Please enable JavaScript
All Books | Page 28 | LitPick Book Reviews
All Books
Arash the Archer: A Story from Ancient Persia
Synopsis:   Arash lives in the city of Ray in ancient Persia. At the age of twelve he is a capable archer. His dream is to shoot an arrow far enough to mark the border between the rival empires of Persia and Tooran. He believes that Simorgh the Queen of Birds has given him a message in the form of a riddle that will help him achieve his dream. But he is unaware that Ahriman the Devil and his Deevs are plotting against him.
  This book is inspired by the ancient story of Arash the Swift Arrow who with a single shot sent an arrow all the way to the Oxus River and marked the border between Persia and her rival empire of Tooran.
  The story introduces several other characters of Persian mythology including King Hooshang, Simorgh, Zahak, Ahriman and his Deevs, as well as the Zoroastrian philosophy of the constant battle between Good and Evil, to an audience of 8 to 12 year olds.
  Children with or without Persian heritage, might be more attracted to the mystery and intrigue in which the heroes are children their own age.
  3rd edition includes additions to the plot.
Publication Date: 06/30/11
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Oracle: Sunken Earth
C.W. Trisef
Synopsis: trisefbook.com/
Publication Date: 06/22/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Chamber of Five
Michael Harmon
Synopsis: In a private-school conspiracy novel, 16-year-old Jason Weatherby knows exactly why he's at the Lambert School for the Gifted. And it's not for his brains. His dad is an influential state senator. It's this same connection that lands him a spot on the secretive Chamber of Five, the elite group of students who run the school with a shadow government, tapping into the same lines of powers as their parents. When he's asked to physically assault and ruin the reputation of another student as part of his initiation, Jason sees firsthand the depravity of the Chamber—and decides to work from the inside to take it down. But Jason taps into a conspiracy—and school secrets—far more insidious than he could ever have imagined. From award-winning author Michael Harmon comes a taut, thrillingly paced novel about the perils of privilege. Can one bold student set things right?
Publication Date: 06/14/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Problem with the Puddles
Tricia Tusa, Kate Feiffer
Synopsis: Eight-and-a-half years ago, when their beautiful baby girl was born, Mr. and Mrs. Puddle couldn’t agree on what to name her. So Mrs. Puddle calls her daughter Emily and Mr. Puddle calls her Ferdinanda. And everyone else? They call her Baby.

Having parents who agree to disagree does mean twice as many presents on your birthday, but it can complicate your life! When Baby’s parents can’t agree on what kind of dog to get, they get two—both named Sally. And one summer day, when rushing back to the city from their country house, the Puddles leave the Sallys behind. Will the Puddles agree to go back? What will become of the Sallys?
Publication Date: 06/07/11
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Queen Bee of Bridgeton
Synopsis: When fifteen-year-old Sonya Garrison is accepted into the prestigious Bridgeton Academy, she soon discovers that rich girls are just as dangerous as the thugs in her home of Venton Heights…maybe more so. After catching the eye of the star white basketball player and unwittingly becoming the most popular girl in school, she earns the hatred of the three most ruthless and vindictive girls at Bridgeton. Can she defeat the reigning high school royalty? Or will they succeed in ruining her lifelong dream of becoming a world class dancer?
Publication Date: 05/17/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Neighborhood Sing-Along
Nina Crews, Nina Crews
Synopsis:

Playground songs and classroom songs, silly songs and sweet songs, wake-up songs and bedtime songs . . .

Every day, children, parents, friends, brothers, and sisters sing songs to one another.

Nina Crews brings her energetic style of illustration to this collection of thirty-four perennial favorites. From "Miss Mary Mack" (watching fireworks from her balcony) to "London Bridge" (built by a brother and sister in the living room) to "Skip to My Lou" (in a rolling green park), the songs make this companion to the acclaimed The Neighborhood Mother Goose a treasure for every child in every neighborhood.

Publication Date: 05/10/11
Age Level: 5 - 8
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Gecko and Sticky: The Greatest Power
Stephen Gilpin, Wendelin Van Draanen
Synopsis: The Gecko & Sticky are a fabulous crime-fighting duo! This quartet of funny adventures will appeal to fans of superheroes both young and old, and would make terrific all-family read-alouds.

