The House of Hades by Rick Riordan J Rio

Rick Riordan does it again with the fourth book in his Heroes of Olympus series. The earth goddess Gaea is stirring and releasing giants and monsters back into the world through the Doors of Death. The only way she can be stopped is by sealing the Doors of Death from both sides. The end of Book Three saw Percy and Annabeth plummeting into the underworld to make their way to that side of the doors, while the rest of the demigods on this quest make their way to Greece to find the location of the mortal side of the doors.

The story is fast-paced, the descriptions vivid, and the intensity of the plot is lightened by injections of humor in just the right places. Some of that humor is provided by the characters; some of it is just Riordan's excellent writing.

If you haven't read any of the books in this series, well, why not? Start with The Son of Neptune and work your way through. Because you will be captivated and won't want to quit reading, you will finish the first four well ahead of the scheduled October 2014 release of Book 5, The Blood of Olympus.

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman J Gai

Mom's out of town and Dad didn't hear her reminder to get more milk. So how can the kids eat their breakfast cereal? Dad sets out to the corner grocery for milk while the kids wait, and wait, and wait. When he finally returns -- much later than expected -- he tells a whopper of a story that explains why he was gone so long.
The story Dad tells is certainly entertaining and very far-fetched. This book is a quick read and a quirky read. There didn't seem to be much point to the story, or maybe I missed the point, but I didn't really think it was so great. Lots of other people do, though, based on ratings on Amazon and Goodreads. Guess it just isn't my cup of tea, with or without the milk.

Kid Pickers by Mike Wolfe, with Lily Sprengelmeyer J 745.1 Wol

If you love watching American Pickers on the History Channel, then this book is for you. Star and chief picker Mike Wolfe has co-authored a book to give young people like you some tips and basic advice about the art and business of picking. He writes in a chatty style, as if he's sitting across the picnic table from you sipping a lemonade and sharing secrets of the trade. Pick this up and start picking!
You'll find it in the New Juvenile Non-fiction section, J 745.1 Wol

Treasure Hunters by James Patterson J Pat

Bick and Beck Kidd have a lot to live up to, considering that their dad is Tom Kidd, the infamous treasure hunter. The Kidd kids, Storm, Beck, Bick, and Tommy, are all distraught after a storm, because their dad is nowhere to be found. The only evidence of him being in the storm was a lone life preserver, rolling into the sea. They all know that they should be considered orphans, because they lost their mom in Cyprus after a scandal. Storm reveals that she knows how to get into “The Room,” the only place on their ship, The Lost, which they are forbidden to enter. Even if they tried to enter “The Room,” they would be unsuccessful, because it is the most secure room in the entire ship. Storm gives Bick and Beck the key, and they enter. They find a to-do list on their father’s desk, a list of lost artifacts that they should find. They decide to go after King Philip III of Spain’s long-lost galleon. Once they find the galleon and cash it in however, their Uncle Timothy arrives, claiming that he is their guardian. They battle with a lot of pirates, and they want to know what is really happening. The Kidds inject a truth serum into Uncle Timothy, and find out what really happened. Read the book to find out the surprising truth!

By Nick, fifth-grade reader

AR Level: 4.6

AR Points: 6

Here Lies Linc by Delia Ray J Ray

Linc is new to school and used to go to a little school in a retired professor's basement that had about 4 kids in it.  He doesn't know anybody.  His mom's job is studying gravestones.  He finds out that he has to do a project on a gravestone and his mom is giving his class a tour of the graveyard next to their house.  Linc is so embarrassed and decides to act like he doesn't know her.  When they get to the graveyard the kid standing next to him starts drawing pictures of his mom.  He got mad and went running home. The class is assigned to pick a gravestone to do research on and they couldn't pick the Black Angel that has a lot of stories behind it of why it just turned black all of a sudden.  But his teacher said that he would let Linc do the Black Angel.  As he is doing research on it he finds out about his family and other hidden things.

By Karley, fifth-grade reader

AR Level: 5.2

AR Points: 11

Genie Wishes by Elisabeth Dahl J Dah

Genie Wishes is a story that tells of Genie Haddock Knuckle, a 5th grade girl, and her life in between childhood and her teenage life.  Her class has an election for a class blogger; Genie is picked to blog about what the class is doing throughout the year.  Her best friend Sarah starts to hang out with another girl, named Blair, who is all about makeup, shaving legs, bras, and deodorant.  Since Blair came around Genie is pressured to fit in with the “popular” crowd.  Will Genie lose Sarah to Blair forever or will Blair lose Sarah to Genie forever?  Read this tragic story to find out the ending.

I would recommend this book for 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th grade girls. Even though it talks about girls who are in 5th grade, it would still teach 4th, 6th, and 7th grade girls a lesson, too.  This book taught me a very good lesson to be whoever I want to be not based on what other people think but what I personally think.  It also taught me to not be like Blair and to not be in a rush to grow up and to stay the way I am and when the time finally comes I will be prepared.  My Wish: is that everyone that reads this book gets something out of it like I did. 

By Laurel, fourth-grade reader

AR Level: 4.7

AR Points: 6

Wonder by R.J. Palacio J Pol

Wonder                               

Wonder is about a 10-year-old boy who has an unusual face and because of that he’s never been to a real school. (He’s home schooled.)  Until now.  His mom and dad agreed that he should go to middle school in a typical district.  There he faces cool kids, friends and unfriendly kids.

