Jump Boys: SOS by Alex Banks

Book Title:	Jump Boys: SOS (Amazon link)
Author:	Alex Banks
Genre:	Science Fiction
Reviewer:	Parker (age 12)

*A dare gone terribly wrong. 
*An SOS from another universe. 
*A threat from right next door. 

Thirteen-year-old twin brothers Jayce and Val are about to jump the multi-verses on a dangerous dare, but true danger is closer to home than they realize. 

The Jupiter Prime colony has been orbiting the stormy gas giant for nineteen years and all anyone wants is to get back to Earth. Sent to preserve the best and brightest of the population, a grievous error in the Prime’s navigation coordinates sent the colony to an alternate dimension with no way to return to the Earth they call home. 

In a society where technical expertise is valued above all else, Jayce and Val are among the most privileged—until they uncover their uncle’s plot to claim dominion over space and time. While attempting to rescue a lone girl from a post-apocalyptic earth, Val will come face to face with space pirates and Jayce will lay his life on the line for the sake of his brother and the little girl who holds the key to time itself.

My favorite part . . .
is when Jayce tackled the pirate and got his hand twisted behind his back and said "my coach would be proud of me for how fast that was."

I'd recommend this book . . .
to anyone who loves space fighting!

Flyte by Angie Sage

Book Title:	Flyte (Amazon link)
Author:	Angie Sage
Genre:	Fantasy
Reviewer:	Madison (age 11)

It's been a year since septimus heap discovered his real family and true calling to be a wizard. As Apprentice to Extra Ordinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand, he is learning the fine arts of Conjurations, Charms, and other Magyk, while Jenna is adapting to life as the Princess and enjoying the freedom of the Castle.

But there is something sinister at work. Marcia is constantly trailed by a menacing Darke Shadow, and Septimus's brother Simon seems bent on a revenge no one understands. Why is the Darke Magyk still lingering?

Bringing fantasy to new heights, Angie Sage continues the journey of Septimus Heap with her trademark humor and all of the clever details readers have come to love.

My favorite part . . .
in the book is when Wolf Boy shoots a rock at Simon with a sling shot and it hits him in the eye.

I'd recommend this book . . .
to anyone who loves fantasy, Harry Potter and adventure.

Madison

Septimus Heap Magyk by Angie Sage

Book Title:	Septimus Heap Magyk (Amazon link)
Author:	Angie Sage
Genre:	Fantasy
Reviewer:	Madison (age 11)

The Magyk Begins Here

Septimus Heap, the seventh son of the seventh son, disappears the night he is born, pronounced dead by the midwife. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across an abandoned child in the snow -- a newborn girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take her into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this mysterious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son Septimus?

My favorite part . . .
is when Boy 412 finally speaks to Jenna and when he saves her from the Hunter.

I'd recommend this book . . .
to anyone who loves fantasy, Harry Potter and adventure.

Madison

Lost and Found by Colleen Coble

Book Title:	Lost and Found (Amazon link)
Author:	Colleen Coble
Genre:	Realistic Fiction
Reviewer:	Madison (age 11)

Fourteen-year-old Emily O’Reilly and her best friend Olivia Webster have a knack for solving mysteries. Emily has been busily training her new puppy Sherlock to be a Search and Rescue dog so that the two can lead search-and-rescue missions someday. So when Emily stumbles across an old photo of Olivia’s adoption day—a fact that has never been revealed to Olivia—the two quickly decide to uncover the mysterious details surrounding Olivia’s birth parents.

But the two bite off more than they can chew as they dig into learning more about Olivia’s adoption without notifying her parents. And to make matters worse, Emily’s mother Marika, a convicted felon recently released on parole, will stop at nothing to contact her daughter—a fact that Emily is not happy about.

When her beloved stepmother Naomi disappears, Emily takes it upon herself to connect the dots and conduct her own snow-bound search-and-rescue mission with Sherlock. Will Emily ever find the secret behind Naomi’s disappearance? And will Olivia ever learn the truth about her adopted parents?

Introduction: This book is about Emily. She is training her puppy named Sherlocks to be a search and rescue dog.

