The Last Olympian

By: Rick Riordan

In this, the fifth and final book of the Percy Jackson series, Percy and his friends find themselves in their most difficult battle yet. Instead of just fulfilling quests or defending themselves against monsters, the fate of all the gods lies with them. In New York City, Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Thalia must keep the Titan forces away from Olympus (secretly situated above The Empire State Building). Each of the young heroes will be forced to make difficult decisions and make some incredible sacrifices if they are to succeed.

Mrs. Senechal says:

In an earlier post, I share how much I loved the first four books in this series, and the fifth book does not disappoint! The action starts in the first chapter, and the suspense lasts until the last chapter of the book. I liked how the author tied together pieces from the previous books, and how he developed the characters throughout the series. This is one of the most exciting book series I've read in awhile! Start with the first book, and you'll be hooked for all five!

Twice Upon a Marigold

By: Jean Ferris

In this sequel to Once Upon a Marigold, we find out what "happily ever after" is like for Chris and Marigold. They thought that Marigold's evil stepmother, Olympia, was gone for good, but they didn't know she would wash up on the bank of a small town with amnesia. When Olympia recovers, watch out! Marigold and Chris will have to enlist the help of several unlikely people to save the kingdom.

Mrs. Senechal says:

The fun of this book and its original is the unique spin the author takes on what you would normally expect from a fairy tale. She also has managed to weave in characters from other fairy tales that you might not think about. I really didn't like how awful Olympia was in this book, but it really added to the suspense as I kept wondering what horrible thing she would do next! I thought the ending was a bit of a stretch, but if you like fairy tales, you'll enjoy this book.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians (series)

By: Rick Riordan

As the series begins, Percy finds out that Greek myths he's learned about in school are still true today - and he's a son of Poseidon! Throughout the books, Percy meets many friends - children of other Greek gods. They team up on various quests to foil the plans of some of the evil gods. Along the way, Percy and his friends face monsters, mazes, riddles, tricks, and tough choices. But, through courage, quick thinking, and using their special abilities they are able to defend both our world and Olympus!

Mrs. Senechal says:

I absolutely love this series! While I know that Greek mythology is truly just myths, it is fun to imagine that they could be working behind the scenes of our world. The author of this series, does a tremendous job of creating action and suspense that make these books incredibly hard to put down. I just finished the fourth book in the series, and am anxiously waiting for my order of the fifth book to arrive. I'll add more then!

Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones

By: Brandon Sanderson

In this, the second of Alcatraz's adventures, Alcatraz finds himself crashing a glass-mechanical-flying-dragon while on his way to find the Library of Alexandria. Along the way, Alcatraz catches up with Bastille, and meets up with an uncle and cousin he didn't even know he had. Once again, Alcatraz is up against some very evil librarians who want to keep all the information to themselves. And, on top of all that, Grandpa Smedry is missing!

Mrs. Senechal says:

Be sure to read Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians before you read this book, it will really help you understand the characters and plot! I enjoyed this book almost as much as the first one. The author does a great job of keeping you in suspense and making you laugh. I think it's very interesting to think about all the things we assume are true, and how our world might be different then we expect. Thankfully, we don't have to worry about librarians actually being evil!

The Lemonade War

By: Jacqueline Davies

Evan and his sister Jessie are only one year apart, and they usually enjoy doing things together over summer vacation. But this summer is different, Evan will be a fourth grader in August, and he just found out that the school has approved Jessie skipping third grade - so they'll be in the same class! Evan and Jessie are both nervous about this unusual situation. In the midst of an argument, the two decide to settle their differences by seeing who can earn the most money running a lemonade stand - the "lemonade war" begins.

Mrs. Senechal says:

The author did a terrific job of writing from both Jessie and Evan's point of view. Both kids certainly had things to be nervous about as they looked ahead to fourth grade. I also love all the creative thinking Jessie and Evan do to try to outsell the other. In the end, the kids both learn a lot about themselves and how important they are to each other - and how to sell a lot of lemonade! This is a very enjoyable book!

Mudshark

By: Gary Paulsen

Lyle Williams is known as "Mudshark", a 12-year-old know-it-all. Due to his love of books and his experiences with his younger triplet sisters, Mudshark is extremely observant and helps the students at his middle school solve their problems. It's a good thing, too, because right now his school has an escaped gerbil, a psychic parrot, and 65 missing erasers!

Mrs. Senechal says:

This is a great, quick-read book - only 83 pages long! I really enjoyed the story, and I loved the beginning of each chapter which starts with an intercom announcement from the principal - they're very funny announcements! I hope that there will be further adventures of Mudshark!

It's a Dog's Life

(Hank the Cowdog series)

By: John R. Erickson

In this, the third adventure of the series, Hank has to leave the ranch for a few days after getting caught eating the steaks that had been thawing for dinner. Once in town, Hank visits his sister and her puppies. Hank decides he needs to teach the puppies important cowdog behaviors such as teasing cats and digging under fences. Eventually, this leads to Hank getting captured and thrown into the dog pound!

Mrs. Senechal says:

I actually laughed out loud while reading this book! The main character Hank thinks he knows a lot more than he really does which leads to some very funny conversations and situations. If you enjoy cowboy tales and funny stories, you'll really like this book (and series)!

P.S. I had the opportunity to meet this author at the Plum Creek Literacy Festival in Seward, Nebraska, in October of 2009. It was wonderful to hear him speak and even read parts of several books! Erickson does all the voices for the audio versions of his books which are very fun to listen to. In addition, I appreciate that Erickson is not shy about his Christian faith.