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

Series: Zac Power - Author H.I. Larry - Ages 8+

Series: Underland Chronicles - Author: Suzanne Collins - Ages 9+

Series: Ulysses Moore - Author: Pierdomenico Baccalario - Ages 9+

About the Series
Okay, I've got some good news and some bad news about this series.  If you like the books, the good news is there are 12 books in the series so far and there might be more coming.  The bad news is that you need to

Series: Pals in Peril - Author: M.T. Anderson - Ages 9+

About The Series

Pals in Peril are the funny, offbeat stories of three friends who find crazy adventures in the strangest places.  


Lily, Katie and Jasper are best friends who live in the not so quiet community of Pelt.  When they're not fighting radioactive squirrels or killer mimes, Lily, Katie and Jasper try to have some
normal everyday fun, but it isn't long before they are off on another adventure, saving the world from intelligent spiders or alien librarians or whatever else the universe throws at them.

As long as they face it together as friends, the universe doesn't have a chance.

Whales on Stilts!
Book 1

Summary - It was just supposed to be one of those mildly boring trips to her fathers office for Career Day. At least, that was the kind of trip Lily expected, but she got a little more than she bargained for.  It turns out, Lily's dad worked for Larry, an evil genius who's plan to take over the world was just about ready.  

Lily told her dad and she tried to tell the authorities, but of course no one wanted to believe a kid, so she did the only other thing she could do.  She asked her two best friends for help.  

Under normal circumstances, three kids might have trouble defeating an evil genius but Lily's friends weren't normal.  Jasper Dash was once the hero in his own series of kids adventure books and he has seen his share of evil geniuses over the years and Katie Mulligan was a heroine in a series of books written about her crazy life in Horrow Hollow, a freaky little community filled with vampire cats and flesh eating mailmen.

These three kids are now determined to to stop Larry and his stilt wearing cetaceans from destroying the human race and ruining a perfectly good summer vacation.

Reviews

"Does the plot sound outlandish? That’s only half the fun. With author asides, rambling footnotes, and inserted advertisements for the fictitious series starring Lily’s friends, this book garners loads of laughs and eye-rolls." - Lemon's Wedge

"Anderson's humor is a step beyond that of Lemony Snicket, fearlessly poking fun at the details while never discounting our heroes' courage in the face of danger. That approach makes for a novel to entertain both young readers, who may happily take it at face value, and older folks, who'll find a tasty multilayered satire which does the good deed of never talking down to its readers." - SF Site

"This is not one of those books that tries too hard to be clever.  This is one of those books that just simply IS clever.  The very embodiment of it." - Bright Copper Penny

"Two added bonuses; the story is peppered with interesting facts about whales and there is a hilarious discussion guide provided at the end of the book." - Story Snoops

The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen
Book 2

Reviews

"Uh, yeah. I get the joke. I think I get the joke of The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen. Some of it was very funny. But did we have to discuss snot for so long, in so much detail?" - Semicolon

"While there are not as many jokes and outrageous author asides as in the first in the series, Whales on Stilts!, Anderson's humor still shines through, especially in the characters staying at the Moose Tongue Lodge and Resort". - Bookloons

"There are annoying characters, crazy characters, silly characters, ghostly appearances, bad jokes, and anything else you can think of, including the liberation of stuffed animal heads." - Rave Mysteries

"Before it's all over, there's a jewelry heist, stolen taxidermy, broken chairs, a cocoa splurge, uncomfortable Bavarian clothing, a near death experience involving chunky snot and numerous people will be poked with pointy antlers.  This is not your mommy's Nancy Drew." - Phineas Farnum

Jasper Dash & the Flame-Pits of Delaware
Book 3

Reviews

"...While at times I thought the descriptions of the impossibly strange indigenous creatures of Delaware went on a bit too long, and the bickering between Jasper and Katie was sometimes more dull than droll, there is plenty of goofy fun and laugh-out loud moments (the face-off between the pacifist monks and the cliche-spouting Jersey gangsters is not to be missed)" - Not Just For Kids

"Not every kid is going to get these books, but if your child has a quirky sense of humor, reads voraciously, and likes sci-fi/fantasy and adventure/suspense, give the series a try. Because where else are you going to meet the kangaroo-riding cannibals of Delaware but in Anderson's East Coast jungle?" - Book Aunt

