Nick and Tesla's Robot Army Rampage

Nick and Tesla's Robot Army Rampage is a fantastic book that combines a great adventure story about two eleven year old detectives with directions on how to make the robots that they use to save the day.

This is a terrific book.  It's formatted in much of the same way that "cooking" fiction books are formatted except instead of recipes throughout the story it's directions to help kids make the gadgets that the characters use on their quest.  This is the book that every young engineer and scientist will adore.

I recommend this book to readers 9-13.  The robots will need a bit of adult help if they want to create the robots (batteries and cutting wire).

Review Copy Provided by Amazon Vine

Rebel McKenzie

Rebel McKenzie by Candice Ransom follows twelve year old Rebel who is sent off to live with her poor sister to spend the summer babysitting her nephew after running away because she was upset about not being able to go to paleontology camp.  Rebel finds out that things are very difficult for her sister who is attending beauty school after a divorce.  The trailer is small and there isn't a lot of food.  She makes friends with the neighbors, decides to enter a pageant and end up making a difference in a lot of lives.

This is a great book that kids will love.  It's so nice to read a book with a character that is not excessively rich (that isn't specifically about poverty).  While some of the money situations are a bit difficult to read about it's not the focus of the book and it's not written to be tragic, just the setting for everything.  There's a great set of original characters including the two neighbor girls, one who is a snotty reigning pageant queen and the other who is a mess after the loss of her mother.  My only complaint about the book was that the ending wrapped up a little perfectly with some obnoxious behavior being rewarded. 

Appropriateness:  This is an easy and quick read that will be enjoyed by it's intended audience of 9-12 year old girls (although it's a little flighty for readers older than that).  The book will provide parents with a good opportunity to talk about poverty with their kids and how we take things for granted that others have to struggle to obtain.  There is no adult content, romance or violence.

Princess of the Wild Swans

Princess of the Wild Swans by Diane Zahler is a retelling of the Six Swans.  The story follows Meriel the only daughter in the kings household.  She adores her brothers and when her father comes home with a new wife who seems to resent their existence Meriel becomes worried.  After the new Queen sends her brothers to school Meriel is suspicious.  When she finds a new group of swans on the lake that seem like her brothers she knows that something is wrong.  She soon finds out that they've been enchanted and she must make them shirts out of stinging nettles and remain silent until the task is done.

This is a wonderful retelling.  Zahler does a fantastic job with these retellings in a way that makes them perfect for the middle grade readers who love princesses but have no desire to read a romantic story.  This book is full of magic, suspense and girl power.  I finished the book quickly and had a huge smile on my face when it was over.

Appropriateness:  This is a fantastic middle grade book that is also great for younger advanced readers.  The story is fun and interesting full of evil queens and princesses without the usual romance that you would find in fairytale retellings.  There is some nice vocabulary the lexile is 819.  I would recommend this book to readers 9-13 with the book being short and interesting enough for a read aloud.    

Alien on a Rampage

 Alien on a Rampage is the sequel to Aliens on Vacation.  This book begins with David returning to his grandmother's bed and breakfast for a second summer.  He's excited for another vacation full of responsibility and adventure.  Things aren't all he thought they would be.  Amy has taken over a lot of responsibility and Grandma's creepy alien repairman Scratchell seems to be hiding something big.  Can David save the hotel and the world?

This sequel was just as good as the first book in the series.  The mystery was more serious than in the first book but still filled with humor.  A great addition to this book was David's alien pet with an insatiable appetite.  I laughed and smiled and couldn't put the book down until I finished it. It reads like a funny Disney channel movie.

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book and is has a great message.  I recommend this book to boys and girls 10-14 with it being completely appropriate for younger readers who aren't overwhelmed with the size of the book.

ARC provided by publisher

The Sisters Grimm

The Fairy Tale Detectives, the first book in the Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley follows Sabrina and her sister Daphne who move in with their grandmother in a very strange town.  They immediately notice that there is something strange in the house and town.  They soon find out that the town they live in is filled with fairytale characters and they must solve a mystery to save their grandmother from a giant that is tearing up the town.

This is a fun series that intermediate and middle grade readers will enjoy.  It's got two spunky female characters who are self reliant and smart.  The mystery combines the familiar tales with an imaginative spin and also introduces the fact that the sanitized versions that our kids were introduced to are different than the originals which were much scarier. 

Appropriateness:  This is a great book for readers who have graduated into full chapter books.  The reading level is about 4.5 (lexile 840) and the book is just over three hundred pages.  The story has some minor violence (of the action variety) but is not very scary.  While the two main characters are female there are several male characters that boys will like and there is not even a hint of romance.  I would recommend this book to boys and girls 9-13 (or younger readers who can handle the size of the book).  It is interesting enough that it will work as a read aloud and first in a multi book series.

