Mates, Dates & Inflatable Bras by Cathy Hopkins

Mates,  Dates & Inflatable Bras

Author:  Cathy Hopkins

Publisher:  Bolinda Audio     Year:  2002

ISBN:  1740931351 - Audiobook

Genre: Fiction/ Realistic

This book is for Ages: 12 up

AR Points: 4.0

Subjects/Themes: Friends; Growing Up

Plot Summary: Lucy is lost.  She really looks more like a child than a 14-year-old.  When beautiful Nesta comes to her school, Lucy must share her best friend Izzy.  All while looking for a handsome mysterious boy and trying to decide what she wants to do with her life. 

Review:   This is a fun story about growing up and making friends.   Lucy has a lot to learn about herself.  She like most teens underestimates her talents and potential.  She has a bit to learn about and what it means to be a good friend.  This story is stylish witty and funny.  Amanda Hulme does a great job of bringing Lucy’s voice to life.

If you like this book you may also like other books by Cathy Hopkins in the Mates Dates series.

Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman

Dark Hills Divide

Author:  Patrick Carman

Narrator: Aasne Vigesaa

Publisher: Brilliance Audio              

Year:  2005

ASIN: B001IV0FBE

Genre: Fiction/Adventure

This book is for Ages:  8-12

AR Points:      10.0

Subjects/Themes:  Magic, Safety

Plot Summary:  12-year-old Alexa is spending the summer with her father in the walled city of Bridewell.  For years she has longed to know what lies outside its walls.   Alexa discovers a secret door that takes her to the forest where she learns of the suffering of the animals since the walls went up and of a dark plot to invade Bridewell.    Can Alexa and her new friends save the city?

Review:   Patrick Carman writes a magical story that starts out a little slowly.  Alexa is smart but she follows directions far too easily while in the forest.  Much of the story is told as a narrative by other characters.  This book could have been more interesting but it is still worth reading.  The woodland creatures that help her are intriguing and funny.   The pool in the novel is well-crafted.   I would read the next book in the series because Dark Hills Divide is an intriguing story and I want to know what happens next.

If you like this book you may also like:  The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and the other Land of Elyon books.

Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo

Midnight for Charlie Bone

Author:  Jenny Nimmo

Publisher:  Listening Library  Date: March 2004

ISBN:  978-1400086146

Audio Book Narrator: Simon Russell Beale

Genre: Fiction

This book is for Ages: 8 up

AR Points:      10.0

Subjects/Themes: Fantasy Magic

Plot Summary:  11-year-old Charlie Bone lives with his Mom, 2 Grandmothers and Uncle.  One day Charlie realizes that he is endowed.  He can hear the thoughts and conversations of people in photographs.  When Charlie’s photograph of his best friend’s dog gets mixed up with the 11-year-old photo of a man and his baby girl, Charlie begins to investigate what happened to the baby and wonders if the girl may be a student with him at Bloor’s academy.  Charlie soon becomes entangled in a larger plot where endowed children good and evil, struggle for control.
 

Review: Jenny Nimmo’s Charlie Bone is a good story that suffers from comparison to the Harry Potter books.  Bloor’s Academy is like Hogwarts and Charlie’s family is both supportive and sinister.  The nice thing about this book is that Charlie is not an orphan.  He has a mother, grandmother and uncle who support him.  Charlie meets other adults he can rely on in this tale and the unusual powers of the endowed children makes for a good read.

If you like this book you may also like:  Any of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. 

Boom by Mark Haddon

Boom

Author:  Mark Haddon

Publisher:  Listening Library (Audio); Unabridged edition (May 11, 2010)

ISBN:  978-0739381373

Genre: Science Fiction

This book is for Ages: 10 up

AR Points:      5.0

Subjects/Themes: Friends, Family, Space, Aliens, United Kingdom

Plot Summary:  When Jimbo’s sister tells him he is going to be expelled from school, He and his best friend, Charlie decide to bug the teachers’ lounge.  They hear 2 teachers talking in a completely unrecognizable language and acting in a very alien manner.  Charlie is intrigued and starts to investigate.  When Charlie goes missing, Jimbo knows it is up to him to find and save Charlie and maybe even the Earth.

