Geo Librarian

  THE FIRELIGHT APPRENTICE      written & illustrated by Bree Paulsen Quill Tree Books, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-06-326659-9 Source: publisher for review Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK In a city powered by magic and still recovering from a bloody war, Ada is concerned about her younger sister Safi’s developing powers. She understands that Safi could learn how to control her magic under the apprenticeship of a king's magician. But with the memories of war still fresh, Ada is conflicted by this prospect—despite her knowing that she can’t keep Safi safely at home with the threat of deadly, power-thieving liches prowling the kingdom. When a traveling group of magicians comes to the city to perform, they immediately recognize Safi’s talents and offer to take her on as an apprentice. Safi is thrilled about her new adventure—even if that means leaving behind Ada and the...

THE STORM RUNNER Rick Riordan Presents by J. C. Cervantes Disney Hyperion, 2018 ISBN: 978-136801634-6 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative/fantasy/myths All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Zane has always enjoyed exploring the dormant volcano near his home in New Mexico, even though hiking it is challenging. He'd much rather hang out there with his dog, Rosie, than go to middle school, where kids call him Sir Limps a Lot, McGimpster, or Uno — for his one good leg. What Zane doesn't know is that the volcano is a gateway to another world and he is at the center of a powerful prophecy. A new girl at school, Brooks, informs him that he's destined to release an evil god from the ancient Maya relic he is imprisoned in — unless she can find and remove it first. Together they return to the volcano, where all kinds of crazy happens. Brooks turns into a hawk, a demon attacks them in a cave, and Rosie gives her all w...

A SMALL ZOMBIE PROBLEM Zombie Problems #1 by K.G. Campbell Alfred A. Knopf, 2019 ISBN: 978-0-553-53955-4 Source: publisher for review Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative/fantasy All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK In his fiction debut--and the start of a new series--celebrated illustrator K.G. Campbell brings a touch of Tim Burton to this singularly strange and wonderful story about a lonely boy whose life is about to get a whole lot more complicated when a zombie follows him home. August DuPont has spent his whole life inside a dilapidated house with his aunt Hydrangea. His lonely existence ends abruptly with the arrival of an invitation to meet an aunt--and cousins--he didn't even know existed. When Aunt Orchid suggests that August attend school with his cousins, it's a dream come true. But August has scarcely begun to celebrate his reversal of fortune when he is confronted by a small problem on his way home. So begins an adventure f...

THE REVENGE OF MAGIC by James Riley Aladdin, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-4814-8577-7 Middle grade speculative (fantasy) Source: publisher for review Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK When long-dead magical creatures are discovered all around the world, each buried with a book of magic, only children can unlock the dangerous power of the books in this start to a thrilling new series from the author of the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves! Thirteen years ago, books of magic were discovered in various sites around the world alongside the bones of dragons. Only those born after “Discovery Day” have the power to use the magic. Now, on a vacation to Washington, DC, Fort Fitzgerald’s father is lost when a giant creature bursts through the earth, attacking the city. Fort is devastated, until an opportunity for justice arrives six months later, when a man named Dr. Opps invites Fort to a government run school, the Oppenheimer School, to lear...

THE TRANSPARENCY TONIC Potion Masters #2 by Frank L. Cole Shadow Mountain, 2019 ISBN: 9781629724881 Source: ARC from publisher for review Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative/fantasy All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK   It has been nine months since Gordy and his friends, Max and Adilene, Saved B.R.E.W. (the Board of Ruling Elixirists Worldwide) and the Vessel—the power source for the secret society of potion masters. Now, Gordy is starting the eighth grade, and has been trying new potion brewing techniques, but when he starts zoning out during practice, he knows something is wrong. Gordy and his friends continue to work on their potions, but when Gordy chooses Max as his lab partner, Adilene starts to wonder if she still has a place with her old friends. She turns to a new friend, Cadence, who might know a way to help Adilene become a potion master on her own. And in Greenland, Mezzarix has a chance to escape his Forbidden Zone—as...

SASQUATCH AND THE MUCKLESHOOT The Unicorn Rescue Society #3 by Adam Gidwitz & Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by Hatem Aly Dutton Children's Books, 2018 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative (fantasy) All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK All Elliot wants is a nice, normal day at school. All Uchenna wants is an adventure. Guess whose wish comes true? Professor Fauna whisks the kids--and Jersey, of course--off to the Muckleshoot territory in Washington, where film crews have suddenly descended en masse to expose Bigfoot to the world, and the Schmoke logging company is bringing in some awfully large machinery. Can the Unicorn Rescue Society escape the blades of the Schmokes' chain saws? Outsmart a cable news team? And are those big, hairy creatures running through the forest really Bigfoot? REVIEW This third book in the Unicorn Rescue Society series is hilarious.  At least I found it so.  I'm not sure if I found...

FLOAT by Laura Martin Harper, 2018 ISBN: 978-0-06-280376-4 Source: purchased Middle grade speculative (fantasy) Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK From the critically acclaimed author of the Edge of Extinction series comes this fast-paced, action-packed, and heartfelt adventure about a group of kids with uncontrollable abilities, perfect for fans of Gordon Korman, Lisa McMann, and Dan Gutman! Emerson can float…he just can’t do it very well. His uncontrollable floating is his RISK factor, which means that he deals with Reoccurring Incidents of the Strange Kind. The last place Emerson wants to be is at a government-mandated summer camp for RISK kids like him, so he’s shocked when he actually starts having fun at camp—and he even makes some new friends. But it’s not all canoeing and capture the flag at Camp Outlier. The summer of fun takes a serious turn when Emerson and his friends discover that one of their own is hiding a ...

THE TURNKEY OF HIGHGATE CEMETERY by Allison Rushby Candlewick Press, 2018 ISBN: 978-0-7636-9685-6 Source: ARC from publisher for review Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative (fantasy) All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Twelve-year-old Flossie is no ordinary ghost — she’s the caretaker of every soul in Highgate Cemetery. And during World War II, even the ghosts are unsafe. Flossie Birdwhistle is the Turnkey at London’s Highgate Cemetery. As Turnkey, it’s Flossie’s job to ensure that all the souls buried in the cemetery stay at rest. Not an easy job for a young ghost, but a task made especially difficult by World War II: London is being attacked every night by enemy bombers, and even the dead are unsettled. When Flossie encounters the ghost of a German soldier carrying a mysterious object that seems to exist in both the living and spirit worlds, she becomes suspicious — what is the officer up to? Before long, Flossie uncovers a sinister plo...

SNARED Escape to the Above by Adam Jay Epstein Imprint, 2018 ISBN:  978-1-250-14692-2 Middle grade fantasy/speculative Ages 9-12 Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Chopping blades, scorpion nests, giant spiderwebs—no one makes traps better than Wily Snare. He has never seen the sun, or blue sky, or even his parents. Wily Snare lives underground, creating traps to keep treasure-seekers away from the gold in an ancient wizard’s dungeon. He spends his days mopping up giant slug slime, avoiding poison darts, and herding undead skeletons. It’s all he knows. Until an unusual band of adventurers—an acrobatic elf, a warrior with a magic arm, and a giant made of moss—successfully defeat Wily’s traps. And they want the ultimate treasure: Wily himself. His skills can help them invade every other dungeon in the kingdom. He might even aid their fight against the Infernal King, whose gearfolk and prisonauts terrorize the land. B...

BOB by Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead illustrations by Nicholas Gannon Feiwel & Friends, 2018 ISBN: 978-1-250-16662-3 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative (fantasy) All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK A classic middle-grade tale of magic and friendship, about a girl who helps an old friend find home, by two New York Times–bestselling authors Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead. It’s been five years since Livy and her family have visited Livy’s grandmother in Australia. Now that she’s back, Livy has the feeling she’s forgotten something really, really important about Gran’s house. It turns out she’s right. Bob, a short, greenish creature dressed in a chicken suit, didn’t forget Livy, or her promise. He’s been waiting five years for her to come back, hiding in a closet like she told him to. He can’t remember who—or what—he is, where he came from, or if he even has a family. But five years ago Livy promised she would help him f...

ARGOS The Story of Odysseus as Told by His Loyal Dog by Ralph Hardy Harper, 2016 ISBN: 978-0-06-239679-2 Source: Media Masters Publicity Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK From a compelling new voice in middle grade comes a reimagination of The Odyssey told from the point of view of Odysseus’s loyal dog—a thrilling tale of loyalty, determination, and adventure. For twenty years, the great hero Odysseus struggles to return to Ithaka. After ten years beneath the walls of Troy, he begins the long journey back home. He defeats monsters. He outsmarts the Cyclops. He battles the gods. He struggles to survive and do whatever it takes to reunite with his family. And what of that family—his devoted wife, Penelope; his young son, Telemachos; his dog, Argos? For those twenty years, they wait, unsure if they will ever see Odysseus again. But Argos has found a way to track his master. Any animal who sets foot or wing on Ithaka brings him news of O...

