Ninth Ward by Jewell Rhodes

Rhodes, J. (2010). Ninth Ward. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 

Summary

12-year-old Lanesha is an avid student who dreams of becoming an engineer and building bridges for those who need them. Lanesha can also communicate with the dead, including the spirit of her mother who died after giving birth to Lanesha. Lanesha's caretaker, Mama Ya-Ya is a healer and can predict the future. When Mama Ya-Ya senses a large storm coming towards their city of New Orleans, both Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya must trust their gifts and close bond in order to survive Hurricane Katrina. 

Review

Wow! The dynamics of the characters, settings, magical elements, and foreboding disaster will capture even the most reluctant readers! Readers already know the terrible outcome of Hurricane Katrina but with the clever and honest writing, readers will truly believe this story of magic and heart. Readers who only saw the disastrous Hurricane Katrina on television will be able to live through this disaster in a suspenseful and haunting way. 

Genre

Fiction

Readers Age/Interest Level

9-13 years/ Tween

Similar Books

Moon over Manifest- Clare Vanderpool

One Crazy Summer Day- Rita Williams Garcia

I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005- Lauren Tarshis
Awards

2010 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award

Selected as one of the best books of 2010 by School Library Journal

2010 Parents Choice Foundation Gold Award

2010 Al Roker “Today Show” Book Club Selection

2011 Brown Bookshelf 28 Days Later selection

Readers Annotation

Lanesha can see spirits and Mama Ya-Ya can predict the future and together they must trust their special gifts and incredible bond to survive the nearing disaster of Hurricane Katrina. 

39 Clues: Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

Riordan, R. (2008). Maze of bones: the 39 clues. California: Scholastic. 

Summary

The Cahill family has set the course of history for hundreds of years and when their beloved Aunt Grace dies, orphans Dan and Amy are faced with an unusual choice: immediately inherit one million dollars or participate in a tedious and possibly dangerous modern day treasure hunt. Against the wishes of their guardian and unpleasant Aunt Beatrice, the siblings decide to accept the challenge and work together to decipher the first 39 clues. They soon realize that the quest is a whole lot deeper than they ever thought!

Review

Tweens and I love a great mystery and this series has it ALL! This book unfolds at such a super fast pace that readers will be racing to the nearest library to read the next book! This modern day treasure adventure gives children a chance to help solve clues, learn about historical figures, and debunk urban legends. Detailed accounts of their crazy adventure are awesome and kids will shudder and laugh at the siblings trek through the maze of bones.

Genre

Mystery

Reading Age/Interest Level

9-13 years/ Tween

Similar Books

The 39 Clues series- Rick Riordan

Calder Game- Blue Balliett

The Sherlock Files- Tracy Barett

Characters

• Amy (Age 15) and Dan (Age 11): They are the grandchildren of Grace Cahill. They became orphans when their parents died in a fire seven years earlier. Since that time, they have been in the care of their mean aunt Beatrice, before traveling to find the 39 Clues.

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• Grace Cahill: She is the Cahill's grandmother. She has traveled all over the world, and settled in Attleboro, Massachusetts. This book starts with a scene of her dying, and in the last minute, changing her will. 

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• • Alistair Oh: He is an aged, Korean inventor (most proud of his invention: microwavable burritos) and is from the Ekaterina branch. He is also Amy and Dan's "uncle", with his father being a half-brother with Grace's father. 

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• Ian and Natalie: They are both from London, UK.

•  Ian and Natalie both have cinnamon-complexion skin, amber eyes, and jet-black hair. They are both Lucians, with their parents, Isabel and Vikram, being the branch leaders.

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Irina Spasky: She is a former Russian KGB spy. Irina is known for her poison fingernails and for her sneakiness. She is also part of the Lucian branch.

Jonah Wizard: He is a superstar singer/actor and is always with his dad, Broderick Wizard. He had starred in the reality show "Who Wants to be a Gangsta?".

Eisenhower, Mary-Todd, Hamilton, Madison, and Reagan Holt: They are the strongest team in the quest. Eisenhower and Mary-Todd are the parents of Hamilton Pierre, Madison, and Reagan. Arnold, the family pit bull, is also considered as member of the family.They are all in Tomas. 

 Ned, Ted, and Sinead Starling: They have freckled faces and they always wear identical preppy clothes. They were put out of the hunt on the second day, due to an explosion caused by the Holts in a Philadelphia museum. They are part of the Ekaterina branch.

