"Aliens on Vacation" by Clete Barrett Smith

 

I though this one sounded really funny.

Scrub isn't thrilled about having to go to his wacky grandmother's B&B for the summer, especially because he won't be able to attend basketball camp to try to win the starting position.  But Scrub is in for the summer of his life when his grandmother confesses that the Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast is actually intergalactic!  Scrub helps out disguising aliens and keeping them away from suspicious Sheriff Tate - until a camping trip goes horribly awry and Scrub's grandmother may lose everything.

This was a fun book.  I think middle schoolers will really love it - Scrub has a lot of legitimate concerns (will his best friend even miss him?  How will he ever kiss a girl?  Will he ever be good enough to be a starter on the basketball team?) and the alien twist is pretty neat.  I hope we'll hear more from Scrub in future books.  A 7 from me.

“Wake” by Amanda Hocking

 

This is the first in a new planned trilogy from Hocking.

Gemma Fisher loves swimming.  A new trio of girls in town also seem to love swimming, but Gemma feels uncomfortable around them.  It’s not because they’re totally gorgeous, or fearless, or have every guy in sight drooling over them.  There’s something a little off about them – which Gemma finds out, all too personally, on one fateful night.  Now she must make a choice between staying with her family and friends, or entering a new world filled with danger and dark hungers.

I didn’t really enjoy this book.  While I liked the mythology behind the supernatural parts of it, I didn’t really like Gemma as a character, and I thought the trio was way over the top.  I didn’t like how Gemma was forced into her choice, and I especially didn’t like the total cliffhanger ending (seriously, nothing is resolved).  I’m not too sure I’ll be reading the second book in the series.  I can only give this one a 3 out of 10.

“The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom” by Christopher Healy

 

I picked this book up solely based on how funny the title sounded.

Prince Liam, Prince Frederic, Prince Duncan, and Prince Gustav are probably not familiar names, but they are the 4 Princes Charming from the stories – you know, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapnuzel.  And each of these four men have let their kingdoms down in some way.  When an evil plot to destroy the world is uncovered by these guys, it’s up to them to become the heroes people believe them to be and save the day.

I really enjoyed this book.  The humor was great, the princes are distinct, and the story was pretty believable.  It was a nice change of pace from all the dystopian fiction out there right now, and it seems this may just be the first book in a series.  I look forward to more stories from this author, and I highly recommend this fun romp.  A 9.5 from me for an excellent book.

Read A-Likes: A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz, Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

“Grave Mercy” by Robin LaFevers

 

I picked up this book based on the tagline: “Why be the sheep when you can be the wolf?”

Ismae escapes from her abusive arranged marriage to the convent of St. Mortain.  Here, she discovers that she is a daughter of Death, and that she has been gifted with dangerous talents.  She is trained as an assassin and is ready to serve St. Mortain by doing his bidding – killing traitors who are Marqued for death.  Her biggest assignment takes her into the high court of Brittany, where treason and deadly games threaten her country at every turn.  And she must discover the truth behind her greatest enemy – for how can she deal Death’s vengeance upon a man who has stolen her heart?

I freaking loved this book.  I can’t say enough amazing things about it – I couldn’t put it down.  Ismae is a wonderful character, and I loved how the story focused more on the political stuff than any of the convent stuff.  The relationships she has seem real and the characters are wonderfully developed – I feel like I know the duchess.  If my review sounds even remotely interesting to you, you’ll love this one too.  A 9.5 from me for a nearly perfect book.

“The Kill Order” by James Dashner

 

This is the prequel to The Maze Runner.

Mark and Trina survived the deadly sun flares only because they were underground when they hit.  For the next year, they struggled to survive in a world greatly changed from the one they knew – no technology, scavenging for food like rats, and just trying to keep living.  Just when things start to look good, however, mysterious people arrive from above, shooting darts.  It quickly becomes apparent that these strangers are out to kill, and Mark and Trina must try to figure out why so they can survive The Flare.

Dashner is an incredible writer – he’s so descriptive, I actually gagged during some of his descriptions of the gritty violence.  This story is different from Maze Runner in that it must end in the lowest possible point in the story (kind of like the Star Wars prequels).  The only “positive” at the end is really not much of a positive at all, which only underlines how awful life has become for Mark and Trina.  It was a gripping read, and I couldn’t put it down until the end.  A 9.5 from me.

“Endlessly” by Kiersten White

 

This is the final book in the series that started with Paranormalcy.

Evie and Lend are finally happy.  Evie has a fairly normal life, helping to plan the upcoming dance, going to school, making non-paranormal friends.  But when IPCA, under new direction, contacts her again and her paranormal friends are asking for a huge favor, it’s up to Evie to decide her own fate – and the fate of all the paranormals on Earth.

Evie had a lot more angst in this one.  There was a lot of action, but it kind of felt like she was just spinning her wheels.  I’m sure this was on purpose, to help feel Evie’s frustration, but it made for a less-than-great read.  While I am glad to know how Evie’s story ended, I was also glad it ended.  A 7 from me.

“The Demigod Diaries” by Rick Riordan

 

This is a book of short stories that take place in Percy Jackson’s universe.

From getting to know Luke a little better, to an intriguing tale of how Percy recovered Hermes’ staff, to Leo’s amazing moving table, the world of demigods is never boring!

If you enjoy the Percy Jackson books, you’ll love this one.  I especially liked the short story by Riordan’s son, who is the reason why the Percy Jackson books were started in the first place!  (You can read all about how in the book).  I give this one a 9 out of 10.

Read-A-Likes: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (see how it all began!), The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

“Kingdom Keepers II: Disney at Dawn” by Ridley Pearson

 

 

This is the second book in the Kingdom Keepers series.

 

Maleficent has escaped from the Magic Kingdom, and it is up to Finn and the gang to recapture her.  They think she’s at the Animal Kingdom, but they can’t fall asleep because the Overtakers have created a second server that could trap them as their DHIs forever.  Will the Kingdom Keepers be able to stay awake long enough to save Disney World?

This book wasn’t as good as the last one.  There were more “obvious” errors in this one (like ride lines in the story closing before official park closing – that’s not true in real life.)  I guess that’s the downside of setting stories in real places, but it was still distracting.  The characters grew a little more in this one, and the puzzles were better, but the plot was essentially the same as the last book, and the plot holes (Charlene just happens to have used stilts before?  How convenient) were too large for me to really buy into the story.  I’ve read Pearson’s other books and know he has done better.  A 4 from me for a disappointing read - I don’t think I’ll be reading any of the others.

Read-A-Likes (but better): Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson, The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex, 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson