Savvy

*****

Ingrid Law

Mibs isn't popular by any means. In fact, quite the opposite. But that's okay because she only has one more day left at school.

That's because, tomorrow Mibs turns 13. And in her family, that's a really big deal. 13 is when the Beaumonts get their savvy. A savvy is like a special power, or, as Mibs calls it, a special know how. Rocket Beaumont makes electricity. Fish Beaumont makes storms. And Mrs. Beaumont does everything pretty much perfectly. Mr. Beaumont, however, doesn't have a savvy. And he's been in an accident.

Now Mibs finds herself on a mission. Believing she has discovered her savvy, she heads to the hospital to rescue her father. But her savvy still has a few surprises in store. As do the rest of people inadvertently along for the ride!

Really, really cute book. This is one of the Virginia Young Reader books this year and totally worth the read. The book looks long (especially since it's only available in hardback), but it's really a quick read. The characters are great. Each one is entirely believable and lovable. You won't be able to put it down!

If you liked this book, check out:
Harry Potter Series
Septimus Heap Series
Charlie Bone Series
The new book by Ingrid Law coming out in 2010.

Artemis Fowl

****

Eoin Colfer

Artemis is a genius. Artemis is a criminal mastemind. Artemis is ruthless. Artemis is clever and cunning. Artemis stays one step ahead of his enemies. Artemis is rich.

Artemis is 12.

In the first book of the series, young Artemis schemes to steal a literal ton of gold from creatures that many say don't exist outside of fairy tales. Sound fantastic? Just wait until you see what the other side has planned!

This is a great book. Like so many books I've read recently, I really didn't know what to expect going in. But with this book, it only took a couple of pages to get hooked. And it only took a couple of days to finish.
If I had to find one complaint with the book, it would be that the chapters are seriously long. They are pretty well broken up, though; there are stopping points along the way.

If you liked this, look for:
Harry Potter Series
The Immortal Nicholas Flamel Series

What is the Teacher's Toupee Doing in the Fishtank?

***

Jerry Piasecki

Clever, but short-tempered Mindy, trouble-maker Jeff, big-eater and hard-punching Frankie and teacher-hating Samantha are among the hard-to-teach students in Mr. Finelli's class. Their goal this year is the same as every year - make life hard for their teacher. But this year, they may have met their match. Mr. Finelli is no ordinary teacher. He throws toupees, talks to sheletons, blows bubbles and eats more than any man his size should be able to. But will this wacky educator be enough to stand up to ARF Committee?

This is a funny book. It's not very serious, but will make you giggle. Just take it with a grain of salt. It's also a great read-aloud for classrooms, because it's easy to follow and downright wacky.

If you like this book, look for:
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key (and other Joey Pigza books)

Holes

****

Louis Sachar



Stanley Yelnats has really, really bad luck. So bad, in fact, that it lands him in a "summer camp" for screwup kids. But this isn't like any summer camp that Stanley's ever heard about. The warden works the kids tirelessly digging holes in the desert. When they mess up, the punsihments are severe. But when Stanley realizes that they're not just digging to build character, but to find something, he begins searching for the truth. And it nearly kills him.



This is a pretty good book. It's a quick read and a real page turner. The twists are a little far-fetched for a book that claims to be realistic fiction, but it's definitely worth picking up.



If you like this book, look for:

Shakespeare's Secret

Chasing Vermeer

Touching Spirit Bear

Hamlet

Harry Potter Series