Brief description: Emily has many problems. One thing is her mom was convicted of murder. Her name is Marika. Marika tries to get Emily to leave her father but what is the real reason she wants Emily for?

My favorite part . . .
is when Drake Wilson is saying something stupid (too long to put here!) and Emily thinks, "she resisted the urge to roll her eyes" (pg. 163).

I'd recommend this book . . .
to anyone who loves dogs, adventure and mischief.

Madison

Cloneward Bound by M.E. Castle

Book Title:	Cloneward Bound (Amazon link)
Author:	M.E. Castle
Genre:	Fantasy
Reviewer:	Madison (age 11)

Meet Fisher Bas: a 12-year-old, growth-stunted, geeky science genius who is the son of Nobel Prize -winning parents. Despite his outsized IQ, Fisher is far from the most popular kid in his middle school—he’s actually tormented daily by the beefy, overgrown goons he calls the Vikings.

Holed up in his home lab over a long weekend, Fisher uses his mother’s revolutionary Advanced Growth Hormone to clone himself. Now Fisher Two can go to school each day while the real Fisher stays at home playing video games, eating Cheetos, and working on his latest inventions. It’s an ingenious plan that works brilliantly . . . until Fisher’s clone turns out to be more popular than him and then gets clone-napped by the evil scientist Dr. Xander. As his simple plan to literally avoid the toilet bowl of middle school collapses, Fisher’s life gets even more complicated, and he must set out on an epic adventure to rescue his genetic counterpart.

Introduction: Fisher the genius is a twelve year old who makes a twin/clone to go to school for him . . .It all goes wrong.

Brief description: Fisher creates a clone of himself but the clone is in LA searching for their un-real mother.

My favorite part . . .
is when Veronica (at the end of the book sorta) asks Fisher to the Fall Formal. (Fisher likes Veronica.)

I'd recommend this book . . .
to anyone who loves adventure, robots and flying pigs (FP)!

Madison

Marty McGuire Has Too Many Pets by Kate Messner & Brian Floca

Book Title:	Marty McGuire Has Too Many Pets (Amazon link)
Author:	Kate Messner & Brian Floca
Genre:	Fiction
Reviewer:	Madison (age 11)

Marty McGuire really has her hands full this time -- with a lazy boa, a hyper hamster, and a potty-mouthed parrot! Is her pet sitting business about to go OUT of business?

After visiting a sanctuary for retired lab chimpanzees, Marty wants to follow in the footsteps of her idol Jane Goodall and help with their care. But "adopting a chimp" is expensive, so Marty and her third-grade pals hatch a plan to raise money by holding a talent show at school and opening a pet-sitting business in Marty's basement. It turns out that each pet has a personality of its own, and wrangling them is much harder than Marty expected. How will Marty keep her latest great idea from going to the dogs?

Introduction: This third grader is raising money to help the apes. She has to earn money but how?

Brief description: Marty has to pet-sit one python, two hamsters, two gold fish, one parrot, a snail and a hedgehog. Will she manage?

My favorite part . . .
is when Grandma Joyce found Houdini in her suitcase. It was really funny.

I'd recommend this book . . .
to anyone who loves animals and funny moments.

Madison

The Dreamstone by Mikey Brooks

Book Title:	The Dreamstone (Amazon link)
Author:	Mikey Brooks
Genre:	Fantasy
Reviewer:	Madison (age 11)

When Parker’s mom is dreamnapped by the wicked Mab, it is up to him and Kaelyn to save her. When they return to Dreams, they discover Mab isn’t their only problem. Gladamyr has lost his powers and the only way to get them back is to become what he fears the most—a nightmare.

Introduction: In Dreams there is a nice place where good dreams happen and a bad place called Nightmares where bad dreams are born.

Brief description: There is a gateway in Dreams where there are keys. Each person has a key. When the gateway is taken over all the keys go back to their hooks except for Parker and Kaeyln's.

My favorite part . . .
was when Parker and Kaelyn thought smart and thought of a "dreamcatcher".

I'd recommend this book . . .
to anyone who loves adventure and imagination.

Madison