Charlie Thorne and the Lost City by Stuart Gibbs

12-year-old super genius Charlie Thorne is lying low in the Galapagos Islands after her first adventure.  She knows she needs to stay off everyone's radar but she can't help volunteering at a center that protects sea turtles.  One of the workers at the center approaches her with a puzzle Charlie can't resist.  It seems to be an encoded message from Charles Darwin and it leads her on a wild adventure in search of what Darwin considered the most valuable treasure he had ever found.  She is not the only one in search of Darwin's treasure, and soon Charlie realizes she must once again team up with her brother, Dante, and the CIA, if she hopes to stay alive.

This is the second in this series, and I enjoyed it as much as the first.  I love the character of Charlie who is smart and independent, but also acts like a kid.  I also like that Gibbs includes a lot of historical, geographical and scientific information that is woven seamlessly into the narritive.  Of course, not everything in the book is scientifically accurate, but there is enough there to tempt an inquisitive reader to learn more about Darwin, his travels, and his theories.  Number 3 in the series comes out in June, and I can't wait.  (384 p. 2021)

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

 Min lives on a poor planet that is part of the 1000 Worlds confederation.  She has been raised to hide the truth about her family, that they possess ancient fox magic that allows them to both shape shift and influence other's feelings with charm.  She has always been proud of her brother Jun who was accepted in the Space Forces, so she is at first devastated, and then suspicious when a government inspector comes to tell the family that her brother has deserted his post. Min leaves home to find out what has really happened to her brother and uses her fox powers to impersonate a cadet on the same ship her brother was on.  As she investigates what happened to Jun, she finds a conspiracy concerning the fabled Dragon Pearl that threatens the security of all the 1000 Worlds.

This is a original and strange addition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, but I enjoyed it for its novelty. It was like Korean mythology meets Star Trek.  While the subject matter is a little odd, Lee totally pulls it off with strong world building, interesting and likeable characters, and an engaging mystery plot.  I also thought the ending was clever, but I won't say more about that.  The second in the series just came out this month, and I will definitely be putting a hold on it. (2019, 320 p)

How Luck Happens by Janice Kaplan and Barnaby Marsh

 Janice Kaplan is a popular podcaster and author of the book The Gratitude Diaries.  In this book she teams with socialogist Barnaby Marsh to try to quantify what people do to get "good luck"  They break luck down into five components; talent, hard work, positive attitude, a willingness to make connections with other people, and a willingness to take risks when appropriate..  They use examples of many famous people to show how "lucky people" don't succeed by chance alone, but instead put themselves in a position to take advantage of a lucky break when it happens.  

I had just read a couple of intermediate fantasies and I knew I had a couple of more kids' book in my cue, so I decided to take a break and read an adult nonfiction. I wanted something inspriational and not super depressing.  I just happened on this title, and almost didn't check it out because I am not someone that believes in luck.  But when I read the description of the book, I decided to give it a try.  I am glad I did.  It had just the right message for me at this point in my life.  As I read I realized I had become a doubter and a whiner, especially concerning my job.  This book reminded me that people are not very likely to want to help those who are negative and defeatist. The book is well written and engaging.  The principles Kaplan and Marsh present may be pretty obvious, but I think all of us need a reminder every once in a while. One last note.  The book was published in 2018 and there are several pages in the section about remaining "lucky" in natural disasters that address what might happen if there were ever a global epidemic.  Little did the authors know how timely there message was. (2018, 352 p)

The Storm Runner by J. C. Cervantes

 Zane Obispo has a gimpy leg and lives in a small town near a volcanic crater.  He has been happy to be home schooled for a year after kids at his old school made life unbearable. When his mother decides it is time for him to go to a private catholic school, things don't start out very well. He is sent to the principal's office on the first day, where he meets a strange girl, Brooks. She doesn't seem to fit into the straight laced private school, and Zane is even more surprised when she shows up on his front porch and starts talking about prophecies and the old Mayan gods. Soon Zane and Brooks are on a wild adventure trying to stop the Lord of the underworld and avoid discovery by all other other Mayan dieties.  

This book is in the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, like the Aru Shah, Tristan Strong, Paola Santiago, and the Sal and Gabi books.  I have enjoyed most of them, but I think this one is the most "Rick-Riordan-esque".  The snappy dialog, fast paced action scenes and irreverant portrayal of the mythology could have been written by Riordan himself.  I enjoyed this book pretty much, but there were a few places where Zane made some dumb decisions and my mind was screeming "Don't do it!"  One example is when he risks the fate of the whole world to try to save his beloved three legged dog. Come on!  A dog, vs the whole world's population including your mom and all your friends? hummm, hard choice.  Still, once we got past the string of bad decisions, it was a pretty fun read, and I might be tempted to read the next in the series. (2018, 441 p)