What would you do if you started to receive strange clues from Zoo animals about your sister's disappearance? Think you were seeing things? Investigate the Zoo? Call on the other Action Scouts (friends) to help you figure it out? That's what Noah does when his sister, Megan, disappears. Noah, Ellie and Richie find themselves being noticed by the Zoo animals, as if the animals know who they are. The animals seem to be helping the Action Scouts try to find Megan. A secret world is opened up to the Scouts--where they befriend a polar bear named Blizzard, a penguin named Podgy, and a kingfisher named Marlo. The Secret Zoo by Bryan Chick is both wondrous and dangerous with adventure and wild animals lurking at every turn. It won't be an easy task for the Action Scouts to find Megan. I enjoyed this story because I loved reading about the animals befriending and helping the children. Who wouldn't want to go the Zoo and have one of the animals recognize you and come up to you?! The author says when he was 9, he "wondered what it would be like if zoo exhibits had secret passages that allowed kids to get in and animals to get out." There are also themes of conservation and stewardship of the animals in our world. Read a preview of the book here.
The Shadows by Jacqueline West, the first book in a new series entitled The Books of Elsewhere.The plot sounds eerily similar to Coraline by Neil Gaiman—Olive and her parents have just moved.Olive sets about exploring the house, finds an alternate world (Elsewhere), is determined to figure out the mystery surrounding this world, and while her parents are absent has a battle against the evil force that wants to keep her trapped in Elsewhere.Where does the Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett part come in?Elsewhere can only be accessed through paintings that are throughout the house (oh, and a pair of spectacles).
Olive discovers that her house is already occupied by three talking cats.The main cat is Horatio, who has a very dry sense of humor.My appreciation for that brand of humor must be increasing because I found myself laughing out loud at several parts of the story.
A chain reaction is set off when Olive enters the first portrait and meets a little (real?) boy, Morton, whom she takes back with her into the real world.Horatio warns Olive to restrain herself from entering more portraits because “he” will start to notice.Olive does consider Horatio’s warning, but continues into the portraits throughout the house.She is lonely and bored and this is her only form of adventure in a new neighborhood where everyone on the street is old enough to be her grandparent.
While Olive is in the paintings she notices shadows that move of their own accord and swirl throughout the night sky.When she questions the subjects within the paintings, they hush her as soon she wants to know who’s behind it all.It turns out that Olive has caught the attention of Mr. McMartin, who was the original owner of the house.He is the artist behind these paintings that he bewitched.Did I mention he’s been dead for over 100 years?He makes his ominous return with the help of an unsuspecting ally.Who can Olive trust?
Typically, the first book in a series leaves you on a cliff hanger, but The Shadows won’t leave any reader frustrated in that respect.It does leave one wondering what Olive’s next adventure will be.Will she be able to rescue all the people Mr. McMartin trapped in the painting of Linden Street?Will she figure out how to bring Morton back to a more human state, so he can finally go back home?
Typically, I try to post a younger book review on Mondays, but I just read that one of my favorite books was voted Irish Book of the Decade!
Recommended for grades 4 to 8
From a walking, talking skeleton to vampires and the undead, magic--mind you, extremely powerful ancient magic--abounds in Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy.The plot of the story revolves around an adolescent girl named Stephanie, who has just inherited her uncle’s estate and another unlikely treasure (or curse, depending on how you look at it).
The other main character is Skulduggery Pleasant, a frank speaking, and did I mention suavely dressed, ace detective, who just happens to be a skeleton.Skulduggery’s connection to Stephanie is through her deceased uncle.Skulduggery ends up becoming Stephanie’s mentor to the magical world of elementals and adepts, where her uncle’s death has set off a chain reaction leading to the breaking of a treaty between good and evil to attain the scepter--a supposed mythological artifact that will give whoever possesses it ultimate power.
Stephanie and Skulduggery set out on a thrilling and magical adventure to discover where the scepter is located, how to stop Serpine--the evil antagonist--from getting his hands on it, and just what lengths one will go to save a friend.
I loved the story and characters in this book so much, that half way through listening to the audio (you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t listen to this on audio; Rupert Degas reads the novel with great zest, sarcastic (sometimes dark) humor, and a gotta love Irish accent), I realized I wanted to read the story again; it was just that intriguing and funny.
The main character, Stephanie, is brilliant and humorous.I laughed out loud at her quirky, yet sometimes deadpan comments.Stephanie has supernatural powers of her own that develop through the series, but her true powers lie in her intelligence, strength in will and determination.
I’m always trying to think of what novel I hold up to par with Harry Potter and this would be the one.I really loved Skulduggery Pleasant and highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, mystery, and strong female protagonists.
*This is the first in the series and is now renamed Scepter Of The Ancients.
