adventure – Page 9 – Mom Read It

Adventure, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

STEM Siblings: Nick and Tesla are back!

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Nick and Tesla’s Solar-Powered Showdown, by “Science Bob” Pflugfelder and Steve Hocksmith/Illustrated by Scott Garrett (May 2016, Quirk Books), $12.95, ISBN: 978-1-59474-866-0

Recommended for ages 8-12

Super smart siblings Nick (short for Nicolas) and Tesla are back, and so is Uncle Newt, plus friends Silas, and DeMarco! Nick and Tesla are having a heck of a summer: their parents are still missing, and all signs point to them being kidnapped, possibly by an evil mastermind. This latest installment in the popular middle grade mystery series has brother and sister working together to create all sorts of solar-powered gadgets that will get the attention of their government contact, distract the bad guys, and save the day. Let’s hope it’s enough!

This is such a fun series for middle graders, because it puts the power in their hands. Nick and Tesla are competent, smart kids that aren’t middle school pariahs; they have fun, wacky friends, and they have a strong, supportive – if eccentric – family. They can MacGuyver a solution to seemingly every problem: from getting a secret agent’s attention, to cooking hot dogs using a Pringles container and solar power. The best part? The kids can recreate the experiments! As with the other books in the Nick and Tesla series, Solar-Powered Showdown features five projects readers can make along with the twins: a a hot dog cooker, listening device, nighttime LED signal cannon, range rover, and alarm bell. All solar-powered, and all easy to make (with adult supervision).

You don’t need to be intimately familiar with the series to pick this one up – this is the first book I’ve read in the series; it’s been on my “to get to” list for a while – because the text will fill you in, usually via humorous footnotes, on what’s happened in the previous books. A note at the beginning of the book lets parents and kids alike know that project instructions should be reviewed by an adult, and that adults should supervise and assist on each project. The instructions are detailed, numbered, and illustrated, really encouraging kids to go for it and create exciting, sustainable things!

The Nick and Tesla website has videos, educator guides, book excerpts, and downloadable shopping lists, by book, for each of the projects featured in the novels. You can submit your own work for them to check out, too.

I’m working on a lot of STEM/STEAM ideas for Summer Reading, so this series will be on display, along with Gene Luen Yang’s Secret Coders and HowToons graphic novels (the second Secret Coders book is due out in August!), and Jon Sciezska’s Frank Einstein series of novels. Get kids thinking and creating this summer!

Need more ideas? Science Bob has tons of them on his own website, and his Instagram has some very cool science facts and videos, like Tesla coils at work and BB8 droids under construction.

Animal Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Middle Grade

Go on an adventure with Stick Cat!

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Stick Cat: A Tail of Two Kitties, by Tom Watson (May 2016, HarperCollins), $12.99, ISBN: 9780062411006

Recommended for ages 8-12

A spin-off of the popular Stick Dog series, Stick Cat introduces us to… well, Stick Cat, who lives in an apartment with his human friend, Goose, and hangs out during the day with Edith, the cat next door. The two love to play games and listen to Mr. Music tune pianos at the factory next door, but one day, Mr. Music has an accident! His arms are trapped in the piano when the top of the instrument crashes down, and Stick Cat has to figure out a way to save him.

Introduced by the same middle grade narrator that draws Stick Dog, we learn Stick Cat’s origin: he wants to impress a classmate who suggests that he draw a Stick Cat. We launch into Stick Cat’s adventure, which will grab Wimpy Kid, Dork Diaries, and Big Nate fans right away. It’s a similar format, with line drawings accompanying text, and filled with humor. Stick Cat and Edith banter back and forth during their daily playdate; Edith is a little dense and self-centered, and Stick Cat plays off of that while trying to spare Edith’s feelings and accomplish his rescue mission.

Readers can visit the Stick Dog/Stick Cat website for videos, downloadables, quizzes, and the author’s blog. A Tail of Two Kitties is the first Stick Cat book, with two more in the planning stages. There are currently four Stick Dog books.

Both series are a fun addition to middle grade collections and will likely appeal to reluctant and struggling readers – I know my Big Nate and Wimpy Kid books are always off the shelves, so this may help stem the tide a bit this summer!

Animal Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Intermediate, Middle Grade

The Nocturnals: The Mysterious Abductions introduces a new bunch of woodland friends

Posted on April 18, 2016April 19, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Nocturnals: The Mysterious Abductions, by Tracey Hecht/Illustrated by Kate Liebman (April 2016, Fabled Films), $15.99, ISBN: 9781944020002

Recommended for ages 7-12

Animal fiction fans, get ready: there’s a new group in town, and they only go on adventures at night. The Nocturnals, or as they refer to themselves, the Brigade, are Dawn, a smart and serious fox; Tobin, a very sweet pangolin, and Bismark, a loud, well-meaning but self-centered sugar glider. (Don’t call him a squirrel or a bat!) Shortly after the three meet, they find themselves investigating a mystery: animals are disappearing! As the Nocturnals search for answers, they meet other animals along the way that will help them – but can they avoid being kidnapped by the mysterious culprit?

The Nocturnals is a fun, packed with humor and a little shot of adventure for intermediate and middle grade readers. Color artwork by Kate Liebman adds interest and kicks off each chapter, and she captures the various personalities created by author Tracey Hecht. Bismark is almost hilariously over the top, slipping into different languages, professing his love for Dawn, the fox, and making sure everyone within earshot knows he’s the star of the show, if only in his imagination. Dawn is observant, often serious, and quick to figure things out (she is a fox, after all), and Tobin is the kind peacemaker who finds his self-esteem on this first outing. Book 2, The Ominous Eye, is due out in September.

I like the positive messages in the book – teamwork and keeping promises among them – and I like the use of animals we don’t normally discover on adventures: sugar gliders, wombats, and tobins! The book provides a great opportunity to introduce these animals to children’s vocabulary, and indeed, The Nocturnals website has some excellent educator resources available, including printable animal fact cards, book club questions, coloring sheets, and resources for ELA and Science education. I was excited to see a book club script suggestion, so I can get my readers busy acting the parts out (since book discussions don’t work with my kids, this is an interesting and fun project to approach them with). The Nocturnals website also offers to send a free cape for your stuffed animal if you join their Brigade!

Animal fiction is great for intermediate and middle graders – The Nocturnals should be a good fit with collections. Booktalk and display this with your Erin Hunter books (Warriors/Seekers/Survivors), the Spirit Animals series, and Kathryn Lasky’s Guardians of Ga’Hoole and Horses of the Dawn series.

Take a look at the book trailer for The Mysterious Abductions.

Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade

Eric Orchard’s Bera the One-Headed Troll is great graphic storytelling

Posted on April 1, 2016August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

bera_1 Bera the One-Headed Troll, by Eric Orchard (Aug. 2016, First Second), $17.99, ISBN: 9781626721067

Recommended for ages 8-14

Bera is a happy and solitary troll, living on her little island where she harvests pumpkins and has an owl to keep her company. She finds herself on the run when she saves a human infant – an infant that other trolls and goblins want for themselves! Now Bera has to keep the baby safe until she can find the parents and reunite the family. It’s a big job, but Bera has a lot of heart and is more than up to the task.

Bera’s another great story from Eric Orchard, who gave us Maddy Kettle’s adventure with the Thimblewitch almost two years ago. Now, Orchard gives us the story of a solitary troll who finds herself called upon to stand out when she makes the decision to save a human baby that’s ended up in the land of trolls. This isn’t something she sought out, but she won’t let an innocent be harmed: it’s a great message for kids; don’t worry about standing out from the crowd if you feel something is wrong. Protect and defend those who can’t defend themselves. I love the storytelling, I enjoy Orchard’s art, and once again, great graphic storytelling brings an important message to readers in a powerful yet sweet fashion.

First Second publishes great graphic novels for all ages. This is another great selection to add to graphic novel collections.

Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Tween Reads

Dragons vs. Drones: D&D fantasy meets today’s tech

Posted on February 22, 2016February 22, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Dragons vs. Drones, by Wesley King (Mar. 2016, Razorbill), $16.99, ISBN: 9781595147974

Recommended for ages 9-12

In a land called Dracone, Dree labors away as a welder. Her family was once nobility; her father, a dragon rider, until their fortunes reversed. Now, dragon riders are considered traitors, dragons hunted for their fangs and scales, and Dree’s father spends his day as a shadow of the man he once was while Dree and her mother work to scrape together a living for their family.

In our world, Marcus, the son of a CIA analyst who disappeared when he was only 4 is desperate to find out what happened to his father. He’s told by the government that his father was a traitor; his mother died when he was a baby. Raised by his father’s best friend – who seems to know more than he’s letting on – Marcus has been studying weather patterns that may lead to some answers. The only problem is, he’s being watched by government drones.

When Marcus breaks a code that sends him into an alternate world, he meets Dree and discovers a world like nothing he’s ever known. But the drones have followed him and are wreaking havoc on the Draconian citizens. Can Dree and Marcus forge a peace between humans and dragons to save themselves from an evil plan to destroy the land?

Dragons vs. Drones is a fantasy novel that’s part fantasy and part tech/sci-fi thriller. It’s been called “Eragon meets Transformers”, which is a pretty accurate description. We’ve got dragons, and we’ve got codebreaking. STEM fans, there is some pretty intense discussions of welding/metalworking and coding/hacking here, so it’s a good book to give the kids in your life who love to play around at the computer, fool around with their own Raspberry Pi, and dream about dragons, swords and magic. Magic and science co-exist here, broadening the audience, and there are both male and female main characters, for anyone who still flinches at “boy books” vs. “girl books” (I’ve got a few in my library). There’s quite a bit of world-building on both worlds, and the ending provides a promise for a sequel.

Some timely topics to discuss in a group setting include government surveillance, deforestation for industrial progress, and ethics of hunting/endangered species.

A good addition to science fiction and fantasy collections.

Fiction, Graphic Novels, Tween Reads

The Nameless City is a must-purchase graphic novel!

Posted on February 5, 2016August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Nameless City, by Faith Erin Hicks (Apr. 2016, First Second), $14.99, ISBN: 9781626721562

Recommended for ages 10+

It’s been called Yanjing. Monkh. Daidu. DanDao. Every invader gives The City a new name. The natives – The Named – laugh and say that only outsiders name the City. They take no part in the constant wars, and the Dao, current rulers, are looked upon as outsiders. Kaidu, son of a general he’s never met, has been raised in the countryside by his mother, now a tribal leader. He heads to the City to train as a Dao soldier and meet his father, but he’s bullied by the other Dao boys, who see him as a loser and a bumpkin. His father is a general in the General of All Blades’ army, and wants to negotiate a peace between the Named and the Dao; create a government for all, but he’s laughed at my the General’s son and his trainees.

Venturing into the City on his own, Kaidu meets a street urchin who calls herself Rat. She’s one of the named and hates the Dao, blaming them for the death of her parents. Kaidu is fascinated by her, and slowly, the two become friends. Rat takes a chance and visits Kaidu at the palace, where she overhears a plot that will endanger lives and throw the City into chaos. Can she and Kaidu work together to save the day?

Faith Erin Hicks has created a powerful tale of division, friendship, and acceptance with The Nameless City. We get strong characters in this new series opener, with established backgrounds and bold personalities. We get a solid backstory that establishes a culture of anger and division; a lonely tween trying to find his place in a world he can’t seem to fit into, and another tween, alone within her world. Hicks brings these two lonely characters together and allows them to forge a powerful bond upon which a new future will rest, and she does it with action, pathos, intrigue, and humor. I love Faith Erin Hicks’ art and her storytelling, and Nameless City is another brilliant graphic novel. The Nameless City has already received a starred Kirkus review, and I expect it will receive more, plus some big nominations.

Who’s going to read this? Give this to your Avatar/Legend of Korra and Amulet fans, for starters. There’s a strong Asian influence to the novel that will appeal to fans of these adventure series, as well as older readers who are fans of manga series like Usagi Yojimbo and Lone Wolf & Cub.

Check out Faith Erin Hicks’ author webpage for info, including interviews, webcomics, and art.

Fiction, Graphic Novels, Tween Reads

Delilah Dirk returns in Delilah Dirk and the King’s Shilling

Posted on February 4, 2016August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Delilah Dirk and the King’s Shilling, by Tony Cliff (March 2016, First Second), $16.99, ISBN: 9781626721555

Recommended for ages 10+

Delilah Dirk is a swashbuckling, 19th century heroine who travels the world in search of adventure. In her first graphic novel, Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant, we met Delilah and Selim, the Turkish lieutenant whose life she saved. Salim is now bound to travel the world at her side.

