A powerful graphic novel about one person's experience being a child soldier. One day Michel stays too late at school and is kidnapped into the army. He is given cocaine, and forced to do a horrible deed almost right from the start. He eventually finds the strength to escape, and to forgive himself for what happened at that time. The back matter discusses the problems survivors face when trying to go back to their own community.

I would say it's definitely appropriate for 4th-5th graders, as most violence happens off-page.

Thomas, Pippa, and Sam all live at Dumfrey's Dime Museum. The museum is kind of like a Ripley's Believe It or Not!: there are lots of strange artifacts and a show every night with bearded ladies, giants and mentalists. Thomas, Pippa, and Sam are all part of the show. One night, the mysterious Max shows up and is added to the group. Around the same time a mysterious shrunken head is added to the museum. Murders and misdeeds soon follow. Will the kids find out who is behind the attacks before the museum goes under?

I like the start of Oliver's new series. Each character has their own unique talent, and there are reasons for that. It wasn't knock-your-socks-off, stay-up-all-night reading, but I did enjoy it and will be interested to see where the story goes from here.

I think I would have enjoyed this book more had I read it before reading "The Soul of an Octopus." Montgomery's affection for these animals comes across so strongly in that book, and I didn't get quite the same feel in this one. It's not to say this book isn't excellent, or worthy of consideration. When I finished "Soul of an Octopus," I wanted to go out and find one and have its suckers on my arms, despite screaming at the touch of a stingray in aquariums before. I didn't have the same reaction here.
The pictures are gorgeous, although I would have appreciated captions on every photo. Still, it's a worthy entry in the "Scientists in the Field" series. If you're able, I would recommend the adult title over this one.

An interesting start to a new series. Lilith (or Lil) has been selected to go to a future leaders conference. It is located on the island of Crete, and she hopes it might lead to some answers about her recently deceased mother. A series of challenges lead her into the Labyrinth and the secrets of her mother's past.

There are four friends in this story, hailing from three countries and each with different strengths. There are, of course, bad guys, and they are somewhat easily overcome. I wish the story had a bit more of a cliffhanger at the end.

Azra gets the enviable ability to turn quite attractive when she turns 16. However, there is a downside--it now means that she is a full-fledged Jinn, and she is now bound to grant human wishes and lose some control over her life. In her struggle to come to turns with this, she reconnects with a neighbor (whose sister used to be her best friend) and also connects with a lifeguard at her job. Additionally, she gets lots of support from her mother and her mother's Zar, a group of women born around the same time who are her sisters. Azra has her own Zar, all daughters of her mother's Zar. Azra has to deal with a lot of extra things--her powers seem to be a bit more than the ordinary, and she's a bit impulsive.

I think this is a great book for the middle school set in the YA section. There's a little bit of heavier stuff, but it doesn't stray too far into drugs and sex. Fair warning: there is a bit of underage drinking (but it's not seen as a good thing) and some dating situations with kissing, but nothing too graphic.

I am definitely looking forward to the next one. A great read!

This is a 3.5 star book for me. Ella and Maddie are twins, and although they were very close growing up, they've grown apart since middle school, when Maddie chose the popular life and Ella stayed with her art group. One night, when Ella is rescuing Maddie from popular shenanigans, they get into an accident which causes one twin to survive without knowing which one she is. When Ella realizes that she identified herself as the wrong twin, she chooses to try to keep up the facade in honor of her dead sister.

I found the extent to which Ella kept up the charade a bit unbelievable, or at least, I think I would have said something sooner. Still, Leaver's writing kept the pages turning. A great read for middle/high school.

I'm not an Almond superfan yet, but this mystical, poetic look at the Orpheus/Eurydice myth had me captivated. This story is told from Clare's perspective, who loves Ella Grey. Ella Grey meets Orpheus and it is love at first sight (or first listen). The way Almond describes the details of everyone's encounters, even just the description of a fire on the beach, is beautiful. It also tells the whole myth, complete to the way Orpheus ends. I would recommend it for high school readers, as I think it's better read with at least a basic understanding of the myth, and there is underage drinking, as well as sexual activity.

I think I might add this to future Hanukkah storytimes, especially as it comes with a CD!