ransom. But he's taking on more than he bargained for when he kidnaps Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance Unit). For a start, leprechaun technology is more advanced than our own. Add to that the fact that Holly is a true heroine and that her senior officer Commander Root will stop at nothing to get her back and you've got the mother of all sieges brewing! If you had to describe this book in one sentence, then it would have to be: Artemis Fowl - Die Hard with fairies.

Today I moved to a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water. I'm not the only kid who lives here. There's my sister, Natalie, except she doesn't count. And there are twenty-three other kids who live on the island because their dads work as guards or cooks or doctors or electricians for the prison, like my dad does. Plus, there are a ton of murderers, rapists, hit men, con men, stickup men, embezzlers, connivers, burglars, kidnappers and maybe even an innocent man or two, though I doubt it. The convicts we have are the kind other prisons don't want. I never knew prisons could be picky, but I guess they can. You get to Alcatraz by being the worst of the worst. Unless you're me. I came here because my mother said I had to.