The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech

The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech

Target audience: Grades 3 -7 

Summary from Amazon.com: 

When a young couple finds a boy asleep on their porch, their lives take a surprising turn. Unable to speak, the boy Jacob can't explain his history. All John and Marta know is that they have been chosen to care for him.

And, as their connection and friendship with Jacob grow, they embrace his exuberant spirit and talents. The three of them blossom into an unlikely family and begin to see the world in brand-new ways.

Review:
This is a beautiful, heart warming tale that will appeal to both children and adults. Martha and John find a small boy sleeping on their porch at their farm one morning with a poorly written note in his pocket saying simply, "Please take care of Jacob, he's a good boy. We'll be back for him when we can." Their choices from that moment changes both the boys life and their own forever. I couldn't put this book down! With so many books out now dealing with the dysfunctional part of human nature, this book shows us that compassion and acceptance is the best antidote. "The Boy on the Porch" restores my faith in human nature.

Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman

Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman

Target audience: Grades 3 - 7

Summary:

"I bought the milk," said my father. "I walked out of the corner shop, and heard a noise like this: T h u m m t h u m m. I looked up and saw a huge silver disc hovering in the air above Marshall Road."

"Hullo," I said to myself. "That's not something you see every day. And then something odd happened."

Find out just how odd things get in this hilarious story of time travel and breakfast cereal, expertly told by Newbery Medalist and bestselling author Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Skottie Young.

Review:
The highly imaginative Neil Gaiman has done it again with "Fortunately, the Milk"! When Mom leaves for a conference the last thing she said is, "... We're almost out of milk. You'll need to pick some up." Soon the kids run out of milk for their breakfast and the dad needs it for his tea, so he finally decides to put down his newspaper to go to the store and pick up milk. He eventually returns with a fantastic and imaginative story of why it took him so long to return... with the milk. Filled with fun "Shel Silverstein"-like illustrations, this story is sure to please kids of all ages!

Magic Marks the Spot (The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates Series #1) by Caroline Carlson

 The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates, Magic Marks the Spot By Caroline Carlson

Target Audience; Boys and Girls 8 - 12yoa

Summary:Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate. She can tread water for thirty-seven minutes. She can tie a knot faster than a fleet of sailors, and she already owns a rather pointy sword.

There's only one problem: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates refuses to let any girl join their ranks of scourges and scallywags.
But Hilary is not the kind of girl to take no for answer. To escape a life of petticoats and politeness at her stuffy finishing school, Hilary sets out in search of her own seaworthy adventure, where she gets swept up in a madcap quest involving a map without an X, a magical treasure that likely doesn't exist, a talking gargoyle, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous—and unexpected—villain on the High Seas.
Written with uproarious wit and an inviting storyteller tone, the first book in Caroline Carlson's quirky seafaring series is a piratical tale like no other.

Pirates! Magic! Treasure! A gargoyle? Caroline Carlson's hilarious tween novel The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #1: Magic Marks the Spot is the perfect combination of action, adventure, magic and humor (and even a bit of romance).

This is a VERY enjoyable action-packed book which will appeal to both Boys and Girls. Boys will like the swash-buckling adventures on the High Seas complete with secret treasure maps and sword fights (although no one actually gets hurt) and other mysteries. Girls will like all of those attributes PLUS the main character is a smart adventurous girl who will not settle for a life in a finishing school. Kids will also enjoy the short chapters and other interspersed letters, illustrations, forms and announcements. I enjoyed the colorful characters and the twists on the traditional stereotypes! . A truly enjoyable book to read! I can't wait to see what further adventures await! 

Super Schnoz and the Gates of Smell by Gary Urey

Super Schnoz and the Gates of Smell

by Gary Urey

Target audience – Boys 8 - 12yoa

Andy Whiffler is your average eleven-year-old boy. . . except that his nose is so big he can use it to fly and his sense of smell is a hundred thousand times stronger than any human. In the first book of this hilarious new series, Andy moves to a new school and is instantly picked on because of the size of his nose. But when his classmates discover how powerful his nose is, they decide he is more of a comic book hero than a nerd. One day Andy's school is shut down due to toxic gasses. Andy discovers that it's all a secret plot for an evil corporation called the ECU (Environmental Clean Up) to take over the world. Andy and his friends decide that this is a job for Super Schnoz, Andy's alter-ego. The rag-tag group of kids team up to take on the ECU and ensure school gets back in session (otherwise summer vacation will be ruined!). (Summary through Amazon.com)

This  book definitely was written with boys in mind! The author, Gary Urey,  writes about superpowers, evil villains,  and lots of snot and gross scenarios that come from having an exceptionally large nose. However, the book also deals with topics like fitting into a new  school,  and bullying and discovering new friends as well. Written in easy-to-read chapters with lots of slapstick humor, this book will be a great pick for reluctant readers, especially boys.

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald

 Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald

Summary:
Charlie Joe Jackson may be the most reluctant reader ever born. And so far, he’s managed to get through life without ever reading an entire book from cover to cover. But now that he’s in middle school, avoiding reading isn’t as easy as it used to be. And when his friend Timmy McGibney decides that he’s tired of covering for him, Charlie Joe finds himself resorting to desperate measures to keep his perfect record intact.This is the hilarious story of an avid non-reader and the extreme lengths to which he’ll go to get out of reading a book. Amazon.com


Review:
Need I say I was a bit reluctant to recommend this book. It's hard enough to get some kids to read without having a book to give them ideas about NOT reading. However, this may be a really great choice for the reluctant readers out there. Charlie Joe keeps his chapters short (Charlie Joe's Tip #1) and interesting (Charlie Joe's Tip #19). It also has a story kids can relate to (shh.... yes, I said there's actually a story line too!).

The Secret Underground by Natalie Bahm

Twelve year old Ally, and her irritating little brother Eric are surprised on their way home from the movies one night when Ally comes across a bank robbery in progress. Terrified by the dreams of the "Gauze Men", especially the robber with his scary light blue eyes who knocked Ally over, she starts isolating herself from the group of girls in her class and joins her brother and the other boys in the neighborhood who start digging holes in the backyard. Except, they aren't just building a hole! It's a series of tunnels which run all around the neighborhood. The final goal of the boys is to enter the forbidden and long abandoned steel mill across the field. What boy doesn't dream of building tunnels in your backyard to exciting destinations?  But the boys and Ally are not the only ones who know about the tunnels or the abandon steel mill.  Those exciting adventures can have terrible consequences!

100% of proceeds from this book will be donated to help a baby boy named Jayden, and contribute toward his family's massive medical expenses. Jayden suffers from a combination of congenital problems including Hirschsprung's disease.

This book was a treat to read! I would highly recommend it to any boy or girl who doesn't mind dirt under their fingernails and has a sense of adventure! Thrilling, adventurous and terrifying all in one! 

 Publisher: NLA Digital Liaison Platform LLC (September 28, 2012)
 Print Length: 136 pages

disclosure: received galley copy through www.netgalley.com 

Poseidon by George O'Connor

Poseidon by George O'Connor

This is the 5th is the graphic novel series by George O'Connor. 

The Greek Gods comes to life with the 5th in George O'Connor's dynamic graphic novel series. In this book we learn of the illusive and often misunderstood Poseidon, King of the Seas. Readers will learn the stories of the minotaur, cyclops and founding of Athens. A treat for readers 9 and up.

Part of the Olympians Series including: Hades, Zeus, Hera, Athena and Perseus.

Publication Date: March 19, 2013  

disclosure: received galley copy through www.netgalley.com