Geo Librarian

ALIAS DRAGONFLY by Jane Singer Bell Bridge Books, 2011 ISBN13: 9781611940411 Grades 4-8 Reviewed from e-book provided by publisher through NetGalley. Fifteen years old. Wanted: Dead or Alive. "Don't love a spy," warns fifteen-year-old Pinkerton agent Maddie Bradford, a lonely, rebellious outsider with a mind on fire and a photographic memory. It is 1861, the Civil War has just started and this motherless teen must move with her soldier-father from New Hampshire to Washington, DC-a city at war, packed cheek by jowl with soldiers, Rebel spies, slave catchers and traitors of all stripes bent on waging a war of destruction against the Union, and President Lincoln himself. Maddie's journal, written in secret, of course, begins with her arrival at her aunt's DC boardinghouse through the first year of the Civil War, a time, as Maddie puts it, full of "dips and dangers," when she becomes a fearless Union spy. And then there is the mysteriou...

THE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING ADVENTURES OF AGENT AUGGIE SPINOZA written by Steven Stickler I.A.I.P.H. Press (self-published), 2012 Available in paperback in April 2012 Grades 3-6 Reviewed from e-book sent by author for review. Opinions expressed are solely my own. No compensation was received for this review. BLURB : Auggie Spinoza is a ten-year-old boy with a secret: he is a special agent who can travel through time. Now, he finds himself locked in a desperate battle against evil forces trying to change the course of history. To defeat them, Auggie must pursue a dangerous quest to find a set of mysterious clues hidden in the past. With the help of a clever new friend and advice from a cast of famous characters with names like Jefferson, Darwin, and Plato, Auggie fights to fulfill his destiny and save his world from ruin. Along the way, he learns the importance of thinking clearly and shows the awesome power of a code-breaking, book-loving, time-traveling ten-year-old wit...

Persuasion: A Latter-Day Tale written by Rebecca H. Jamison Cedar Fort, 2012 I SBN: 9781599559476 240 p. Grades 8 and up Reviewed from copy provided by publisher through NetGalley. BLURB : When Anne broke off her engagement seven years ago, she thought she'd never see Neil Wentworth again. But when Neil's brother buys the house she grew up in, it seems fate has other plans in store, and Anne is woefully unprepared for the roller coaster of emotions that accompanies Neil's return. Fans of Persuasion will love this fast-paced, modern retelling of Jane Austen's most romantic novel. Persuasion by Jane Austen is one of my favorite adult books, so I was naturally intrigued when I heard about this book.  I was rather skeptical as I read the first few chapters, after all, Austen's books are considered classics for a reason. But as I got more involved in the story and stopped comparing it to the original, I found myself enjoying it more.  By the time I go...

My Sparkling Misfortune written by Laura Lond, illustrated by Alla Alekseyeva self-published, 2011 ISBN: 9781460922361 Grades 7 and up Reviewed from ebook sent by author for review. All opinions expressed are solely my own. No compensation was received for this review. BLURB : Lord Arkus of Blackriver Castle readily admits that he is a villain and sees no reason why it should stop him from being the protagonist of this book. After all, Prince Kellemar, an aspiring hero, has defeated him in a rather questionable way. Bent on revenge, Arkus attempts to capture a powerful evil spirit who would make him nearly invincible, but a last-minute mistake leaves him with a Sparkling instead—“a goody-goody spirit that helps heroes, watches over little children, and messes up villains’ plans.” Bound to Lord Arkus for five years of service and sworn to act in his best interests, the Sparkling is not easy to get rid of, and of course his understanding of “best interests” is quite ...