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?!!? 

Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Vanderpool. C. (2010). Moon over manifest. New York: Delacourt Books Publishing.
Summary
12 year old Abilene has always ridden the rails with her father until one day he sends Abilene away to live in the Depression era town of Manifest, Missouri, alone. She lives with Pastor Shady Howard and in a town that her father left mysteriously ten years earlier. Abilene is determines to piece together the reason why her father left Manifest and the local mystery of the "Rattler" all at the same time of trying to fit in with the closed knit townspeople.
Review
This is a great debut novel for Vanderpool and it has believable and at times humorous dialogue, beautiful imagery, and great characters that grow on you. Set in 1936, this book follows the first person narrative of 12 year old Abilene and her determination to save the old town of Manifest, her father, and the goodwill of the Town. Intertwined newspaper columns are shared throughout the book which gives readers a true look at the times.
Genre
Historical Fiction
Reading Age/ Interest Level
10-13 years/ Tween
Similar Books
One Crazy Summer- Rita Williams-Garcia
Heart of a Samurai- Margi Preus
Evolution of Calpurnia Tate- Jacqueline Kelly
Awards
Newberry Medal winner 2011
Readers Annotation
Abilene Tucker has always drifted from one place to another with her dad, now she is sent away, alone, to a place where outsiders are not welcomed and a deep mystery is ready to be solved.

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

Grisham, J. (2010). Theodore boone: kid lawyer. New York: Dutton Children's Book.
Summary
Theodore Boone grew up surrounded by lawyers and the judicial system so it is only natural that he gets wrapped up in the biggest trial of the towns history. It starts out with Boone getting a pass for his entire government class to sit in the audience at the murder trial of Mr. Duffy who is accused of murdering his wife. When a witness comes forward and tells Theodore that he was witness to the murder but is scared to come forward, it is up to Theodore to save the life of Mr. Duffy and the humanity of the town.
Review
As a huuuuge fan of Grisham and I was super excited when I ordered this book for my library. It is my goal in library life to find a plethora of books for boys and this is a great addition. Theodore Boone is a kid lawyer who even has a side business offering legal advice to his peers and family. He is stuck in the middle of keeping a secret and saving the life of a convicted man and readers will struggle along with his as he tries to make the right decision. This is a fast read and filled with drama and mystery.
Genre
Mystery
Interest Age/Interest Level
9-12 years/ Tween
Similar Books
Theodore Boone: The Abduction- John Grisham
Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald Sobol
The Hardy Brothers Undercover series- Franklin Dixon
Characters

Theodore "Theo" Boone: The protagonist. He is an 8th-grader in a small town public school and is highly gifted in the law. Both his parents are lawyers and he is friendly with everyone at the Courthouse, it being his favorite place to hang out.
Marcella Boone: One half of the law firm of Boone & Boone and occupying the ground-floor office. Theodore's mother is a lawyers specializing in family cases and children law.

Woods Boone: The other half of Boone & Boone, occupying the upper floor of the building and doing nothing but real-estate law and deeds and conveyancing.
Ike Boone: The uncle of Theo and a former lawyer.Theo comes to his uncle for advice.
His Honor Judge Henry Gantry: The criminal judge. He is well respected and takes a particular interest in involving the community as part of building a legitimate judicial system.

Julio Pena: Attends the same school as Theo. His family are migrants from El Salvador who are very poor and are being helped out by the Boone family.
Roberto "Bobby" Escobar: The "phantom" witness, as described by Judge Gantry. He has crucial evidence that led the Duffy trial to a mistrial.
Mr. Peter "Pete" Duffy: The defendant on the stand, accused of murdering his wife. It is claimed he did it to get money from her life-insurance policy valued at $1 million and because his secretary was his mistress. He is accused of strangling his wife, and the crime was conducted very neatly, leaving almost no direct evidence.

April Finnemore: Theo's closest friend and confidante. Her parents are undergoing a divorce and battling it in the Family Court. Theo gives her lots of advice on how to handle the proceedings into which she is being thrown. They communicate on instant messenger.

Annotation
It was only destiny that Theodore Boone had a murder trial fall in his lap.

The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Hahn

Hahn, M. (2010). The ghost of crutchfield hall. New York: Clarion Books.

Plot

Twelve year old Florence Crutchfield figured that her life at her uncles manor in the English countryside would have to better than Miss Medleycoates's Home for Orphan Girls. She would finally have family, a place to call home, and a cousin who she would call friend. Instead, she arrived to a crumbling old manor with acres of empty space and hallways that are both empty and cold. She will live there with her uncle, her mean and nasty aunt, her invalid cousin and a few servants, and the ghost of Sophie, her cousin who died mysteriously on the grounds of the manor. When things start to get worse as the anniversary of Sophie's death draws near, it is up to Florence and James to send Sophie back where she belongs, or they will be next.

Review

What a bummer! This cover had me at hello and I could not wait to dive into it. Well I dove headfirst into an empty pool. Hahn seemed to take the good parts of the Secret Garden, added a bratty ghost, and ended with little hope for any of the characters. There were too many references or inside jokes that would go completely over the heads of tweens and the writing style was boring and lacked depth. Although Hahn is a great writer and throughout the book she would make me pause with her brilliant sentences, the story needed more work.

Genre

Horror

Reading Level/Interest Level

9-12 years/Tween

Similar Books

Coraline- Neil Gaiman

The Dollhouse Murders- Betty Wright

The Haunting- Joan Nixon

Readers Annotation

Florence was expecting a new home, a new family, and a place to call her own. What she wasn't expecting is to be possessed and haunted by her deceased cousin and in a race to save herself from trading positions. Florence's uncle said that the dead don't return, he was wrong.

The Boneshaker by Kate Milford

Milford, K. (2010). The boneshaker. New York: Clarion Books.

Plot

 At the crossroads lies a ghost town that was abandoned years ago under mysterious circumstances. When the town of Arcane was founded, its founders decided to move it up the road to keep it from falling under the same fate. Growing up in such a place, Natalie is fascinated with anything mechanical and is mesmerized when Dr. Jake Limberleg's Nostrum Fair and Technological Medicine Show stops in her fathers bicycle repair shop and asks to fix a broken wagon wheel to their caravan. Knowing that Dr. Jake is more sinister than he leads on, she is the only one who can save the town after everyone has fallen for his miracle cures and snake oil remedies.

Review

A new twist on Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes" Boneshaker is as creepy as it is good. Milford's writing is incredibly detailed and you can smell the gears as they start to turn and you can feel the tickle in your nose as the dust is lifted off the single road leading into town. There are going to be characters that seem to weave in and out of the story, some serve a lot and some are there solely to fill up pages. Whichever the case, this is a fantastic novel about the strength of family, community and bravery. 

Genre

Fantasy

Reading Level/Interest Level

10-12 years/Tween

Similar Books

A Tale Dark and Grimm- Adam Gidwitz

Revolver- Marcus Sedgwick

The Carnivorous Carnival- Lemony Snicket

Readers Annotation

13 year old Natalie loves anything with gears and wheels, until her small town, family and herself are thrust into a gear like story that will force Natalie to face down with the devil himself.