Nellie Gomez: She is the Cahill's au pair. Amy and Dan enlists her to be their guardian on the 39 Clues quest, unknowingly at first, but she later decides to help the children. She is of Mexican and French decent. 

William McIntyre: She is Grace Cahill's mysterious lawyer, advisor, and closest confidant. 

Readers Annotation

Everyone has a special person in their family, but what if you found out that Abraham Lincoln, Marie Curie and even Benjamin Franklin were all part of yours?!!? 

After All, You're Callie Boone by Winnie Mack

Mack, W. (2010). After all, you're callie boone. New York: Feiwel and Friends. 

Summary

Eleven year old Callie has the weirdest family on the block, her BFF dumped her for a more popular friend, and a humiliating belly flop leaves her banned from the community pool. Callie yearns for a friend who still chooses adventure over boys. When a new neighbor moves in next door, Callie is hopeful that things will get better. 

Review

If readers can get past the drama filled and sometimes whiny voice of Callie Ann, they will be surprised and pleased how well the author weaves the drama and insights into this realistic book about growing up. 

Genre

Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Reading Level/ Interest Age

9-12 years/ Tween

Similar Books

Turtle in Paradise- Jennifer Holm

Love, Audrey- Suzanne LaFleur

The Wonder of Charlie Anne by Kimberly Fusco

Fusco, K. (2010). The wonder of charlie anne. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers. 

Summary

When Charlie Anne's mother dies, her older cousin Mirabel arrives to take care of her and her siblings. Unfortunately, Charlie Anne's life is turned upside down with chores, reading assignments about charm and grace, and she finds any place to escape. When the family splits up in order to make ends meet, Charlie Anne is forced to make friends with the eccentric lady next door and her African American ward, Phoebe. During this growing friendship, Charlie Anne begins to understand that the world around her is not always fair and pleasant for all. 

Review

Readers will read about the impact that poverty and bigotry has on families during the Depression and Charlie Anne gives a perfect tween reaction to this unfairness. When Charlie Anne stands up and confronts this unfairness, tweens will cheer between the pages!

Genre

Historical Fiction

Reading Age/Interest Level

9-12 years/ Tween

Similar Books

Moon over Manifest- Clare Vanderpool

Bud, Not Buddy- Christopher Curtis

Readers Annotation

It is up to Charlie Anne to prove to the town that hearts are always able to change and grow. 

The Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus

Preus, M. (2010). Heart of a samurai. New York: Amulet Books. 

Summary

Manjiro is only 14 years old when a terrible storm washes him and his four companions onto a tiny island after a simple fishing expedition. They are eventually rescued by an American whaling ship but both groups distrust one another. The captain, William Whitfield, forges a bond with Manjiro and when he asks him to come along, Manjiro gives up everything that he knows and sets sail for America making him the first Japanese person to reach America. 

Review

What can I say? I am a sucker for a great adventure at sea. This is a great book for tweens to read about the first person from Japan to visit America in 1843. They will become motivated as they read about someone who started with nothing and took a chance that changed his life and the history of the world. 

Genre

Historical Fiction

Reading Age/Interest Level

10-13 years/Tween

Similar Books

Ship Breaker- Paolo Bacigalup

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon- Grace Lin

The Samurai Kids series- Sandy Russel

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M.T Anderson

Anderson, M.T. (2006). The astonishing life of octavian nothing: the pox party. New York: Candlewick Press. 

Summary

Octavian has grown up with his mother Cassiopeia, an African princess, in an educated household, surrounded by scientists and philosophers in colonial Boston. Unfortunately, Octavian finds out that his whole life has been a lie. He is being "groomed" in a terrible experiment that is trying to prove that despite education and a great upbringing, African Americans will always be inferior to the European race. When the experiment goes awry, Octavian and his mother are put under the watchful and hateful eye of Richard Sharpe. When a terrible fate is bestowed upon Cassiopeia, Octavian joins the Colonial Army and fights for the freedom of African Americans. 

Review

This was a terrible yet wonderful story about the determination of Octavian and his fight for equality. Tweens, teens, and even adults will want to throw this book against the wall at the same time of running to pick it up and finish reading it. This book is written in a very strong manner, and the language is intriguing yet easy to read. Tweens will relate to Octavian as he tries to do good and fight for what is right. His character will show tweens that everyone can make a difference. 

