Family Reads

Quick Pick: Behind the Curtain

Behind the Curtain

by Peter Abrahams
© 2007, 400 pages Level 5 (all about levels)Amazon Reviews

Behind the Curtain reminded me of just how much I enjoy a good mystery. The second novel in the Echo Falls series picks up right where Down the Rabbit Hole left off. Our hero, 13-year-old Ingrid, once again finds herself in the middle of a multi-layered mystery involving her brother, his friends, her Grampy, her father (and his job), and the local police. With an attempted kidnapping, car chase, and lots of close calls, it's hard to stop turning the pages in this action-packed book. Behind the Curtain is definitely at the older range of books you'll find on Family Reads, and there are some mature situations and profanity you should be aware of, but for the right reader, it's just too much fun to miss. If you're looking to share some reads with your older kids, this book is a great choice!

Anna Smudge: Professional Shrink

Anna Smudge: Professional Shrink

by MAC (Melissa A. Calderone) © 2008, 256 pages Level 5 (all about levels) Read Amazon Reviews

 

Eleven-year-old Anna Smudge stumbles on to a career of helping people figure out their problems while she gets handed a doozy of her own to solve. While juggling loads of homework and therapy sessions in a storage closet of her apartment building, she has to unravel a complex mystery involving an escaped hitman, her off-kilter art teacher, and someone named Mr. Who. Her father's life depends on it! Her band of misfit yet likable friends joins with her in cracking a case that has the adults of New York City so baffled that they deny the very existence of Mr. Who.

We received an advance reader's copy of Anna Smudge: Professional Shrink from the publisher, Toasted Coconut Media. It's the first in a series of books titled The Professionals, featured on their website WhoisMrWho.com. They describe the book as a graphic novel and despite the fact that the only illustrations are at the beginning of chapters, it definitely reads like one, explaining its debut at the New York Comic Con this February.

Lori

I have to begin by saying that this book is not the type I would normally choose to read. It's a fast-paced action story low on emotional involvement. Ben and I read this book separately and I was tempted to give up several times because it just wasn't clicking with me. Ben, on the other hand, zipped through it in a couple of days. But after we watched the Nancy Drew movie, I could see some similarities between the two female sleuths that made Anna a little more appealing. Finally, I got hooked on the mystery and finished it quickly after that.

I'm still a little torn about this book because it isn't as sweet or kind-hearted as the ones I like to recommend. It's a little crude here and there, but no more so than an average family movie like Kicking and Screaming. It's a very modern book, and that probably says a lot about why it's not my favorite ;) But it's an interesting concept, the unique characters are smart and capable, and kids who enjoy quick-moving mysteries should be amply entertained. I'm looking forward to seeing how this series develops.

Ben

I really enjoyed this book. It is fast paced and has lots of action. I disagree with the fact that Anna Smudge is a touch crude, and if I'm wrong it is because it is a modern story. There is a slow beginning, but the book builds up speed like a train until the cliff-hanger ending. I highly recommend this book to any young mystery fan.

Snakehead (Alex Rider, Book 7)

Snakehead (Alex Rider, Book Seven)

by Anthony Horowitz
© 2007, 385 pages Level 5 (all about levels)Amazon Reviews

Snakehead is the seventh book in the Alex Rider series. It is an exceptional novel with good characters, plot, use of words, and more. The book may take a while to read, but it is well worth it.

Snakehead's story revolves around Alex Rider, a teenage spy. The Australian Secret Service hires him to infiltrate a smuggling group called a snakehead, along with his godfather, Ash. Alex learns a lot about his past, and the surprise ending is terrific. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a spy story/mystery, though you should read the other books in the series first.

Chasing Vermeer

Chasing Vermeer

by Blue Balliett
© 2004, 254 pages Level 4 (all about levels)Learn More on Amazon

 

Mysterious letters delivered in the middle of the night. Secret codes. Pentominoes. An art history scandal. Recurring patterns...or are they coincidences?

