Princeless

Adrienne doesn't really like being a princess.  She hates fancy clothes and dinners, and those stories about wimpy girls waiting to be rescued never appealed to her.  Now her father has locked her in a tower where she's supposed to wait patiently for a prince to save the day.

But no one seems to be able to manage the job.  When she finds a sword hidden under her bed, she decides to take matters into her own hands.  She tames the dragon who is supposed to be guarding her and sets off to rescue her other sisters who are also locked in towers.

First, she needs some armor, so she meets up with Bedelia who is part dwarf and all blacksmith.  Together the two girls set off to free the girls of the land.

I absolutely loved this graphic novel from page one!  I snort laughed when Adrienne complained about the princess in her book having pipe cleaner arms. Princeless pokes fun at classic male and female stereotypes with charm and vigor.  I've finished book one and two, and I can't wait for Adrienne's next adventure!

MiNRS

Christopher believes in the Great Mission he and the other people on Perses are fulfilling.  They've left an earth with depleted resources to mine an asteroid in orbit around the sun.  Life is pretty good until the blackout.

When the sun blocks communication with earth, a raiding party attacks killing almost everyone instantly.  Now Christopher and the surviving children must find a way to stay alive, and their best hope is in the mines.

Christopher's best friend Elena wants to strike against the Landers, but Christopher disagrees.  They have no weapons.  They just need to survive until the blackout is over and then they can signal earth for rescue.

But what if the Landers don't just want to steal the ore and leave?  What if they want to destroy all the evidence they were ever on Perses in the first place?  Maybe Elena was right.  Maybe it is a fight or die situation.

Kevin Sylvester's new book was a page turning thrill ride!  My only complaint is that the kids act older than their assigned ages, but just put that out of your mind and enjoy the adventure.  You will not be able to put this one down!

Newt's Emerald

When the Newington Emerald, stone of immense magical power and source of the Newington luck, is stolen right from under Lady Truthful Newington's nose, there is only one possible solution.  She will go to London, dress as a young man, and investigate the crime herself.  It's Regency England after all, no lady would be allowed to investigate the emerald's disappearance let alone move about the city unescorted!

With the help of her feisty sorceress aunt and an ensorcelled mustache, Truthful clumsily begins her investigation.  When she encounters Major Harnett, a handsome but arrogant war hero, she finds an unexpected source of help.

But will it be enough to get the emerald and save England from the villain who would use its powers for evil?  Lady Truthful will not be pushed out of the investigation despite the growing danger to her person and to her heart.

I was excited to see this from Garth Nix, one of my favorite authors.  It is a perfect blend of adventure, fantasy, romance, and Regency manners.  This is truly a fun read!

The Lost Planet

Chase Garrety knows nothing when he wakes up in a field on Trucon.  Heck, he doesn't even know he's on Trucon or what his name is until someone tells him later.  He has a major head wound, and now he's recuperating in a huge with some kid named Parker who appears to be completely unsupervised except for an android named Mina.  Who is Chase, and where did he come from?

When Chase and Parker break out of their prison/home for a little fun on a nearby planet, disaster strikes.  The planet is destoryed!  Now the boys don't know where to go or what to do.

They pick up a man floating in space hoping he is alive, but Maurus has his own secrets, and the boys are now drawn into his story.  They travel to distant planets trying to outrun police, and high ranking men with evil plots all while trying to figure out who Chase really is.

Oh, and one more thing.  Chase discovers he has a special talent.  He is not a normal human boy, and that talent could lead to his doom or his salvation.

Rachel Searles's book is a fast paced sci-fi adventure!

Lumberjanes

I read the first two volumes of this graphic novel series by a quartet of authors, and I really enjoyed both.  They are packed with adventure, friendship, wackiness, and references to female icons.

Our heroes are cabin-mates and best friends Jo, Mal, April, Molly, and Ripley.  It's a little easy to confuse personalities and who is talking at first, but give it some time and it will all make sense--in a crazy kind of way.  While out on one of their rule bending adventures they come across some odd three-eyed creatures and nearly drive their counselor to the edge, but their camp director, Rosie, thinks it's a good idea to give them some freedom.

