The Arkadians by Lloyd Alexander

 Lucian is an accountant in a palace in ancient Greece. When he discovers that the of the king's overseers have been cheating the king out of great amounts of money, he knows he must flee or they will kill him.  In his flight he meets up with a donkey, who is really a poet that has been enchanted.  The donkey, Fronto, helps Lucian escape and together they start an epic journey to try to get Fronto restored to his human form.  On the way they meet a young prophetess of the Lady of Nature who is being hunted by the evil king. She believes that the Lady will be able to restore the donkey's true form. As they journey together they encounter many peoples and survive many harrowing adventures. 

I have long been a fan of Lloyd Alexander, but had never read this book.  It was published in the 1990's, and I don't think anyone would publish it today. It reads like something written by Tolkien or Lewis, and the plot reminded me a bit of some of the Shakespeare comedies. The writing is lyrical and I enjoyed it very much. I also liked how he mirrored the Greek mythological and epic stories, without copying them exactly.  Parts of the story suggested Odysseus and the Trojan war, but with an folkish tone instead of an epic tone. They are almost like what the original story of the Odyssey might have been before they it was embellished by professional a professional story teller. There were also hints of the story of Hercules, and of Jason. It was fun to be listening along and then realizing, "oh, that is like the story of the Minotaur" or "Oh, they are talking about the siege of Troy." It is very clever.  There was one thing that bothered me and would make me hesitate to recommend the book to a child.  All during the story the donkey is called a "jack ass" and there are a lot of jokes suggesting that Fronto is a jack ass in more than just physical form. I was raised in a home that was conservative enough that we wouldn't have been allowed to use the term "jack ass" so it was unsettling for me to hear it every few lines of the story. (288 p. 1995)

The Hangman's Revolution by Eoin Colfer

 In this second installment of the W.A.R.P series, the reader finds Chevie Savano living in an altered present-day London. She is a cadet in the youth army of the Boxites, a totalitarian regime that has come to control almost all of Europe.  She keeps having intrusive memories about her previous life as a FBI agent, and they have gotten her in trouble.  When she once again gets sucked back into Victorian England, she joins up with her old friend, Riley, to try to stop Colonel Clayton Box before he begins the revolution that destroyed her previous past. 

When I read the first in this series, I wasn't sure I would read the second because I didn't like the narrative style.  In this book, it didn't bother me as much, either because I was used to it, or maybe the writing was better. Like the first in the series, this is a fast-paced action adventure with a pretty high violence and body count. The action is like comic book violence, without any real pathos or degree of detail. Still, it is high enough that I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under 14. Colfer mixes in a fair amount of humor and silliness, and the characterization and setting are both well executed and fun. Colfer deals with the standard questions about cause and effect in time travel, and the ending is something of a cliff hanger with some basic plot questions unresolved.  The real question is, did I like #2 well enough that I plan to read #3?  I probably will, but I need to rest for a while. The cavalier violence does bother me, so I have to clear my soul for a while before I will consider returning for the next book. (385 p. 2015)

Three Tasks for a Dragon by Eoin Colfer

 When his father dies, Prince Lir is driven from the kingdom when his grasping half-brother sends him on a quest to rescue a peasant girl who has been stolen by a dragon. When he arrives at the dragon lair he finds a broken down and pitiful creature who can no longer fly or breath fire.  As part of his quest Lir must do three tasks for the dragon in order to gain the girl's freedom. As Lir uses his wits to perform each task, he gains the loyalty of the dragon and the affection of the maiden, but his success is short lived. His evil step-brother has more in store for all three of them.

This is a short fairytale novella from the well-known author of the Artemis Fowl series. It honestly sounds like a bedtime story that he made up for his kids and then set down in writing.  It is charming tale of brawns vs brains, and kindness conquering over brutality. It is appropriate for both boys and girls and is full of both action and wit. The reader has a delightful accent and this would be a great choice of something to listen to on a family road-trip. The print version is highly illustrated by rockstar illustrator, J. P Lynch. I am thinking of buying a copy for my grandkids! (115 p. 2023)

Spy School Revolution by Stuart Gibbs

 In this 8th installment in the Spy School series, Ben is back in Washington DC, at the headquarters of the CIA when a grenade launcher hits the room next to him.  Someone is trying to kill him, and Zoey believes it is Erica Hale. All the Spy School friends get sucked into a quest to discover the truth about a historical supervillain organization called Croatoan.  Was it really behind all the major upheaval in the U.S. since the time of the Revolution?  Does it still exist? Can they stop it from destroying America as we know it?

