25. Bone, Book 8: Treasure Hunters

Bone, Book 8: Treasure Hunters
By Jeff Smith
Scholastic, Inc., 2008

Genre
Graphic Novel, High Fantasy, Humor

Awards
None known for individual book; the series has received many awards and nominations.

Review
Fone Bone, along with his cousins Phoney Bone and Smiley (with a hidden baby rat creature), are traveling with a queen and Princess Thorn in disguise to get into the city of Atheia.  Many people are trying to take refuge in the city because ghost circles have begun swarming the surrounding towns and desert, forcing evacuations.  Upon entering the city, the group learns that the leaders of Atheia have banned worship of the dragons and demand that only Ven is worshiped, such a change from their old beliefs where people believed that the dragons created the earth, were responsible for life and death, and taught Ven, the first human queen everything she knew.  Guards were ordered to demolish any dragon shrines seen and to capture any dragon worshipers to be burned at the stake.  While the others are hiding and trying to find out more information about those loyal to the dragons and some secret group the queen is part of, and try to figure out how to restore balance between their world and the dream world, Phoney Bone is concerned with finding treasure somewhere in the city while Smiley frequently visits and plays with their smuggled baby rat creature.  All may be lost when Princess Thorn is captured along with the Bone cousins and the queen sees and approaching enemy army of Pawans and rat creatures.  The army belongs to the queen's sister, Briar, who is working to tip the balance toward the dream world, and her master, The Locust.

Opinion
I was lost for this entire book.  I don't think the books in this series, or at least this one in particular, can stand on their own.  The characters are not "reintroduced" in anyway and the plot seems to continue strait from the last book.  This was odd for me having read comic books previously that, though they are a number in a series, don't necessarily depend on their predecessors to tell their story.  The humor in this book is likely appropriate for tweens familiar with the series, but was mostly lost on me.  The artwork is interesting; the humans are fairly realistically drawn and reminded me of how people were drawn in Avatar, the Last Air Bender.  This, contrasting with the more cartoonish drawings of the Bone cousins, the giant bees and the rat creatures made for an amusing idea of what the world of this comic is like.

Ideas
If the first book in the series is available, I feel like it may be a good way to introduce tweens to a graphic novel if they've never read one.  The lively colors, glossy pages, and pressing adventure story will likely keep them entertained.  However, I would recommend suggesting something else if the first book is unavailable as they may be as lost in the story as I was and get discouraged.

24. Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute
By Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Random House Children's Books, 2009

Genre
Adventure, Graphic Novel, Humor

Awards

• Kid's Indie Next List "Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers" Winner (2009)
• IRA Children's Choices: Young Readers (2010)
• Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices Winner (2010)
• New York Stated Charlotte Award Nominee (2012)

Review
A group of three students, The Breakfast Bunch, discuss with each other what their lunch lady does outside of work.  Mostly they speculate that she has a lot of cats, but one of them jokingly suggests she's a secret agent! If only he knew how close the truth he was.  The lunch lady has a secret lair in the "boiler room", concealed by a large sliding fridge in the school kitchen.  Here she tests out new gadgets made by her assistant lunch lady, like the Spatu-copter (a helicopter spatula), Chicken Nugget Bombs, and Fish Stick Nunchucks, and monitors classrooms on her her huge monitor with secret cameras (Milk-cams).  In this first installment in the Lunch Lady series, she battles evil robots lead by a cyborg substitute teacher.  All these mechanical villains were created by a disliked science teacher to send away the most liked teachers in the school and replace them with cyborg substitutes that made the students do so much extra work, they would all end up liking the science teacher the best, and vote to give him the Best Teacher of the Year award.  When the Lunch Lady learns that there is something fishy going on with the new sub, she follows him after school (with the Breakfast Bunch following her to see what she really did after school was over).  Here the Lunch Lady and the children are surrounded by the robot army, but are saved by the Lunch Lady's food-weapons and one of the children's science projects.  The book ends with a cliff hanger, promising more food fights in the future.

Opinion
This is a funny little story that may have students thinking about what their teachers, school janitors, or bus drivers do after work! The story incorporates a school figure that students probably don't think about too often.  The author had very creative ways to incorporate school lunch food into funny weapons and used Batman's Batcave from the cartoons as a heavy influence on the Lunch Lady's lair, making it easily recognizable to comic book and cartoon fans.

Ideas
Having readers write a short story or draw out their own short comic strip may be a fun project.  There is also a secondary story involving a boy in the Breakfast Bunch being bullied, but learning to stand up for himself.  Despite it being a secondary element, it could still have an impact on students concerned with bullying.

23. Inkspell

Inkspell
By Cornelia Funke
Scholastic Inc., 2005
Narrated by Brendan Fraser

Genre
Low-Fantasy

Awards

• Best Sense Book of the Year: Children's Literature (2006)

Review

Meggie and Dustfinger's apprentence, Farid travel into the book Inkheart to find Dustfinger and warn him that Basta, a villainous man who loves to use knives and hates Dustfinger, had returned to Inkheart not long after Dustfinger himself.  A few days after Meggie disappeared into the book, her parents, Mo and Risa, were still heart-broken and thinking they've lost her forever.  They walk into their house only to find more old enemies that came from the pages of Inkheart.  Basta (who hadn’t returned yet), Mortola, and Orpheus had broken in, looking for Mo, Risa, and Meggie to exact revenge on for killing their old leader (also Mortola's son), Capricorn.  When Meggie is nowhere to be found, Mortola has Orpheus read all of them back into Inkheart where Mortola promptly shoots Mo with a gun brought with them from Mo's world.  Meanwhile, after warning Dustfinger, Meggie searches for the book's author, Fenolgio, who had come to live in the book himself, but soon discovers her parents were captured and are in the book and Mo is gravely wounded.  The rest of the story finds the small family trying to finally be reunited outside of captivity, and follows Farid as he tries to keep Dustfinger alive.  Fenolgio tries along the way to write beautiful words for Meggie to read and help him "fix" his story, but everything seemed to turn against his intentions, like a wish made to a genie that wasn't specific enough.  Funke did a wonderful job of trying to include readers whose first experience of the Inkworld is Inkspell by including character synopses at the beginning.  There is also a map for readers to follow the characters as they travel the vast and magical Inkworld, and small illustrations scattered throughout the book, presenting the characters and making the book itself seem as magical as the words in it.

Opinion

This is a great continuation to Inkheart, the first book in the series, but it can't quite stand on its own.  Many events are referenced from the first book, and not all of them are explained enough for those new to the series to be fully aware of the whole story.  A fairly easy read despite its thickness, Inkspell would be a great option for tweens who enjoy the adventure and magic often found in fantasy.

Ideas

Since this book was originally written in German and translated, this may be a good book for a display about popular books originating for foreign countries.  Many of the descriptions in the books are detailed enough to suggest that readers choose their favorite scene and attempt to illustrate it, like an illuminator would do in the book.

22. Cinder

Cinder
By Marissa Meyer
Feiwel and Friends, 2012

Genre
Sci-fi

Awards

• ABC New Voices Title (2012)
• YALSA Teen's Top Ten (2012)
• Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens (2013)
• IRA Young Adult Choices (2013)
• Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year (2013)
• Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Awards: Master List (2013-2014)
• Abraham Lincoln Award Illinois' High School Readers' Choice Awards: Master's List (2014)
• NYSRA Charlotte Award High School Winner (2014)
• Indian Young Hoosier Award Middle Grade Nominee (2014-2015)
• MASL Readers Awards Nominee (2014-2015)
• Nebraska Golden Sower Award Young Adult Nominee (2014-2015)
• VSBA Middle School Nominee (2014-2015)
• Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2015)
• Oklahoma Sequoyah Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2015)

Review

A Cinderella story with a new twist: Cinder is a cyborg mechanic and is the property of her step-mother since her adoptive father died after rescuing her from the hovercraft accident she was disfigured in.  Prince Kai suddenly appears at her mechanic market stall once day requesting she fix his android.  Unfortunately, the plague that has been brushing the outskirts of town has begun to make its way inside the city, infecting Cinder's step-sister and the Emperor himself.  Cinder is "volunteered" as a test subject for vaccines to help with the epidemic where the doctor testing her teaches her much about her past and finds her immune to the illness.  Cinder continues to see Prince Kai, causing them both to develop feelings for one another.  Kai discusses with Cinder a looming threat of war from the Lunars (inhabitants that live on the moon and have special abilities resembling mind control).  Cinder discovers that the Prince's android holds secrets about a possibly surviving heir to the Lunar throne who has been thought dead!  If she is restored to the throne, Kai's concerns about war and possible marriage to the tyrannical Lunar queen could be put to rest.  On the night of a ball thrown by Prince Kai, with the Lunar Queen present, Cinder must make the difficult decision of escaping her terrible stepmother forever and never seeing Kai again, or warning him of impending danger and lose her only chance of escape.  This thrilling and unique retelling of Cinderella will keep readers engaged, always on the edge of their seats to see what will happen next.

Opinion
A very detailed, thought-out story with a rich setting and back story.  Cinder is a well fleshed out, believable character, with a sarcastic and mysterious side, but some of the other characters are a little flat, including Prince Kai.  Though he is a likable character, there is not much to him.  Some parts of the story seem to have been started and then stopped without much resolution leaving the reader unsure if that minor story line is cut short or may be continued in the next book.  Overall, this is a great sci-fi telling of Cinderella that is appropriate for middle grade through high school.

Ideas
Great for a display of modern fairy tale retellings.

21. Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep

Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep
By Carson Levine
Illustrated by Mark Elliott
HarperCollins, 1999

Genre
Fractured Fairy Tale, Humor

Awards
None Known

Review

Princess Sonora was blessed by a fairy to be 10x as smart as anyone in the world! But she was also cursed to fall asleep for 100 years when she pricked herself on a spinning needle.  Sonora decided that since she'd be sleeping so long later, there was no need for sleep now and spent her time reading all the books in the royal libraries.  She found answers to all the questions she could think of (and made sure she told everyone about them) and made more efficient ways for the servants to do their chores, but everyone just found her to be annoying.  Sonora's parents had found a prince for her to marry, but he was boring! Sonora decided that after his visit, she would prick herself by choice with a spindle hidden in her closet so she could fall asleep and avoid the marriage all together.  This plan didn't work and Sonora accidentally pricks herself while the prince is still in the castle, so he fell asleep along with Sonora and the rest of the castle.  An astonished shepherd saw the castle become covered in a wall of thorns.  Eventually, Prince Christopher, a descendant of Prince Melvin XX and had always been curious about everything, decided to investigate the “missing” kingdom.  He found Sonora asleep, covered in cobwebs.  After much debate of what to do, he decided to kiss her.  Naturally, Sonora woke up.  So happy to have found someone who can answer his questions, and happy she had found someone who wanted to hear her answers, the couple decided to get married.  This short but humorous retelling of Sleeping Beauty will make readers chuckle at the “intelligence” of Sonora and the reactions of other characters. There are illustrations every few chapters that add to the story and show significant occurrences.

Opinion
A very amusing retelling that younger tweens will like just for the blatant humor and older readers will enjoy for the way it makes fun of predictable fairy tale characters.

Ideas
This book is a great example of a fractured fairy tale and is a good way to introduce this genre to tweens, either in the classroom or at the library with a display.

20. The Dark is Rising

The Dark is Rising: Book 2 of the Dark is Rising Sequence
By Susan Cooper
Random House Children's Books, 1973
Narrated by Alex Jennings

Genre
Adventure, Low-Fantasy

Awards

• Newbery Honor (1974)
• Named one of the "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children" by the National Education Association (2007)
• Named one of the "Top 100 Chapter Books" of all time by School Library Journal (2012)

Review

Will Stanton prepares for his Midwinter birthday, but can’t shake the feeling something is wrong.  Animals are reacting aggressively toward him and he is given a strange metal symbol as a birthday present by a long-time family friend, Farmer Dawson.  Soon Will discovers he was the last Old One, an ancient and powerful being, to be born and he came into the fullness of his powers on his 11th birthday.  Will travels through time with other Old Ones "…for all times co-exist, and the future can sometimes affect the past, even though the past is a road that leads to the future . . . But men cannot understand this.”  He is told by another Old One that he is the Sign Seeker, and that he already had one of them, the item Farmer Dawson had given him.  There are six Signs that must be gathered to help fight off the Dark, dark forces that were trying to control the world.  Will, along with the light (the Old Ones and others) fight constantly to keep the Dark at bay.  The Dark had some influence on the world and were the ones causing the snow, which Will soon discovers, is at risk of killing people in his village.  Will learns to control his powers and the Signs to fend off the Dark a while longer and keep his family safe from something they don't know is happening.   Will visits with other Old Ones in different times to learn more about who he is and how he can help fight the Dark.  A captivating book that shows a young boy coping with his new situation that can sometimes be seen as a gift and at other times be seen as a burden.

