Review: Will Wilder

Will Wilder has a terrible time at his brother's birthday party. He inadvertently destroys the party when he hijacks the donkey and rides it. He causes his brother to break his arm and unlocks his own destiny.

The shadows he's spotted his whole life come into sharper focus. Monsters are sneaking around town causing strange things to happen.

When one of them approaches Will for help, Will must decide if he's going to steal the family relic to use it for his own purposes. His actions could change everything.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. 
Lots of action.
Lots of danger.
 Lots of monsters. 
Lots of family secrets.
Great friends. 
Strange family. 
Good against Evil. 
Bad choices. 
Loyalty. 

Cover Thoughts: LOVE it - it reminds me a young Indiana Jones
Source: ARC from a Librarian Preview

Final Thoughts: Full of action and monsters, this will make tween readers very happy!

Review: Thicker than Water

* Book 2 in the School for SPIES series *

The Problem: LOTUS has been stealing jobs from SPIES - so much so that the orphanage is in serious jeopardy. They have an upcoming major job that must succeed and they have only 3 days to pull it off.

The Mission: They need to steal a mind control device in a state of the art facility with tight security.

The Side Mission: A surprise visit from the government inspecting the orphanage makes it difficult to run operations as normal.

The Objective: Steal the mind control device to save their reputation as well as the orphanage. 

My Thoughts: I really liked this book and learning more about Max as he recovered from the episode in the first book. He's still having a hard time with trust, but with his background it makes sense. The added pressure with the government official looking into the orphanage heightened the book, especially as the team found ways around his intrusive behavior. Their antics and explanations added humor to the story. I'm eager to see where the next book leads after the cliff-hanger ending. A great action-packed middle grade spy novel that made me turn the pages faster and faster. 

Cover Thoughts: Great - love it and it's a scene from the book
Source: Sent for review

Tween Tuesday Review: Secret Saturdays

Justin and Sean are tight. They've been best friends for two years. They live in the same building. They're mothers are both single moms, raising their sons. They both love to rap.

But lately, something's changed between them. Justin realizes that Sean's pulling away. He canceled on their Friday night plans with a lame excuse, but Justin saw his friend going somewhere with his mother.

Before long, Sean's putting other kids down and getting into fights. Justin isn't sure what to do. He wants to ask Sean what's going on, but Sean's doesn't seem interested in sharing his secret. Can Justin convince their other two friends to help him figure out what's going on with Sean?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this urban read. I liked the relationship between the boys - how close they were and yet how far apart they started growing. I love how Maldonado defines friendship - the ups and the downs. I liked how the three boys spent the weekend together, playing video games, listening to music, and creating their own music. I loved the creativity of their lyrics. There's a strong section on the book about bullies - being a bully and being a victim.  A strong tween book for readers about friendship, urban life, and bullies.

Cover Thoughts: I love the paperback version (above) so much better than the hardcover. I think this really grabs the eye.
Source: My Library

Fun Fact: I heard Torrey Maldonado speak at the YA Lit Symposium in a panel on Boys and Reading. He was a marvelous speaker.

Tween Tuesday Review: Framed and Dangerous

 *3rd and final book in the trilogy*
**Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens. Join the fun! **

Norah and Darcy's friendship is rocky at best. They're both frustrated with each other after their big fight. Norah walks to school alone for the first time in ages.
She's surprised that no one's hanging around outside, until she learns the field house is on fire. The brand new building was two weeks away from being finished. Now it's destruction leaves a lot of questions.
All the evidence points to Zane, the cute boy Norah's crushing over. When he asks Partners in Crime for help, Norah agrees to help him. She summons up the courage to ask Darcy to come back for one last case, knowing that things between them won't be the same. Can the girls work together to solve their biggest case yet? 

My Thoughts: I love this series with smart girls who solve cases. I hated the misunderstandings between Darcy and Norah, but I really liked how they came together to solve this case. I like how the case took on a new meaning with the previous fire and how looking into the past helped them solve the current case. I love the secondary characters and their relationships with both Darcy and Norah. I love the ending, even though I really hope the Norah and Darcy books continue one day. A great tween trilogy featuring smart girls, friendship, mystery, and a little romance.