Delilah and Selim’s latest adventure puts them in the sights of the English army. When Delilah identifies a traitor to the crown, he turns the tables on them: and now the twosome are on the run after being accused of espionage. Where do they end up? Back in London, naturally. Delilah’s got a reputation to clear, and nothing’s going to keep her from it: even if it means going up against the traitor, sword to sword, all by herself. But while they stay at her mother’s home, Selim has the unenviable task of posing as her footman, and Delilah has to knuckle down and be girly, to keep up appearances. Dresses and tea rather than sword-slinging and trousers? Heavens, no! Selim is about to discover that there are a lot of things he doesn’t know about his friend, too: for instance, who’s Alexandra?

This is the first Delilah Dirk adventure I’ve read, and I enjoyed it. The adventures are self-contained, so you can pick this book up without really knowing much about the series thus far. You’ll catch up quickly and lose yourself in the adventure. Delilah is a fun, strong female protagonist, and Selim is a friend, a compatriot, and a long-suffering partner. There’s no romantic relationship here; it’s a buddy movie, complete with wacky moments and smart comebacks.

The art is colorful and fluid; lots of movement drawn nicely by writer/artist Tony Cliff. Delilah is always in motion, and her billowing dresses and slashing swords move with the character. Middle schoolers and up will enjoy the adventure-packed series, which you can also read for free online: the Delilah Dirk webpage presents part of The King’s Shilling in serialized format, and will be available and updated until March 8th, when the book is available for purchase and the first chapter will conclude. After the first ninety pages, the remaining one-hundred-and-seventy-six will only be available in the book. The first 80 pages of The Turkish Lieutenant, and a free ebook, Seeds of Good Fortune, are available on the site, too.

Take a look at more of Delilah Dirk and The King’s Shilling below, then go check out the website and add this book to your graphic novel wish list!

Fiction, Middle Grade, Post-apocalyptic/Dystopian, Tween Reads

The Big Dark will show you what you’re made of.

Posted on February 3, 2016February 3, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Big Dark, by Rodman Philbrick (Jan. 2016, Blue Sky Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9780545789752

Recommended for ages 9-14

On New Year’s Eve, the lights went out. Everything went out. Charlie, a tween living with his younger sister and widowed mom in the mountains of New Hampshire, sets off on a seemingly impossible mission when he discovers that his diabetic mother doesn’t have enough medication to sustain herself for more than three weeks.

Charlie’s small town shows us how we can turn on one another – or reach out and help one another – when the worst case scenario happens. When a solar event causes all technology to fail, the entire country – maybe even the world – is knocked back to Colonial days, relying on wood stoves and preserved food to survive. There’s a volunteer policeman/school janitor who takes charge of the situation, urging everyone to band together to muddle through, and there’s a ruthless survivalist who sees his chance to form his own free state. In the middle of this power struggle, Charlie has to find a way to sneak out and search for medicine in the nearest city, at least 50 miles away. With no power and after a blizzard.

Philbrick’s books always hit like a gut punch. Whether it’s the stark The Last Book in the Universe, the heart-wrenching Freak the Mighty, or the desperation in The Big Dark, he knows how to create a taut, white-knuckled narrative that will keep you reading until the very last words are digested. He finds the humanity in the worst possible situations, and pits it against the worst in humanity. There’s always hope in a Philbrick novel. His characters keep going, keep fighting. That’s what I love about his books.

This book is realistic fiction, with a touch of dystopia. This is a scary thought, because it makes the seemingly impossible very, very real. Give this to your middle grade dystopian fans and tell them that this is what happens before The Hunger Games. Give this to your Hatchet fans, and your survival fiction readers. Tell your readers to read this, and then read Michael Northrup’s Trapped, for an interesting discussion.

Rodman Philbrick is an award-winning author of middle grade and young adult fiction. Visit his author website for interviews, teaching guides, and more information on his books.

Fantasy, Fiction, Fiction, gaming, geek culture, Intermediate, Middle Grade

GameKnight999 is back in a new Minecraft adventure!

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

In news that will make the kids at my library ecstatic, Mark Cheverton has a new GameKnight999 Minecraft novel coming out in two days. GameKnight999 vs. Herobrine: Herobrine Reborn is Book 3 in this latest adventure series.

