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Adventure | Page 104 | LitPick Book Reviews
Adventure
The Fugitive from Corinth (The Roman Mysteries)
The Fugitive from Corinth
Caroline Lawrence
When Flavia's tutor, Aristo, escapes after committing a violent crime, she and her friends Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus track him across Greece. Why did Aristo do it? And where is he going? As she did with Ancient Rome, Caroline Lawrence brings Greece to life with vivid detail and great excitement.

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Underland
Underland
Mary Patterson Thornburg
Pursued by menacing strangers through her small Midwest city, twelve-year-old Alyssha Dodson takes refuge in a mysterious room under a bridge, a place that turns out to be a doorway into another universe. In the country where she then finds herself, Alyssha learns that the pursuit has not ended. A powerful and sinister man, Lord Raf Var Ne, seeks to gain possession of an object she was given years ago by her older brother a few days before he went missing. Told she can't return to her own world, she begins a search for that brother, aided by Lord Raf's charming but impetuous stepson. In the process, the two become involved in a revolutionary conflict. Underland is the story of a girl's coming of age in the midst of an adventure like no other.

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The Looking Glass War (Looking Glass Wars)
The Looking Glass Wars
Frank Beddor
You know the myth...A little girl named Alice tumbled down a rabbit hole and proceeded to have a charming adventure in the delightful, made-up world of Wonderland... Now discover the truth... Wonderland Exists! Alyss Heart, heir to the Wonderland throne, was forced to flee through the Pool of Tears after a bloody palace coup staged by the murderous Redd. Lost and alone in Victorian London, Alyss is befriended by an aspiring author to whom she tells the violent, heartbreaking story of her young life only to see it published as the nonsensical Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Alyss had trusted Lewis Carroll to tell the truth so that someone, somewhere would find her and bring her home. But Carroll had gotten it all wrong. He even misspelled her name! If not for royal bodyguard Hatter Madigan's nonstop search to locate the lost princess, Alyss may have become just another society woman sipping tea in a too-tight corset instead of returning to Wonderland to fight Redd for her rightful place as the Queen of Hearts. Meet the heroic, passionate, monstrous, vengeful denizens of this parallel world as they battle each other with AD-52's and orb generators, navigate the Crystal Continuum, bet on jabberwock fights and travel across the Chessboard Desert.

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Invisible Ink (Cat's Eye Corner Series)
Invisible Ink
Terry Griggs
The third title in this delightful series begins as Olivier, an adventurous 12-year-old boy, is helping his very odd step-step-stepgramma with her equally odd yard sale. When some mysterious customers show up, along with a troublesome wind, Olivier flees the scene, ending up in the Dark Woods, where terrible damage has been done. Determined to get to the source of the trouble, he and his pals travel far afield, encountering curious individuals along the way, including an intellectual giant, a severed but affable head, a malodorous monarch named Queen Bacteria, and a tyrant named Sleek. Olivier must face the dangers armed with only an ordinary stone, a mysterious cracked inkwell containing a liquefied secret, and his trusty pen pal, Murray Sheaffer. Set in a fascinating fantasy world, Invisible Ink is packed with humor and imagination.

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The Rules of Survival
The Rules of Survival
Nancy Werlin
This National Book Award Finalist is a thought-provoking exploration of emotional abuse, self-reliance and the nature of evil. A heart-wrenching portrait of family crisis, this is perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak and Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why. For Matt and his sisters, life with their cruel, physically abusive mother is a day-to-day struggle for survival. But then Matt witnesses a man named Murdoch coming to a child’s rescue in a convenience store; and for the first time, he feels a glimmer of hope. Then, amazingly, Murdoch begins dating Matt’s mother. Life is suddenly almost good. But the relief lasts only a short time. When Murdoch inevitable breaks up with their mother, Matt knows that he’ll need to take some action. Can he call upon Murdoch to be his hero? Or will Matt have to take measures into his own hands? A gripping, powerful novel that will stay with you long after you’ve read it. Nancy Werlin, the New York Times Bestselling author of Impossible, shows why she is a master of her genre.  “[A] dark but hopeful tale, with pacing and suspense guaranteed to leave readers breathlessly turning the pages.”—Booklist (starred review) “Beautifully framed as a letter from Matthew to his younger sister, the suspense is paced to keep Matthew’s survival and personal revelations chock-full of dramatic tension. Bring tissues.”—Kirkus (starred review) “Grace and insight.”—School Library Journal (starred review) National Book Award FinalistLA Times Book Prize FinalistALA Best Books of the YearALA Quick Pick 