Cover Thoughts: Cute! And while Kim Harrington was at my library, she dropped some behind the scenes information on the cover - In the previous book Norah got her first pair of glasses, but she has no glasses in this illustration. Kim added in a line about removing the glasses because the smoke was bothering her eyes while she was standing in front of the fire. - pretty cool!

Source: My Library

Review: Renegade Magic

*Sequel to Kat, Incorrigible*

Kat and her family are getting ready for Elissa's big day. Kat doesn't want her sister getting married, not because she doesn't want her to be happy, but because everything will change. She's going to miss her sister and her scolding.

Kat and Angeline set up the decorations early in the morning, using magic to make everything perfect. However, the day's ruined when an uninvited guest interrupts the day with slander of magic against the family.

Elissa and her new husband hurry off on their honeymoon, leaving the rest of the family worried. The next day, according to Stepmama's plan they family heads off to Bath for Angeline's debut.

There, she will forced to find a suitable suitor. However, in light of the circumstances, Angeline has a plan of her own. Only Kat sees her devious smile. Kat knows it's up to her to make sure everything turns out right, but after her disgrace in front of the other guardians, she's not sure she's up to the task. When she stumbles upon a dangerous magical situation, her mentor refuses to believe her. Can Kat save her sister from making a foolish mistake and contain the magic situation without any major mishaps?

My Thoughts: I spent a semester in college in Bath and loved it. I loved walking down the streets again, looking at the familiar buildings along with Kat. Her wonder of the city made me smile and long to walk down the streets again myself.


I hated that Elissa's happy day was ruined, but what a scandal! Mrs Carylye reminds me of Lady Catherine. She's horrible, but entertaining too. I loved Angeline's horrific, but genius idea. She's very determined and willful.  I really liked Lucy. I felt bad for her stuck with her family as they were horrible. I liked how Kat's father came out of his books and into the story. He's a wonderful character.  I loved the moments in the baths, especially with the magic flowing. I cheered for Kat as she helped her sister, her cousin, and tried to stop the magic. Kat grew up when she reached for help from an unlikely source. However, she's still lying and still creating mini scandals with her wild schemes, which are so endearing.  


I can't wait to the next book to wrap up the trilogy!

Cover Thoughts: Amazingly cute! I love the magical lights
Source: my Library
Challenge: YA Historical Fiction Challenge 2012

Mysterious Saturday Review: Mastermind Plot

*the 2nd book in the series - the first is Midnight Tunnel*

Zannah can't believe she's been invited to Boston to her grandmother's house. She's excited to see the city of Boston and to spend more time with her Uncle Bruce and learn more secrets to investigating.

When she arrives, she realizes that Uncle Bruce hasn't changed his opinion of her. He had no idea she was coming and he's not interesting in sharing any information about his new case with her.

Still, Zannah's determined to make the best of it.  She's enrolled in school at Miss Lydia Doucette's Academy for Young Ladies. There the girls pepper her with questions about the mystery she solved.

One girls isn't impressed with her. Before long, Zannah realizes that Adele's the daughter of the man who hired Uncle Bruce. Someone's setting his warehouses on fire. Adele has a theory, but Uncle Bruce refuses to listen to her ideas. Zannah, Will, and Adele share theories and start investigating the matter themselves. Will they be able to uncover the plot?

My Thoughts: I loved this book - Zannah is a wonderful character filled with curiosity, determination, stubbornness, and inquisitiveness. I loved the Boston setting. I loved Zannah's grandmother - she has the same feisty spirit as her granddaughter. I loved seeing Will again. I really enjoyed Adele's sweet and sassy nature. I loved how she undertook searching for clues herself.  I'm a big fan of this series and I can't wait to read more of Zanna's adventures. It's the perfect tween mystery series.


Cover Thoughts: Great - I love how Will and Zannah are watching something
Source: I won this from the author -Thanks Angie!
Similar Read: Enola Holmes 
Release Date: Look for this March 1st.