Agent Q, or The Smell of Danger!
Book 4

Reviews

"Agent Q, or the Smell of Danger! (I love writing out that title) gets four and a half cupcakes. These books aren’t for everyone, but they are definitely for me, and I can’t wait for the next one." - Active Voice

"It would be tempting to skip writing a review of Anderson's latest and instead fill this space with many of the endlessly delightful quotes that fill its pages. It's the kind of book that will have readers laughing like maniacs and then begging to read hilarious passages aloud to curious onlookers. But I'll resist the urge." - Kids Reads

Zombie Mommy!
Book 5

Reviews

"Ridiculous in all the best ways." - Kirkus Reviews

"ZOMBIE MOMMY is the fifth book in M. T. Anderson's Pals in Perilseries, and probably one of the best. The focused plot helps keep the absurdity under control, resulting in just the right level of zaniness - Kids Reads

What Else Ya Got?


Official Author's Site - M.T. Anderson

Official Illustrators Sites

Kurt Cyrus - This is the guy who does all the funny interior illustrations for Pals in Peril

Brandon Dorman - This is the guy who paints the covers for the series.  Dorman also has a sketch blog where he shows you stuff he's currently working on.

Videos

Trilogy - Danger Zone - David Gilman - Ages 12+

The Devil's Breath

Danger Zone Trilogy Book 1 

What's the Story?

When an assassin bursts from the shadows to try to kill him on the dark, windswept grounds of his boarding school in England, Max Gordon realizes his life is about to change forever.


After learning that his explorer father is missing, Max is determined to find him, no matter what dangers may lay in his path. A secret clue his father left behind leads Max to the inhospitable wilderness of Namibia, where he soon discovers a potentially massive ecological disaster masterminded by Shaka Chang, a very powerful and completely ruthless man—a man Max fears may have put his father in mortal danger. Max needs all the help he can get. Because whoever is behind his father’s disappearance is determined to get rid of Max, too. For good. - Publisher's Summary


What's the Buzz?


DEVIL'S BREATH REVIEWS
And Another Book Read
YA Book Reviews
The Heart of Dreams

ICE CLAW REVIEWS
Publishers Weekly
YS Book Reviews

BLOOD SUN REVIEW
Times Online U.K.

AUTHOR SITE
David Gilman

Series: Accidental Adventures by C. Alexander London - Ages 9+

We Are Not Eaten by Yaks

Accidental Adventures Book 1

What's the Story?

Eleven-year-old twins Oliver and Celia Navel live on the 4-1/2th floor of the Explorers Club with their father, Dr. Navel. Their mother, Dr. Navel, has been missing for years. So when an explorer shows up with a clue as to where his wife could be, Dr. Navel drags Oliver and Celia to Tibet to find her. Once there, the twins fall out of airplanes, encounter Yetis, travel through waterfalls, and end up in the Demon Fortress of the Warrior King where they - just possibly - might find their mother and save their father from the Poison Witches. Thing is, they would much rather be watching television. And if their trip doesn't work out as planned, the twins could end up as slaves to Sir Edmund Thitheltorpe III, an evil explorer with breath that smells like boiled carrots, who has it in for the whole Navel family.

What's the Buzz?

Portsmouth Teen Book Review

Book Dads

Miss Print

 We Dine With Cannibals

Accidental Adventures Book 2 

What's the Story?

When we last saw Oliver and Celia Navel, they had fallen into the clutches of Sir Edmund S. Titheltorpe-Schmidt III and were doomed to spend their entire summer vacation doing his deadly bidding.


In their second unwanted adventure, We Dine with Cannibals, Oliver and Celia will travel from the ruins of ancient temples to the shadowy forests of the Amazon. They'll need all their reality TV survival skills when they ride a llama, race the rapids, and even fly an airplane! If that's not enough excitement for you (it is decidedly too much excitement for Oliver and Celia Navel), they'll be forced to learn the proper etiquette for a cannibal feast and confront the strangest and most brutal rite of passage ever devised by human imagination: dodgeball.

The second installment of the Accidental Adventures series is just as funny, just as exciting, and just as kid-friendly as the first.

What's the Buzz?
BookDads
Kirkus Review
Boys & Literacy


What Else Ya Got?


Official Author Site

C. Alexander London

Interview with the author & a video as he reads from Book 2