The Runaway King by Jennifer Nielsen

“I had arrived early for my own assassination.” That is the first sentence in The Runaway King by Jennifer Nielsen. After Jaron returns to Carthya he has a choice. He has ten days to surrender, or the pirates will destroy Carthya. That is the threat Jaron gets from Roden, who was once Jaron’s Friend, but now is his enemy. Jaron has to change back to Sage and leave the throne, join the pirates, and save the kingdom.

                How will Jaron save the Kingdom?

                Will Carthya Live?

                Read to find out! It is a real Adventure!

Reviewed by -NyanMEOWMEOW!

You Only Die Twice by Dan Gutman

If you like adventurous fiction you will love this book! This book can be scary and exciting. You Only Die Twice by Dan Gutman is a book about the main characters, Coke and Pepsi. They travel in an RV around the world for their summer vacation. The problem is Mr. Warsaw (their enemy) is getting married to Coke and Pepsi’s aunt.  Mr. Warsaw wants to get revenge on the kids by killing them, but the kids brought bombs and weapons to defend themselves. Mr. Warsaw disguises himself so he can fit in and the kids can’t see who he is.  I think the author’s message in the book is to never give up and always follow your dreams.  This book reminds me of Malala and when she never gave up on her dream of going to school. Why do you think they call it ``You Only Die Twice’’?  Well, if you want to know, you have to read the book.

Reviewed by: Omgsoftball

Asylum by Madeline Roux

Asylum, by Madeline Roux, is a wonderfully scary book. Dan, Abby, and Jordan meet each other at a summer program at New Hampshire College, but unfortunately, the dorms are being redone. The replacement dorms are in an old, abandoned asylum called Brookline. Abby decides to go exploring in the closed off main office and drags the boys with her. This is where the mystery starts to unfold. What happens next I shall not tell you, you must read the book to find out.

I guarantee that you will love the photos the author includes. They add a more realistic feel to the book. The photos make the book scarier just like Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. If you love scary mystery books you will love this book.  (This book is not in our school library.  It is recommended for grades 7-10, but if you check with your parents you can get it at the public library.)

Reviewed by smarticles_t

Rump by Liesl Shurtliff

Rump by Liesl Shurtliff is based on the story of Rumpelstiltskin.  What a wonderful spin on a well known tale.  I loved the characters in this magical 2015 Rhode Island Children's Book Award Nominee.   The author did a great job of adding a fresh perspective to the story.  I especially liked the gnomes and trolls.  I found it very amusing to imagine little gnomes running around delivering memorized messages to people, kind of like text messages sent by person.  A totally fun and surprisingly touching story of young Rump trying to find the rest of his name.

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool is one of the 2015 Rhode Island Children Book Award Nominees.  Vanderpool has also written Moon Over Manifest, a Newbery Award book.   Navigating Early is a true adventure story that takes place in the mountains of Maine.  In Vanderpool's story, her character, Early Auden is fascinated with the story that the number pi (3.14...) tells him, about a boy named Pi.  When Jack Baker moves to Maine from Kansas, to attend a boarding school for boys after his mother's death, Early and Jack become friends.  Both of the boys have had to face the loss of beloved family members, Jack's mother, and Early's brother.  The story of Pi is set within the story of Early and Jack.  Early and Jack set out on a quest together to search for Pi, who is missing.  The quest is a dangerous one.  The boys will be threatened by frightening gun-toting men, hunted by dogs,  and faced with a huge bear.  Can the boys survive the wilderness and find what they have lost?  Read Navigating Early to decide if you want to vote for it in February of 2015.

At the end of the story the author references Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant: A Memoir by Daniel Tammet.  I was glad that I had already read this book and remember how fascinated I was by the author, who saw numbers in colors and sizes and shapes, just like Early Auden.   If you are interested in understanding someone who thinks differently than you, you can listen to Daniel Tammet giving a talk about how he sees numbers and words.  He shows paintings that express how numbers, including pi, look to him.

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes is my new favorite book.  I just finished it and would highly recommend this 2014 Newbery Honor book as a read aloud for all second grade teachers.  I've read many books by Kevin Henkes and he delivers yet again with this sweet story about a little boy who is just beginning his second grade school year.  Written with depth of character and understanding of children we follow Billy through his year at school and learn quickly to love the characters that people his world; Mama, Papa, his sister Sal and his teacher Ms Silver.  Billy's problems are the kind every second grader can relate to, from his know-it-all classmate to his fear of public speaking, but the quiet, real way his worries are addressed by Henkes is masterful storytelling.  Once heard, you will not forget the voice of Billy Miller.