Opinion

I didn't know this was the second book in a series until looking more closely at the cover.  The author did a wonderful job of making the book stand alone, but now that I know it is part of a larger series, I certainly want to read the first book, and all the rest!  The setting changes frequently and I wasn't always sure "when" the book was, but I was swept up in the story nonetheless.  There is mention of British folklore in this book, and I'm sure I would find it all that more entertaining if I was familiar with the basics of the original folk characters, like Heren the Hunter.

Ideas

A great book for reluctant readers since it is part of a series they can keep going with if they enjoy this one, but the book also stands alone well, allowing readers who may be unsure about fantasy to try new things.

19. The Smurfs

The Smurfs
Directed by Raja Gosnell
Columbia Pictures, 2011

Genre
Adventure, Comedy

Awards
None Known

Review
The Smurf village is happily planning their Blue Moon Festival when Papa Smurf sees a disturbing vision about what will happen in the future.  Not long after, Gargamel and his cat Azrael show up in the village, scattering the Smurfs as they run for their lives! Clumsy Smurf goes the wrong direction and a handful of others, including Papa Smurf and Smurfette (voiced by Katy Perry), decide they needed to try to catch him.  They stumble into a cave where a mysterious portal opened due to the rise of the Blue Moon.  Gargamel and Azrael catch up, but the Smurfs escape through the portal, where the villains quickly follow.  All the characters end up in New York and stumble into the lives of cosmetic company VP, Patrick Winslow (Neil Patrick Harris) and his pregnant wife, Grace Winslow.  The Smurfs are in desperate need of finding a "stargazer" (telescope), a spell book (which turns out to be a book of their comic strips), and an incantation to summon a Blue Moon and open another portal to return home, before Gargamel and Azrael catch them!  While trying to accomplish this, the Smurfs, especially Clumsy Smurf, constantly get in the way of Patrick completing an important work project, causing him to express his frustration and worry about having a baby.  A cute family movie, definitely geared more for children than their parents, that shows people can have more than one trait and even Clumsy can be a hero!

Opinion
While the idea behind Patrick's anxieties of becoming a father may have been intended to keep the parents engaged in what is mostly a children's movie, it fell a little short of the mark and took up screen time with scenes that may be lost on the children viewers.  As I am mostly unfamiliar with the Smurf world, I can't speak to the accuracy of how the Smurfs were portrayed, but there was enough information included in the movie for those unfamiliar with their world to follow along.  Katy Perry being a voice actor and Neil Patrick Harris playing the main human character may be large draws for the tween crowds.

Ideas
This is good movie to show during family movie days at public libraries.  The theme that people can change and don't always have to be what people think they are (Clumsy managing to save the day in the end) is predictable, but a good message nonetheless.

18. League of Legends (LoL)

League of Legends (LoL)
Developed by Riot Games, 2009

Genre
Role Playing Game (RPG), Real Time Strategy (RTS)

Awards

• IGN PC Best Strategy Game: Reader's Choice (2009)
• Gamespy Gamer's Choice Award: PC Gamer's Choice (2009)
• 1st Game Developers Online Choice Awards (2010)
• Best Online Technology
• Visual Arts
• Game Design
• New Online Game
• Audience Award
• Golden Joystick Award: Online Game of the Year (2010)
• Golden Joystick Award: Best Free-To-Play Game (2011)

Review

This game offers many options for players.  First it is free-to-play, meaning that the player only needs to go to the website and download the game file, create an account, and can begin playing.  Players are called "summoners" and choose a "champion" at the beginning of each match.  Players can select from four different game types: PvP (player vs. player), Co-op vs. AI, Custom, and Tutorials.  When a player first creates an account, they go through tutorials before being able to play other types of games (can be skipped if chosen).  Players earn experience and an in-game currency called IP (Influence Points) by fighting in matches.   Summoner accounts level up the more games are played, with a cap at level 30.  IP can be used to purchase champions or runes (buffs to help during matches).  RP (Riot Points) can be purchased with real money and used to buy champions, skins (different outfits for champions), and other nick-knacks, but nothing that could "make the difference" in a game.  The most popular game type is PvP where each team is comprised of real people (either randomly added to a team from a queue or players that are in a group, usually friends).  Five people are needed for the game so if the group has less than 5 people, random players will be added from the queue.  Games vary in length depending on the skill level of the players.  Some matches can be watched (on a delay - no cheating!) to learn new skills or just for enjoyment.  There are ranked matches, animated videos depicting the fighting from champion perspectives, new champions, background lore and updates all the time, making it a new experience every time the game is played.

Opinion

This is an extremely fun game that is generally appropriate for tweens.  Since players can add "friends" and IM them, parents may want to verify who is on their tweens friend list.  Many people play with real life friends and use services like Skype or Vent to talk via microphone, as typing in the chat box during the game can be distracting.  There is a language filter that can be turned on in the settings, but no "parental controls", meaning the player will always have access to the settings menu and can change the filter setting.  I think this is a great game that actually engages the mind since players have to make strategy decisions about where to go on the map and when to use certain skills or purchase certain items.

Ideas
Players are made to think ahead in this game and strategize with their team, meaning communication is important from the beginning.  This is a great game to play with friends you know because you can all help each other become better at it.

