A Game of Noctis by Deva Fagan - ADVISABLE

A Game of Noctis by Deva Fagan, 306 pages. Simon, 2024. $18

Language: G (0 swears,  0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G (non-bloody fighting)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

12yo Pia is desperate to save her Gramps from being ejected from Dantessa because his standing has slipped so low in the Great Game. Pia take a chance and allies herself with a new crew - the Seafoxes, each with their own motives for wanting to upset the status quo in Datessa - even if they have to face the immortal Death herself.

Students who love books in original fantasy worlds will enjoy meeting Pia and Dantessa. I enjoyed that Pia wasn’t a “chosen one” who needs to save the whole world - a nice touch that helps it feel different from so many other recent fantasy books.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Queen Clarion’s Secret by Kimberly Morris

Morris, Kimberly Queen Clarion’s Secret, 100 p. Random House, 2009. $5.99. Prilla is worried – she knows she saw Queen Clarion just over there – but now, the queen is gone and Prilla is worried that something really bad may have happened. Lily and Beck will have to join forces with Prilla in order to solve this mystery. And they will have to go further afield than almost every other Never Fairy in history. The Never Fairy series continues – even my students in the middle school enjoy reading these. EL, MS – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library-Teacher

Violet Wings by Victoria Hanley

Hanley, Victoria Violet Wings, 372 p. Egmont, 2009. $15.99. Violence: PG, Other Content: G. Zaria Tourmaline and her other friends have just reached the magic age of 12. When their fairy powers are revealed, both Zaria and her best friend Jenna are revealed to be two of the most powerful fairies seen in Tirfeyne in generations. But Zaria and Jenna are overly fascinated with Earth – Zaria because of her parents and brother’s disappearance and Jenna because it is a forbidden place. There is an enemy lurking in Tirfeyne who is more than willing to take the whole world down if Zaria gets too close to revealing the secret. Zaria will have to face betrayal from friends and enemies. I enjoyed every minute of reading this book. Younger students, any fantasy reader, will also enjoy. I can’t wait for #2! EL, MS – ESSENTIAL. Cindy, Library-Teacher.

Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

Mantchev, Lisa Eyes Like Stars, 356 p. Feiwel, 2009. $16.99. Beatrice Shakespeare, 17, has lived most of her life within the walls of a very important Theater – a Theater that contains the essences of every character from every work performed within its walls. Beatrice has always been a bit rebellious, but she has reached her last chance – and unless she can prove herself valuable to the Theater, the Manager has decided that it is time for her to go. The cover is very eye-catching, Beatrice is highly amusing. Beatrice’s world is so fantastical, that your hard-core fantasy readers will really enjoy the experience. It will work best in a large, active collection. MS, HS – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library-Teacher.

Cromwell Dixon's Sky-Cycle by John Abbott Nez

Nez, John Abbott, Cromwell Dixon’s Sky-Cycle. G.P. Putnam’s Sons. 2009. PICTURE BOOK. Cromwell had dreams of creating a bicycle that could fly through the air. He wants to be successful in creating it and make it to the St. Louis Carnival after the great flying race. However, he has some problem that come up along the way. Will Cromwell fulfill his dream? Based off a true story about Cromwell Dixon and the amazing Sky-Cycle. Young readers will enjoy learning about a boy that was their age who defied the odds and soared(literally). Would recommend this for early elementary. EL(1-3). ADVISABLE.

Flight of the Phoenix by R. L. LaFevers

LaFevers, R. L. Flight of the Phoenix, illustrated by Kelly Murphy. 138 pgs. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. $16.00. Content – G. Nathaniel is told of his parent’s deaths and is sent to live with a distant relative. He meets Aunt Phil who explains that his family has studied and preserved mythical creatures for generations. Nathaniel’s training starts the next day. He and Aunt Phil fly to Arabia to assist with the death and rebirth of a phoenix. Aunt Phil is taken by hostile Bedouins. Nathaniel must protect the phoenix and save Aunt Phil. This is the first title in the Nathaniel Fludd Beastologist series; recommend this mythical adventure to fans of The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. EL-ADVISABLE. Samantha, Public Librarian.

Dull Boy by Sarah Cross

Cross, Sarah. Dull Boy, 308 pgs. Dutton Books (Penguin Group), 2009. RATING Language – PG13 (over 100 swears, no f- words).
We meet Avery Pirzwick as he is trying to counteract all the inadvertent trouble he’s been getting into because of his powers – busting his neighbor’s car door, breaking his wrestling opponent’s arm, lying to his friends to keep his powers hidden. He ends up losing these friends, getting caught in the middle of an apparent attempted robbery, and being sent to an alternative school for troubled youth. Though he feels completely isolated and misunderstood because of his powers, others have taken an interest in him exactly because of them. When another boy with superpowers decides to run away with Cherchette, a suspicious adult luring the kids away from their families, Avery and his new friends finally realize they must work together to save their friend. The story moves at a good clip and may be enjoyed by readers who like X-Men. However, the plot and Avery’s internal conflicts are pretty predictable, and the connection between the villain and the main characters is left largely undeveloped. The language will keep this one out of my school collection.
MS – OPTIONAL. PKFoster, MS teacher-librarian.