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The Loud Silence of Francine Green
The Loud Silence of Francine Green
Karen Cushman
Francine Green doesn’t speak up much, and who can blame her? Her parents aren’t interested in her opinions, the nuns at school punish girls who ask too many questions, and the House Committee on Un-American Activities is blacklisting people who express unpopular ideas. There’s safety in silence. Francine would rather lose herself in a book, or in daydreams about her favorite Hollywood stars, than risk attracting attention or getting in trouble.But when outspoken, passionate Sophie Bowman transfers into Francine’s class at All Saints School for Girls, Francine finds herself thinking about things that never concerned her before—free speech, the atom bomb, the existence of God, the way people treat each other. Eventually, Francine discovers that she not only has something to say, she is absolutely determined to say it.Once again, Karen Cushman follows a young woman’s progress toward her true self, this time exploring the nature of friendship and the experience of growing up Catholic in an era that is both fascinating and relevant to today’s young people. Author’s note.

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Flying Boats & Spies
Flying Boats and Spies
1935! The winds of war have begun to fan the flames of conflict across the Pacific. As Nick Grant tries to support his mother and sister during the depression, he's swept into a deadly contest between spies struggling to control the Pacific Ocean. Nick's life abruptly changes the moment Anne Lindbergh offers him a month's wages to deliver a mysterious map case to Bill Grooch aboard the tramp steamer, the SS North Haven. Desperate for money, Nich agrees. Suddenly the map case and Grooch catapult him into a quiet, but deadly cat and mouse game between US and Japanese spies. Nick becomes a vital player in a mission spanning the Pacific Ocean: a mission vital to US security as well as a mortal danger to Japan.

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The Last Days (Peeps)
The Last Days
Scott Westerfeld
Top Choice
Strange things are happening: old friends disappearing, angels (or devils) clambering on the fire escapes of New York City. But for Pearl, Moz, and Zahler, all that matters is the band. As the city reels under a mysterious epidemic, the three combine their talents with a vampire lead singer and a drummer whose fractured mind can glimpse the coming darkness. Will their music stave off the end? Or summon it? Set against the gritty apocalypse that began in Peeps, The Last Days is about five teenagers who find themselves creating the soundtrack for the end of the world.

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Blood Secret
Blood Secret
Kathryn Lasky
A story of secrets and shadows by a Newbery Honor author. When Jerry Moon is sent to live with her great–great–aunt, she discovers a trunk in the basement that reveals dark mysteries about her family's ancestry. Newbery Honor author Kathryn Lasky brings a dramatic and rarely–portrayed period of history to life in this powerful coming–of–age tale that weaves together the Spanish Inquisition, Jewish belief, and a girl learning to understand her past. Ages 12+

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Chance Fortune and the Outlaws (The Adventures of Chance Fortune)
Chance Fortune and the Outlaws
Shane Berryhill
For as long as he can remember, fourteen-year-old Joshua Blevins has wanted to be a superhero. He has the brains, the passion, and the heart. There's only one problem: he doesn't have any superpowers. But Josh isn't about to let that stop him. Determined not to give up on his dream, Josh enlists the aid of his mentor, Captain Fearless, a retired costumed adventurer, to gain entrance to the Burlington Academy for the Superhuman under the false identity of Chance Fortune--a superhuman with the power of having unnaturally good luck. Masquerading as Chance, Josh rises among the ranks of his fellow students at the Academy, eventually becoming the leader of his own combat team, the Outlaws. Together, Chance and his teammates Psy-Chick, Shocker, Gothika, Space Cadet, Iron Maiden, and Private Justice make new friends, battle new enemies, and ultimately find themselves caught up in a struggle for the fate of the universe. Can Chance and the Outlaws save the universe--AND survive their freshman year?

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