Skilley is a cat with a big secret and Pip is a mouse with a hidden talent. When they meet under the roof of the Cheshire Cheese Inn, they form an unlikely friendship. But they're not the only strange characters with close-guarded secrets there. The intrigue at this inn is hilarious, entertaining, and inspiring. Don't let this one squeak by--let the cat out of the book and dive in to the cheesy goodness!

This is a funny story  about the unlikely friendship between a word-loving mouse and a cheese-loving cat. The  puns and word-play make it fun to read and the illustrations throughout are excellent. I'd give this fans of A Tale of Despereaux or Charlotte's Web.

The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy

Erica's Picks
3rd - 6th Grade
Tags: Animals, Friendship, Historical Fiction, Humor

Come one, come all and learn about the extraordinary life of P.T. Barnum and the stupendous history of his American Museum and the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Barnum was famous for many attractions: 25 in. tall Tom Thumb, Zazel the human cannonball, Salamander the fire horse, and an 11 and a 1/2 ft. tall elephant named Jumbo to name a few. But perhaps the biggest attraction was P.T. Barnum himself. He made the famous American Museum, watched it burn down, and built it again only to have it catch fire once more. He then entered the circus business at age sixty,  inventing the three ring circus layout. P.T. Barnum was a showman above all else, and his life was one great show.

Every page contained an amusing tidbit--much like the museum Barnum built his fame and fortune on. My favorite anecdote from the book is that of ivy island, but I don't want to give it away--you'll have to read it for yourself! I'd give this to anyone with an interest in life in the Victorian Era or entertainment, especially of the circus and sideshow variety.

The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P. T. Barnum by Candace Fleming

Erica's Picks
5th - 8th Grade
Tags: Biography, History, Nonfiction

For most people the name Darwin brings to mind an old, serious-looking man with a long, white beard. Not Charley Darwin--the small boy who couldn't sit still in class because he'd rather be outside collecting specimens. Darwin's life was not always certain and the man who would go on to become one of the most important and controversial scientists of his day was once a young man, unsure of himself and without a clue as to what he'd do with his life. This book follows that boy from his days as a mediocre student worshiping his older brother through his growth into the young man who joined the Beagle Expedition and set off on a trip around the world.

It is easy to relate to the young Darwin and the picture of his life as a young boy is charming and surprising. It’s a great story for anyone with an interest in history, natural science, or adventure.

The True Adventures of Charley Darwin by Carolyn Meyer

 When Ben's mother dies all he wants is some time to be alone, but his father has other plans. One day he announces that he's sold their house and bought a sailboat and that the family is going to spend a year sailing around the Bahamas. Ben is so upset with his father he doesn't even want look at him, so living on a 30 foot long boat with him 24/7 seems like the worst fate imaginable--until the worst truly does happen. One morning Ben and his brother  wake up in the middle of the ocean to find their father gone, and a storm bigger than any they've ever seen brewing on the horizon.

The characters and their interactions are well portrayed, but the main force driving the plot is the unrelenting action as the boys struggle to survive. This book is perfect for those seeking a fast-paced adventure novel, especially for students who like survival stories or have an interest in sailing. 

The Great Wide Sea by M.H. Herlong

Erica's Picks
5th - 8th Grade
Tags: Adventure, Family Life, Fast-Paced, Survival

Mirka dreams of becoming a dragon-slayer while her stepmother tries to get her to focus on knitting. Everything changes when she steals a grape. Suddenly a pig starts chasing her around, eating her homework, and making her life miserable. Everyone thinks she's making up the mischievous pig, so she develops a plan to catch the troublesome swine as proof. Soon she's consulting with a witch, battling trolls, and risking her life to get her own sword. When her dreams start to come true will she rise to meet the challenge--or will she discover she's stuck in a nightmare?

As the tagline reads, Mirka is  "Yet another troll-fighting 11 year old orthodox Jewish girl."  The book is full of humour both written and visual.  The troll has a lovely old-world feel but also brags about its treasure of a "shirt once worn by J.K. Rowling. No rips." Really this comic is worth it for the knitting battle scene alone. Hereville is a great fantasy adventure comic that is sure to entertain.

Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch

Erica's Picks
3rd - 6th Grade
tags: Adventure, Comics, Family Life, Fantasy, Humor

If you're stuck in your room or stuck in a rut,
If your life needs adventure no if, and, or but,
If you love magical creatures and mysteries too,
I've  just the right thing: read Zorgamazoo!

Zorgamazoo is a delightful rhyming romp that reminded me of Dr. Seuss, except in long form. In addition to rhyming, the novel does a lot of fun things with typography and has illustrations at the beginning of each chapter.  Full of weird creatures, clever humor, and adventure this is a great choice for a read-aloud or independent reading.

Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston


Erica's Picks
2nd - 4th Grade
Tags: Adventure, Fantasy, Humor, Novels in Verse

There are stories waiting under the ground. Our ancestors buried their history along with their dead, and for those who have been trained to read the signs, a pile of bones can be a buried treasure. Find out how to read a jaw bone to see the infections and pain hidden there. Discover how a spine can reveal a life of hard labor. Bones can even tell you if a person who died hundreds of years ago was left or right handed! Take a tour of the harsh life of early settlers viewed through the evidence that it left in their very bones.

Being able to understand the jargon on popular crime investigation shows is obviously a big draw for the book, but there are great details about other fields of study as well.They get a physicist to develop an x-ray that can penetrate lead, mathematicians to calculate how heavy the coffins will be, and historians  to find documents that lead to identifying the bodies. At the end they have artists create a sculpture based on a skull they find. It is all beautifully formatted and explained in a clear way.  An excellent example of narrative nonfiction.  

Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by Sally Walker

Erica's Picks
5th - 8th Grade
Tags: History, Nonfiction

Balsa is a fighter and a bodyguard, but even she isn't prepared for the mess she finds herself in after rescuing the second prince from drowning one day. Balsa has no love of royalty, but before she knows it she's risking her life and fighting foes natural and supernatural to protect the boy. She soon realizes that much more is at stake than just one boy's life, but how can she defeat a foe that she can't see and knows nothing about? 

Moribito is a great, fast-paced fantasy adventure novel. The author is Japanese (it's translated into English), which makes it stand out among all the western fantasy stories.There are beautiful two-page illustrations at the beginning of each section.

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit by Nahoko Uehashi

Erica's Picks
6th - 8th Grade
Tags: Adventure, Fantasy, Fast-Paced, People of Color

Finding a dead child curled up in the peat is a difficult way to start your day, but these are difficult times and the child ends up being the least of Fergus’s worries. The year is 1981 and Ireland is in the midst of a violent conflict called The Troubles. Fergus's only hope of getting away is to earn good enough grades on his finals to go to school in Scotland, but how is he supposed to study with his brother slowly dying from a hunger strike in prison? And what should he do when his older brother's best friend tries to get him to run goods across the border for the Irish Republican Army?

Bog Child  is a gripping novel that does an excellent job portraying a complicated era in a complex way instead of reducing it to black and white.  The bog child ends up being an archaeological find and Fergus plays host to the archaeologist and her daughter that come to investigate, which adds another fascinating layer to the story. If you’re looking for a book with issues you can really sink your teeth into, this is an excellent choice!

Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd

Erica's Picks
8th Grade
Tags: Family Life, Historical Fiction, Issues Fiction

Steampunk meets genepunk in Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan. The time is the eve of World War I, but the timeline is not the one we are familiar with. It is a world where Charles Darwin was able to go further in his research and manipulate genes to create vast, living airships out of a hodgepodge of animals. Those who find his practice ungodly have responded with similarly strange, animalistic machines to combat them. Your guides in this world are a young Machinist named Alek and a Darwinist named Deryn. When his father is assassinated, Alek is forced to flee for his life, while Deryn flees her family and disguises herself as a boy so she can enlist and get a seat aboard the airship, the flying whale, the Leviathan.

I love the world presented in this novel, and I like that the perspective switches back and forth between characters on both sides of the conflict. Leviathan engulfs you in its world and keeps you turning the pages until the 'to be continued' at the end (thankfully all three books in the trilogy are already out, so you won’t have to wait after the cliffhangers.)

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Erica's Picks
5th - 8th Grade
Tags: Adventure, Fast-Paced, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Steampunk