Genre

Historical Fiction

Reading Age/Interest Level

12-18 years/Tween-Teen

Similar Books

The Absolute Diary of a Part Time Indian- Sherman Alexle

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation
Characters

• Octavian: A boy of African descent, and technically a slave in the Gitney household, although he is brought up in luxury for much of his childhood. He is very skilled at the violin, quiet, and is fluent in Latin, French, and Greek.
• Cassiopeia: Octavian's Mother and an "African princess" known for her superior wit. At age 13 and pregnant, she was sold into slavery and purchased by Mr. Gitney.
• Mr. Gitney (03-01): The head of the Novanglian College of Lucidity and the owner of Cassiopeia and Octavian.
• Dr. Trefusis (09-01): Octavian's classics teacher.
• Lord Cheldthorpe: A Lord from England who comes to the colonies to see if he wants to continue the monetary support that his deceased uncle formerly provided for the Novanglian College of Lucidity. He has an especial fondness for Cassiopeia, but she refuses to return to England with him when he says that they can not marry; he quarrels with Octavian and Cassiopeia, who are brutally punished. He then refuses to continue support the Society.
• Bono: A slave in the Gitney household whose full name is "Pro Bono", because when his mother was purchased she was pregnant, so he was an added "bonus". Bono and Octavian become good friends, and when Bono is sold to a Southern owner, he leaves Octavian with a means to escape.
• Mr. Sharpe: The man funds the Novanglian College of Lucidity when Lord Cheldthorpe refuses to continue his support. He strives to prove that Africans are inferior to please his plantation-owning patrons in the South.

Awards

National Book Award Winner 2006

Michael L. Printz Winner and Honor Book

Readers Annotation

The part of history that you never read about. 

Pendragon: The Merchant of Death by D.J MacHale

MacHale, D.J(2002). Pendrahon: the merchant of death. New York: Alladin Publishing. 

Summary

The story takes place in the Denduron territory which, other than having three moons, is exactly like Earth. This book is the first in the series and has two different subplots, one is Bobby's adventures in Denduron and the other is on Second Earth where Bobby's friends, Mark and Courtney, live and they communicate with each other through Bobby's journals. 

The story begins when Bobby Pendragon is taken by his uncle Press to an abandoned subway station where he discovers that he, like his uncle, is a traveler with the ability to travel through space and time. At the station, Bobby is taken to a world called Denduron where evil Saint Dane is starting a war between the ruling Bedoowan and the enslaved Milago miners. As soon as they arrive, Bobby is captured and scheduled to be executed. 

Review

Soooooooo, great! This book is easy to read, very fast paced, and readers will fall in love with Bobby and the other strong characters introduced in this book. Fans of Harry Potter and Charlie Bone will love this series and will finish wanting more. 

Genre

Fantasy

Readers Age/Interest Level

10-13 years/Tween

Similar Books

Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Coifer

Harry Potter series- J.K Rowling

Charlie Bone series by Jenny Nimmo
Characters

Robert "Bobby" Pendragon - The main character of the story, a 14-year-old boy from Second Earth. He doesn't want to be part of his destiny as traveler but he has to accept it for all the territories. Especially Second Earth. Bobby always seems to mess things up but he is brave and has smart thinking. Bobby is very brave throughout the whole book.

Saint Dane - The villain of the story, an evil Traveler capable of shape-shifting. His goal is to bring chaos to Halla and re-build it for himself. Halla is everything that separates good from evil. It is very common of Saint Dane to make himself in a important position so he can create war and chaos on the inside feeding information and causing wars in all the territories.

Press Tilton - Bobby's uncle. A very experienced Traveler, who helps Bobby learn as he becomes one. He is one of the older generation of Travelers, so he is able to answer most of Bobby's questions. Later, he told Bobby that he was not his real, blood-related uncle. All the Milago look up to him and he will always fight for the good of things.

Mark Dimond - Bobby's best friend from Second Earth; described as a science nerd, long black hair that "always looks as if it should be washed", and extremely intelligent. He is the one Bobby sends all his records to while he is in other territories. He teams up with Courtney to help their friend.

Courtney Chetwynde - Another of Bobby's friends from Earth and his love life; described as doing pretty well academically with the exception of math, and is amazing at sports. She is Bobby's friend, girlfriend, and wife. She teams up with Mark Dimond.

Loor - The traveler from Zadaa. She is described as an extremely attractive warrior. Loor travels to Denduron with her adoptive mother to help stop Saint Dane. She shuns Bobby because of her mothers death, but later makes up with him. She is very mean to Bobby but when he does a heroic act at the end, Bobby is forgiven

Readers Annotation

Not a great family reunion.....