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