The False Prince by Jennifer Nielson

Sage is living in an orphanage when a nobleman, Conner,  buys his freedom and takes him, and two other orphan boys to his posh estate.  They boys soon discover that the king and crown prince of Carthya are dead, and that Conner plans to train all of the boys to impersonate the younger prince and only remaining heir to the Carthyan thrown who was lost in a ship wreck four years earlier. Then he will help the best contender to seize the thrown and avert civil war. Conner has made it clear that the two boys who are not chosen will be killed to keep the false prince's identity secret.  Sage and the other two boys enter into a deadly competition to win Conner's confidence and approval. As the intense training progresses, Sage begins to realize that Conner's motivations are far from purely patriotic.  Sage must plan carefully to gain the thrown, save the other's lives, and expose Conner for the murderous traitor that he is. This is a pretty decent medieval intrigue novel. Sage is a likable character, reminiscent of Jen from Turner's The Thief with his propensity for sneaking around at night and stealing things from other character's pockets.  The interplay between the three orphan boys is interesting, and Conner is a complex antagonist. The ending will be no surprise for any astute reader, but it is fun and satisfying none the less.  Nielson is another Utah author who is doing quite well nationally, and The False Prince is optioned for a movie.  (342 p)

Ghost Knight by Cornelia Funke

Here is another from Cornelia Funke.  I liked it better than Reckless and it was a better translation.  This book reminds me of Funke's first big hit, The Thief Lord, kids banding together so solve a supernatural mystery, and building strong friendships in the process. Jon's mother has a new boyfriend, a bearded dentist, and Jon hates him.  Jon causes so much trouble, that finally his mom decides to send him to a boarding school so that he and the family can have a respite from the conflict.  Jon is not at the school long before he is visited by a ghost who is bent on reeking vengeance on him because of something his great-great-grandfather did. Jon needs help, and he finds is in the form of a girl named Ella, who is familiar with the ghost society of the town, and her eccentric grandmother, Zelda. Together they enlist the aid of a ghost knight who has sworn to help the helpless in order to pay a moral debt to society.  I am not a great fan of ghost stories, but this one has just the right amount of spookiness and mystery.  The characters of Jon, Zelda, and Ella are all well drawn and there is great chemistry between them.  Funke throws in some nice plot twists, that keeps the story from being too predictable.  This is a good spooky read for kids who like creepy, but not too creepy.  (330 p.)

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

The seven of the Prophecy are finally assembled, but their biggest test is yet to come.  First they must make it to Rome, and once there, they must stop the Giants from destroying the city, and waking Gaia.  I am a big Rick Riordan fan. I have enjoyed the Percy Jackson series quite a bit.  Not only is Riordan one of the best fantasy action writers for children right now, I love how he takes stories from mythology and jazzes them up for a new generation.  This is the latest in the Percy Jackson series, and to be honest, it is very much like his others. Same kind of battles with monsters, same kind of interpersonal relations between demigods. I thought it was interesting to see the tension between Jason and Percy, the two alpha males.  More often than not, they kind of canceled each other out, and it was the girls who ended up making all the important decisions.  It is just fun and light.  I thought, when I started the book, that is was the last in the series, but it isn't.  So we will wait, and read the next one, (last one?) when it comes. (586 p)

And yes, this is a picture of me (far left) with Mr. Riordan.  (ching!)

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Ella Enchanted was published many years ago, and I have read it several times before.  I read it again for two reasons. One is that we are going to be highlighting it next month for our Library Kids book activity.  The second is that Ms Levine is coming to the Library in May for our Children's Book Festival.  Of course, Ms. Levine has written many books since Ella Enchanted. Her latest is a collection of poetry called, "Forgive Me, I Meant to Do it: False Apology Poems" which I may review here at a later date.  Suffice it to say, it has the same scrappy, attitudinal, style we have come to know and love with Levine's writing.  Of all her books, Ella Enchanted is still one of my favorites.  I heard her talk about it when she was visiting Provo about 10 years ago.  She said that she was reading fairy tales to daughter, and the stereotypical portrayal of the helpless females  bothered her. She is a really spunky New Yorker, although only about 5 feet tall and 100 lbs, dripping wet.  Anyway, she set out create a fairy tale with a stronger female character and ended up winning a Newbery Honor.  It is a great retelling of the Cinderella story, and I recommend it to both boys and girls. (232 p)

City of Lies by Lian Turner

This the second in the series that began with The Museum of Thieves. I like the first one, but it ended so completely, I wondered what Turner could do with the second one.  In order to make the second story work, Turner takes the children, Goldie, Toadspit and his little sister, Bonnie, out of Museum of Dunt and to a new city that has it's own quirky magic. In that city, there is a Festival of Lies where everyone has to speak and act contrary to their normal manner.There is also a magical "big lie"  floating around the city.  If a townsperson gets caught in a big lie, and asks the right question, and gives the right answer they can be temporarily transported into a state where the lie they said comes true. It is, again, and interesting premise and magic system and Turner comes up with, if not surprising, at least entertaining adventures for the children as they try to locate one another, and defeat the evil forces that have followed them to the new place. (274p)

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

Mo's was named Moses when she was saved from a flooded river during a hurricane when she was just a baby.  She is taken in and raised by a quirky but lovable couple who own a diner in a small town in North Carolina.  Things in that town get pretty interesting when there is a murder and Mo's friend, Dale, becomes a suspect.  Mo and Dale form their own detective agency and take on the case to clear Dale's name.  As the kids get closer to solving the mystery the danger to them and their families grows until they find themselves in a race against the murderer, and a hurricane, to save their parent's lives. I like this book because the kids really do act like kids.  They don't do anything amazing and they aren't smarter than the adults.  They just kind of do what they can, and it all works out for the best in the end. This book is full of delightful and interesting characters and the plot twists and turns will keep young readers turning pages until the very end. (312 p)

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester

This is a book one of my co-workers suggested for our after school book club.  I was a little hesitant to choose it, thinking that it wouldn't have much appeal for the boys.  After reading it, I think I am going to give it a try.  Piper McCloud is born on the same farm where her father was born, and her father's father.  The McClouds have been very predictable, no-nonsense kind of people for generations, that is, until Piper comes along.  She is a ordinary farm girl in every way, except one.  She can fly. Her parents, trying to maintain normalcy and protect her from public ridicule, encourage her to suppress your flying. Eventually her special ability is discovered, and she is whisked away to a school for kids with exceptional talents.  At first she is excited to develop her flying skills, but after a while, she begins to wonder if there might be a darker purpose for the school. This was a decent  fantasy.  The parents are well drawn, the relationships between the kids at the school are interesting, and there are a couple of unexpected twists along the way.  One thing that I didn't quite buy is the fact Piper ends up having way more social skills than she realistically would have, having been raised alone, with no friends, or even acquaintances her age.  I don't think kids will notice that small shortcoming, and I think there are some fun activities we can do with the book for the book club. (329 p)