Soon the girls are out solving clues and facing danger.  The camp's motto is "Friendship to the max!," and the girls are definitely dedicated to friendship and each other.  I really enjoyed this graphic about girls that's focused on friendship instead of romance, and it's nice to see female characters with more normal body types who are fully dressed.  Plus, I think "What the junk?" is going to be my new catchphrase!

There isn't an official website for the Lumberjanes yet, but here is a link to their Tumblr.

Surrounded by Sharks

Davey just wants a little alone time on the family vacation in the Florida Keys, so when he wakes up earlier than everyone else, he decides to take his book and sneak out.

He quickly comes to realize this was a mistake, maybe a deadly one.  Davey gets caught in a rip tide and pulled out to sea.  No one knows where he is.  They don't even know he left the hotel room.

When the family discovers Davey missing, they aren't too worried at first.  After all, he likes to go off to read alone.  But their concern turns to worry and then panic as the hours pass and Davey is clearly not on the small island.

When Davey is already exhausted from spending hours in the sun, he sees the first one.  A blue shark is swimming in slow lazy circles around him.  That's when he really begins to panic.

In alternating chapters, Michael Northrop tells Davey's story and the story of his family and the people trying to find him.  This book definitely lives up to its name and was much more intense than I was expecting!  The last several pages flew by as I hurried to discover Davey's fate.  Recommended for adventure/survival fans and shark fans!

The Mark of the Thief

Nic has been a slave for years, toiling away in the miles for his cruel master Sal.  Everything changes when the miners discover a forgotten tunnel rumored to contain the lost treasure of Julius Caesar himself.  The only problem is the first man sent to the cave never returned, and the second has been reduced to a babbling fool.  Nic wants nothing to do with this supposed treasure, but when General Radulf shows up demanding that Nic, because he is the smallest slave, descend to cave, he has no choice but to comply.

Once inside, Nic must battle a griffin to get a bulla once owned by Caesar.  He is supposed to deliver the bulla to Radulf, but now that he has it, he decides to keep it for himself.

Thus begins a tale of magic, treason, and political machinations. Now Nic is thrust into the midst of a vicious power struggle in the heart of Rome itself.

 Fans of Jennifer A. Nielsen's Ascendance Trilogy will enjoy the action and adventure in this new book.  Recommended for adventure fans and those hungry for more mythology after the Percy Jackson series.  The gods don't make an appearance in this book, but they are a powerful force in the story.

Masterminds

Why would anyone ever leave Serenity, New Mexico?  There's no unemployment or poverty, no crime, and no one lies.  Even better, everyone has a nice house with a pool in the backyard!  Sure, it's a small town in the middle of a desert, but Eli, and everyone else, lives a peaceful and prosperous life.

When Eli and his best friend Randy decide to go on a bike ride just outside the city limits, both their lives are upset.  Once they pass the city limits, Eli is overcome with terrible stomach cramps.  Randy isn't.  This convinces Eli to dig deeper, and he recruits his friends to help.

The more they look, the more secrets they uncover.  Just what exactly is going on in Serenity, and who can Eli and his friends trust?  Read Gordon Korman's new series opener to find the truth!  This was a fun read.  My only complaint is that there is no real ending.  This really is part one of the story.  I guess I'll just have to keep reading to find out what happen next!

Mountain Dog

When Tony's mother goes to prison for breeding and fighting pit bulls, he has nowhere to go.  Even though life with his mother was violent and scary, it was the only life he knew.

It's a surprise when his social worker tells him she's found a relative to be his foster parent, a great-uncle.  Tio lives in Sierra Nevada mountains and works as a ranger and rescuer with his dog Gabe.  Life with Tio and Gabe in the mountains couldn't be more different than life in inner city LA, but it doesn't take long before the knots in Tony's heart begin to loosen.

He loves the mountains, and he especially loves Gabe.  The chocolate lab is different from the angry and abused pit bulls Tony has always known, and Gabe seems to know how to heal Tony's broken spirit.

The best part of Tony's new life is learning how to help train rescue dogs and survive in the wilderness.  Tony loves being part of a team that can save people from almost certain death.

Life in the mountains may be the best thing that ever happened to Tony, but he still has the lingering fear that all this is temporary.  Tio's cabin is only his foster home.

