Cahills vs Vespers Book 2 - A King's Ransom

Jude Watson returns to write installment #2 in the "39 Clues" second series. Dan and Amy are back fighting for the lives of Cahill family members being kept prisoners for ransom by the mysterious Vesper One. This adventure takes you to Italy, Switzerland and the Czech Republic as the siblings track down Nazi stolen treasure and more information about the Madrigals side of the Cahill family.  Aided by the Massachusetts based family command center, Gideon, technology and quick wits combined with gutsy moves (not to mention some sizable amounts of cash) permit our heroes to escape harm or capture.  Hidden clues and coded messages are particularly tough in this installment but you always have the Internet based resources at www.the39clues.com. Book #3 The Dead of Night is on order and Book #4 is due out in August. Keep enjoying the ride with multiple copies in the LTC found on the last rack of the PB towers!

New fantasy series: The Crowfield Curse

The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh is #1 in a new series. Part historical fiction part fantasy this first installment is atmospheric, dark, rich in detail and gripping. Set in 1387 England, 14 year old orphan William Paynel is trying to manage a life as a servant at Crowfield Abbey. At the very bottom of the pecking order, William is still grateful to have a roof over his head and meals, even meager ones. While taking care of the monks' pigs he encounters a strange creature caught in a trap. With little fear he saves the creature and from that point on his life takes some wild and frightening turns that  involve very old secrets, a very long feud and possibly a dead angel.
Readers will drawn into the amazing secret world of the forest, the hard life at the abbey in middle ages Britain and William himself, who is more than even he knows.

Caudill 2012 - Powerless by Matthew Cody

I am going to kick-off this year's Caudill nominees with a modern fantasy! Powerless is a story about being the "new kid" in junior high but just not any junior high! Meet Daniel Corrigan who had to move from Philadelphia to small town Noble's Green because his grandmother is very ill. It doesn't take long for Daniel to decide that something is up in this town with the kids under the age of 13! A big Sherlock Holmes fan, Daniel puts his detecting abilities to work. Why is Noble's Green called The Safest Town on Earth? What happened years ago when a meteor struck the orphanage in town? Did it have some lasting effect on the children who survived? How do you explain the near tragic accidents that don't quite happen somehow? Daniel soon learns about the secret but that's just the beginning of what is really going on. A deft combination of fantasy, realism, action and mystery, this thought provoking story of friendship, bravery and fitting in will keep you involved right to the end of the story!

If you liked Hunger Games try Divergent!

Set in post apocalyptic Chicago, society in and around the city has been segregated into 5 factions. Each faction delivers important structure and resources to the city inhabitants. Beatrice Prior, like all 16 year olds, will need to choose the faction she plans on staying with her entire life based on the results of a grueling virtual test. Usually the test results are clear and make the choice relatively easy, unless you are "divergent"! This revelation, a dark secret that Beatrice is told to never mention to anyone for fear for her and her family's lives, drives her decision to leave her family's faction and join a seemingly opposite one. You will experience heart stopping, risk taking action set in Chicago full of intrigue, romance, betrayal, battles virtual and real - your typical teenage day, right? What faction would you choose?
And, of course it's a trilogy. "Insurgent" is slated for Spring 2012. Veronica Roth, the 22 year old author, wrote this book while a senior at Northwestern! She majored in English. A great choice for northshore readers.
And, the movie rights have been signed, too!

Caudill entry: Trouble by Gary Schmidt

Trouble by Gary Schmidt is set in present day Massachusetts and Maine. Much darker and more serious than his previous books (Wednesday Wars and Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy), this book explores themes as varied as family, friendship, refugees, car accidents, grief, the power of love and redemption. 14 year old Henry Smith's family dates back to the 1600's. Henry's "father always said that if you build your house far enough away from Trouble, then Trouble will never find you". Henry has grown wealthy and privileged. His older brother, Franklin, is the "perfect son", accomplished scholar athlete destined for greatness. His older sister, Louisa, equally accomplished lives with Henry in the shadow of this brother. A terrible car accident, plunges the family into a turmoil that sets young Henry on a course that will change them all forever. Early in the story, Henry saves a drowning dog that he keeps. Her high spirits and zest for life will prove an important part of Henry's personal growth. Coupled with "Black Dog" as she gets named is the welcome comic relief of Henry's best friend, Sanborn. Both these characters buoy Henry and the reader along through a richly written adventure not soon forgotten.