17. Hercules

Hercules
Directed by Brett Ratner
Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, 2014

Genre
Action, Adventure, Legend

Awards
None Known

Review
A brand new telling of the legend of Hercules shows that he doesn't always fight his battles alone.  He has a group of friends and skilled fighters, who stand by him.  The story opens showing some of the great feats Hercules was said to have accomplished, but quickly comes back to present times to find the storyteller is the nephew of Hercules who has been captured by pirates and is trying to delay their attempt to kill him while waiting for Hercules to come rescue him.  The movie continues from there, always hinting that Hercules may or may not really be the son of Zeus, but all that mattered was that his legend lived on so it went ahead of him, casting fear into the hearts of his enemies and inspiring courage in his allies.  The movie also references Hercules's family being killed and that he was banned from Athens, accused of their murder, which lead him to become a mercenary for hire.  A cleaver balance of humor and action/adventure was shown, humor mainly being shown by the character Tydeus, but also at times by others in Hercules's party.  This movie is rated PG-13 due to brief nudity (a quick flash of a woman disrobing from the back and showing her bare buttocks), intense battle scenes and violence, and language.  This telling of the Hercules legend is based on The Thracian Wars comic series by Radical Comics and can certainly be enjoyed by newcomers to the Hercules story, but those who have followed previous shows, movies, or other tellings made about this legend may see references in the movie.

Opinion
I was surprised this movie was rated PG-13.  The battle scenes were intense, but showed little blood.  There were certainly many dead bodies, including those of children showed up close, and heads on spikes.  There was a flash of brief nudity and language concerns including a handful of uses of the word "shit" and a use of the "f-word".  Parental discretion is definitely advised with this movie, as this may be considered absolutely appropriate by some parents and absolutely not by others.  That aside, I think this movie was certainly appealing to the tween group due to the casting of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Hercules and the heavy action in the film.  The 3D effects were a little overwhelming at the beginning, but were very enjoyable and well-timed for the rest of the movie.  Humor was well-used, having Tydeus being a consistent relief during fighting scenes.

Ideas
I would certainly recommend parents to look into this movie before deciding if it is appropriate for their tween to see, whether alone or with an adult.  It is a good addition to the anthology of Hercules retellings and will be a good addition to a mythology display (after it is released on DVD) to hopefully attract older patrons.

16. When You Are Happy

When You Are Happy
By Eileen Spinelli
Illustrated by Geraldo Valério
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2006

Genre
Poetry, Picture Book

Awards
None Known

Review
This book follow a child through all the feelings she might have, with presumably a parent or loved one speaking to her about how they will always cheer her up when she is sad, care for her when she is sick, finder her when she is lost, and laugh with her when she is happy.  The wonderful illustrations show the girl and her family members, as well as a doll (who also has a doll of its own!).  They beautifully depict the words of the poem and are spread over one or two pages for each section of the poem.  Spinelli's warm poem mixed with Valério unique illustrations provide a comforting feeling to the reader throughout the book that lasts long after closing the cover.

Opinion
I loved this book! I wanted to purchase a copy for myself because of how cute it was and the warm, fuzzy feeling you had when you were done reading it.  The copy I had checked out from the library showed it was "much loved" and heavily read.  I think this could be one of those books that is a "comfort" book that younger children keep as they grow up to just read and reread.

Ideas
A great poetry book, definitely geared toward the younger end of tweens or younger, but with more words per page than some picture books I've seen.  The repetition makes it easy to read with a "When you are... I will..." pattern for much of the poem.  Much of the imagery in Spinelli's poem can be enjoyed by older readers as well (like "When you are cold, I will weave you a blanket from leftover sun."), but they may feel the book is childish with the type of illustrations done by Valério.

15. Mirror Mirror

Mirror Mirror
By Marilyn Singer
Illustrated by Josée Masse
Dutton Children's Books, 2010

Genre
Poetry, Picture Book

Awards

• Goodreads Choice Nominee for Picture Book (2010)
• Cybils Award in Poetry (2010)
• Horn Book Fanfare Best Poetry Book list (2010)
• Betsy Bird's 100 Magnificent Children's Books of 2010
• Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Books of 2010
• Booklist Editor's Choice list (2010)
• Washington Post's Top 15 Books of 2010
• NCBLA - Notable Children's Books in the English Language Arts (2011)
• ALA Notable (2011)
• Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee (2011-2012)
• Flicker Tale Children's Book Award Nominee for Picture Book (2012)
• Land of Enchantment Picture Book Award (2012)

Review
A beautifully illustrated picture book of poems that can be read up to down, or down to up! Author Marilyn Singer writes poems about fairy tales that can be reversed, showing a completely different poem.  While made in the form of a picture book, older audiences will enjoy her poetic style as well as younger children.  Singer even challenges her readers at the end of the book to make up their own reversible poem.  The illustrations are colorful and eye-catching, also showing both sides of the story that is told by the two poems opposite the picture.

Opinion
This book is skillfully written, though the poems aren't as amusing as I thought they would be.  I feel like this poem style is limiting with the choice of vocabulary as the sentences have to work both backwards and forwards, even though the punctuation can be moved around, but the poems are still vague and sometimes difficult to understand, like they were just words and ideas from a specific fairy tale put into a poem, hoping to flow well, but not succeeding (like the poem entitled Mirror Mirror).  However, some of them were very enjoyable with The Doubtful Duckling, Bears in the News, and Have Another Chocolate being my favorites because of their clever way of telling both sides in a way that didn't necessitate having a picture to know what was going on.

Ideas
The author challenges her readers to try their hand at making their own poems like this.  This would be a fun activity for most of the ages in the tween group, letting them use this book as an example.

14. Boy Meets World: Season 1

Boy Meets World: Season 1
Created by Michael Jacobs and April Kelly
Buena Vista Television, 1993-1994

Genre
Television Sitcom

Award

• Young Artist Award Nomine (1994)

Review
The first season of this amusing and timeless show follows Cory Matthews through his last year of Jr. High.  He, along with his friend Shawn Hunter, his first crush Topanga Lawrence, and his girl-crazy older brother Eric, learn many lessons about growing up, friendship, and family.  Cory's teacher and next door neighbor, Mr. Feeny, is a main teacher and facilitates much of these lessons by doing things like letting Cory figure out it is the right thing to do to notify his family when Shawn ran away and is hiding in Cory's room or "switching places" with Cory so Cory can teach the class and see just how "easy" it really is.  Many times, life events in the Matthews family conveniently parallel lessons being taught in Mr. Feeny's classroom, allowing Cory and the viewer to see the classroom lesson applied in real life.  This show is great for tweens because, despite being cheesy at times, this show deals with real life issues, like poverty, homework, puberty, siblings, breaking the law, and growing up in realistic ways.