I loved Margarita Engle's story of heartbreak and healing.  The verse novel is told in alternating chapters from Tony's and Gabe's points of view and is a story any animal lover will instinctively understand.  We may rescue our pets from shelters and bad environments, but in the end they are the ones who rescue us.  Highly recommended!

There Will Be Bears

Gramps is Tyson's best friend.  He's just a cool, old, tough dude, and this is the year Gramps is taking Tyson on his first hunting trip.  This is going to be the year he becomes a man...

Except everything starts going wrong.  Tyson's other best friend who is actually a kid his age named Brighton has started hanging out with the football crowd and pulling away from Tyson.  Also, he's flunking history.  And even though he is excited about going hunting, he keeps hearing stories about Sandy, a violent grizzly bear who has already killed several people this season.

But it all comes to a head when Tyson's dad says he and Gramps can't go hunting.  Gramps is sick, and he's going to have to live in a nursing home!  This is so wrong!  Gramps is strong and tough.  He shouldn't be in a nursing home.

The truth is Gramps really is sick, but he wants to take Tyson hunting, too, so he hatches a plan for the two of them to secretly go on the trip anyway.

Tyson is excited, but also really nervous.  What about Sandy?  What about a sick Gramps in the wilderness?  Read Ryan Gebhart's story of family, friendship, and bears!

The Boundless

Will has always wanted an adventure of his own.  His father has had plenty starting with laying track across the Canadian wilderness to saving a railroad baron's life and being promoted to head of the company.  Will's fortunes change with his father's, but he wants an adventure of his own.  Little does he know he's about to have the ride of his life!

The track is laid, the engine is complete, and The Boundless is about to make its first trip across the Canadian frontier pulling miles of passengers, cargo, foreign settlers, and the great Zirkus Dante.  Will's journey begins in a private first class carriage, but when he sees a girl he knew from years ago performing with Zirkus Dante, he sets off to find her on the train.  This decision leads to his discovery that murderous thieves are plotting on the train, and in his attempt to escape the murderer, he nearly misses the train and has to work his way from the caboose to the front while avoiding conspirators.

Will goes undercover with the Zirkus, which is an adventure in itself, but Canada is a wild and mysterious place filled with sasquatches, witches, and deadly avalanches.  It will take all his wits and courage to make it back to the front of the train to warn his father and save the passengers.

Kenneth Oppel's new book is a thrilling adventure ride mixing historical fiction with fantasy and suspense.  It's a must read for thrill seekers.

Across a Star-Swept Sea

Persis Blake is the flirtatious, ornamental, and obsessed with fashion.  She's also the best friend to Princess Isla, ruler of Albion.  But everyone knows Persis is the girl you call when you need advice on fashion, flirting, and parties.  Everyone knows Peris Flake.

That's why it's the perfect cover.  In public Persis plays a foolish rich girl.  In private she is the Wild Poppy, leader of a league of spies who risk life and limb on rescue missions to the neighboring island of Galatea.

Long ago the world and all it's inhabitants where nearly destroyed.  A small number of people escaped by going into orbit around the planet.  When they landed, two kingdoms developed.  The working class on both islands was made of reduced.  People with limited mental capacity due to generations of genetic manipulation.  Know a woman named Persistence Helo has created cure, and there on no more reduced.

On Albion, the ruling class and the regs are learning to mix together and change centuries of class division.  On Galatea, the ruling class remained intent on repressing the regs to maintain their own power.  This has led to a violent revolution where Citizen Aldred is capturing aristos and subjecting them to chemical reduction and forced labor.  To Citizen Aldred, all aristos are bad.

This is where Persis comes in.  With a variety of disguises, the Wild Poppy and her team snatch aristos from Aldred's clutches.  Things get complicated when Justen Helo, grandson of Persistence and foster son of Citizen Aldred himself shows up saying he has become disillusioned with the revolution.

At the urging of Princess Isla, Justen and Persis embark on false romance to explain his presence in Albion.  The grows ever more dangerous for Persis as she must fool this boy even as she unexpected begins to develop feelings for him.  Are Justen's motives as pure as he purports, or is he hiding secrets from Persis, too?

This companion novel to For Darkness Shows the Stars is a sci-fi adaption of one of my favorite classics, The Scarlet Pimpernel.  It's full of adventure, romance, and betrayal.  What's not to love?!  I hope Diana Perfreund will continue the series based on my favorite classics!

