2 Caudills for 2010 - Found and Notes from...

Found by Margaret Haddix is the first in a series (The Missing) that already has a real fan following. Non-stop action with cliff hanger endings to the chapters will keep you turning pages. An airplane carrying 36 infants mysteriously appears at an airport. Jump 13 years later and a group of teenagers begin to receive cryptic messages full of foreboding. Boy and girl main characters make this a fast-paced read for any science fiction/fantasy fan out there. If you liked Haddix' Shadow Children, you will definitely like this series.



Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick is the second post. You already know how much I like this author, so it won't come as any surprise when I tell you that this is another sure thing in the reading dept. Alex Gregory gets himself in some very deep trouble at the beginning of this story. Told as a flashback, in the first person (a Sonnenblick specialty), you will follow Alex' personal journey of soul searching community service. That community service takes the form of 100 hours spent with the very unique Solomon Lewis at the nursing home where he lives. You will not only enjoy getting to know these two people but also Alex' friend Laurie, his mom and dad and various supporting characters who all add to an amazing experience. As you might have come to expect, Sonnenblick will take you on an important ride while making you laugh, cry and turn pages.

It's Caudill 2011 time!!

Many of this year's nominees have already been reviewed here on LeBrisary. If you would like to read reviews of the following titles here are the posts you need to go to on the home page, lower left hand side.

The Hunger Games was reviewed in Feb. 2009

Chains was reviewed in May 2009 (look for 1776)

Scat was reviewed in July 2009 (look for Hoot)

Waiting for Normal was reviewed in May 2009

More of this year's nominees will be reviewed all summer so keep looking here for information. You can also go to http://www.rcyrba.org

Under the menu called 2011 Award look for Resources. It is the best list and has hyperlinks of all sorts as well as cover art to help you pick titles you will really enjoy!!

Latest 39 Clues entry is worth the wait!!

Gordon Korman is back again with installment #8 of 10 of the 39 Clues and really delivers with non-stop action. The Emperor's Code takes Amy and Dan, our entrepid brother/sister duo, to China. No sooner do they arrive that a huge argument results in their separating and then not being able to reconnect for a variety of incredible mishaps. Dan actually ends up with his rock star relative Jonah and begins to see another side of this young man. Amy, distraught and frantic, makes every effort to find her brother in several remote locations of China including the Great Wall. More clues are uncovered as the siblings end up on a collision course on Mount Everest!! Gordon Korman adds a nice touch to the general mystery by clues throughout the novel that when jotted down leave you with three very interesting sentences. Don't miss #8 - it is one of the best in the series so far (of course I am biased because I like Gordon Korman so much!)

oh.my.gods and goddess boot camp by Childs

If you can imagine Percy Jackson mixed up with the southern California high school scene, you can get a sense of Tera Childs' two part series. Phoebe Castro, happy high school senior, pretty, unpretentious, serious athletic runner, is sure she has a cross country scholarship to USC all wrapped up until her widowed mom surprises her with an engagement and a move to Greece. The surprises just keep coming when Phoebe finds out that her soon to be step-father is the head master for a high school for the descendants of the Greek gods, complete with special powers. Adjusting takes on a whole new meaning for Phoebe as she leaves behind her dreams, best friends and senior year. New friendships, new step-sister, new country, new school, new romance - could it get any tougher for Phoebe? Yes, it will. In this fast paced, realistic fantasy full of believable characters and emotions, you will experience Phoebe's ups and downs, laughs and tears as she navigates a whole new world with help from her California pals, her mom and some unlikely allies. (Looks set up for Part 3 BTW)

Jordan Sonnenblick does it again!!

There I was trying to make my way through Cosmic which is by the same author as Millions and should have been just flying along but I wasn't. There across the room sat Jordan Sonnenblick's new novel, the sequel to Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie, saying "Read me!! No, read me, now!!" like some young Labrador with a tennis ball. Well, Mr. Sonnenblick did it again. I could not put this book down until I finished it.

DGADP was mostly Steven's story and now seven plot years later we get Jeff's story. Told in the classic Sonnenblick first person narrative, the reader will travel through Jeff's 8th grade year in his head.

It wasn't enough to survive cancer as a seven year old now Jeff has to survive being a survivor. With his best friend Tad, a two time cancer survivor himself, and Lindsey the new girl from LA, Jeff has loads to contend with not the least of which is passing the new all or nothing state standardized test that could keep him out of high school. A fast paced blend of narrative, IM's and emails, Jeff's realistic voice will carry you through an important story full of laughs and some tears. This is realistic/contemporary fiction at its best. A genderless story for anyone looking for a well written novel. If you have not read DGADP you might want to do that since it really adds to the whole experience but it's not absolutely required.