Opinion
Even though this show is from the early '90s, tweens today can still find most of it relevant and useful, and humorous.  I believe this show can still be a favorite for tweens today, despite being different from many current sitcoms since the children don't rule the household.

Ideas
This show is a fun way for children to learn some life lessons and get validation about feelings of growing up, while still laughing and experiencing a wholesome family show.

13. Redwall

Redwall
By Brian Jacques
Philomel, 1986
Narrated by Brian Jacques and Full Cast

Genre
Adventure, Animal Fantasy, Magic Realism

Awards

• The Lancashire Libraries Children's Book of the Year Award (1988)
• Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal (1988)
• The Western Australian Young Reader's Award (1990)

Review

A wonderful adventure story that portrays mice, and other woodland creatures, in Redwall Abby.  All the creatures are peaceful and everyone in the forest knows it is an unwritten rule to attack anyone wearing a Redwall habit, but the terrible sea-rat, Cluny the Scourge, sees Redwall as a perfect base for him.  Redwall inhabitants have their peaceful lives turned upside-down when they hear Cluny is coming to attack.  But Matthias, a brave young orphaned mouse, understood the danger ahead and took the Abby's founder, Martin the Warrior, as his example to try himself to become the Warrior of Redwall.  He later finds that Martin knew Matthias would be born long after he himself had died, and Martin's spirit would be with him in battle.  Along with friends like Constance the Badger, Basil Stage Hare, Methuselah the mouse, and Abbot Mortimer, Matthias retrieves Martin's hidden sword and shield, battles a giant adder snake called Asmodeus Poisonteeth, and defeats Cluny the Scourge and his army in this exciting adventure.  Author Brian Jacques and his full cast of voice actors do a wonderful job of giving life to the wonderful characters in this story and keep the listener yearning to hear more.

Opinion
I thought this was a wonderfully entertaining book; the voices of the characters were stuck in my head long after pausing the story and I was always wondering what would happen next.  The book is on the longer side, but it is perfectly appropriate for tweens who enjoy a good adventure story.  My friend had recommended I read this as it was apparently popular when we were growing up, but I had completely missed it! I'm certainly glad to have read it now than think I will be suggesting it to many children in the future.

Ideas
This may be a good book for reluctant readers because the story pulls you in not long after starting it and is full of action, but the thickness of it and some (though very little) of the language might be difficult.  This books will be pleasing to many different kinds of readers as it touches many genres: it has animals acting as humans, a magical element of Martin's spirit still being involved with Matthias, a brave warrior who strikes out on his own several times on quests, and an easily hated villain that all readers can root against.  Since the idea of the morality behind war is briefly touched on as well, this book could be a class assignment and a discussion generated on this topic.

12. A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 9: The Carnivorous Carnival

A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 9: The Carnivorous Carnival
By Lemony Snicket (Pen Name for Daniel Handler)
HarperCollins, 2002
Narrated by Tim Curry

Genre
Gothic Fiction

Awards
None known

Review

This is the ninth book in a 13 part series that follows the Baudelaire siblings, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, along a literal series of very unfortunate events that befall them.  Count Olaf and his odd troupe are still trying to find the Baudelaire's so they can likely kill two of them and capture the third to get their hands on a fortune left to the children by their parents.  The children must disguise themselves as circus freaks to fit in at a circus in the middle of nowhere.  The siblings spend their time at the carnival trying to escape and solve more of the mystery behind their parents' deaths before Count Olaf feeds one of the "freaks" working at the carnival to a group of recently acquired lions.  Handler creates a world where adults are ludicrous, caring more about the entertainment provided by "freaks", sloppy eating, and murder than the legality of the situation.  The children's guardian of sorts, Mr. Poe, is eternally inept causing the children to constantly try to escape Count Olaf on their own.  In contrast to the ridiculous adults, the three children are extremely smart and resourceful.  Handler also has a mysterious running side-story with the "author" Lemony Snicket who is supposedly chronicling the "true" tale of these children.  Their story somehow intertwines with his own unhappy circumstances, a mysterious organization named V.F.D., and a loss of his true love Beatrice.  The audiobook is satisfactory, with enough voice distinction to follow the characters and the narrator; there are orchestral inserts to introduce each chapter, played by The Gothic Archies created specifically for these audiobooks.

Opinion
This whole series is Gothic and dark, possibly disturbing some younger readers.  There is, however, dark comedy in how absurd the adults are in the face of all the children's problems.  Despite a lack of moral compass in many adults, the children maintain their own morals and struggle with having to do things that are wrong in order to ensure their survival.  I have read the previous books; this is the first book in the series I have listened to the audio of and I was disappointed.  I found the reading to be adequate if not lackluster, and I found the music irritating, abrupt, and distracting.

Ideas
This books shows many instances where the children must rely on their own skills to get out of situations.  Adults can show tweens that adults are not like this in reality - there is always someone they can talk to whether it's their parents, teachers, police, etc.  On a more positive note, this book has a lead female character who is an imaginative inventor, a role mostly taken by male characters.  Handler also instills a love of books through Klaus, an avid reader and apt researcher.  Children can learn that whatever their skills may be, they can be useful, especially when combined with others.

11. The Lego Movie

The Lego Movie
Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Warner Bros. Pictures, 2014

Genre
Adventure, Comedy

Honors
None known

Review
Vitruvius, a wizard in the Lego universe tries to stop the evil President Business from getting his hands on a weapon that could freeze the world as they knew it in place forever, the Kragle.  When he fails, he tells President Business of a prophecy, that one day, someone called "the Special" would find the Piece of Resistance and stop him from using the Kragle.  The Special would be "the most talented, most interesting, and most extraordinary person in the world".  Years later, Emmet is introduced. He is just your average construction worker in the Lego universe; he love all the popular things, loved to follow directions, and thought President Business was awesome! One night at his construction site, he falls down a hole and finds the Piece of Resistance, but passes out after seeing a vision of "the man upstairs".  When he wakes up, he doesn't remember what happened.  He is told by Bad Cop/Good Cop what happened and is then promptly rescued by WyldStyle, a girl who was looking for the Piece of Resistance.  When she realizes how ordinary Emmet is, she is dissappointed, but still takes him to see Vitruvius to see how they can save the world.  This unlikely hero changes the minds of everyone he groups up with (including Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, President Lincoln, the Green Lantern, a pirate made of junk named Metal Beard, Princess Unikitty, and Benny the astronaut), showing them that ordinary people can be "the Special" sometimes.