Here's another Spy School mystery.  It is much like the others, i.e. fast paced, fun and full of interesting facts. This one explores Ben's conflicting emotions about Zoey and Erica, and their feeling about him, so that is an added bonus. These are always fun, and I would recommend them or any of Stuart Gibb's series to middle grade readers who like action/adventure. (352 p. 2020)

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riodan

 Percy Jackson never did well in school.  He has dyslexia and ADHD and trouble seems to find him wherever he goes. Then a disastrous field trip reveals that he is really a demigod and that monsters from Greek mythology want to kill him.  His best friend takes him to Camp Half Blood where other demigods train to be come heroes. There he makes friends and is sent on a quest to recover something that has been stolen from Zeus himself. 

Of course, I read The Lightning Thief when it first came out and even met the author. That was before I started this blog, so I never blogged about it.  My husband and I recently watched the Percy Jackson videos on NetFlix so I decided to read the first one again. It really is a fun series with non-stop action, well crafted characters, and fun world building. It also helped me realize that the NetFlix version does a good job capturing the spirit of the books. (2006, 377 p.)

The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli by Karnina Yan Glaser

 Luli lives in New York's China Town in the 1930's.  Her family's restaurant used to be crowed every day, but the stock market crash of 1929 changed all that, and now her family is at risk of losing not only their restaurant but their home. Luli tries to think of more ways to bring people to their restaurant, and decides to turn the storage room into a mini museum of some Chinese art that her uncle has collected. More than a century earlier, Han Yu's family comes down with a terrible plague. In a desperate effort to find a cure, 11- year-old Han Yu decides to travel the Silk Road with no one to help him but a host of animals, including a mystical tiger, that are strangely connected to him.  As the story of Luli and Han Lu play out in alternating chapters, both children test the limits of the courage to change the fates of their families. 

I put this on hold when the Newbery awards were announced back in January.  This was an Honor winner.  I was expecting to like is as much as "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri that won an Honor last year, but I did not. I think the problem with this book is that it tried to tell two stories. Though both of the stories were interesting, and the protagonists were likeable spunky children, putting both stories together slowed the pace of the book. It was clever how Glaser wove the two stories together around the central image of the silk fragment, but about 1/2 way through I got bored and had to increase the playback speed to get through it. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood this week. Still, I would recommend reading the Nayeri book over this one, especially for children, since the Nayeri book is half the length, and more exciting. (432 p. 2025)

 

Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer

 When Scarlet Radcliff's father died, she became an heiress, and a target for her greedy uncle.  To keep her safe, her mother sent her off with her grandmother to grow up in a secluded forest. She took on the name of Letty Hood, and at some point, found a raised a wolf pup to be her constant faithful companion. As Letty approaches her 21st birthday, when she will inherit her fortune and make a will that will eliminate the possibility that her uncle would if she died, her mother hires a Pinkerton agent to find her and bring her home. Philip Carmichael knows that Letty's uncle has hired multiple assassins to find Letty and kill her but her grandmother has hidden her too well. How can he find her when they couldn't and then how could he safely transport her back to her home?  As the two begin the journey together, the biggest questions is how can they keep from falling in love with each other. 

You have to admire Witemeyer for taking on the challenge of writing a romance based on Little Red Riding Hood. I think she did as well as any could.  She basically took all of the main characters; the wolf, the grandmother, Red, and the huntsmen, added a bad guy, the uncle, and then wrote a story. You know how I like Witemeyer, and I liked this one as well. There were some funny scenes that had me grinning the whole time I was reading them, and some pretty good action scenes as well. Scarlett and Philip are the same two characters that are in all of Witemeyer's books--she really only knows how to write one kind of leading lady and leading man--but somehow I don't get tired of reading her books. (2024, 352 p)

Sole Survivor by Norman Ollestad and Brendan Kiely

 Norman lived with his mother and step dad, but often spent weekends with his adrenaline loving father. They would go skiing or surfing and his father was always pushing him to go past his comfort zone.  He and his step father didn't get along.  He was always telling Norm that life constantly changed and he just had to adjust. When Norman was 11 years old he won a downhill skiing competition even though he was one of the younger participants.  He and his father and his father's girlfriend were in a small airplane flying to the award ceremony when their plane crashed in the San Gabriel Mountains. Norman suddenly has to use all that both of his fathers taught him about perseverance and adaptation and  to make it down the snow-covered mountain and survive. 