A smart, richly layered mystery, Chasing Vermeer weaves in an impressive measure of culture and history as the story unfolds. Sixth-graders Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay find themselves in a unique position to track down a Vermeer painting that has been stolen en route to their home town of Chicago. Clues pop up in unexpected places and it's up to them to decipher their meaning. The story and illustrations are crafted in such a way that invites us to join in the sleuthing, which makes it an even more satisfying reading experience.

Chasing Vermeer happens to be the current pick for Al's Book Club for Kids on the Today Show website, where you'll find a book excerpt, illustrations, and a Q&A with the author. Scholastic also has some cool Chasing Vermeer activities on their site, including a pentominoes puzzle.
 
Chasing Vermeer is one of the books that convinced me to start dedicating my personal reading efforts to juvenile fiction again (even though I'm not so juvenile anymore). I loved everything about it, and the characters Petra and Calder have lingered with me in a way that I almost forget I don't really know them. I can't wait to see what Blue Balliett has in store for us this May with The Calder Game!

The Sisters Grimm - The Fairy Tale Detectives

The Sisters Grimm - The Fairy Tale Detectives

by Michael Buckley
© 2005, 284 pages Level 4 (all about levels)Amazon Reviews

 

Two sisters find themselves launched into a strange new world following the seemingly inexplicable disappearance of their parents. After fleeing from a series of freaky foster families, Sabrina and Daphne are taken to their long, lost grandmother. This is confusing for the girls since their parents had told them their grandparents were all dead. So who is this weird old lady with strange habits? And what does she want to do with them? Just as the girls begin to think this is one more bizarre home to escape from, Granny and her friend Mr. Canis are captured by a giant. The girls come to learn about their Grimm heritage and realize they must rescue the only family they have left. And that's when The Sisters Grimm become Fairy Tale Detectives.

Fractured fairy tales certainly aren't scarce these days (I kept finding similarities to Shrek in particular), but it's hard not to be charmed by this book, which keeps you laughing while eagerly turning the pages to find out how the girls solve this case.

The occupations of the Everafters (as the fairy tale characters are called) are particularly amusing as they try to fit in to our world. Jack works at a Big and Tall Clothing store, the Three Little Pigs go into law enforcement and Prince Charming suffers a string of business failures such as a failed diamond mine partnership with the seven dwarfs and a wholesale carpet company poorly managed by his business partner, Ali Baba.

After the exciting climax, the book paves the way for future adventures in the Sisters Grimm series, as Sabrina and Daphne are given brand-new, cloth-bound journals to continue the family tradition of recording the events in the Everafters' lives.

"As your father and generations of Grimms before him did, it is your responsibility to put on paper what you see, so that future generations can know what you went through," Granny said. "We are Grimms. This is what we do."

I'd highly recommend checking out some of the original tales before you dive into this fun variation—more on that tomorrow!

Pendragon: The Quillan Games

I'll say it now. Pendragon: The Quillan Games is a wonderful book. It is the best installment in the Pendragon series by far. To tell you how good it is, I will say that this book has 29 5-star reviews on Amazon, and the average customer rating is 5 stars.

I highly recommend reading the rest of the series before reading this book because you might get very lost if you don't.

The Quillan Games is the seventh installment in the Pendragon series. This book takes place on the territory of Quillan. On Quillan, there are people called challengers who play games. Deadly games. Many citizens also wager on the games. If they place the Ultimate Bet and win, they get extra food for a while. But if they place the Ultimate Bet and lose, they are sent to the tarz, a place that is very deadly and dangerous.

That's what Bobby finds on Quillan. He realizes that to fix Quillan, he must compete in the games, including the World Cup of Quillan, The Grand X. If he wins, Bobby may be able to uncover the mystery of the Travelers, which has eluded him since the beginning of the series.

Something very devastating also happens with Mark and Courtney, but I won't spoil it. The Quillan Games is the best book yet in the Pendragon series; hopefully it will just keep getting more amazing.

The Quillan Games by D.J. MacHale
© 2006, 486 pages
Level 5 (tell me about levels)
An enchanting tale of a boy trying to discover where he came from and save a territory.
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