Review: Marc Haddon’s book is a fun romp good for a giggle.  Jimbo is fun; Charlie is great; the aliens are silly, and scary.  The book is written with a British audience in mind and so readers may encounter some interesting and fun cultural slang.  This book is a rewrite of Haddon’s earlier work Gridzbi Spudvetch! (Walker, 1994).  

If you like this book you may also like:  Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams  although it is for a slightly older audience. 

When you Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Title:   When You Reach Me

Author:  Rebecca Stead

Reader: Cynthia Holloway

Publisher: Listening Library  Year:  2009

ISBN:  978-0739380727

Media: Digital Download

Genre: Fiction/Science Fiction/Realistic Fiction

This book is for Ages: 10 – adult

Awards: Newbery Medal; SLJ Best Book, YALSA Top Ten

AR Points:     6.0

Subjects/Themes: Time Travel, Family Life, Friendship, Bullies.

Plot Summary:  6^th graders, Miranda and Sal have been best friends for a long time.  One day on the way home from school, Sal gets punched by a strange boy in a camouflage coat.  Sal doesn’t want to hang out with Miranda anymore. Miranda’s life is made even stranger when the spare key to her apartment is stolen, and she starts finding mysterious notes around her apartment, notes about someone coming to save her friend’s life.  Miranda is scared.  Which friend’s life need saving?  Who has been in her apartment?  How does the mysterious note writer know so much about her life?

Review:  Depicting the quiet growth of Miranda, this book is strongly related to Madeline L’Engle’s Wrinkle in Time.  Stead’s characters will remind you of friends from school.  The story is well paced and builds to reveal the mystery.  The real story is about the possibilities and travel we can take as we journey through life.  Stead has created a book with depth and heart that is worth reading more than once. 

If you like this book you may also like:  A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle.

Odd and the Frost Giants, by Neil Gaiman

Title:   Odd and the Frost Giants

Author:  Neil Gaiman

Publisher: Harper Collins Audio       Year: 2009 c2008

ISBN:  9780061962622

Genre: Fiction/Adventure/Fantasy/Folklore

This book is for Ages: 8-12

AR Points:     2.0

Subjects/Themes: Norse Mythology, Norway, Heroes, Giants, Gods

Plot Summary:  Odd is a 12-year-old who always has had some very bad luck,  His father was killed on a Viking expedition, A tree fell on his leg and crushed it, so now he walks with a crutch.  Despite the cold winter weather Odd runs away to live in his father’s hunting cabin.  Odd saves a bear that is trapped by a tree.  The bear, a fox and an eagle follow him to the cabin and tell him a wondrous tale.  Together they go on adventure to the land of Asgard where Odd must defeat the Frost Giants so that spring can return to the land.  

Review: This novella is wonderful.  Written and performed by Neil Gaiman, author of The Graveyard Book.  Gaiman shares a wondrous tale that left me dreaming of Thor, Odin and Loki, and hoping for more.  I have seen the illustrations from the print version of this book.  They are beautiful and imaginative.  Print or Audio this book is a winner.

If you like this book you may also like:  The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman;

The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron

Title:   The Higher Power of Lucky

Author:  Susan Patron

Reader:  Cassandra Campbell

Publisher:  Listening Library (Audio unabridged)  Year: 2007

ISBN:  978-0739338797

Media:  Digital Download

Genre: Fiction/Realistic

This book is for Ages: 8-12

Awards:  ALA Notable, Newbery Medal

AR Points: 5.0          

Subjects/Themes: Family Life, Adoption, Death, Hope, Addiction

Plot Summary:  10-year-old Lucky lives in Hard Pan California where the population is 43.  Two years ago, Lucky’s mother died in an accident.  Since then Lucky has learned to carry a survival kit. Brigitte her father’s first wife is Lucky’s guardian.  Bridgitte is homesick for Paris.   Lucky listens in to the Anonymous meetings at the center where she works.  She understands the need for a higher power but just can’t seem to find hers.   Lucky learns secrets about her friends and neighbors, secrets that can hurt people if she tells.  Sometimes Lucky’s meanness gland goes into overdrive.   Lucky is too wrapped up in her own pain to recognize the hurt in others and leads her to rock bottom.