Opinion
I thought this was a cute movie with a sweet premise.  Younger tweens will love the super heroes and Legos while older tweens and adults will understand the interaction between the father and son later in the movie and enjoy the humor of Batman and how things are named.  The writers cleverly created a colorful and imaginative Lego universe on a table in a family's basement.

Ideas
This is a wonderful movie for all ages.  Parents are shown the creativity of their children may sometimes trump their preferred orderliness and routine.  Tweens are shown that everyone can be special sometimes.  They are also shown that there is a time for being creative and independant and a time for following directions to work together.

10. The Skull in the Rock: How a Scientist, a Boy, and Google Earth Opened a New Window on Human Origins

The Skull in the Rock: How a Scientist, a Boy, and Google Earth Opened a New Window on Human Origins
By Lee R. Berger & Marc Aronson
National Geographic Society, 2012

Genre
Non-Fiction

Awards
None known

Review
The Skull in the Rock follows the story of Lee R. Berger as he finds a link between Lucy, our 3.2 million year old relative and Lee's inspiration for fossil hunting, and homo erectus.  This book follows Lee going up as a young conservationist, through college where he ends up dropping out the first time, and on to his digging expedition to the Cradle of Humanity in Africa in 1991.  Here he found some fossils and in 1994 he witnessed the African crowned eagle pecking at his prey.  This gave Lee an idea that helped solve the mystery of damage seen on a fossil discovered many years before and dubbed the Taung Child.  After surveying the region surrounding his finds, he had little luck discovering other fossils and began to feel that the area had been picked clean of anymore useful remnants of the past.  In 2007, Lee tried using Google Earth for the first time to look at his old digging sites.  To his surprise he found there may be some collapsed caves and other possible digging areas he had missed.  Taking Job Kibii, his son, and his dog, he traveled to Africa to try digging again.  This time, his son literally stumbled upon the first bone in one of two skeletons located near each other - "no two such complete ancient hominin skeletons had ever been [found] located right next to one another".  The book goes on to explain the find, Lee's view of how evolution works, and implores young readers to pick up where Lee may leave off.  The authors even provide a website that they promise to keep updated with information (posted at the same reading level of this book) about things related to these skeletons and the studies surrounding them.

Opinion
A wonderful book for elementary schoolers, especially those interested in adventures, exploring, science, and fossils.  Lee's interpretation of evolution is shown in the back of the book; it's refreshing to see an idea that seems to encompass all scientific findings to this point that is more than an evolutionary ladder (Lee hypothesizes species interbred, making the idea of a simple line of an ape leading to a human one species at a time difficult).  I felt that this book could be inspiring to some youth, showing them that there is more out there and not "all the big discoveries [have] already been made" as the authors felt when they were young.  The glossary of terms is very helpful.  The photographs, diagrams and colorful fonts make the book beautiful and captivating.

Ideas
I'm not sure if classes are still teaching the idea from the picture of an ape slowly beginning to walk upright, use tools, and then showing a man, but this is the way I remember learning about evolution.  This alternative theory (if it is an alternative and not just the way things are now taught) would be a wonderful topic to introduce in science class or as part of a science project.

9. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
By Douglas Adams
Pan Books, 1979
Narrated by Stephen Fry

Genre
Sci-fi, Humor

Awards

• #1 on Sunday Times Bestseller list (1979)
• #1 UK Bestseller List (1984)
• 1,000,000 copies sold - Golden Pan awarded to Douglas Adams (1984)
• #24 on Waterstone's Book/Channel Four's list of "One Hundred Greatest Books of the Century" (1996)
• #4 on BBC's "Big Read" or "Nation's Best Loved Book" (2003)

Review
Arthur Dent thought it would be a relaxing Thursday, but woke up to the Earth about to be destroyed and his house about to be bulldozed! Soon he finds out his best friend, Ford Prefect, is a hitchhiker from another planet.  The two are promptly beamed into a Vogon spaceship that Ford flagged down so they could escape the Earth before its destruction.  Arthur and Ford later end up in the company of the Galactic President Zaphod Beeblebrox and Trillion, known as Tricia McMillan back on Earth where Arthur tried to have a nice conversation with her before Zaphod showed up with his apparently very successful pickup line, "Why don't you talk to me instead? I'm from a different planet."  The four of them, with a depressed robot, on their stolen spaceship powered by an improbability drive allowing them to travel through every point in space simultaneously, travel to the planet Magrathea.  Here they discover that the answer to THE question of "life, the universe, and everything" had been discovered millions of years ago by the great computer Deep Thought to be 42.  Not understanding the answer because they hadn’t asked the right question, the curious race was turned into mice and commissioned Earth (really an organic computer program used by the mice to study humans to find the real question) to be built.  This book full of absurd humor and an imaginative world if brought to life with the wonderful voice acting of Stephen Fry in this unabridged audio book.

Opinion
This is a wonderful book, humorous and fun for middle grade through early high school readers.  The absurdity of some of the humor is contrasted by the slight nagging thought that, if the mice were very good at their jobs as experimenters, we would never know if this were all true.  This is a great introduction to science fiction with creative characters and a thought provoking overarching theme.

Ideas
This book might be a good way to jump start a creative project about life on other planets, or a creative writing prompt to write about one of the other planets or species that may be in Douglas's world.  Otherwise, this would be a great book for a display of classic science fiction.