THE WISHMAKERS by Tyler Whitesides Harper, 2018 ISBN: 978-0-06-256831-1 Source: purchased Middle grade fantasy/speculative Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Ace unwittingly releases a genie from a peanut butter jar and gets unlimited wishes that he must learn to use with their consequences before all the world's cats and dogs turn into zombies who will eat mankind. REVIEW Having enjoyed Whitesides Janitors series I was thrilled to discover this new series.  The concept behind this new series is a clever one, one I haven't seen in any other book I've read.  Ace doesn't expect anything except peanut butter when he opens that peanut butter jar to make himself a sandwich.  But what he gets is a genie offering him as many wishes as he wants.  There are a couple of catches though.  First, each wish has a consequence accompanying it.  Some consequences are short term, some are permanent.  The bigger th...

THE ETERNITY ELIXIR Potion Masters #1 by Frank L. Cole Shadow Mountain, 2018 ISBN: 978-1-62972-358-7 Source: ARC from publisher for review Ages 9-12 Middle grade fantasy/speculative All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Twelve-year-old Gordy Stitser is one of the few people who knows the truth about the secret society of potion masters, because not only is Gordy's mom on the Board of Ruling Elixirists Worldwide (B.R.E.W.), but she has also been training Gordy in the art of potion-making. Gordy is a natural, and every day he sneaks down to the basement lab to invent new potions using exotic ingredients like fire ant eggs, porcupine quills, and Bosnian tickling juice. One afternoon, Gordy receives a mysterious package containing an extremely rare potion known as "The Eternity Elixir." In the right hands, the Elixir continues to protect society. But in the wrong hands, ti could destroy the world as we know it. Now, sinister poti...

THE UNICORN QUEST The Unicorn Quest #1 by Kamilla Benko Bloomsbury, 2018 ISBN: 9781681192451 Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative (fantasy) Source: e-ARC from publisher through NetGalley All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Claire Martinson still worries about her older sister Sophie, who battled a mysterious illness last year. But things are back to normal as they move into Windermere Manor... until the sisters climb a strange ladder in a fireplace and enter the magical land of Arden. There, they find a world in turmoil. The four guilds of magic no longer trust each other. The beloved unicorns have gone, and terrible wraiths roam freely. Scared, the girls return home. But when Sophie vanishes, it will take all of Claire's courage to climb back up the ladder, find her sister, and uncover the unicorns' greatest secret. REVIEW Unicorns are pretty popular among my girl readers these days and I have to admit I'm a fan of them to...

SPIRIT HUNTERS by Ellen Oh Harper, 2017 ISBN: 978-0-06-243008-3 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative (fantasy/horror) All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK We Need Diverse Books founder Ellen Oh returns with Spirit Hunters , a high-stakes middle grade mystery series about Harper Raine, the new seventh grader in town who must face down the dangerous ghosts haunting her younger brother. A riveting ghost story and captivating adventure, this tale will have you guessing at every turn! Harper doesn’t trust her new home from the moment she steps inside, and the rumors are that the Raine family’s new house is haunted. Harper isn’t sure she believes those rumors, until her younger brother, Michael, starts acting strangely. The whole atmosphere gives Harper a sense of déjà vu, but she can’t remember why. She knows that the memories she’s blocking will help make sense of her brother’s behavior and the strange and threatening sensa...

THE LOST KINGDOM OF BAMARRE by Gail Carson Levine HarperCollins, 2017 ISBN: 978-0-06-207467-6 Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative (fantasy) Source: ARC from publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK In this compelling and thought-provoking fantasy set in the world of The Two Princesses of Bamarre, Newbery Honor-winning author Gail Carson Levine introduces a spirited heroine who must overcome deeply rooted prejudice—including her own—to heal her broken country. Peregrine strives to live up to the ideal of her people, the Latki—and to impress her parents: affectionate Lord Tove, who despises only the Bamarre, and stern Lady Klausine. Perry runs the fastest, speaks her mind, and doesn’t give much thought to the castle’s Bamarre servants, whom she knows to be weak and cowardly. But just as she’s about to join her father on the front lines, she is visited by the fairy Halina, who reveals that Perry isn’t Latki-born. She is Bamarre. ...

A BABYSITTER'S GUIDE TO MONSTER HUNTING by Joe Ballarini Katherine Tegen Books, 2017 ISBN: 978-0-06-243783-9 Source: publisher/author for review Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative/fantasy All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK The Last Kids on Earth meets Goosebumps in this hilarious new series about a secret society of babysitters who protect kids from the monsters that really do live under their beds! When middle schooler Kelly Ferguson’s Halloween plans switch from party-going to babysitting, she thinks the scariest part of her night will be the death of her social life. But then Baby Jacob gets kidnapped by the Boogeyman’s minions and Kelly learns there’s a whole lot more to childcare than free snacks and Netflix. Like chasing shadow monsters, drop-kicking Toadies, and mastering monster-fighting moves like the Naptime Headlock and Playground Punch. Now, with the help of an ancient handbook and a secret society of butt-kicking babysitter...