Summer Book Club Selections

Ok! After sitting with my stacks of current favorites, I have finally decided on titles for my Summer Book Clubs at Inkwood. Here are some short reviews of each book to get you hooked!

SCAT by Carl Hiaasen (Wednesday, June 16th)
Genre: Mystery
RP Level: 5.5

Interested in a great mystery to kick off your summer? Carl Hiaasen has done it again with an exciting page-turner that will keep you reading past midnight. In Scat, a very unpopular biology teacher goes missing... who would miss her, right? Well, it seems that there is something else going on as well. Nick and Marta notice that the story they are being told just doesn't seem right, and they start to investigate. What they uncover involves a bully, an evil group of adults who want to make sure Nick and Marta remain quiet, and a VERY cute but endangered wild animal. Like his previous books, Scat is set in Florida and deals with an issue that effects our community.

MASTERPIECE by Elise Broach (Monday, June 21st)
Genre: Fiction - Animal Adventure
RP Level:4.8

Marvin is a small beetle that lives in an apartment in Manhattan. His family lives in the walls behind the kitchen cabinets of the Pompaday household where they survive on fallen crumbs and spend their days avoiding huge human feet. The Pompadays have a young son, James, who Marvin finds particularly interesting... and one day Marvin decides to give his human friend a gift. Little does he know that the gift will start a chain of events that will take Marvin and James on an adventure that involves scheming thieves, masterpiece forgeries and wild misunderstandings. Can Marvin and James solve the mystery of the art heist before a great masterpiece is lost forever?

WARRIORS: INTO THE WILD by Erin Hunter (Wednesday, June 23rd)
Genre: Fiction - Animal Adventure
RP Level: 5.6

Rusty is a kitty-pet. He lives a comfortable life in a warm house where his owners feed him every day and make sure that he has a nice place to sleep and toys to keep him busy. All of these things don't help keep Rusty happy, though, because he is BORED. He dreams of running wild in the woods with other cats ~ hunting for food, climbing trees, and exploring new areas. Then, one day, Rusty meets the wild cats of Thunderclan and decides to join them. It doesn't take long for him to realize that there seems to be a traitor among the wild cats... and he must discover the truth! Rusty quickly learns that life in the wild is much more complicated than he imagined and even dangerous!

STEEL TRAPP: THE CHALLENGE by Ridley Pearson (Monday, June 28th)
Genre: Action/Mystery
RP Level: 4.9

 Steel Trapp is incredibly smart - he even has a photographic memory - and he's on his way to the National Science Competition in Washington, DC. But while traveling by train, he accidentally witnesses something he shouldn't and soon becomes involved in a dangerous plot by bad guys who are set on causing problems in the nation's capital. Steel makes friends with Kaileigh, another contestant, and the two try to evade the cops and stop the bad guys before it's too late. After uncovering clues that steer them in the right direction, Steel's science experiment, a tracking robot, helps lead them to a surprise ending!

THE DIAMOND OF DRURY LANE by Julia Golding (Wednesday, July 7th)
Genre: Fiction - Historical Mystery
RP Level: 5.6

Cat Royal lives in a cramped room at the top of a theater in London. Her life is a whirlwind of activity ~ she helps with scenery, making costumes, and cleaning up after the actors of the Drury Lane Theater because she was abandoned there as a baby. The actors think of her as the theater "cat" and take care of her, but she longs for a bigger life. Things get interesting for her when she discovers that a diamond is hidden somewhere inside the theater. Cat seeks out help from the Butcher Street Boys, a gang of kids that help protect the streets from other wild gangs who are set on causing trouble, and Lord Francis and Lady Elizabeth, brother and sister from a very wealthy family. Together, they attempt to protect the diamond from the Covent Street thugs, and discover an even greater mystery!

AMELIA RULES! THE WHOLE WORLD'S CRAZY by Jimmy Gownley (Monday, July 12th)
Genre: Graphic Novel/Comic
RP Level: 2.5

What's better than a full color comic with great characters and an excellent story?? Amelia and her friends, members of G.A.S.P. (Gathering of Awesome Super Pals) get into all kinds of mischief as they try to make it through boring classes at school and prowl the neighborhood in their free time. Fans of chapter books and comics alike will love Amelia, Reggie and Pajamaman and all of their crazy antics.