"Don't move a muscle!" shouts a strangely clad crook in the act of robbing a bank. But of course somebody does. That somebody is Dave Sanchez, and the crook is none other than the dastardly Damien Black, fresh out of prison and back to his villainous ways. But Dave and his gecko sidekick, Sticky, are on the case, and this time they have a trick up their sleeve--literally! It's an Aztec wristband that give its wearer powers like invisibility and flight. Asombroso, right? But power alone does not a superhero make, and they'll have to learn how to use it if they want to defeat their nemesis not once--but twice.

Don't miss all the Gecko & Sticky adventures:
1. The Villain's Lair
2. The Greatest Power,
3. Sinister Substitute
4. The Power Potion


From the Hardcover edition.
Publication Date: 05/10/11
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Departures
Robin Jones Gunn
Synopsis: Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen cross paths on their way to summer vacations that reveal what a gift it is to have a true Forever Friend.

Now Boarding at Gate 10
After her high school graduation, still aching from Todd’s departure, Christy joins her family on a trip to Wisconsin to visit relatives. While there, she reunites with Matthew, an old friend from junior high. When Matthew starts to show a romantic interest in Christy, she realizes this summer vacation could change everything she thought her future would be.
 
In the Event of a Water Landing
Fifteen-year-old Sierra Jensen can’t wait to spend her summer vacation with her friend Jana at a pristine lake in Montana. But when they arrive, it becomes clear that Jana’s only interest is acquiring a boyfriend. Sierra just wants to hang out with the guys as friends, but Jana turns every encounter into a possible romantic relationship. As their friendship begins to suffer, Sierra wonders if it’s possible to find a Forever Friend who will listen to you, laugh with you, and keep your confidences.
Publication Date: 05/03/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Future Imperfect
K. Ryer Breese
Synopsis: When 17-year-old Ade Patience knocks himself unconscious, he can see the future.  However, he's also addicted to the high he gets when he breaks the laws of physics. And while he's seen things he's wanted to change, Ade knows The Rule: You can't change the future, no matter how hard you try. 

His memory is failing, his grades are in a death spiral, and both Ade's best friend and his shrink are begging him to stop before he kills himself.  Luckily, the stunning Vauxhall Rodolfo recently transferred to his school and, just like Ade saw in a vision two years previously, they're destined to fall in love. It's just the motivation Ade needs to kick his habit. Only... things are a bit more complicated than that. Vauxhall has a powerful addiction of her own.  And after a vision in which Ade sees himself murdering someone, he realizes he must break the one rule he's been told he can't. 

Ade and Vauxhall must overcome their addictions and embrace their love for each other in order to do the impossible: change the future. 

Future Imperfect melds the excitement of a classic Marvel Comics hero with the modern romance of Twilight,and the result is a genre-bending Young Adult tour-de-force. 
Publication Date: 04/26/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Wanted
Sara Shepard
Synopsis:

#1 New York Times bestselling series

The eighth book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series that inspired the hit ABC Family TV show Pretty Little Liars.

Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily have been through a lot together—childhood pranks gone horribly wrong, not one, but two stalkers—blackmailers who know all their dirty secrets, not to mention their best friend’s murder investigation. Now these pretty little liars are finally going to uncover all the answers they’ve been searching for, and they can finally put this awful chapter of their lives behind them. Or so they think.

Full of unexpected twists and shocking revelations, Wanted is the eighth book in New York Times bestselling author Sara Shepard’s compelling Pretty Little Liars series. 

Publication Date: 04/26/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Girl vs Ghost
Marie August, Kate McMurry
Synopsis: Isabel Lindley doesn't believe in magic, but her best friend is obsessed with witchcraft. Strictly as a favor, Isabel agrees to help with a spell and is shocked when the ghost of a teenage boy splat-lands in her bedroom. Her friend is thrilled-even though only Isabel can see or hear the ghost-but Isabel is horrified. She's the most ordinary sixteen-year-old girl on the planet. What is she supposed to do with a ghost who doesn't know his own name, how he died, or why the heck he's tied to Isabel with a psychic chain? Her only hope to take back her life is to help him solve the mystery of his demise so he can go to the Light. Or wherever. She's not particular, as long as the ghost is gone.
Publication Date: 04/10/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Taker and the Keeper
Pat Perrin, Wim Coleman
Synopsis: Middle-schoolers Gregory Guest and Yolanda Torres have no intention of becoming heroes overnight. But as the only kids in Bainsboro who see that the world has gone horribly wrong, what choice do they have? Aided by their eccentric science teacher and Gregory's trusty red monocle, Gregory and Yolanda travel into the King Arthur legend to save today's real world from a legendary threat. As they ally themselves with the magician Merlin and his young apprentice to thwart the sorceress Morgan le Fay, these reluctant heroes must set whole worlds right again. The first book in the Red Monocle, The Taker and the Keeper will keep young readers up at night as they get swept away in this tightly-plotted adventure.
Publication Date: 03/30/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Mother Daughters
Rae Meadows
Synopsis:

A rich and luminous novel about three generations of women in one family: the love they share, the dreams they refuse to surrender, and the secrets they hold

Samantha is lost in the joys of new motherhood—the softness of her eight-month-old daughter's skin, the lovely weight of her child in her arms—but in trading her artistic dreams to care for her child, Sam worries she's lost something of herself. And she is still mourning another loss: her mother, Iris, died just one year ago.

When a box of Iris's belongings arrives on Sam's doorstep, she discovers links to pieces of her family history but is puzzled by much of the information the box contains. She learns that her grandmother Violet left New York City as an eleven-year-old girl, traveling by herself to the Midwest in search of a better life. But what was Violet's real reason for leaving? And how could she have made that trip alone at such a tender age?

In confronting secrets from her family's past, Sam comes to terms with deep secrets from her own. Moving back and forth in time between the stories of Sam, Violet, and Iris, Mothers and Daughters is the spellbinding tale of three remarkable women connected across a century by the complex wonder of motherhood.

Publication Date: 03/29/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Diary of a Part-Time Ghost
Synopsis: Fifteen-year old Ash wants nothing more than to be a normal kid and avoid trouble. And then his birthday gift transforms him into a ghost and zaps him back in time to the beginning of the American Revolution. If he thought that was bad, it's about to get a whole lot worse. Armed only with an ancient history book and the quirky advice of an annoying mentor, Ash must rescue his ancestor from one danger after another, including an implacable enemy who controls the very shadows. What starts out as a brief experiment in time travel rapidly changes into a race for his very survival, and Ash is running out of time. Despite his efforts to stay out of trouble, Ash finds plenty of it as he must decide what his role will be in the shifting balance of forces. Humorous and action-packed, Diary of a Part-Time Ghost will hold readers in its grip from the first sentence to the last. Book 2, 'Where Shadows Dance', is out: amazon.com/Where-Shadows-Dance-Ghosts-Volume/dp/1470179857/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
Publication Date: 03/22/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Calendar Mysteries: June Jam
John Steven Gurney, Ron Roy
Synopsis:

It's a mystery every month from popular A to Z Mysteries author Ron Roy! With the younger siblings of the A to Z Mysteries kids!

June is for Jam...

In the sixth book of the Calendar Mysteries - an early chapter book mystery series - Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy want to make homemade strawberry jam for Father's Day. Unfortunately, it's not as simple as it first seems. Some sneaky creature is taking bites of their strawberries. Polly the pony, Pal the dog, and Josh the older brother are all suspects. If the kids can't protect the strawberry patch from the mystery chomper, they might be in a real jam!

Parents, teachers, and Librarians agree that these highly collectible chapter books are perfect for emerging readers and any kid who loves mysteries!

Publication Date: 03/22/11
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Secret of Willow Patch
Ms. Tabitha Kristen, Mrs. Becky Ayers
Synopsis: After moving to Middleton Heights and meeting Tina Brooks, a sweet girl that lived down the street, David, Sherry and Cody become entangled in an adventure that most children could only imagine. When people start vanishing, they must solve the mystery with a little help from their reclusive neighbors, which is not an easy task. As they race against the clock to find their family and friends, they meet more than a few obstacles and unusual characters along the way. Will they finally reveal The Secret of Willow Patch?
Publication Date: 03/21/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Pages



RECENT BOOK REVIEWS