The Forbidden Stone

Wade Kaplan's world gets excited when he and his stepbrother Darrell discover a coded email on his father's computer.  That message sends the whole family into a world of danger, mystery, and ancient secret societies.

The message is from Dr. Kaplan's former teacher, and when he tries to contact the man, he discovers his friend has been murdered.  When he takes the boys, along with cousin Lily and friend Becca, to Germany to attend the funeral and investigate the message, they are quickly trapped in a dangerous web of artifacts and clues started by none other than Copernicus!

Each of them has a skill they will need to solve the mystery.  Wade loves the stars and math just like his dad and Copernicus, Lily is a whiz with computers, Becca is gifted in languages, and Darrell is a man of action.  With their combined skills, they will begin a quest that will lead them to a gemstone that is part of a device created by Copernicus that will change the way we see time and space.

Of course, the Kaplans aren't the only ones on the trail, and their enemies don't care who they hurt in pursuit of their goal.  Read Tony Abbott's new series starter for a dose of action and adventure!

The Vengekeep Prophecies

Jaxter Grimjinx is one in a long line of thieves and con artists.  His family has pulled off some of the greatest heists in the five provinces, and Jaxter is destined to join their ranks.  The only problem is Jaxter is the clumsiest kid in Vengekeep, maybe in all the five provinces.  It's hard to pick a lock when when you keep dropping the instruments.  His only real skill is the ability to use plants and herbs to nullify magical charms and wards.

Many years ago a pair of prophetic twins wove a series of tapestries, one for each year, that would warn the inhabitants of Vengekeep of troubles in the year to come.  Each year that tapestry is revealed at celebration.  This year, the tapestry reveals the worst series of catastrophes in history:  fire, flood, earthquakes, horrifying beasts.  But the tapestry also reveals the Grimjinx family will save the town.  Can this be true?  The most reviled family of thieves in town will save them all?

Jaxter comes up with a plan to save Vengekeep, but it will involve sneaking out of town to gather ingredients from all over the five provinces.  With the help of his new friend, Callie, Jaxter will have to overcome his own insecurities and match wits with a range of mages and con artists.  Can Jaxter Grimjinx, klutz and failed thief really become a hero?

Brian Farrey's book is a fast-paced fantasy adventure.  If you think the cover art looks familiar, you might recognize the style.  The cover art and the chapter heading illustrations were down by Brent Helquist, illustrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Cress

This is the third book in Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series.  It's not a surprise that I love this series!  Fairy tales plus science fiction equals awesome!  The only problem is the fourth book has been pushed to a November 2015 publication date.  That's over a year away!  Why?!  I hope it's worth the wait.  There is a bonus book coming out in January that appears to be the requisite before-she-was-evil story about our villain, Queen Levana, so I guess that will have to tide me over.

Cress was born a Lunar shell, but her early prowess with hacking and technology is anything but a plus.  She's spent the last seven years alone in a satellite doing the bidding of Queen Levana's Thaumaturge, Sybil Mira.  As far as Sybil knows, Cress obeys her every order, most recently tracking the fugitive Linh Cinder.  Instead, Cress has been protecting Cinder and team of fugitives from detection by hacking into satellite feeds.

When Cinder finally makes contact, the fugitives decide to rescue Cress, but everything goes wrong when Sybil shows up at the same time.  This disastrous rescue attempt divides the team into three parts and no one is sure of the survival of any of the other members.

Despite the loss of her friends, Cinder knows she has to stay focused on keeping Levana away from earth and preventing her marriage to Kai.  Will she have the courage and strength of will to take her place as a Lunar princess?

Cress picks up right where Scarlet left off, and the action moves forward swiftly.  This is another great entry into the series, and fairy tale fans will enjoy picking out the elements of the Rapunzel story in Cress's tale.  I highly recommend this series.  It is sci-fi action, romance, political intrigue, and plenty of fairy tale extras!

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures

This is an amazing that all begins with a vacuum cleaner, the Ulysses Super-Suction, Multi-Terrain 2000X to be exact.  When this high powered machine gets loose in the back yard, one unsuspecting squirrel will be changed forever.  That's right, one squirrel will be sucked into the rampaging vacuum and come out with super powers (but very little hair)!