You Will Call Me Drog

You Will Call Me Drog  follows a boy named Parker who gets a sarcastic puppet named stuck Drog on his hand.  Parker is going through many problems in his life and Drog just makes his life more difficult.  His relationship with his father hasn't been strong since his parents got divorced and Drog's sarcastic comments complicate things.  Because of Drog Parker is forced to confront many issues in his life and find new interests and friends.

I really enjoyed this book.  I initially thought it was going to be a silly little children's book but it was far more than that.  This is a well crafted book about a boy in pain over his parents divorce.  Throughout the book Parker grows from a needy little boy to a young adult who sticks up for what he believes in and isn't afraid to speak honestly but kindly to his father and other adults in his life.  The book has several fantastic adult characters that help Parker on his journey including his teacher, his Akido instructor, his therapist and his mother.  Many social issue novels read like after school specials but this one integrates the problem into Parker's struggle with his sarcastic puppet making it a book that kids will want to read. 


Appropriateness:  Drog tries to get Parker to show him dancing girls, he does some searches on the computer to get pictures.  He makes a visit to a strip club (to which Parker is immediately stopped from entering), both of which are seen as crazy activities.  I would recommend this book to boys from 9-13 and it would be helpful for kids dealing with a divorce or custody disputes.

James and the Giant Peach

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl is an action packed classic.  James has to go live with his evil Aunts because a giant Rhinoceros ate his parents.  A man gives James some magic to make him happier, but the magic spills all over the soil near the peach tree causing a huge peach to grow.  James found a hole in the peach and climbed in and found giant bugs and he goes on an adventure with them facing giant cloud men and sharks along the way.

My daughter asked to read the book and after checking out the reading level I told her that it might be a little hard so if she thought it was too hard she should quit reading it.  She was not deterred by the difficulty of the book because she enjoyed the story so much.  She really liked the descriptions throughout the book which made it exciting.  She was so excited as to what was going to happen next that she read this book outside her normal reading time and finished it very quickly.  

Appropriateness:  This is Dahl so there are some things that are a little twisted so if you have an easily disturbed child they might be bothered, most kids won't have any problem (if they can handle spiderman they can handle Dahl)..  This is a fantastic book for advanced readers.  It's full of adventure and fun and age appropriate (content wise) for all elementary aged readers but it is filled with poetry and difficult vocabulary words.  Like other Dahl books the reading levels vary based on which system you use, the grade equivalent is 6.7, lexile 840 (putting it at a fifth grade level) and the guided reading level is Q.  I would recommend this book as a read aloud for second grade and up an as a read to self for kids that read above a fourth grade level.

This book is on the banned book list for a lot of absurd reasons.  You can read a great article here on the book and the controversy.  Most of the books on that list are fantastic, so use the list to get your kid pumped about reading a banned book.

There is a movie version of the book that is great when your child finishes the book that my daughter also enjoyed that we rented from netflix when she finished the book.

Aliens on Vacation

Aliens on Vacation stars Scrub a boy sent to stay for the summer with his eccentric grandmother who runs the Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast.  Scrub soon notices that the guests in this hotel look and act a little strange.  He soon learns that this is not an ordinary hotel but one with guests from across the galaxy.  His grandmother gives him many responsibilities around the hotel which he enjoys.  However, the local sheriff has his eye on the hotel and has made it his mission to get it shut down.

I loved this book.  It read like a Disney TV Movie (and Disney has apparently optioned the movie rights) making it a quick, funny and fast read.  Scrub grows as a person throughout the book and really enjoys the responsibility that his grandmother gives him and that he is really needed for once in his life.  The different descriptions of the alien guests are very funny and there are plenty of scenes that will make readers laugh out loud.

Appropriateness:  I would recommend this book to readers from 10-14 (and younger advanced readers).  The main character is around 14 and has problems that boys will be able to relate to.  There is a little bit of a romance in the book (which could encourage some female readership) but not enough to alienate a male readership.  There is no adult content. 

Review copy obtained from publisher through netgalley.  Book to be released on May 1st.

The Wide Awake Princess

The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker tells the story of Annie, Sleeping Beauty's sister.  Annie was gifted at birth with magic not having an effect on her.  All Annie's life she's been kept at a distance because she repels magic.  When the castle is put to sleep by her sisters curse she is the only one that can save her family.  Annie travels through several kingdoms with a bodyguard looking for princes to kiss her sister.

This is a delightful book that kids will adore.  Kids will enjoy picking out the pieces of different fairytales that are smashed in together.  There is a bit of a romance but it is simple and not enough to put off young readers.  Annie is a strong and confident girl and the type of princess that Mom's would love their daughters to be.  Liam, Annie's bodyguard is sweet and a great friend. 

Appropriateness:  This is a great fast paced fairytale.  I would place the interest level at 9-12 with it being a fantastic read aloud for younger readers who love fairy tales.  The lexile is 890 putting it around a sixth grade reading level making it a great book for advanced readers.