Locked in the attic by her wicked stepmother, Liesl is desperate to escape, to run away to the last place she was happy when her parents were still alive.  She is helped in this endeavor by Po, a boy (maybe, it's hard to tell and these things don't really matter) from The Other Side.

Apprenticed to an evil alchemist, Will is forced to escape after a delivery mix-up. Hunted by the alchemist and the lady premiere and a man with a hat (really) Will meets up with Liesl and the two of them (along with Po) set off to return color to the world.

Beautifully written, this is part Cinderella, part Hansel & Gretel, and storytelling at it's best.  A fantastic and fantastical adventure.

Sacha Kessler gets a rare chance to join the NYPD Inquisitors Detection Unit just as the famed Chief Inquisitor of Magical Crimes, Maximillian Wolf walks into the tiny bakery and witnesses Sacha seeing magic swirl through the air. Just like that,  Sacha's an Inquisitor's Apprentice! His family is wildly excited for him to get this prestigious job- especially for someone so young - OY, the opportunity! 

Sacha's thrill turns sour when he's joined by Lily Astral - a GIRL from the wealthy Wall Street family. The pair help Inquisitor Wolf track down a suspect intend on murdering Thomas Edison whose new "Soul Catcher" machine is set to hit the streets. But it seems Edison may have paid off the real inventor with cursed money - bad magic for sure! To add even more trouble to the team, Sacha is being targeted by a shadowy galom with dire consequence. Can they catch the real culprits trying to control the magic market before it's too late? Can Lily help Sacha save himself from being destroyed by the Golem?

This funny detective book twines magic with history in early 20th century New York.

Silent wolves chase Ben but they're closer and more menacing this time - with a start he wakes from his nightmare to his annoying cousin's teasing.  Ben is still in his aunt's house sharing a room with his cousin, missing his mom, his heart still dull with grief. He needs to find a new life...

Rose, a silent, lonely girl yearns for a life that glitters in the city across the water. She collects pictures of a beautiful actress performing under sparkling lights. Rose sets out to find a new life.

Wonderstruck is a labyrinth of wonder, adventure, and finding home. Sprinkled throughout this richly illustrated story are subtle clues and hints that lock into place solving the interlinked quests of Rose and Ben.

Like two random pebbles separated by many years and long distance Ben and Rose each begin their quest for the missing people in their lives and hearts. Along the way they discover surprising gifts of friendship and sparkling wonders of adventure rich with life and home. A book for sharing with people you love!

Reviewed by Marilyn

Princess Mirella was not your average princess.  She was rather a misfit, more at home with her ant farm and her aquarium of sticklebacks, than the castle.  When her parents decided it was her turn to marry, Mirella knew she had to run away--to the Ogre of Oglefort.  Now this ogre was also not a your average ogre.  He was famous for turning humans into animals. When word got out that Princess Mirella was with the Ogre, rescue parties were dispatched to save her.  The Prince and his armies and a band of Unusual Creatures all set out to save the day.  Who will be the hero?  Will Princess Mirella have a happy ever after?  What happens to the Ogre?  These questions and more are delightfully answered in this clever and fun fantasy from beloved Eva Ibbotson.   

“The world is my thrill ride” thinks Liam age 12, who loves that ”Crispy New World feeling” after multiple “g’s” of gravity on an amusement park ride. He is also an expert multi-player video gamer. Most saliently, Liam is tall. I mean really tall. So tall, that he is often confused with an adult, which can be really annoying when people expect from you more than they should,” a big lad like you,” but also very handy to go places you are not supposed to be, like monster thrill rides or. . . outer space! Liam has managed to pass himself off as his Dad, Mr. Digby, and his friend Florida as his daughter, and they are being sponsored into space by Chinese inventor, Dr. Drax. Of course their parents think they are on a school trip to the Lake District. The view of earth out the window of a spaceship is life-changing. Helping others grow and achieve their goals is exhilarating. But most of all Liam, discovers that “Dadliness” is “out there among the stars, a force like gravity, and I was proud of it.” Being a Dad, while it has the ultimate level of difficulty is, well. . . .COSMIC! Winner of the Carnegie Medal in the UK.

Reviewed by Vivian

This is a stunning account of Neftali (aka Pablo Neruda), a painfully shy young boy who dreams of being a poet but cowers from his domineering father who has other wishes for him. Neftali ponders the world from his bedroom window in his homeland of Chile. Always the awkward and frail dreamer, he prefers to lose himself in his limitless imagination than with other children. Neftali's words leap from the pages of this book through Peter Sis's magical illustrations and will fill the readers' world with the sound of the Chilean forests, the waters of Puerto Saavedra, and most importantly with Neftali's own words. This is a book for every dreamer young or old.

Reviewed by Penelope

Something's rotten in Banesville, NY! This is Apple country. Everything and everyone depends on the crop--apple farming, apple canning, apple baking, apple art. But even the apple festival brings little to celebrate, especially when mysterious "ghostly" sightings bring panic and plummeting property values to this already imperiled farming town. But fear not, the high school paper, The Core, has a fresh teen reporter, Hildy Biddle who can smell the putrid intentions in the air. Like her deceased father who was a quintessential reporter in search of the facts, this apple does not fall far from the tree. The official town newspaper, The Bee, begins to feed its readers and engorge its circulation with sensational stories of fear and dread. A crop of TV reporters, psychics, and amusement park developers move into town. Farmers begin to lose heart and sell their homes. But Hildy doggedly peels away supposition, superstition, and innuendo, even after The Core is forcibly shut down. Armed with the five "Ws"--"Who?" "What" "When?" "Where?" and "Why?, she aims to save her town from foreclosure and the worst kind of national exposure on America's "Top Ten Most Haunted List." The quirky citizen's of Banesville, The Happiest Town in the Happy Apple Valley, are funny, and earnestly inspirational. The "Elders against Evil Brigade" is unforgettable. The plot is crisp, and our heroine is deliciously witty. Peeled is an entirely fun and wholesome read!

Reviewed by Vivian

"The world is my thrill ride" thinks Liam, age 12, who loves that "Crispy New World feeling" after multiple "g's" of gravity on an amusement park ride. He is also an expert multi-player video gamer. Most saliently, Liam is tall. So tall, that he is often confused with an adult, which can be really annoying when people expect more from you than they should," a big lad like you," but also very handy to go places you are not supposed to be, like monster thrill rides or. . . outer space! Liam has managed to pass himself off as his Dad, Mr. Digby, and his friend Florida as his daughter, and they are being sponsored into space by the Chinese inventor, Dr. Drax. Of course their parents think they are on a school trip to the Lake District. So no one is worried about coming to get them out of the latest trouble they have got into, not at the local porsche dealership again, but this time adrift in Outer Space and about to circumnavigate the moon! The view of earth out the window of a spaceship is life-changing. Helping others grow and achieve their goals is exhilarating. But most of all Liam, discovers that "Dadliness" is "out there among the stars, a force like gravity, and I was proud of it." Being a Dad, while it has the ultimate level of difficulty is, well. . . .COSMIC! Cosmic won the Carnegie Medal in the UK, and the book is indeed eloquent about the moments of awareness when a lad, big or small, starts to become a man. But it's also a thrill ride of an adventure and will be hard to be beat for Older Reader Book of the Year.

Reviewed by Vivian

In Culpepper, West Virginia, everyone has a dream of being famous. Ten-year-old Foster wants to have her own cooking show and be a celebrity. Her friend wants to be a documentary filmmaker. Foster’s mother wants to be a singing star, not just a backup singer. Miss Charleena wants to make a comeback in Hollywood. Can they all achieve their dreams? This is another warm and inspiring story by Joan Bauer.

Reviewed by Josephine

Can Greg really be growing up? Does being cute really have an expiration date?  Eeeek - here's Greg, no longer friends with Rowley, and having to face his mom going back to work, more responsibilities, parties that include girls, health class at school, headgear, and talks about "changes" with his aunt. What's a boy to do?

Again this is laugh out loud funny and not to be missed. From the school lock in, Gammie and the whoopee cushion,  to trying to treat an egg like a baby, Kinney gets the details just right.