Flora and Ulysses (named after the vacuum) quickly bond, and Flora must do everything in her power to save the super squirrel for arch enemies and evil cats!

But that's not all, their adventures will change Flora forever.  She'll meet new friends, make startling discoveries and maybe discover that she isn't such a hard-hearted cynic after all.

This book was great fun to read, and K. G. Campbell's illustrations and panels are wonderful!  Kate DiCamillo is also the author of Because of Winn-Dixie, and her fans won't be dissappointed.  This is a fun loving book with a heart of gold!

Fortunately, the Milk

This short novel is just as clever and wonderful as all of Gaiman's work.  (I'm a fan.)  When the mother goes out of town leaving her children with their father, he forgets the milk for their breakfast cereal.  It takes longer than expected for him to return, and when his children demand to know where he has been, the father spins a tale of aliens, pirates, dinosaurs, cannibals, and just about everything else you can think of!

Fortunately, he manages to hold tight to the milk through all of this so he can save his children's breakfast!  I got a sneak peak of this one when I went to Neil Gaiman's reading/book signing in June.  He did a bonus reading because he loved the Majestic Theater so much!

The Templeton Twins Have an Idea

Are you a Lemony Snicket fan?  Do you like funny stories with lots of action?  If so, you will love this book!

When the Templeton Twins and their inventor father move to a new town and university for a new teaching position, they have no idea how crazy their lives are about to become.

As the professor's first speech, Dean D. Dean shows up protesting that Professor Templeton stole one of his ideas.  Professor Templeton tries to calm the man down, but Dean is insistent, and things are soon out of control!  With a strict nanny, a ridiculous dog, and nefarious identical twins bent on kidnapping and extortion, this is one adventure you won't be able to put down!

You'll love this first book in the serious by Ellis Weiner, illustrated by Jeremy Holmes. and narrated by a snarky and mysterious narrator!

The House of Secrets

Things are not going well for the Walker family.  Dr. Walker has lost his job due to "the incident" at work, and the family finances are suffering.  So when their real estate agent shows them a beautiful old, but recently renovated, Victorian home on the waterfront, it seems too good to be true.  The fact that the homes former owner, Denver Kristoff, was a writer, and the library is full of his books is a bonus for the oldest Walker child, Cordelia.

Almost immediately upon moving in, the Walker encounter the Wind Witch, an ancient hag with terrible powers whose father owned the house.  Dahlia Kristoff, AKA the Wind Witch, seriously injures the parents and send the kids into a dangerous fantasy world which the quickly discover is a strange combination of Denver Kristoff's books.

Not only do the Walker kids have to face off against the Wind Witch, but they are challenged by deadly pirates whose captain enjoys live dissections and a band of warriors who would rather kill first and ask questions later.  That's not to mention the sharks!

Will the Walkers stay true to themselves and their family, or will they lose this battle?  Read Chris Columbus's new book to find out.  FYI, this book has a blurb from J.K. Rowling on the cover!  Columbus is the director of Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets!

Navigating Early

After the death of his mother, Jack's military father who's been off fighting WWII for years moves his son to a boarding school in Maine.  Jack misses Kansas and all the people he knows and loves.  He hasn't seen his father since he was a little kid, and he is still grieving over his mother's death.

Despite all this, Jack tries to fit in at his new school.  Everything seems pretty normal except for one kid named Early who is small and strange and rarely goes to class.  After a few chance encounters, Jack reluctantly befriends this odd boy who lives in the basement and abandons classes when he disagrees with the teacher.

In math class, their new teacher tells them about the amazing pi and how a professor at Harvard thinks the number will soon end.  Early becomes distraught and leaves class.  This is when Jack discovers Early can read numbers like a story, and the tale of Pi the adventurer begins to unfold.

Abandoned by his father over Thanksgiving break, Jack decides to join Early in quest along the Appalachian trail to find a great black bear that has been terrorizing hunters and campers.  As there journey progresses, they encounter people and events that strangely mirror Pi's tale.

Clare Vanderpool's new book is a fabulous tale of adventure and survival, but it is so much more.  It's a story about faith, myth, and forgiveness.  I feel like nothing I could say here would do the book justice.  It's just wonderful!  Read it!