Sir Charles Stinky Socks and the Really Big Adventure by Kristina Stephenson

Stephenson, Kristina. Sir Charlie Stinky Socks and the Really Big Adventure. $16.99. Egmont, 2009. Sir Charlie Stinky Socks prepares for his adventure by packing some sandwiches, bottled water, and a little something special. Riding his horse, accompanied by his cat, and watched by a wily witch, he goes into the deep dark forest. He encounters all sorts of creatures on his way to a tall tower where he finds a princess and the wily witch. Alliteration and illustrations propel this charming tale along with the four flaps adding to the fun; a great book to read aloud. Recommend this story to fans of Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. EL-ADVISABLE. Samantha, Public Librarian.

Ring of Fire by P.D. Baccalario

Baccalario, P.D. Ring of Fire (Century quartet #1), 291 p. Random, 2009. Content PG (5 swears, some violence). By provident chance, four young people, all born on February 29, find themselves together in a hotel in Rome on December 29th. That night, a blackout sends the children, 12, into the strets, where they encounter a man who hands them a briefcase. The next morning, they discover that the man is dead – murdered. With just the contents of the briefcase as their clues, the four must piece together a puzzle that could affect the future of the entire world. Before they are finished, they will find a connection with ancient heroes who have all traveled their same path. Students who enjoyed Chasing Vermeer will also enjoy this puzzle novel; the kids are extremely likable (I get tired of precocious tweens who are not as smart as they think they are) – and they need each other to find the answers. EL, MS – ADVISABLE.

A Pearl Among Princes by Coleen Paratore

Paratore, Coleen Murtagh A Pearl Among Princes, 195 p. Dial (penguin), 2009. $16.99. Content: PG (the princes go skinny-dipping and the girls spy, but don’t describe). Gracepearl has always been a servant girl on the island of Miramore. This year, however, when the princes arrive from all over the kingdom, Gracepearl has a chance to fulfill her dream – finding a ship to get off the island – even if means she has to marry a prince to do it, or leave behind her life long love, Mackree. The princes are being polished for their entrance into society and the girls of the island have all kinds of schemes in mind. Gracepearl may have a greater destiny awaiting her, however, than just marrying a prince. Paratore has a skillfully created a new fairytale of sorts, an enchanting tale for romantic minded girls. MS – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library-Teacher.

Gruffen by Chris D'Lacey

D’Lacey, Chris. Gruffen, 104 p. Orchard Books, 2009. $9.99. Lucy Pennykettle can’t sleep at night because there is a monster in her room. Her mother, Liz, knows just what to do. She takes clay and molds a guard dragon. Next Liz takes a piece of her magic snowball and brings the dragon Gruffen to life. Ink illustrations are interspersed in the text. This is the first book in a new chapter book series The Dragon’s of Wayward Crescent. Suggest this title to fans of the Emily Rodda’s Deltora series. EL – ADVISABLE. Samantha, Public Librarian

Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher - ESSENTIAL

Fletcher, Charlie StoneHeart, 450 pages, published in 2007.

Mature Content: G, Violence: PG, Language: PG.

EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

StoneHeart is a very good, intense book. A twelve-year-old boy named George Chapman doesn’t really fit in at school. He gets mad and breaks the head of a stone dragon outside the Natural History Museum. He awakes an ancient power that has been dormant for many years. He awakes all of the gargoyles and statues of London. The gargoyles and non-human statues are furious but the human statues are on his side. What will happen?

This book has a lot of action. I like StoneHeart because it has a lot of action and it's a big adventure.

Student Reviewer: SO

Terrier by Tamora Pierce - ESSENTIAL

Pierce, Tamora Beka Cooper: Terrier 563 p. RandomHouse – 

MS, HS – ESSENTIAL

Beka Cooper has always wanted to be a Dog – a peacekeeper in the realm or Tortall. Now she is a Puppy, assigned to the two greatest Dogs in town, learning her trade in the mean streets that she grew up in. Only her persistence, ingenuity and ability to make unlikely friends will save the town from two terrible threats. 

Another exciting tale from Pierce’s well-crafted world. The page count is high, but it is misleading, as the words are really big. When printed in paperback, I would be surprised if it topped 200 pages. 

CINDY