This is a true story of an incident that actually happened to the author when he was a boy.  It is a thrilling and heart pounding survival story that I think would appeal to a lot of young readers.  It is, at times, hyperbolically dramatic.  At first I thought that Kiely was probably the main writer, just using Ollestad's story, but when I looked up Ollestad, it turns out he is a writer, too. The book brings up a lot of questions about his two fathers' parenting styles, and also about how Norman ultimately learns to deal with the trauma of the accident.  It would be a good choice for a "boys read" book club. (272 p. 2025)

Confessions of a Junior Spy by Rosaria Munda

 Bea has lived her whole life in a sanctuary hotel for a spy organization call the Pangean. Her father is a cook there, but her mother is one of their top spies. Bea idolizes her mother and wants to be just like her, but her mother is determined to keep Bea out of the dangerous and violent spy lifestyle. When Bea's mother decides that Bea will go to boarding school, Bea and her new friend, Chantal, come up with strategies to both avoid school and get Bea the training she needs to fulfill her dream to become a top spy. Then a shadowy figure from Chantal's past forces Bea to discover what the life of a spy is really like, and why her own mother is often so distant.  Does Bea really want to hold onto her dream? 

I was a little wary about reading another mystery/spy book after reading several Enola Holmes books.  I mean, who can compete with Nancy Springer?  Still, I ended up liking this one. Unlike the Enola Holmes series, this one really is aimed at middle grade, but that doesn't mean that the conflicts that Bea is dealing with are not complex. Munda does a good job of exploring her relationships with both her parents, and with her friends. I admired that Munda didn't shy away from  difficult ethical questions, like, when, if ever, is it okay to use weapons to threaten or kill someone. Some of Bea's decision made me, as an adult reader, cringe, but bring up important ideas for kids to explore. Munda left the door open for a sequel, and I plan to keep my eye out for it. (2025, 224 p)

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

 Murder Bot has discovered that his friend and liberator, Dr. Mensah, is in trouble, and Murderbot knows he must do what he can to help her, even if it means stepping further out of his comfort zone.  He makes further adjustments to his programing to appear more human and takes a transport to the place he first met with Dr. Mensah's group. Meeting up with the original crew is emotionally complicated for Murderbot, but when bullets begin to fly, he knows exactly what to do.

Here is another series I really enjoy. This is a great episode, where we see Murderbot take a few more giant steps toward being more human. It has the fast paced action scenes that one would expect, but also some really nice scenes with Dr. Mensah that melt your heart. I also like that each book is really short, only a few hours on recording.  I imagine they make the series more accessible for reluctant reader teens.  (2018, 176 p.)

Spy School: British Invasion by Stuart Gibbs

The kids from Spy School are hot on the tail of Spyder.  They have evidence that there is information about all the Spyder operators hidden somewhere in England, so with Erica's MI6 mom in the lead, they head off for London. Their adventures take them to the British Museum and then to Paris where they hope to discover Spyder's supreme mastermind, Mr. E.

Here is another in the Spy School series.  I am glad I read it pretty soon after reading Spy School Goes South, because it picks up right where the previous one left off with the kids still at the resort in Mexico. As always Gibbs slips in interesting facts about both the British Museum and Paris. The Erica vs Zoey drama continues, and there are more of the expected hijinks and narrow escapes.  These books are just fun and a little addictive. Yay for Stuart Gibbs writing engaging series for kids. (2019, 320 p)

Lola Benko, Treasure Hunter by Beth McMullen

 Lola loves her eccentric archaeologist father, but sometimes she tires of always moving, never staying on one place long enough to make friends.  Then, one day, her father rushes away on a new treasure hunt and sends her to live with her great-aunt in California.  Soon after, two strange lawyers inform her that her father has been killed.  Lola is convinced that her father is not dead, and goes on a (not so successful) crime spree to try to earn enough money to go looking for him.  Her adventures end with her being sent to a private science school. At the school she meets two other students who are willing to join her in her search for her lost father.  They are pitted against a mysterious legend, an illusive recluse, and an evil criminal mastermind.

Here is a fun mystery/adventure for middle grade readers.  The writing is snappy and the characters are quirky, in an endearing way.  There are plenty of hijinks, near escapes, and kid power. The nicest thing about the book is watching the three kids change from adversaries to friends. I am happy to have another recommendation for kids who like mysteries. (2020, 304p.)

Spy School Goes South by Stuart Gibbs

 In this episode of Spy School, Murry Hill convinces the CIA that he has turned over a new leaf and wants to lead Ben and his friends to the SPYDER lair. Enroute they are double crossed and end up crash landing in the jungle on the Baja Peninsula. Erica is determined to not only find the SPYDER base, but also thwart their latest evil plot. Nothing is as easy and straight forward as they thought, and once again Ben finds himself fighting for his own life and for the safety of millions of others. 

This was a fun installment of the Spy School series. Ben is considering diverting his romantic interest from Erica to Zoey. There are some fun chase scenes and funny plot twists. Gibbs manages to slip in historical and geographical information as well.  I kid could do worse than get stuck on this series. (2018, 352 p) 

Charlie Thorne and the Royal Society by Stuart Gibbs

 Charlie Thorne, her half brother and his girlfriend just barely escaped from their last adventure with their lives.  The CIA think they are traitor and they are keeping a low profile. They have received a clue about one last secret left by one of the world's greatest's minds, Sir Isaac Newton. They don't know what it is, but have heard that it could be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands.  Sir Isaac Newton was a little bit of a recluse, and spent most of his adult life in Cambridge, so that is where Charlie hopes to solve the mystery.  Of course, other's have heard rumors about the secret, powerful people who would stop at nothing to find it and exploit it for their own gain.  None of them, however, is as brilliant as Charlie, and they soon figure out if they want to win this race, they need to take care of Charlie Thorne first. 

This is the last of the Charlie Thorne series. For some reason this series hasn't been as popular as Gibbs' Spy School series, and never came out in audio, so I have waited to read it as a vacation book.  Like the Spy School series, this series has a lot of action and humor.  The author includes historical facts about the places Charlie visits and the historical figures she investigates, and, admittedly, that slows down the plot a little.  Maybe that is why they aren't as popular?  I like all the extra historical trivia, but I am a 60 year old humanities buff.  It does make this book good supplementary reading if you are a homeschooler and are studying Newton.  (432 p. 2025)

Spy School Secret Service by Stuart Gibbs

In this fifth of the Spy School series, Ben gets called on his first solo mission.  This time he is going into White House and try to thwart plans to assassinate the president. His cover is that he is supposed to be friends with the President's son, but soon finds that the First Son is a bit of a jerk. Undeterred, he continues to look for clues and patterns, trying to figure our who the assassin is.  When the attempt is made, Ben finds himself the primary suspect. With help from Erika, and ultimately from the whole Spy School gang, he discovers that the plot is much more complex and dangerous than anyone had thought. 

 Here is another Spy School novel.  It really is the same as all the rest, but they are all fun.  I guess they are a little like the old Hardy Boys; formulaic, but with enough action, humor, and appealing characters, that they are fun anyway (plus, they have a great graphic designer do their covers!). There are eight total in the series and I will probably eventually read them all. (352 p, 2017)

Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor by Ally Carter

 April has been in the foster care system for years, but in her heart she knows she is not an orphan.  Her mother dropped her off with the promise that she would return, and a key shaped necklace as a token of the promise. April is surprised to find the same emblem from her necklace in a new museum display about the tragic Winterborne family. Her efforts to find out more about the emblem leads to a fire, and then to her being becoming a ward of the Winterborne family.  Four other children at the Winterborne mansion as well, and so they discover that all of them have ties to the ancient ill-fated family.  As they join together to try to find answers it becomes clear that there are some secrets that don't want to be discovered.

I enjoyed that Stuart Gibbs book so much I jumped right into another middle grade mystery. It did not disappoint.  The children each have distinct but likable personalities, despite their tragic histories.  The setting is appropriately gothic, and there is just the right amount of action and peril. I was impressed that I didn't know who were the good guys and the bad guys for sure until pretty near the end.  Of course, the children are smart, and end up outwitting the bad guy. but the story ends with some questions unanswered, urging the reader to check out the second book in the series. (336 p. 2020)

Spy Ski School by Stuart Gibbs

 Ben Ripley is getting called into action again, but this time officially.  A Chinese billionaire, whom CIA suspects is a mega criminal,  is bringing his teenage daughter to Vail Colorado to learn to ski. Ben has been asked to befriend her and try to figure out her father's evil plot. Erika is coming too, as are some other of Ben's schoolmates.  It's going to be a cool ski vacation, right?  It starts out that way.  Ben quickly makes friends with Jessica Shang, but a mission is never as easy as it seems. It isn't long before the kids are in deep snow with bullets whizzing around their heads. 

