The Siren Song by Anne Ursu

What do you get when you mix Rick Riordan with Lemony Snicket? Anne Ursu’s wonderful but sadly overlooked Cronus Chronicles Series! Mythology in the modern world with witty asides and laugh-out-loud wordplay makes this series fun and engaging, perfect for advanced readers.

Summary: The Siren Song is the second book in the Cronus Chronicles series by Anne Ursu.  In the first book, The Shadow Thieves, Charlotte & her cousin, Zee, find themselves travelling to the Underworld to save humanity from a demigod, Philonecron, who wants to rule the world and is building an army of shadows to accomplish his goal. 

In The Siren Song, the pair have returned safely home, but not to a heroes’ welcome.  After all, they can’t just tell everyone that the Greek gods are real.  So Charlotte is grounded – “ultramegagrounded,” actually, while Zee’s parents are treating him as if he might break. 

You would think that being under the constant watch of her parents would guarantee Charlotte some peace and quiet.  Unfortunately, Philonecron wants revenge on the mortal children who stopped his plans for world domination, and he has found the perfect way to get it – ask his grandfather, Poseidon, for help. 

And so, Charlotte finds herself fighting against the (second) most powerful god of the Greek pantheon on his own turf.  But she also finds allies, including a giant squid who used to be a British gentleman.  The one ally she needs most, Zee, is dealing with his own problems, including being kidnapped.  Can these two mere mortals defeat Poseidon and his minions, or are they and those they love doomed?

Themes:
Family
Friendship
Courage

Age Appropriateness:
10 and up

Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: mild

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Summary: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is one of the 2012-2013 Sunshine State Books in Florida.  I originally read it when it first came out in hardback, as I am a huge fan of Gaiman’s work.  I picked it up again to re-read after the Sunshine State book list came out, and loved it just as much the second time around.

On a dark misty night, a man moves soundlessly through a house leaving a trail of death behind him.  A man, a woman, a little girl; all left motionless in his wake.  But somehow, by some twist of fate, a baby escapes and ends up in a nearby graveyard, where the resident ghosts take on the task of raising him and keeping him safe.

Thus begins the story of Nobody Owens, an orphan raised within the safety of the graveyard by the deceased, with help from his guardian, Silas, who is neither living nor dead. Nobody’s education consists of more than reading and writing; he must also learn to Fade, disappearing from the sight of the living.  His friends range from colonial children to a young witch, and his teachers have centuries of knowledge to share.  Unfortunately, none of it is from the current century.

Despite their best efforts, his ghostly parents and protectors cannot keep him safe forever.  Nobody longs to see the world outside the graveyard, even if it means drawing the attention of the man who killed his family; the man who is still looking to kill him as well.

The Graveyard Book is full of action and introspection.  Nobody is a character that I quickly became attached to, even when he was acting childish (he is, after all, a child) and making the wrong choices.  The end of the book is satisfying, but also makes me wonder… the perfect combination for me as a reader.

Themes:
Family
Friendship
Coming-of-Age
Safety

Age Appropriateness:
12 and up

Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: moderate

Bloggers note:  I have created a novel guide for The Graveyard Book which includes comprehension and extension/discussion questions, vocabulary, test questions, essay prompts, and other activities.  It can be purchased on Amazon  or through CreateSpace.

The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson

Summary: The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson really struck a chord with me for a couple of reasons: I could truly see such a situation happening in the real world, and I have seen how quickly my students this past year got caught up in every passing cause du jour (Kony 2012, anyone?). That said, this is a book I would recommend to many of my students, because it has a great plot, a strong lead character, and a great message.


Asha Jamison and her best friend Carey want to raise money to pay for a trip to London when they graduate from high school. To make matters more complicated, they need to do it without their parents’ knowledge, because they know they’ll never be allowed to go and the money will go toward college instead. What are a couple of girls to do?

The pair gets an idea that mixes their love of coffee with their frustration at a society that forces them to check a single box to define who they are. How can a girl like Asha choose ONE box to sum up her family when she’s part Irish, part Hispanic, and part Indian? In that moment, the Latte Rebellion is born: T-shirts are a great way to make money, and there are lots of other people at their school who don’t fit into the either/or category. T-shirts to celebrate all the different shades of brown that come from the mixing of cultures – a quick and low effort money maker!

But their cause spreads faster than they had ever imagined! Latte Rebellion chapters spring up all over the nation, in high schools and colleges. More web sites pop up supporting the cause, and with the attention comes violence and backlash. Can friendship survive the fallout of a viral phenomenon? Can Asha’s grades survive the time that the Rebellion is sucking up? And will she be able to finish her senior year, or will the Latte Rebellion get her expelled?

A great story about what happens when a great idea gains a life of its own, and how one girl steps up to take her own life back in the aftermath. Asha is a great character who is stands up for what she believes in, even when the consequences could truly crush her dreams.

Themes:
Individuality
Choices
Friendship
Coming-of-Age

Age Appropriateness:
13 and up


Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: mild
Nudity/Adult Content: mild
Violence: mild

The Storm Runners series by Roland Smith

Summary: Storm Runners by Roland Smith is a trilogy of books about a boy named Chase Masters who, along with his father, is a storm runner. They travel across the country to areas where natural disasters have hit (or are expected to) and help rebuild in the aftermath (for a fee, of course.)


Chase’s life changed when his mother & sister dies in an accident. Not too long after, his father was struck by lightning, giving him a new focus on life – storm running. But when they pull into the winter home of the Rossi Brothers Circus in Florida just ahead of Hurricane Emily, they have no idea the new challenges that they will face. Besides the usual high winds and flooding, there will be escaped exotic animals, a pregnant elephant, and a flirtatious news anchor.

The trilogy flows beautifully, with all three books forming a complete story that is broken nicely into each of the books. In each separate offering, Chase & his father face a big challenge that must be overcome (survived). In the process, they become part of a different sort of family, a family they are willing to risk everything for.

The series:
Storm Runners
Storm Runners: The Surge
Storm Runners: Eruption

Themes:
Courage
Survival
Friendship
Family

Age Appropriateness:
11 and up

Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: moderate