WARNING if you love dogs you may cry at one spot in this book.  But I love dogs too but I got just a little sad. But it should not affect your decision to read this book. I’d give this book a 5 star rating hands down.

By Ava, fifth-grader 

AR Level: 4.8
AR Points: 11

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann J McM

Imagine a world where everything is gray and bleak... the entire world as you know it is surrounded by walls and above you is a barbed wire fence.  Now with how amazing that sounds imagine that you are a 13 year old kid who was caught drawing in the dirt with a stick or humming a song or telling a story to your friends.  What do you think would happen to you?  Why you are classified as Unwanteds and then sent to the Death Farmer to be eliminated of course!

Once the gate is closed behind you and you are inside the Death Farm and you are NOT eliminated... what crazy thoughts are going through your mind?  Being told that you can do whatever you want sounds like a scheme to get you to do something bad again right? WRONG!

Mr. Today is the "Death Farmer" also known as the mage of a magical land called Artime.  He has teachers (human and creatures) to teach the children how to be creative!  How to sing, dance, act, draw, paint and create.  Each child is assigned to a specific teacher that specializes in what that child is most creative in and help them thrive in creating.

Now imagine after learning that singing and drawing are good things that you can also learn how to do magic!  Now you are told that since the land you live in is a secret, you need to be trained and prepared to fight in case the secret land you live in is ever discovered.  This story was an amazing beginning to a series I'm excited to continue reading!

AR Level: 5.7
AR Points: 11

Art2-D2’s Guide to Folding and Doodling by Tom Angleberger J Ang

I liked this book because it taught drawing and origami.  It also has comics in it. It tells the story of Origami Yoda.  The other characters are Harvey, Tommy, Kellen, and Dwight. It is part of the Origami Yoda series.  It is also a how-to book that teaches you how to fold origami Princess Leia, Admiral Akbar, and R2-D2.  I would recommend this book to anyone who loves origami, drawing, and Star Wars.  I liked this book because it was awesome and would like you to, too.

 by Ethan, fourth-grade reader

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein J Gra

Luigii Lemoncello is the gazillionaire creator of every kind of game a 12-year-old could want, from board games to computer games. He has used his enormous wealth to build a new library for his hometown of Alexandriaville, Ohio. Everything about the library is top-secret, so the entire town is itching for the grand opening. But Mr. Lemoncello can't let such an occasion pass without creating a little dramatic flair himself, so he has devised a contest to select 12 12-year-olds from town to be the first to explore the new library during an overnight lock-in.
When the next morning comes, however, the doors remain locked and the real game begins. The twelve participants, should they accept the challenge, must figure out a secret way out of the library. ("The way out is not the way you came in.") Clues are all over the library and individuals soon realize that working together is better than working separately. Two teams emerge.
The main character is Kyle Keeley, super-competitor and avid game player who knows just about everything there is to know about Mr. Lemoncello's games. He's at a real disadvantage, though, when it comes to book experience and library know-how. He first teams up with his best friend, super-smart Akimi Hughes. With Kyle's problem-solving know-how, and Akimi's book smarts, they form a plan to find and decipher the clues.
I like to play games and to solve puzzles. This book was written so that I could kind of play the game along with the characters and try to figure out how all the clues came together to provide the secret escape route. It kept me thinking and reading. I also liked the way the author included references to other books for young people, and not just the ones included by title in the story. There are also a lot of references to the Dewey Decimal system, worked in in sort of an incidental way.
This book was fast-paced with likable characters. There was only one thing that didn't really make sense to me. The new library was built because the old one had been torn down 12 years before -- and never replaced! I can't believe any city or town would go without a library for so long -- or would tear one down without already having a new one ready to move into. Okay, so maybe I'm a bit partial to the importance of libraries. I think the author could have used the same story line with a new building that was just replacing an old one. Regardless, Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library was a lot of fun.

AR Level: 4.5
AR Points: 7

Mister Max: Book One, The Book of Lost Things by Cynthia Voigt J Voi

Mister Max by Cynthia Voigt: Book One, The book of Lost things, in which Max misses the boat. No, really. Twelve-year-old Max is to meet his parents at the harbor after his art lesson. They would all board the boat Flower of Kashmir and depart for an extended stay in India, where Max's parents would develop a theatre company at the request of the Maharajah of Kashmir. But when Max arrives, there is no sign of his parents or a boat named the Flower of Kashmir. In fact, there has never been such a boat in the harbor, according to the harbormaster. But he does have a note for Max from his father, a note that doesn't really explain what had happened and even adds to the mystery of his parents' disappearance.

After the realization has sunk in that he has been left alone, Max makes his way to the library, where his Grammie works, and tells her the news. Of course Max will stay with her, she decides. But Max knows that Grammie can't really afford another person living on her small librarian's salary. So in addition to trying to solve the mystery of his parents' whereabouts, he also needs to find a way to make some money.

So begin Max's adventures, through a series of chance encounters with people who just happen to be in the right place at the right time to help him solve some of their mysteries, if not his own.

This is the first of a three-book series by award-winning author Cynthia Voigt. Voigt usually writes for an older audience, but this one hits its mark with a slightly younger set who may envy Max his independence and chance to prove he can manage on his own. There are enough characters whose lives overlap, intertwine and impact each other's and Max's, and a few small clues dropped throughout the story that it is just hard to put it down.

I read an advance reader's copy; the book will be released September 10. Already I'm eager to read book two. Put this title on your list and put a hold on it at the library. You won't be disappointed.