After the End

by Amy Plum

Summary:
Growing up in a commune in the Alaskan wilderness, Juneau never had any reason to doubt what her elders told her. That there was a world wide war that wiped out everyone. That they were lucky to have survived. But that was a lie. When Juneau returns to camp after being out hunting she finds her entire commune gone, and now she'll have to find them in a world she's been told doesn't exist.

Review:
Most dystopian novels start with the end of the world, and After the End is no different. But from here it changes. Instead of the world actually being over, it has thrived. It's an interesting twist that Plum pulls off. The novel is told in alternating perspectives between Juneau and Miles, the boy who becomes her companion. It's the first in a series, so don't expect it to be resolved in this one book.

Genre: Dystopian Fiction
Age Level: 7th Grade

Storm

by Donna Jo Napoli

Summary:
Many of us know the story of Noah and his ark. But what if there was another story on that ark? What if there was a stowaway on board? When the storm hits, 16 year old Sebah is separated from her family. When chance leads her to the ark, she climbs aboard only to discover she's not the only stowaway on board. A grilling tale about survival in the face of devastation, Storm gives a great account of what life might have been like on Noah's ark.

Review:
I thought that Storm was a refreshing take on the story of Noah. It gave a very relatable look at Noah and his family. The doubts that his family had were very believable, and made the whole tale more realistic-because who wouldn't have cause to doubt when they are trapped on an ark for months. Sebah is an uneducated poor girl whose ignorance in many ways becomes what saves her. Her relationship with the other stowaway and the animals is touching. It's a great story about what might have been, good for teens who are interested in biblical tales or in alternate histories.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

Bunnicula

by James Howe

A great series about a bunny who sucks the life out of carrots!!!  Funny with some halloweenish humor, its a great read for a 1st-2nd grader!

Cloaked

By Alex Flinn

A novel which combines several lesser told fairy tales with modern life.  The novel tells the story of Johnny, a shoemaker in South Florida, who takes on a quest from Princess Victoriana to find her brother who has been turned into a frog.  If he finds him he gets to marry the princess.  Along the way he discovers that maybe marrying a princess isn't what he wants, but the girl he has always known might be. 

The book is a great read for teens who like modern romance with a hint of fantasy to it.  The writing is simple but the story is well developed.  It's also fun to see how Flinn weaves in a variety of fairy tales into one story. 

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat

Author: Lynne Jonell

Publisher: New York : H. Holt, 2007.

Plot Description:

            Emmy feels completely invisible most of the time.  No one at school ever talks to her, not even her teacher knows her name.  Her parents are off jetting around Europe again.  The only person who ever really talks to her is her nanny, Miss Barmy, but that’s usually to scold her or make her take another kind of medicine.  Then of course, there is the rat.  The rat is the classroom pet, and he is full of conniving schemes.  Like how Emmy should let him go free.  One day Emmy does, and thus starts an adventure she couldn’t imagine.  One that explains why no one seems to notice her.  Because they’ve all been convinced she doesn’t exist. 

Review:

            Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat is a great tween read.  Friendless Emmy is out to finally learn how to stand up for herself, and is able to make a friend or two in the process.  She, with the help of the rat and her new friend Joe (who got sucked into this mess by the rat as well), discover that her nanny isn’t all that she seems.  The book mixes fantasy well, and the reader ends up believing that all this might just happen.  I would definitely recommend this to both boy or girl tweens, its mix of fun-filled adventure combined with Emmy coming into her own is hard to resist!

Genre: Humorous Fiction

Reading level: 5^th Grade

Similar Books: The School Story

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- Really fun story

Subjects/themes- animals, rats, fantasy, humor

Series information- There is a second book about Emmy

Character names/descriptions-

            Emmy- can’t understand why no one seems to notice her

            Joe- the first kid in her class, who notices her after the rat bites him

            Miss Barmy- Emmy’s nanny, who is just  a bit odd

Annotation: Not all rats are pesky rodents. 

Zoobreak

 Zoobreak

Author: Gordon Korman

Publisher: New York : Scholastic Press, 2009.

Plot Description:

            When Savannah’s pet mokey Cleo disappears, she and her friends Griffin and Ben look everywhere for him.  What they don’t expect is to find her in the floating zoo their teacher takes them to on a field trip.  But this zoo isn’t a nice zoo, it’s the dirtiest, most disgusting place that Savannah has ever seen.  And when the zookeeper refuses to admit that Cleo is Savannah’s, it’s up to Griffin, the ‘man with the plan,’ to come up with a way to get Cleo back before the zoo takes off for it’s next port.  In a fun filled adventure Griffin enlists the help of his classmates for Operation Zoobreak. 

Review:

            Zoobreak is a fun story about kids taking matters into their own hands when parents can’t solve a problem.  With excellently written characters, Korman creates a story which will appeal to all tweens because they will surely find someone to identify with.  The book focuses on a love of animals, but the plot has a few fun twists and any would be lawbreaker will enjoy the misadventures of Griffin and his gang. 

Genre: Animal Fiction

Reading level: 5^th Grade

Similar Books: Artemis Fowl

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- Fun characters and excellent plot turns

Subjects/themes- Animals, Adventure, Zoos, Theft

Series information- Second book involving Griffin and his gang

Character names/descriptions-

            Savannah- loves all animals, Cleo is her monkey

            Griffin- the man with the plan

            Ben- has narcolepsy, but a ferret they free from the zoo fixes all that

            Mr Natase- the mean owner of “All About Animals’

Annotation: When all else fails, the man with the plan will come through!

Furry Vengeance

Furry Vengeance

Distributed by Summit Entertainment

Publisher: Universal City, Calif. : Summit Entertainment, [2010]

Plot Description:

            When Dan relocated his family from Chicago to the Oregon forest, he thought it would be a quick year of work and then they could head back.  But that was before he encountered the local wildlife, who have a big problem with Dan’s boss’s plan to destroy their forest to build homes.  And these animals have a plan.  As they sabotage the building project, and terrorize Dan, everyone thinks he is going crazy. But as the project tries to move forward, eventually Dan realizes that perhaps the animals are fighting for the right side, and he’s the one on the wrong one.

Review:

            Furry Vengeance is a fun family movie about the consequences of ones actions and the importance of doing the right thing even it it’s hard.  Dan has to eventually decide whether his job or the forest is more important. The movie is a little young for older tweens, but the gag humor would definitely appeal to younger tweens.  Overall the movie is predictable, but would still entertain.

Genre: Fiction

Viewing Age: 3^rd-4^th Grade

Similar Movies: Marmaduke, Beverly Hills Chihuahua

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- trite, not really entertaining for adults

Subjects/themes- Environmentalism, Family, Animals

Character names/descriptions-

            Dan- works for a company that wants to destroy the forest

            Tammy- Dan’s wife who ends up in charge of the Forest Festival

            Tyler- Dan’s son who stands up to him at the end

Annotation: The animals might be furry and cute, but it doesn’t mean they will let you destroy their home!