​When Vita’s grandfather is cheated out of his family home by a notorious conman, she and her mother take the next boat to New York. 1920s New York is full of wonders and danger, but none of it is a match for Vita’s determination. Vita has a permanent limp and is used to people underestimating her. She uses that to her full advantage. With her new friends from the circus, she sets off to steal her family’s fortunes back.

I enjoyed every moment of this adventure story. From the circus performers and animals to the trips through secret tunnels this book will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Erica's Picks
The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell

3rd - 6th grade
​Tags: Adventure, Animals, 

​Years ago, Abdi’s older brother was kidnapped by the jihadi group Al Shabaab , brainwashed, and turned into a child soldier. Now the rest of his family is kidnapped by the supposed good guys. They beat Abdi and threaten his family unless he agrees to go undercover in Al Shabaab and report back to them. If Al Shabaab discovers he’s a spy, he’ll be tortured until he longs for death. But if he refuses, his whole family will be killed.

This fast-paced story will keep you on the edge of your seat and immerse you in a different world. The book alternates between Abdi’s time after escaping Al Shabaab and flashbacks to his time with them. It keeps you guessing as you try to piece together the pieces of what happened in the past.

Erica's Picks
Let's Go Swimming On Doomsday by Natalie C. Anderson
8th Grade
​Tags: 

Sawyer’s mother grew up as a Southern belle in a world of white gloves and canapes. When she got pregnant with Sawyer, she fell from grace hard and fast. Sawyer grew up in a dingy apartment, eating take out from the bar where her mom works. At first when her estranged grandmother stops by with an offer to pay for her college in exchange for living with her in her mansion and going through the debutante season, it seems too good to be true. But Sawyer soon discovers the dark secrets lurking behind the pretty dresses and realizes she was safer at home on the wrong side of the tracks.

As Sawyer explores the world of debutantes and tries to finally solve the mystery of who her father is, she uncovers the dark underbelly of high society. She’s not sure who to believe and neither is the reader as this twisted plot unfurls.

Erica's Picks
8th Grade
Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
​Tags: Contemporary Fiction, Fast-Paced, Mystery

The backdrop for this novel is the 2015 Syrian crisis and the November 13th Paris nightclub attack that lead to a manhunt in Brussels, followed by the bombing of the Brussels airport. Thirteen-year old Max and his family have moved from America so his father can be a defense consultant to NATO. They now live in an upscale neighborhood in Brussels and while sister Claire attends The American School, Max is enrolled in a Belgian school where classes are taught in a language he barely understands.  He is bullied and feels stupid in class.
Fourteen-year old Syrian refugee Ahmed has lost his entire family in the Syrian War and during their escape to Europe.  He finds himself stranded in Brussels after having lost his last family member, his father, and his money and cell phone to an unscrupulous smuggler. He takes refuge behind an unlocked door to the unused wine cellar in Max’s townhouse.
The boys meet and bond and so begins the dangerous story of hiding Ahmed from the authorities and finding a place for him to thrive.
They make some friends and together learn about a historical parallel that took place in the same residential block seventy-three years earlier. During WW II someone hid an orphan Jewish refugee from the holocaust.  He was turned in by neighbors who were Nazi collaborators.  The boys are determined that this will not happen to Ahmed but as the police search for terrorists the danger escalates. 
 
"A resistance novel for our time." - The New York Times
"A hopeful story about recovery, empathy, and the bravery of young people." - Booklist 
"This well-crafted and suspenseful novel touches on the topics of refugees and immigrant integration, terrorism, Islam, Islamophobia, and the Syrian war with sensitivity and grace." - Kirkus, Starred Review

Tessa's Picks, 5-8th grade, Character Driven, Fast paced, Global perspectives, Historical Fiction.
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 Nine students. Three bloodsports. One deadly weekend.
Creepy, seriously creepy. With a British accent. Greer MacDonald, scholarship student, does not fit into the exclusive atmosphere of St. Aidan’s boarding school for the elite. She knows this and tries to keep a low profile. Then she receives a mysterious invitation with three words embossed upon on it: huntin' shootin' fishin'. It refers to a weekend at the country manor of Henry de Warlencourt, the most popular and wealthy boy at S.T.A.G.S.
Arriving at Henry’s ancestral home, Greer realizes the only adults are the servants who do Henry’s bidding. The other guests are Henry’s clique known as “The Medievals” as they distain all modern technology calling it “savage.” Two other outsiders have been invited along with Greer; Shafeen Jadeja (“Punjabi playboy”) and Chanel Ashford (“Carphone Chanel”).
 Each day is to be devoted to one of the three blood sports on the invitation. As each becomes progressively dark and twisted, Greer realizes that she and the other misfits have become the prey. 
This is a top notch psychological thriller. Murder, mayhem and madness! You won’t be able to put it down. Warning…not for the faint of heart!

Tessa's Picks

7-8th grade, Contemporary fiction, Fast paced, Horror

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Addie Webster was kidnapped eight years ago. In the meantime, her father has become the president of the United States. Now she is sixteen and she’s back.  Some in the administration find this suspicious; what effect did her captors have on her?
Her childhood friend Darrow Fergusson is the son of the current chief of staff at the Whitehouse. He is manipulated by a national security advisor into finding out if she could be a threat.  What really happened to her in the compound? Is she a victim or a weapon?  The flash backs to the past eight years only confuse.
This is a page turner!  So much intrigue, plot twists and surprises in this political thriller.  And what an ending!




Tessa's Picks
6-8th grade, Contemporary fiction, Fast paced

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Applegate, (author of The One and Only Ivan) creates a world with humans and a few other creatures we know and goes on to populate it with beings like Byx who is doglike, walks on two legs, and can talk. Her kind, dairnes,  has been hunted to near extinction because of their unique ability to detect lies. This power in the hands of those who want ultimate control of the kingdoms would convey supremacy.
Believing that she may be an Endling, the last of her species, Byx sets off to find a sentient island that may be a haven for other dairnes.  Along the way, she is joined by Tobble, a small bunny-like wobbyk, Khara, a human of mysterious origins, Renzo, an honorable thief and Gambler, a fierce tiger-like felivet.
This is a fellowship-like adventure in a Tolkien-like world. Each of our heroes brings their own brand of courage, heart and wisdom.  Honor, friendship, power, evil and above all truth play into the story.
"Why don't they believe you?" "The same reason they don't want to believe you exist, dairne. There are many scholars, but few seekers after truth. Humans believe the things that make them feel safe. They care little for difficult facts."
A top tier fantasy!

Tessa's picks

4th-7th grade, Adventure, Fast paced. Friendship, Fantasy, 

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“My true name,” he said, “ . . . is SUN WUKONG.” A cold wind passed through the open window, rustling my loose papers like tumbleweed. “I have no idea who that is,” I said.”… His jaw dropped. Thankfully his teeth were still normal-size.
“You’re Chinese and you don’t know me?” he sputtered. “That’s like an American child not knowing Batman!”
“You’re Chinese Batman?”
Turns out Sun Wukong is the Monkey King of Chinese legend and has come to earth to rid the planet of some nasty demons…around 120 of them. And Genie Lo is the reincarnation of a super powerful weapon that he used in the past.  Sarcastic and feisty, Genie is not going to be an inanimate object but in order to save her world she has to join forces with Quentin (aka Sun Wukong). Putting aside her aspirations for Harvard and her mad volleyball skills, the two fight the hellspawn unleashed by a spiteful demon.
This action packed battle adventure is hilarious.  Although the demons are horribly ghoulish, they are more funny than frightful. Balancing friends, family and school while averting the apocalypse can’t be easy but Genie does it with wicked humor.  Even the budding romance with Quentin (he even has a real monkey tail)  is chuckle worthy. 
This is just so much FUN!

Tessa's Picks
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7th-8th grade, Adventure, Contemporary fiction, Fantasy, Mythology, Fast paced

 “The heavy blade hung high above the prisoners, glinting against the stars, and then the Razor came down, a wedge of falling darkness cutting through the torchlight. One solid thump, and four more heads had been shaved from their bodies.” In a post-technological age where the past is all but forgotten, a rebellion is stirring. The nobility are being captured and executed. Their only hope is the mysterious red rook who keeps sneaking into prisons and freeing people, leaving a red-tipped feather behind. 

I adored this re-imagining of The Scarlet Pimpernel! The dystopian setting provides a perfect background and gender-swapping the main character creates a more modern feeling. There's the perfect mix of action, world-building, and romance. 

Rook by Sharon Cameron

Erica's Picks
8th & up
Tags: adventure, crime caper. dystopian, fast-paced, retellings, romance, science fiction