Archives:
Three Thieves series
Author/Illustrator: Scott Chantler Publisher: Kids Can Press Grade levels: 4-5, 6-8 Genre: Adventure, Fantasy Special Attractions: Teen Lead Characters Synopsis: As an acrobat in a traveling circus, 14-year-old orphan Dessa Redd flies through the air with ease. Still, she is weighed down by troubling memories. But when her ragtag circus troupe pulls into the city of Kingsbridge, Dessa feels a tickle of hope. Maybe here in the royal city she will finally find her twin brother — or the mysterious man who snatched him away when they were just children. Meanwhile, Topper, the circus juggler, recruits Dessa and the circus strongman, Fisk, for the job […] Read More
Hopeless Maine
Author/Illustrator: Tom and Nimue Brown Publisher: http://www.hopelessmaine.com Grade levels: 6-8, 9-12 Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Adventure Special Attractions: Female Lead Characters, Teen Lead Characters, Multicultural Lead Characters Synopsis: Being Hopeless isn’t just a state of mind. Trapped on an island off the coast of Maine, the people of Hopeless find life a little darker and more dangerous with every day that passes. The number of orphans rises continually, but who can say what happens to their parents? Plenty of the bodies are never found. This is not the stuff of happy, careless childhoods, it is instead fertile ground for personal demons. In Hopeless, […] Read More
Hocus Pocus series
Author/Illustrator: Sylvie Desrosiers, Remy Simard Publisher: Kids Can Press Grade levels: Pre-K, K-1 Genre: Adventure, Humor Special Attractions: Wordless, Early Reader, Anthropomorphic Characters Titles in this series: • Hocus Pocus: This zany tale pits a grouchy pooch against Hocus Pocus, a mischievous blue bunny who lives in a magician’s hat. When Hocus Pocus spots a bunch of tantalizing carrots poking out of a shopping bag, he decides he must have them. But to reach the kitchen counter, he must risk waking Dog, a pet canine who snoozes nearby. Tiptoeing in a pair of bunny slippers works beautifully at first — until a peanut […] Read More
Hilda and the Midnight Giant
Author/Illustrator: Luke Pearson Publisher: Nobrow Grade levels: 4-5, 6-8, 9-12 Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Mythology and Folktales Special Attractions: Female Lead Characters, Teen Lead Characters Synopsis: Hilda finds her world turned upside down as she faces the prospect of leaving her snow-capped birthplace for the hum of the megalopolis. Her mother, an architect, has been offered a prestigious position in the bustling metropolis that she would find hard to reject. Besides, the tiny elven creatures making a daily habit of bombarding them with threats isn’t making Hilda’s case any better. As she seeks ways to stall her mother’s decision, Hilda rushes to befriend the […] Read More
Templar
Author/Illustrator: Jordan Mechner, LeUyen Pham & Alex Puvilland Publisher: First Second Grade levels: 9-12, Higher Education Subject: History/Social Studies Genre: Adventure, Historical Fiction, Political Special Attractions: Social issues Synopsis: Martin is one of a handful of Templar Knights to escape when the king of France and the pope conspire to destroy the noble order. The king aims to frame the Templars for heresy, execute all of them, and make off with their legendary treasure. That’s the plan, anyway, but Martin and several other surviving knights mount a counter-campaign to regain the lost treasure of the Knights Templar. Note: Book One of Templar was previously published in […] Read More
Teen Boat
Author/Illustrator: Dave Roman, John Green Publisher: Clarion Grade levels: 6-8, 9-12 Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Humor Special Attractions: Teen Lead Characters, Social Issues Synopsis: High school can be a time of terrible angst, Fs on tests, bullying jerks, broken hearts, and late-stage puberty are just some of the potential issues that all teen boys face. But what about the issues facing a Teen Boat? In this hilarious send-up of teen story tropes, the best-selling author Dave Roman and the cartoonist John Green deliver high school and high seas drama with a boatload of laughs. Books YA Love review In the Next Room review School […] Read More
The Ride Home
Author/Illustrator: Joey Weiser Publisher: AdHouse books Grade levels: 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, 9-12 Genres: Fantasy, Adventure Special Attractions: Anthropomorphic Characters Synopsis: Follow the adventures of Nodo The Van-Gnome as he tries to find his lost home on wheels. During his quest he’ll meet sewer dragons, junkyard trolls, and a cow or two. A fun, all-ages romp of a story created by Joey Weiser. Comics Worth Reading review Graphic Novel Resources review Author’s book page Publisher’s book page
The Reasons for Dragons
Author/Illustrator: Chris Northrop & Jeff Stokely Publisher: Archaia Grade levels: 6-8, 9-12 Genres: Fantasy, Adventure Special Attractions: Teen Lead Characters Synopsis: The Reason for Dragons, by Chris Northrop and Jeff Stokely (Fraggle Rock), tells the story of Wendell, a high school outcast who lives a lonely, suburban existence, losing himself in books in order to avoid his distant, motorcycle-riding stepfather, Ted. When the school bullies convince Wendell to venture into the forest around their neighborhood and explore the long-abandoned Renaissance Faire grounds they all believe to be haunted, Wendell is surprised to find a man living in the barn—and even more surprised by the […] Read More
Sardine in Outer Space series
Author/Illustrator: Emmanuel Guibert/ Joann Sfar Publisher: First Second Books Grade levels: 2-3, 4-5 Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure, Humor Special Attractions: Child Lead Characters, Female Lead Characters Synopsis: In these goofy science fiction adventures, a little girl named Sardine must outwit Supermuscleman, the chief executive dictator of the universe, who is on a mission to make all the galaxy’s kids behave. An exciting series by two of France’s most talented comics authors, Sardine is a feast for the imagination of young readers. Emmanuel Guibert, an outstanding artist and graphic storyteller, takes a turn on the script, while Joann Sfar illuminates the writing with rambunctious, […] Read More
Salt Water Taffy series
Author/Illustrator: Matthew Loux Publisher: Oni Press Grade levels: 2-3, 4-5, 6-8 Genre: Fantasy, Adventure Special Attractions: Child Lead Characters Synopsis: Eleven-year-old Jack Putnam and his eight-year-old brother Benny are being dragged against their will on a summer-long vacation with their family. And not to somewhere cool like Disney World, but to a little port town in Maine named Chowder Bay, far away from anyplace fun. But what promises to be a very bleak summer quickly becomes a series of exciting adventures filled with mysterious government agents, grizzled old fishermen, and giant lobsters. Chowder Bay is far from boring—it’s one of the most mysterious places […] Read More