THE LOST ISLAND OF TAMARIND by Nadia Aguiar (Wednesday, July 14th)
Genre: Fantasy
RP Level: 5.8

Maya, Simon and Penny live on a sailboat with their parents until a storm leaves the kids stranded alone on the sea. When their boat floats into a cove of Tamarind Island, the kids go ashore and soon realize that this is no ordinary island. Little Penny is snatched away from them by man-eating vines while they tiptoe around sleeping tigers, and strange people live high up in the trees in a mist village ~ and that's just the beginning! As the kids explore the island they soon learn that there is more going on than meets the eye and with the help of Helix (a native of the island), they might be able to help the people of Tamarind and maybe even find their parents.

SAVVY by Ingrid Law (Monday July 19th)
Genre: Fiction - Some Fantasy
RP Level: 6.0

In the Beaumont family, turning 13 is a BIG DEAL. In the days leading up to Mibs's 13th birthday, she becomes more and more anxious... what will happen? Will she find out that she can control the weather like her older brother? Or cause electricity to go wild? Or maybe even become a mountain shaker?? Mibs sure doesn't know what to expect, but she worries that she won't be able to control her "savvy" when it hits. Then things take a turn for the worse when her parents are away from home and her savvy makes its appearance. The other Beaumont children help her to figure out how to manage, but Mibs gets them all in a big pickle that involves a bright pink bus, a driver with two tattoos that argue, and some neighborhood children who think the Beaumonts are W-E-I-R-D.

It's been a while!

Sorry for the lack of recent posts... FCAT and SAT testing made it hard for me to do much reading for pleasure! But now that school is almost over, I have free time again and the book reviews will start back up. Check back next week to see the reviews for the books I will be using in my Summer Book Clubs at Inkwood Books. If you're interested in signing up for Summer Book Clubs, contact Inkwood at (813)253-2638 or drop by the store at 216 S. Armenia Ave  Tampa, FL 33609.

Copper by Kazu Kibuishi

Copper by Kazu Kibuishi
Genre: Manga/Graphic Novel
My Rating: 10/10

One of the things I like about comics/graphic novels/manga is that they can allow you to enjoy different types of writing styles. Kazu Kibuishi's newest book, Copper, is a collection of short story type comics that weave together to show you a piece of what seems to be a larger story. Copper and his dog, Fred, have many adventures together and visit strange and unusual places. The book has a unique layout ~ each story can be as long as 4-5 pages, or fit completely on one!

Copper and Fred have very different personalities - Copper is adventurous while Fred tends to worry about everything- but they make a very interesting duo that readers are sure to enjoy. They do everything together, from walking to the store for their favorite melon bread, to jumping across mile-high mushroom caps as a shortcut. The illustrations in each panel are visually pleasing and help add to the story. Here's a sample from one of the pages in the book:

The Secret of Zoom by Lynne Jonell

The Secret of Zoom by Lynne Jonell
Genre: Middle Reader Fiction - Fantasy
My Rating: 9/10

I was lucky enough to be working last weekend when the author, Lynne Jonell, came to Inkwood to do a signing for her new book - The Secret of Zoom! Not only was Mrs. Jonell fascinating and entertaining, but she also showed us all the drawings that inspired her other books about Emmy and Ratty (Sunshine State and Battle of the Books - Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat). I hadn't read her newest book, so I picked one up while she was at the store and took it home.

Christina is a young girl who lives alone with her father (a brilliant but boring scientist) in a huge mansion up on a hill. Her mother was 'blown to smithereens' when she was just a baby, and since then, her father has become very protective over Christina. She is kept indoors with just her Nanny and Cook for company, and is only allowed to go outside for an hour a day. Even when she does go outside, she is never allowed to leave her fenced in yard or speak to anyone who may be on the road nearby. But one day, the orphans are out cleaning the side of the road and one of them talks to HER! Taft is the very first child Christina has ever spoken to, and when he tells her that there is a secret passage somewhere in her house, she believes him.

