Glitch by Karla Oceanak

151 pgs.
Target audience: Ages 7 to 13
Rating: Dragon

In the seventh volume of this alphabetical adventure,

ten-year-old Aldo Zelnick finds there are far too many glitches in his plans for a perfect Christmas. His wish list grows rapidly to include items he saw in a catalog including a snow cone machine and an inflatable backyard log flume. Though every time he turns around it seems a certain gnome Christmas decoration named Griswold is lurking about. Aldo is sure he’s reporting back to Santa, so he puts a new plan into action to give, give and give galore in order to get his awesome presents. The voice of Aldo rings true and his perspective on life will appeal to both kids and adults and make them laugh out loud. The hilariously clever illustrations pair nicely with Aldo’s unique sense of humor. This is an excellent choice for vocabulary building for each volume contains a glossary. This installment features words beginning with the letter “G” indicated by an asterisk. This series is highly recommended to fans of “Big Nate” and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” (This book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com)

 

 

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How not to be killed by a zombie by Baron specter
Target audience: Chapter book
Rating: Wizard

Barry and his friends Mitch, Stan, Jared and Amy live in the town of Marshfield which has four cemeteries. All the bizarre things they’ve seen in the local graveyards prompted them to form a group called the zombie hunters. The third adventure in the “Graveyard Diaries” series begins with zombies roaming the largest cemetery beheading wild animals. One night Barry is walking his dog and he hears someone calling a dog named Lucy and the answering bark of a dog but he can never find anything. His own dog is also called Lucy and disappears the next night. Barry and Mitch team up with the ghost of a young girl whose ghost dog is also missing. It’s a job for the zombie hunters. If they succeed more than one lost dog will be spared. Each chapter includes an entry from Barry’s journal, a humorous poem and helpful hints on how not to be killed by a zombie like making them eat lots of salt. The black and white illustrations are clever and set the tone for the book. The author includes a map and a list of zombie facts. This eerily fun book is recommended to fans of the “Goosebumps” series by R. L. Stine.

 

BIBLIO: 2012, Magc Wagon/ABDO Group, Ages 8 to 12, $27.07.

REVIEWER: Mary Thompson

FORMAT: Chapter Book

ISBN: 978-1-61641-900-4

 

 

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The ice gate of Spyre by Allan Jones

150 pgs.
Target audience: Middle Reader
Rating: Wizard

Trundle, a valiant hedgehog, teams up again with his friend, Esmerelda, Jack the minstrel, and a dopey ex-pirate named Ishmael to find the fourth legendary crown of power. According to legend they must head to the Ice Gate of Spyre. So they set off in their sky boat to the floating island of Spyre where they crash land into a tree full of vampire bats. After they narrowly escape exsanguination, the group discovers one of the legendary galleons assigned to deliver the crowns long ago. However the ship and crew was turned to stone before delivery was made. In order to get to the icy peak of Spyre for the crown, they must fight mobs of monastic llamas and enormous, ravenous, snow snakes. Snappy pirate dialogue, inane proclamations from Ishmael pepper this fantastic animal adventure. Kids will enjoy finding and following the many clues in the prophecies that guides the quest. Readers do not need to read the books in order, the author provides a short summary in the form of a prologue. (This book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com)

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Spiral by Roderick Gordon

437 pgs.
Target audience: Middle Reader
Rating: Wizard

 This fifth installment in the thrilling “Tunnels” series finds our intrepid heroes, Will and Chester, hiding out at Parry’s estate while undergoing intense training exercises. The Styx have begun implanting bombs inside random people set to detonate during major events so as to have maximum deadly effect. This paves the way for the Rebecca twins to implement the conversion Phase of impregnating humans with eggs which will eventually consume their hosts. Drake is gathering all his old friends with special abilities in a last ditch effort to thwart the evil Styx. One such rebel, Professor Danforth, has invented a machine that can purge Styx programming from the brain. But is this small group enough to save humanity or will everything spiral out of control? As with previous books in this series, the action is relentless from disaster to narrow escapes to betrayal to deadly battles to faceless monsters, and back to disaster upon disaster, all the way to the cliffhanger ending, it never lets the reader rest. It is wise to read these books in order due to the tremendous detail of the world the author has created. (Book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com).

 

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River odyssey (Submarine Outlaw series v. 3) by Phillip Roy

229 pgs.
Target audience: Middle reader
Rating: Wizard

All Alfred wants to do is explore and after building a one-man submarine with the help of junkyard owner Ziegfried, he does just that. He lives with his grandparents off the coast of Newfoundland and spends most of  his time exploring with his submarine crew, Hollie, a stray dog, and an uncannily intelligent seagull, Seaweed. His adventures have earned him the title, Submarine Outlaw because he doesn’t have a permit for a submarine. In this third outing, at the advice of his grandmother, Sheba, he sets out on a trip to Montreal to find his dad who left right after his mom died giving birth to him. He follows the St. Lawrence river south past Anticosti island and Quebec. The dangers of river travelling include getting tangled with shipwrecks, rescuing cats in the fog, losing the sub in the fog and running up against the police. But Alfred wouldn’t have it any other way – he is resourceful, smart and remarkably calm and logical under pressure. He uses his wits and ingenuity. Included in the storyis a fair amount of Canadian seafarer’s history and geography. This will appeal to young readers especially boys with a keen interest in exploring and technical aspects of sea travel.
(Book provided for review by Children's Lit. - www.childrenslit.com)
 

 

 

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The Maelstrom by Henry H. Neff (Books of Tapestry, Book 4)

468 pgs.
Target audience: Middle Reader
Rating: Wizard

Astaroth is weakened and the demon Prusias seizes this golden opportunity to build his empire by attacking everyone else with his workshop powered war machines of course. Max returns to a hero’s welcome at Rowan. The celebration is cut short due to the threat of Prusias and the discovery that Max’s name is at the top of an assassin guild’s list. Max and his sorcerer friend, David, must once again work together to fight the famed workshop and stop Prusias’ invasion, while simultaneously dodging assassination attempts. Cooper, an old comrad, now possessed by a demon is sent as an assassin. Scathach returns to Rowan as Max’s bodyguard. This series is a marvelous blend of fantasy, mythology, science fiction, and mystery. The characters are endearing and well developed. Fantastic battles, cool spy-like inventions, fierce friendships and great illustrations await the eager reader. It is necessary however to read them in order to fully enjoy the experience because the overall plot of the series is intricate and complex. There is also a glossary at the end of this volume.

 

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The secret prophecy by Herbie Brennan

364 pgs.
Target audience: Ages 8-12
Rating: Wizard

Edward Michael “Em” Goverton wakes up one morning to find his dad, a university professor, dead. Since his father was recovering from a bout with the flu, this came as total surprise. Things get even weirder when strange men in black suits carrying guns show up at the funeral and then start to follow Em. So he starts digging into his dad’s research on a new biography of Nostradamus. It seems his dad discovered a secret prophecy, one which a mysterious group called the Knights of Themis want their hands on at any cost. Soon Em finds himself enmeshed in a dangerous web of predictions, mystery, and betrayal. He must race against the clock to prevent a catastrophic plot, but whom can he trust? This is sure to please readers hungry for fast paced thriller mysteries. There are codes to break, prophecies to interpret and plenty of twists and turns. Think “Da Vinci Code” for kids. Brennan, author of the popular “Faerie Wars” books, brings us the first installmnt in an exciting new conspiracy series. (This book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com)
 

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