Wolf Storm by Dee Garretson - Ages 9+

What's the Story?

This is Stefan’s big break. He’s on location in the mountains far from home for his first movie role, filming a blockbuster sci-fi adventure. The props, the spaceships, and the trained wolves on set should add up to a dream job, but acting turns out to be much tougher than he ever imagined, and he feels like his inner loser is all that’s showing through. From the way his famously stuck-up co-star, Raine, treats him, he’s pretty sure she thinks so too. And worst of all, no one will believe his claim that there are wild wolves haunting the forest around the set.

When a blizzard strikes, isolating the young co-stars and bringing hungry feral wolves into the open, Stefan must take on his biggest role yet—working together with his co-stars to survive. With no second takes, they only have one chance to get it right.

Lights,

Camera,

Action!

What's the Buzz?

"This is a great story, because the kids get to be the heroes. They have to figure out how to solve their problem and have to overcome all the obstacles thrown their way." - 5 Minutes for Books

"Wolf Storm had me on the edge of my seat and holding my breath until I got to the end of the chapter. Where there I'm taken back to the top of the roller coaster. What a ride!" - Spades High Reads

"Wolf Storm is a great middle reader story with themes that include survival and nature." - Stuck in Books

"I loved the survival scenes. I felt the biting cold, the desperation, the helplessness, and danger." - YA Book Nerd

"You will (literally) cheer these characters through the storm." - Barbara Ann Watson

"I see this book being a big hit with the boys." - Coffee for the Brain

More Reviews @ ... GoodReads

Is That It?

Official Author's Site - Dee Garretson

You can read a few pages of Wolf Storm at the Author's site or read a longer excerpt at the publishers website

At Middle-Grade-Mayhem, Garretson talks about how she created Stefan's character

Wildfire Run by Dee Garretson - Ages 9+

What's the Story?

The president's retreat, Camp David, is one of the safest places in the United States. So why can't the President's son, Luke, and his friends Theo and Callie stay there without Secret Service agents constantly hovering over them, watching their every move? And yet, when an earthquake sets off a raging wildfire, causing a chain reaction that wreaks havoc at Camp David, they are suddenly on their own.


What's the Buzz?

"It’s perfect for today’s tweens interested in a behind the scene’s look in the life of a tween in the White House, especially now that our current President has two daughter’s in this very situation." - There's a Book

 "Readers will empathize with Luke, who has even less control over his life than the average twelve-year-old." - Story Snoops

"This book really played out like watching an exciting movie. One thing after the other happens during this story, from natural disasters, to an accident" - Mundie Kids

 "Luke, Callie, and Theo must learn to put their differences aside and work together as a team. They come up with crazy ideas to outsmart the system, which creates a great novel for tweens and reluctant readers." - YA Book Nerd

"The action in this story is non-stop, taking the reader along for a wild ride.  You get the feeling of desperation the kids must be experiencing as one by one security features turn against them to make the situation even more dire." - Rose Burdick

 "This book is one that you cannot really find a good place to stop because it just begs for you to keep reading. There are no slow parts." - Coffee for the Brain

"Implausable? So what? It's intense, it's fun, it's a page-turner. " - The Book Nut

More Reviews @ ...

Amazon --- GoodReads



Is That All? 
Official Author's Site - Dee Garretson

Here's an interview with the author @ BoyLit

Wanna read an excerpt of the first two chapters?

Wanna read a little more?

Kid Vs Squid By Greg van Eekhout - Ages 9+

What's the Story?

Thatcher Hill is bored stiff of his summer job dusting the fake mermaids and shrunken heads at his uncle's seaside Museum of Curiosities. But when a mysterious thief steals an artifact from the museum, Thatcher's summer becomes an adventure that takes him from the top of the ferris wheel to the depths of the sea. 


With sharp, witty writing that reads like a middle-grade Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Greg van Eekhout's first book for young readers is a wild ride packed with as many laughs as it has thrills.



What's the Buzz?

"Kid vs. Squid, by Greg Van Eekhout, is a hilarious adventure of mythical proportions. . . Get ready for the ride of your summer!" - Newton's Book News

"It all sounds pretty ridiculous.  And it is pretty ridiculous – but the tone is somewhere in between charging into this goofy story with no holds barred and slyly self-aware, and somehow van Eekhout hits that sweet spot that lets you laugh at how silly the story is and genuinely care about what happens at the same time.  And the silliness really is laugh-out-loud funny." - Bib-Laura-graphy

"The author's voice seemed real, like Thatcher could be my friend, in sort of the same style that Percy Jackson was written. If someone were to ask me if I were to recommend the book I would say yes because the book was really a great book that I greatly enjoyed." - FlamingNet

"Absolutely laugh-out-loud funny at points, in a snarky, middle school goofy way that the students will adore. . . Great, quotable funny lines, hysterical situations. No only was the book funny and action packed, but Thatcher and Trudy had a lot of good character building moments as well." - Ms Yingling Reads 

"I love the subtle and witty humour that Greg Van Eekhout brings to the story in the form of his main character, Thatcher, who is just that little bit cheeky and dorky in a deliberate and endearing way." - Maurice Kraal

"The internal logic of the story is joyfully convoluted and not even close to airtight, and although the book is better at being funny than being exciting, it does offer a fair share of both en route to the showdown..." --Booklist

"Van Eekhout has created a fun, snarky hero in Thatcher Hill. Both boys and girls should enjoy the book. While the target audience is middle school age kids, Thatcher and his smart mouth will also appeal to teens and adults." - SF Revu

 "It’s hard to say too much more about the book without giving the game away, but I can tell you this about Kid Vs. Squid—it’s one of the most fun things ever, and I would have loved it to death when I was ten. It’s got mystery, adventure, derring-do, bathroom humor, smart boys, bold girls, Bond-esque bicycle chases (I detect a certain Better Off Dead influence in the jellyfish boys) and—eventually—a great big squid. . ." - Tor Publishing

More Reviews @. . . 

GoodReads --- LibraryThing

What Else Ya Got?

Author Greg van Eekhout's website

A couple author interviews here & here

Read the first two chapters of Kid Vs Squid @ Google Books 

The Printers Devil Trilogy by Paul Bajoria - Ages 11+

The Printer's Devil

Book 1

What's the Story?

Convicts, murderers and the shady inhabitants of the London underworld are part of daily life for 12-year-old printer's devil, Mog Winter - after all, Mog prints their WANTED posters… But a face to face encounter with a real crook - a prison escapee - leads to Mog becoming enmeshed in an ingenious theft, a series of mistaken identities and a murder hunt… all connected to a recently docked ship from the Indian subcontinent, and Mog's own mysterious past.

What's the Buzz?

"This entertaining adventure takes place in Victorian London and the style is reminiscent of a Dickens' novel. The sights, the smells, the dirt and the danger of the times and London itself come alive as Mog doggedly follows the many twists and turn of his journey" - Armchair Interviews

“The Printer’s Devil” is a story about two kids, a mysterious brass camel and the criminal underworld of London." - Reader Reviews Kids

"This was a fast-paced crime novel that’s great for kids and young teens. I was drawn into this underground world where people were definitely not who they seemed. I was guessing at every chapter at what was really going on, and who the real culprit might be." - From the Bookshelf of TB

"Warning: When reading this book be prepared for the weird little twists and turn that could utimately change the plot for somthing totally different. Assume nothing." - FlamingNet

"There is one secret kept until the end that you'd have to be daft to not figure out... and then there's another that angered me when it was revealed. Not at the author, but at myself... I hate when I miss something big! - What All the Kids are Reading

"I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, full of unusual crimes and mysterious characters. The Printer’s Devil will keep readers in “heart-pounding suspense” the entire way." - I Read Barefoot

"Bajoria provides a suitably atmospheric setting, a whiff of the supernatural and plenty of cliffhangers, but leaves so many dots unconnected that the tale needs a sequel to prop it up." - Kirkus Reviews

More Reviews @ ...

GoodReads --- LibraryThing

Where Can I learn More?

Paul Bajoria's website

Read an excerpt from the book @ Google Books

The God of Mischief

Book 2

What's the Story?

This gripping sequel to The Printer's Devil transports readers to a rambling mansion with dangerous secrets in the 1820s English countryside.

Sent to live with the eccentric and rather sinister Sir Septimus Wellynghame Cloy, Mog and Nick find themselves spending a lot of time on their own, exploring.  

References in old documents lead them to unveil some dark secrets in the history of the house, in particular 'the story behind the hangings' so, when their governess is found hanged, they fear 'the hangings' may have started again. Can Mog and Nick discover the truth behind the house and its secrets before their own lives become endangered?

What's the Buzz?

The God of Mischief is a little bit A Series of Unfortunate Events with just a splash of Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. Since Harry Potter is a thing of the past, I’ve found my new favorite young adult series. I definitely look forward to seeing Mog and Nick in future adventures. - Nights & Weekends

"Although the pace lags in some places and races in others, the eerie setting and macabre characters provide enough chills to overcome some uneven plotting." - School Library Journal vol. 53 issue 3 pg. 203

"I was afraid that really horrible things would happen to the boys, and the book was hard to put down because I wanted to find out what would happen next." - Reader Views Kids

"I didn't really enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. It was confusing for me to follow, and I often had to go back and re-read parts of the book for me to understand what had happened... After a while, though, I really got into the book and I was shocked by the ending." - FlamingNet

More Reviews @ ...
Amazon --- GoodReads

The City Of Spirits

Book 3

What's the Story?
Mog and Nick travel to Calcutta, the supposed location of the mysterious Winter diamond. When they learn that a ruthless sea-captain is intending to seek it out and make his fortune, they determine to beat him to it, but when they arrive in Calcutta, they soon learn that the diamond also has far more sinister powers.