Review:  This is a good book.  It deals with adult issues that many children have to face: the death of a parent, abandonment by a parent, feelings of isolation, and the need to find a reason for hardships of life.  Susan Patron’s characters are well developed.  Miles is a foil for Lucky, a version of her that is slowly being left behind.  He goes through the same changes she does.  Lucky searches for meaning, prayer, and tries to evaluate herself and her morals.  This is a good story.  I am not sure the major themes can be appreciated by all of  the audience for which it was written.

If you like this book you may also like: Lucky Breaks and Lucky for Good also by Susan Patron.

Operation Yes by Sarah Lewis Homes

Title:  Operation YES

Author:  Sarah Lewis Holmes

Publisher: Brilliance Audio   Year:  2011

Read by:  Jessica Almasy

Media: CD Unabridged Playing Time: 6 hours

ISBN:  978-1-61106-079-9

Genre: Fiction/Realistic

This book is for Ages: 8 - 14

Awards:  Audie Award for Best Audio Recording for Ages 8-12 (2010)

AR Points: 7.0

Subjects/Themes: Teachers/Students/Military Families/War/Hope

Plot Summary:  Bo is sure his 6^th grade year is going to be different.  He has a new teacher, Miss Loupe, who has a tattoo and an ugly green couch.  His cousin, Gari, is coming to live with his family at the air force base.  Her mom an army nurse has been deployed.  Gari is in the sixth grade too.  Bo and Gari share a year learning to say “Yes, and  . . .” as Miss Loupe shares her ideas theater and improvisation with the 6^th graders.  When tragedy strikes, Bo, Gari and the students of Mrs. Loupe’s sixth grade class try to restore hope to Miss Loupe, the school and soldiers.

Review:   Holmes reveals the interesting life of military children.  Bo is a typical 6^th-grade-boy.  He is a little rowdy.  He likes airplanes and cars.  He struggles with the responsibility of being the base commander’s son.  His cousin Gari worries about her mom being deployed to Iraq.  The story deals with the special challenges faced by children of American soldiers.  Holmes book is happy, sad, strong and hopeful.  This book is a must read.

If you like this book you may also like:  Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, The Military Alphabet By Chris Demarest.

Down the Rabbit Hole

Title:  Down the Rabbit Hole

Author: Peter Abrahams

Publisher: Harper Collins, 2005; ISBN: 0-06-078664-7

Series:  Echo Falls

Genre: Fiction/Mystery

This book is for children in grades: 6 - 12

Subjects/Themes: Murder/Suspense
Awards:  Booklist Editor's Choice, Edgar Award/Honor Book, Agatha Award
AR Points: 10
Format: Audiobook

Plot Summary:  Finding herself lost on the way to soccer practice 13-year-old  Ingrid, an eighth grader in Echo Falls ends up in the home of Cracked up Katie waiting for a cab. Just hours later, Katie is murdered.  Ingrid left her red sequined soccer cleats in Katie’s living room.  What will mom say if she knew Ingrid was there?  Will Joey's dad, the chief of police, find her through her cleats?  Will he think she is a suspect?  Ingrid heard a strange noise in Katie’s house while she was there.  Could it have been the killer?   Ingrid's family has problems too.  Ty her freshman brother is acting strange.  Mom and Dad are both super preoccupied with work.  Dad puts so much pressure on her and Ty about winning and college.  Ingrid must find a way to win at soccer, get the lead in the play and solve the murder mystery.  Can she follow in Sherlock Holmes' footsteps?  What if the killer comes looking for Ingrid?

Review:  I started listening to this book years ago on a trip with my family.  The trip ended before the novel and I was super excited to finish listening to this book.  I have to admit I was pretty disappointed.  I wanted to like this book.  The plot was just too simple.  It was way to easy to figure out who the killer was and I really did not like Ingrid.  Sure she is smart.  But she handles every situation she gets into with lying and/or stealing.  After a while I just did not respect her character.  Also, Ingrid's family has problems. Ty her brother is violent and her parents simply aren't engaged.  As the first book there are plenty of questions to answer in the rest of the books in the series.  This is a decent story but there are better books out there.

If you like this book you may also like:  Nancy Drew Mysteries