As Christina searches for the hidden passage, she soon finds many more secrets about this strange town and it's even weirder founder/leader - Leo Loompski. It's not long before Christina and Taft discover Zoom - a magical-scientific mineral deposit found in the mountains behind Christina's house in a small town owned and run by the evil Leo Loompski. Could it be that Loompski is somehow forcing the orphans to mine the Zoom? What is it for? And where do all the children disappear to?

Order this from Inkwood Books HERE

Steel Trapp: The Challenge by Ridley Pearson

Steel Trapp: The Challenge by Ridley Pearson
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
My Rating: 8/10


Steven Trapp has a photographic memory - he can recall anything thing he's previously seen before in perfect detail. This has earned him the nickname "Steel Trapp" by those who know him, and it certainly fits! Not only does Steel have an extraordinary memory, but he's a science whiz as well, so it's no surprise that he's a competitor in the National Science Challenge. The book starts off with Steel, his mother, and his dog, Cairo, on a train to Washington D.C., where he will present his invention to the judges. Everything seems to be normal, until Steel notices a woman who appears to have left her briefcase on the train. In an attempt to help by running after the woman to return the briefcase, Steel becomes involved in a very dangerous scheme that the FBI has been following for some time. Steel is joined by another National Science Challenge contender, Kaileigh, who also becomes caught up in the dangerous plot. As the Challenge draws closer, the two teens sink deeper and deeper into the mystery of the briefcase and soon find themselves running from the bad guys as well as the FBI. Not knowing who to trust, the teens attempt to disrupt the scheme themselves - causing the situation to take a very dangerous turn.

Steel may not be Alex Rider, but fans of Horowitz's series will find Pearson's characters and plot twists to be just as engaging. The story moves very quickly and readers will be eager for more when they finish. The second book in the series, Steel Trapp: The Academy, is due out January 18th.

Order it from Inkwood Books HERE

The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Janet Stevens

The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Janet Stevens
Genre: Picture Book
My Rating: 9/10

For some reason, little prairie dogs always make me laugh and in this creative picture book, the little critters certainly are entertaining. It all starts when a dog drops a tennis ball into a prairie dog tunnel. The little critters aren't sure whether it's dangerous or not, until one young prairie dog darts forward and gets a little of the green fuzz stuck to her paw. What happens next is complete chaos! The prairie dogs start fighting over the fuzz and things start to get ugly. Everything spirals wildly out of control when an eagle sees a prairie dog covered in green fuzz making a scene outside of their hole and dives down to pick him up. The prairie dogs have to find a way to save their friend - and quick!

The fold out pages allow the illustrations to to show the depths of the prairie dogs' tunnels and give the reader a clear view of the craziness of the story. I loved the scenes where the prairie dogs are dancing around covered in fuzz!

Order from Inkwood Books HERE

Bobby vs Girls (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee

Bobby vs Girls (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee
Genre: Middle Reader Fiction
My Rating: 7/10

I just finished this book today, and it was very funny. Bobby Ellis-Chan is the son of a retired football player, The Freezer. His dad is well known in their town for scaring his opponents on the field, and likes to growl at random people in grocery stores as well. Bobby loves his father, but often finds him to be quite embarrassing. When Bobby starts 4th grade, he soon finds that there are many other things that can embarrass a normal 9 year old boy...
Things like: being caught wearing pink curlers (it was his younger sister's fault!), getting stuck to the world's smelliest tree on a field trip, and finding out that static cling and underwear can ruin a class election!

Besides having all of these things happen, Bobby is also trying to deal with the changes that his best friend experienced over the summer. Holly used to be fun ~ she liked to go exploring and rock hunting and do boy things. But just before school starts, Bobby finds out that Holly has become GIRLY! It's common knowledge at Bobby's school that boys and girls don't get along... but will that keep the two friends apart?

Order this from Inkwood Books HERE