Reviews @...
GoodReads


What Else Ya Got?

Read Chapter 1 @ Simon & Schuster (U.K.)

Tamarind Series by Nadia Aguiar - Ages 10+

The Lost Island of Tamarind

Book 1

What's the Story?

Maya Nelson isn’t your typical thirteen-year-old. She’s spent her whole life living on the sea with her marine biologist parents, her younger brother, Simon, and baby sister, Penny. Maya used to love living on a sailboat, but lately, everything feels terribly claustrophobic. Maya longs to go to school on land. To make friends. To lead a normal life. But when a violent storm hits and Maya’s parents are washed overboard, life becomes anything but normal. The children manage to steer the boat toward a mysterious island, to a place that doesn’t exist on a map.


Welcome to Tamarind, where fish can fly, pirates patrol the waters, jaguars lurk, the islanders are at war, and an evil, child-stealing enchantress rules the jungle.


Maya never imagined she’d have to face so many dangers. But then, who could have imagined a place like Tamarind. . . .?


In her stunning first novel, Nadia Aguiar presents a heart-pounding adventure tale about a haunting, fantastical island cut off from the outside world.


What's the Buzz?

"In breathtaking succession, Maya and Simon encounter carnivorous vines, flying fish, treacherous pirates, a mad zoologist, giant turtles, warring soldiers, a tribe living in treetops, a mysterious lady riding a jaguar, singing mermaids, giants and a glowing substance called ophalla." - Kirkus Reviews

"The book’s magic lies less in its breathless plot than in Aguiar’s precise, often lyrical descriptions. A native and resident of Bermuda, she writes with authority about daily life in the tropics." - NY Times

"It's astonishing to me that this is Nadia Aguiar's first book: the sweet, lush setting and the sharp, clean characters make one fine tropical cocktail. I want another." - Pink Me

 "Oh, and I should mention… There’s a sequel. Just when you’re satisfied, be prepared for the last bite to be whisked away just when you want it most." - Skiareader

More Reviews @ . . .
Amazon --- Barnes & Noble --- GoodReads --- LibraryThing


Where Can I Learn More?
Read an excerpt of Chapter One @ Barnes & Noble

Secrets of Tamarind

Book 2

What's the Story?

It’s been four years since Maya, Simon, and Penny Nelson left the lost island of Tamarind. For Maya, the island is a nearly forgotten part of her childhood; for Penny, it’s a secret place she can’t remember, but longs to see; and for Simon, it’s an adventure waiting to happen. An evil group called the Red Coral Project is lurking around the Nelson’s home in Bermuda, and the children discover that the project has moved into Tamarind, and are desiccating it to ruin. Only the Nelson’s can save the island.

In Tamarind, there is the mystery of the magical mineral ophalla that Red Coral is greedily mining, their old pirate ship, the Pamela Jane, and the secret of their friend Helix’s parentage. This time, it is up to Simon to put the clues together, and save his sisters from the island and the nefarious Red Coral Project—and defeat Red Coral before the magnificent island is put to ruin.

Nadia Aguiar’s sequel to The Lost Island of Tamarind, crafts a vivid story reminiscent of such classics as Peter Pan, full of adventure, magic, and haunting beauty. 

What's the Buzz?

"Replete with ecological warnings applicable to real as well as fantasy worlds and glossed with lush descriptions of imaginary flora and fauna, the rapid-fire plot bristles with danger." - Kirkus Reviews

"Taken as straight fantasy, there's an awful lot of contrivance and coincidence in the plot ... But on the whole once you are caught in the spell of the quest here you will enjoy the breadth of location, scenery, mystical being set against common-or-garden, and a lot more - and this book will be one to keep on the shelves for some time." - The Bookbag

"I strongly recommend that the reader reads the first book in the series (The Lost Islands of Tamarind) before reading this book because it was hard for me to get into the book/plot without having read the first book." - Lily @ The YA Bookcase on Lake St.

"Giving a kid The Lost Island of Tamarind feels like passing along a treasured secret. Not that it's that obscure, but it's not part of a giant series, it doesn't have a character's name in the title (think about it: HP, Charlie Bone, Barnaby Grimes, Percy Jackson and the..., Alex Rider), and it has that wonderful, epic, jungly cover." - Pink Me

"This novel would make an excellent selection for a middle school read aloud, offering ample opportunities for word study, developing visualization skills and enriching students’ understanding of critical social studies and science concepts through fiction." - Sean Kottke @ ALAN Online

"This book was just what I needed as a fantasy reader who had read one to many paranormal romances recently. This brought me right back to what I had loved about reading fantasy a few years ago. Pure adventure. Pure magic. Pure smarts and courage and devoted friends.
Definitely worth reading!! " - I Read to Relax

More Reviews @. . .

Amazon --- GoodReads

Where Can I Learn More?

Read Chapter One @ Barnes & Noble