8. Candy Crush

Candy Crush

Developed by King

Genre

Puzzle

Awards

• Best Social Game - International Mobile Gaming Awards (2013)

Review

Candy Crush is a multifaceted game.  The player starts out on level one of a digital game board that looks like an expanded version of Candy Land.  The game provides a tutorial of how to swipe the colorful candies to get acceptable matching pairs.  The player is also shown how to create and combine special candies for dazzling, point creating effects.  As the player progresses in the game, different requirements are given to complete each level.  Players can link their account to Facebook, allowing friends to send them extra lives (players only get 5 lives to start with; one life is replenished every half hour) or boosters to help.  Players can make in-game purchases for items to help complete levels.  The game board is split into sections; in order to move from one section to the next, players can do one of three things: purchase the next section, get three friends to "help" them to the next section, or win a total of three unlocking levels that can only be played once every 24 hours.  The developers also added a "nighttime" game board where the player has to balance the number of candies of two particular colors removed from the board or an owl who sits on a crescent moon will become unbalanced and fall off, ended the game.  This is a fun game that is popular for all ages.

Opinion

This is a popular, colorful, and enticing game for all ages.  However, tweens especially can make great use of adding their Facebook account to this app which will allow them to trade lives and boosters with their many friends that also play.  Like similar games, this game can be addicting in nature because of the mindless swiping that happens and may result in excessive in-game purchases to keep playing without a break.

Ideas

I think this game is great for the younger side of the tween age group because it can engage their minds with matching and understanding the game objectives.  With the older tweens it becomes more of a social game while hooked up to Facebook, allowing groups of friends to challenge each other and see who can get the highest score on a particular level or give each other tips and tricks of how to pass more difficult levels.

7. Tiny Death Star

Tiny Death Star
Developed by Disney Mobile and Nimblebit
LucasArts, 2013

Genre
Simulation

Honors
None known

Review

"Where have you been?!" exclaims Emperor Palpatine as I return to the Death Star.  "Behold! While you were away, the Death Star has earned...1341 credits."  This app for Android and Apple platforms puts you in the world of Star Wars on the Dark Side, helping Emperor Palpatine build the Death Star level by level.  Similar to Nimblebit's earlier game, Tiny Tower, the player starts with a lobby level and enough Credits to buy a Residential level to start the tutorial.  After completing the tutorial, the player knows almost all there is to the game and starts the process of earning credits, the main in-game currency.  Most tasks in the game require a waiting period that increases as the player levels up.  "Bux", the other in-game currency, can be earned slowly or purchased with real money (a password can be required to make in-game purchases, helping to ensure any undesired purchases don't occur).  It can be used to speed up the waiting periods, making it tempting to spend money often.  There really is no storyline to the game; players just earn enough credits to keep increasing the size of their Death Star.  Even when the app is closed, credits are being earned and time still goes by.  Overall, this is a repetitive, but fun game that you can revisit frequently during the day to make sure your Death Star is running smoothly and keeping the Emperor's plans on track.

Opinion
My experience is that the older version of this game had lots of bugs and caused problems on my phone, so I stopped playing.  When I got a new phone, I revisited the app for this project and found that the developers updated it and many people, including myself, haven't had problems since.  New features were added, like connecting to Facebook which allows the player to earn rewards as their friends work on their own Death Stars.  I have found this app to be an entertaining time waster and visit it frequently in short bursts as it is a game you can put down at any time without affecting progress.  Being able to put it down is a different challenge as the repetitive tasks in the game can become very attractively mind-numbing and addicting.

Idea
While not intended to be educational, it helps players learn to manage resources by deciding if they want to use their limited resources to make purchases in the moment, or if they would like to save for a larger goal.

6. Go Ask Alice

Go Ask Alice
By Anonymous
Prentice Hall, 1967
Narrated by Christina Moore

Genre
Realistic Fiction

Honors

• YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2000, 2003)
• YALSA Best Books for Young Adults (1971)

Review
A fictional story written in the style of a teenager's diary, Go Ask Alice addresses serious questions about growing up and presents an uncensored look at part of the 1970s drug culture that can still be translated into today's substance using population.  A book that address difficult topics like running away, drug use, sex, rape, body image problems, and profanity, it was still on the 2003 ALA list of the top 10 most challenged books.  The unnamed "author" of the diary experiences the normal troubles teens do growing up, struggling with her body image, dating, questions about sex, testing limits with parents, and being curious about drugs.  However, this story follows the young writer as she deals with these concerns in what could be argued to be an abnormal way.  While the book is often dark and explores hard to answer questions, it also focuses on themes of the importance of family and getting to know and accept oneself, even if it means forgiving oneself and moving forward to another stage in life.  The narrator, Christina Moore, has a wonderfully expressive voice, successfully conveying all the emotions felt by this teenage writer, including her often communicated fear and confusion.

Opinion
Beatrice Sparks is the editor of Go Ask Alice and many other books that are supposed to be based off diaries of anonymous teens addressing other contempory teen issues.  The problem is she was heavy-handed with her editing, which has landed all her "edited" diaries with a Fiction label.  She also made some parents, who gave her the diary of their teenage son to publish after he committed suicide, very angry by completely adding what became the premise of the diary - a completely fictional telling of a satanic cult, leaving little of the original diary left.  So, while this book, and her others, may be in some way based on a legitimate diary of a real teen, the books we see published may be far from the actual lives of the specific teens who inspired Sparks's stories.  Go Ask Alice is a popular, classic book for teenagers since it addresses so many key issues.  I feel like this book is appropriate for the upper ends of the tween age range, late Jr. high or high school.  It has profanity in it, young character runs away, describes having sex and being raped, describes the intensity of her "trips" and her addiction, and details her psychotic break, so it may be too disturbing and graphic for some users. But for those who can handle it, some powerful lessons may be learned.

Ideas
Go Ask Alice is a great book for any discussion about substance abuse, running away, and the general struggle teenagers go through during adolescence.  This is a good book for parents/teachers and teens to read together, or simultaneously, to help provoke discussion and open up communication lines about serious topics teens may be reluctant to discuss. Due to the authorship issues, it's also a great book to start a discussion about trustworthy information sources.