I was ready for a lighthearted middle-grade and this fit the bill. The plot for each of the books in this series is basically the same, but the characters are fun and there are exciting and/or funny action sequences. The narrator is also good, doing different voices for all the characters.  I really like Stuart Gibbs in general and this series in particular so I put the next in the series on hold as soon as I was finished with this one.  There is a 12 month wait, so I guess I am not the only one who likes them. (2016, 368)

Lady Emma's Campaign by Jennifer Moore

 Like many a girl in history, Emma has a crush on her big brother's friend.  Sidney has known Emma his whole life, and she is like a sister to him.  He doesn't give her much thought when he goes away to fight in a war with Spain.  Emma, however, can't stop thinking about Sidney. All though she is the bell of her first and second London season, she turns down one offer after another, pining after her own Captain Sydney Fletcher. Then one day her brother receives the terrible news that he has been captured by the French. Whe he boards his merchant vessel to sail to Cadiz to try to negotiate his release, Emma stows away on board. Once in Cadiz she naively marches into the enemy prison and demands Sydney's release.  Bad decision.  Soon she, Sydney and others are running for their lives in the midst of a pitched battle.  Can pampered little naive Emma survive the 50 mile hike to safety?  More importantly, will Sydney ever see that Emma is no longer a child, but a woman who loves him.

I have read several books by Jennifer Moore that I have liked, particularly, The Slow March of Light. I didn't like this one as well as that, but it was fine.  Emma really does start out as a wining pampered teenager, but Moore does a good job showing how her difficulties and experiences open her eyes to the world and help her mature. I also liked the fact that Emma found that one of the best things she could offer her band was emotional support.  In so many modern books, the woman have awesome battle skills, or amazing mental abilities.  It was nice to read a book where the main super power the heroine has is kindness. (2014, 2024 p.)

Murderbot books 2 and 3 by Martha Wells

 Artificial Condition: Murderbot has left the crew of his last mission to discover more about his past.  He boards an unmanned shuttle, but discovers that its onboard computer is more sentient than average.  The two of them team up to discover what really happened on the day Murderbot went crazy and killed a whole colony. (2018, 160 p)

Rogue Protocol: Having discovered the truth about his worst malfunction, Murderbot doesn't really know what to do with himself. Then he sees a news feed about Dr. Menseh who is trying to prove that the mega-corporation GrayCris is crooked. Murderbot.  He meets up with some idealistic scientists whose research was stolen and hires on as their security guard to get passage onto planet terraforming station where he thinks he can get evidence against GrayCris. Of course, the megacorporation does not want their secrets revealed and sends will stop at nothing to stop the group. (2018, 160 p)

I think these books are starting to be a guilty pleasure.  I am not sure what makes them appealing to a 60 year old woman.  I know I am not their target audience.  I like the insecurity mixed with confidence of the Murderbot, and his willingness to help people, even at his own peril.  Reader should beware that there is some rough language in the book, and violence, so these aren't for kids. Still, I will probably read more of them. 

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

 Amy is a personal body guard for the rich and famous.  She loves danger and excitement. Her father-in-law, Steve, is a widowed ex-London detective, and is enjoying the quiet life in a small village, surrounded by friends and a cat called Trouble. When Amy becomes the target of a ruthless international money launderer, the only one she can trust to help her is Steve.  He gets pulled out of his armchair, and into a high stakes multi-national chase to find the killers before they find Amy. 

This is a new series by the author of the Thursday Murder Club.  It had some of the same elements of that series; unlikely vigilantes, senior citizens going out of their comfort zones, high action, and a well crafted mystery. I think a lot of people will enjoy it but I didn't think it had the interest and heart of the Thursday Murder Club. There are poignant moments and touching relationships in this book, but not like the wonderful ones you find in the earlier series.  It is very possible that I like the Thursday Murder Club better because I am in the senior citizen demographic and that younger people would like this one better. (400 p. 2024)