I first discovered Mark Cheverton’s books at New York Comic Con a couple of years ago, where I picked up his first big GameKnight999 series, beginning with Invasion of the Overworld. My then 9 year-old son loved it, and when I ordered a set for my library at the time, they disappeared as soon as I displayed them on the “New” shelves. One of the first purchases I made here at my new location was the original series, and again, haven’t seen them since I put them on the shelves – I didn’t even make it to the shelves, come to think of it; once the kids saw Minecraft books in my arms, they swarmed me!

Needless to say, I’ve ordered more Minecraft books since, and I’ve held a really popular Pixel Art workshop. I cut construction paper into 2″ x 2″ squares, and provided templates of various Minecraft subjects (my first were the Creeper and a flower) that the kids used to create their own works of Minecraft Art. It went over so well that I’m scheduling more Minecraft workshops in the future.

Gameknight999 vs. Herobrine, Book 3 is the conclusion of the Herobrine Reborn series, and will hit bookstores and mass market retailers this Wednesday, January 6th and is already available on Amazon!

Cheverton also Skypes with schools interested in virtual author visits – check out his website for more information. He also provides his own Minecraft server info for kids who want to join in the fun. He will unapologetically ban griefers and bullies, so you know it’s a safe space for your families and patrons (if you let them run Minecraft on your computers). Go to his server site for more information on access.

I’m off to add this latest book to my January budget. Enjoy!

Fantasy, Fiction, Teen, Uncategorized, Young Adult/New Adult

Blog Tour: Poet Anderson … Of Nightmares – and a Giveaway!

Posted on November 8, 2015November 8, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Jonas Anderson is a teenager who’s had a recent run of hard luck. His parents are dead, recently killed in a plane crash, and his older brother, Alan, is in a coma after a car crash. Jonas is no ordinary teen, though – he’s also Poet Anderson, a Lucid Dreamer – someone who can walk around in dreams and interact with other dreamers – who’s on the run from REM, an evil being who lives in the Dreamscape. Poets like Jonas are special dreamers; they can guide lost dreamers who accidentally find themselves in the Dreamscape. And REM wants to use Jonas to gain entry into the Waking World, where he can spread his terror net even wider, controlling everyone’s dreams and trapping them in a world of nightmares.

Poet Anderson …Of Nightmares is the first book in a new YA/New Adult series by musician Tom DeLonge, who you may remember from Blink 182, and New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Young. Conceived of by DeLonge as a multimedia experience, there’s also a soundtrack, a comic book series, and an prequel animated film, Poet Anderson: The Dream Walker, which won Best Animation at the Toronto International Short Film Festival last year. And the animation is truly gorgeous, just take a look:

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Poet Anderson …Of Nightmares is kind of like The Matrix, but with dreams. We live in two separate realms, but a handful of people can move between the Dreamscape and the Waking World, fighting evil and protecting the rest of us regular dreamers here in the Waking World. Jonas, despite having a brutal run of it recently, deals with his grief, knuckles down to stay in school and hold down a job while learning more about his talents. Jarabec, a Dream Walker who becomes Jonas’ mentor in the Dreamscape, helps keep him safe while educating him and training him for battles to come. Jonas is a likable character who you want to root for; you want this poor kid to catch a break for once.

The characters surrounding Jonas are also vivid, coming off the page and taking up space in your imagination. Jarabec is a gritty, curmudgeonly mentor that you respect and ultimately love. The Dream Walkers – the foot soldiers in this battle – will both irritate and impress, like the antiheroes they kind of are. Night Terrors will make you think about all the crazy times you thought of the monsters in your closet or under your bed and wonder whether you were maybe just a little right after all.

I thoroughly enjoyed this first book, and was very happy with the way DeLonge and Young left a thread for the next book hanging there, dangling, waiting for readers to take the bait.

The first book is available right now, and for more information about the graphic novels, music, and full animated video, check out Tom DeLonge’s website, To the Stars Media. To join the book club community, find out about the director’s cut of the book with rich media content, visit the Eden Hotel Book Club.

Want your own copy of Poet Anderson? There’s a giveaway! Good luck!

Just click here to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!

Poet Anderson …Of Nightmares, by Tom DeLonge and Suzanne Young
Hardcover, 368 pages, $17.99
ISBN: 978-1-943272-00-06
Publication Date: November 1, 2015
Distributed by Simon & Schuster