5. The Notorious Benedict Arnold

The Notorious Benedict Arnold

By Steve Sheinkin
Roaring Brook Press, 2010
Narrated by Mark Bramhall

Genere
Non-fiction

Honors

• Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Non-Fiction (2011)
• YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction (2011)

Review
An excellent telling of Benedict Arnold's involvement with the US's war for independence from Brittan.  Sheinkin does a masterful job of weaving quoted historical accounts into the text and writing as if this were a fictional novel.  The introduction is captivating and puts the reader on the edge of his/her seat, especially if they know little to nothing about Arnold.  Since the topic is historical, and some readers may find it boring if they already know the outcome, Sheinkin paid close attention to details, bringing in other characters that played large rolls, and adding novelty information that was likely not taught in school social studies.  Sheinkin organized the book by dates, making chapters short and including many maps to allow the reader to follow the action across the East Coast and Canada as battles were fought.  These diagrams will involve reluctant readers in the action of the battles.  The audio book narrated by Mark Bramhall was wonderfully captivating, bringing Sheinkin's description of Arnold and everything he did to life.  Bramhall had wonderful voices to differentiate all the historical quotations from the rest of the narration.

Opinion
I thought this was a great book, especially since I knew absolutely nothing about Benedict Arnold going into the book.  I now feel that I could give an account of who he is and what he did during the time of the American Revolution, though the book did not cover much of his life after he left America for Europe.  I was constantly wondering what was going on with his sons, who he seemed to have simply deserted and left with his sister most of their lives.  I don't know if this is because there is no information on what they were doing while Arnold was off fighting, marrying another woman and having another child with her, and betraying his country, or if the author simply didn't want to focus on them anymore than he already had.  I think this is a fantastic book that is easy for middle-grade and early high schoolers to enjoy while still learning about part the country's history.  Additionally, I feel that Sheinkin did a wonderful job listing his sources in a way that the reader understands which resources were used for what research and where every quote in the book came from.  It allows for easy access to resource suggestions for anyone interested in studying further on any particular part of Arnold's story.

Ideas
This book would be great in a few places: an exhibit or project on the American Revolution, anything focusing on Benedict Arnold, and possibly even something focusing on George Washington or John Andre who were both mentioned frequently throughout the book.

4. Island of the Blue Dolphins

Island of the Blue Dolphins

By Scott O'Dell

Dell Publishing, 1960
Narrated by Tantoo Cardinal

Genre

Historical Fiction

Honors

• Newbery Award (1961)
• Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (1961)
• Southern California Council on Literature for Children and Young People (1961)
• Pomona Friends of the Library (1961)
• International Board on Books for Young People Honor List (1962)
• William Allen White Children's Book Award (1963)
• Jugendbuchpreis (1963 - Given by Federal Republic of Germany)
• Rupert Hughes Award
• Nene Award (1964)
• George C. Stone Center for Children's Books (1971)
• Children's Literature Association: "11 Best American Children's Books of the Past 200 Years" (1976)
• Omar's Book Award (1985)
• School Library Journal, Books That Shaped the Century (2000)

Review

Karana's life with her tribe in their small village of Ghalas-at had a routine - the men hunted, the woman gathered, and they all survived together.  Karana's father was the chief of the tribe and she spent much time with her brother and sister.  One spring, hunters Karana thought of as Aleut came to the island and changed everything.  The Aleut and the men of the tribe fought and many of the men, including Karana's father, died.  A new chief took a canoe to find white men who could bring a ship to take the rest of the tribe to safety.  When the white men came, the tribe boarded the ship, leaving their home behind.  Karana found that her brother had missed the ship and she jumped off the boat to go back for him.  The two of them made plans to survive while waiting for the ship to return, but her brother was killed.  Karana was alone on the island for a long time and overcame many struggles before a ship finally came for her.  Tantoo Cardinal narrates this beautifully written book, bringing the story to life and speaking Karana's language as though she had known it her whole life.  Her cadence was like waves, going in and out from the beach, calming and flowing over the reader as she tells about Karana exploring her home and learning to live alone.

Opinion

The edition of the book I have doesn't say until the end that this story is based off history.  I feel that O'Dell did a wonderful job telling what this woman's life may have been like on that island, but I wish the book was organized with this information at the front.  The audio book doesn't cover this short informational segment and I never knew this book was more than a fictional story until discovering this short in the back.  I enjoyed that it was different than much historical fiction I've read before, starting with a historical character and creating events around her, rather than starting with a historical time period and creating characters within it.

Ideas

This is a great book for an exhibit about American Indians since O'Dell goes into great detail about how they hunted, and also a little detail about the beliefs and language of Karana's tribe.  I also think this is a great book for young girls since it has a strong female main character survivalist.  Many books I've seen about young people living alone are about solitary boys or groups of youth.  This may be an empowering book for young female readers.

3. Wings

Wings
By Bill Brittain
HarperCollins Children's Books,1991

Genre
Low Fantasy

Honors

• ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (1999)

Review
Ian has been having severe back pain for quite a while, causing him to see the doctor frequently.  This is irritating to his mother, who is pulled away from her perfect daughter to take Ian to the physician.  Eventually, after many tests and x-rays, the doctor found the cause of Ian's pain -- he was growing wing! The news, and eventual eruption of the wings, turn Ian's world upside-down.  His politically ambitious father tried to hide Ian in the home, confining him to his room and keeping him from attending the start of his 8th grade year.  Eventually Ian threatens to tell all the reporters that have been hounding his parents about the wings if he wasn't allowed to go to school.  School is difficult, as his classmates consider him a "freak", despite his teacher's best efforts.  A girl who had been considered the "class freak" for having a 6th finger on her left hand befriends Ian and supports him as he learns how to use his wings.  While hiding away from reporters at his new friend's home, Ian learns to be brave and finds out why his parents act like they do.  In the end, he is faced with a tough decision: keep his wings, leaving him a "freak" forever, but knowing the freedom of flying, or have them removed, making him "normal" again, but forever grounded.  A simple book that addresses many common problems experience while growing up, even for children who don't grow wings.

Opinion
This book is a favorite of a friend's 6th grader, so I thought I would read it for this assignment.  I loved the plot and found the story to be very enjoyable.  The story progresses quickly, with the main character also developing quickly.  Most of the characters lacked depth, but the reader feels some sympathy for Ian's family situation.  When left to make a "grown up" decision at the end of the book, the reader know that which ever decision Ian makes will affect the rest of his life and can understand the pros and cons of each choice.

Ideas
This book is a unique way of telling the story about the "different" kid in class and is a great way for children to learn about teasing, as well as a little bit about open communication within a family.  They also learn about friendships and what really makes a good friend.