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein was a delightful romp of the imagination.  Just in case you don't recognize the author Chris Grabenstein, he is the coauthor of I Funny, (a book that I can't seem to keep on the library shelf!)  Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library was chosen as the Kids Reading Across Rhode Island book for 2014.

Kyle Keeley and his friends enter an essay contest at school to win an overnight stay at the brand new library in their town, built by an accomplished game-maker Mr. Lemoncello.  Once inside the library, they are challenged to find a way out, but not by the doors they entered.  The library was built at the site of an old bank building, and the clues left by Mr. Lemoncello's band of accomplices play out like a giant board/video game.  Of course every story is best if there is an antagonist, and not everybody is ready to play nice.  If you like puzzles, detective stories and mysteries, you'll enjoy trying to figure out the picture puzzles in this book. As added fun, you'll come away with a list of great reads suggested by the zany Mr. Lemoncello, so keep a paper and pencil handy!

Librarians might enjoy Escape as a read aloud to see how many of the title and author references their students can get.  Chris Grabenstein is definitely tipping his hat to our profession with this one!

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

Doll Bones by Holly Black

Doll Bones by Holly Black is one of the 2014 Newbery Honor books and a wonderfully creepy ghost story.  I loved this book.  I'm a big fan of ghost stories and this is a well told tale with plenty of adventure and suspense. The book is about three friends, Poppy, Alice and Zach.  The three enjoy playing an imaginative storytelling game together, but Zach's father feels that Zach is too old for this now that he is in middle school and tries to put an end to his play.  In their imaginative game, a china doll in Poppy's mother's cabinet plays the role of a sinister queen.  The creepy looking doll becomes the center of the story when Poppy dreams that the doll is possessed by a young girl and needs to be buried so that the ghost can rest.  Until it is buried, Poppy warns that the ghost will haunt the three friends.  Is there truth to Poppy's assertions, or is Poppy just trying to get Zach to play the game again?  Zach doesn't know what to believe until...  Yeah, you know, read it and find out.

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

The book “Doll Bones” by Holly Black is a really awesome book.  There are three friends who like to play with action figures, and there is a bone china doll in a cabinet which they pretend is a glass tower when they are playing.  Then one night Poppy has a dream of the doll before it was a china doll.  Read the book to find out their epic journey.      

I really like the book “Doll Bones”.  I can relate to it because, I like to have adventures like Poppy, Zach, and Alice.  Also, the doll was really creepy but when other people read the book they might think it’s creepy and scary but I like slightly scary books.  

Review by IS

Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo is the delightful winner of the 2014 Newbery Award.  DiCamillo is one of my favorite authors.  She wrote Because of Winn-Dixie, and The Tale of Despereaux, to name two of her most popular novels.  Flora and Ulysses has easily become another one of my personal favorites.  It is a simple story, rich in vocabulary and peopled with funny, quirky characters.  Flora is a young girl whose parents are separated.  She befriends a squirrel, named Ulysses, who had been accidentally vacuumed up by her neighbor, Tootie.   The poor squirrel seems near death, until Flora takes charge of the situation with CPR and mouth to mouth resuscitation.  Yes, mouth to mouth resuscitation - on a squirrel!  The ensuing, rollicking, comical, wondrous adventures of Flora & Ulysses begins.  Pick up a copy as soon as possible and read this one out loud with your classes. They will love it!

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

Paperboy by Vince Vawter

Paperboy by Vince Vawter is a special story.  It is about a boy who has a speech problem, he stutters.  The story is based in the southern United States during the time when African Americans and whites were segregated.  There are a lot of themes that the author focuses on, from race relations, to bullying, to family relationships.  But in the end, it really is a story about a boy who is struggling to understand the grownup world he is living in.

Although his stuttering is so bad he can't even tell people his name,Vince Vawter does an excellent job of giving a voice to the main character of the story.   I really wanted him to win out over his problems and was routing for him throughout the book.  There are many memorable characters in this story.  I loved the special relationship the main character had with his "Mam", the black woman who takes care of him and his family.  You can tell Mam would do anything for him, and he would do anything for her. Read this Newbery honor book to find out about their lives and the troubles they must face.

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro