The Name of This Book is Secret by Psuedonymous Bosch (2007)

Bosch, Pseudonymous.  (2007).  The Name of This Book Is Secret.  New York, NY:  Little, Brown and Company.

Plot Summary:  The Narrator is very involved in this story and warns the reader against turning pages and reading this book.  The narrator wants the reader to understand that this book is very dangerous because of the secret that it contains.  Cass is in the antique shop when Gloria Fortune comes in with a box of stuff for her Granpas to sell.  Inside the cardboard box is a beautiful wooden box that is lined with velvet and filled with vials.  The vials all contain different scents-from vanilla to lemon to dirt.  The box is called The Symphony of Smells.  Gloria tells them how she is trying to sell a house that once belonged to a magician who died under very mysterious circumstances.  This intrigues Cass, and when she and Max-Ernest find a slip of paper within the box that they see as a message for help from the magician, they decide to investigate further.

Cass and Max-Ernest break into the house and find a secret room that contains all of the magician’s things.  As they are looking through the stuff, Cass finds a notebook that matches the Symphony of Smells box.  Just as they find the book, Gloria arrives to show the house to a couple-Mr. L. and Ms. Mauvais.  Cass and Max-Ernest can see them through a grate in the wall and Cass can tell that there is something not right about these people.  The woman seems to be looking right at them through the wall with a curious expression on her face, and is asking a lot of questions about the magician’s belongings.  Cass and Max-Ernest decide to make a run for it and unfortunately, Gloria recognizes Cass.  They get away, but not before the couple sees Cass holding the notebook.  When they are finally safe, it looks like the notebook only contains one page with a riddle and is otherwise empty.  Cass and Max-Ernest think that they risked breaking in and getting caught for no reason.

Later, Cass and Max-Ernest are able to solve the riddle and then Cass realizes that the notebook is not empty at all-the writing is simple hidden inside each folded page.  As she and Max-Ernest unfold the pages and read the magician’s writing, many stories begin to unfold, and many more mysteries need to be solved.  Such as…what happened to Benjamin?  Where is Gloria Fortune? What is the magician’s secret?  What will happens when Cass visits the spa?  Who are Dr. L. and Ms. Mauvais and what are they really after?  Cass and Max-Ernest must put themselves in harm’s way more than once to try to get to the bottom of many secrets……

Genre:  Mystery

Suggested age range:  8 through 12

Series Information:

Book 2:  If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late (2009)

Book 3:  This Book is Not Good For You (2009)

Book 4:  This Isn’t What It Looks Like (2010)

Subjects/Themes:  Magicians, kidnapping, magic

Awards: 

Edgar Awards (Edward Allan Poe Awards) Nominated for an award (2008)

E. B. White Award Nominated for an award (2008)

Reviews: This book was given very favorable reviews by School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist.

Character Description:

Cassandra-She is an 11 year old girl who calls herself a survivalist.  Cass has everything that she needs stored in her backpack that she takes with her everywhere she goes.  Some adults see her as an extremist, but Cass knows when trouble is out there and tries to do her part.

Max-Ernest-He is an 11 year old boy who has two names because his parents couldn’t stop fighting over what to name him when he was born.  This ultimately led to their divorce, but they still all live together in the same house as a family-although every room in the house is split down the middle.  This makes for a very stressful home environment for Max-Ernest and probably contributes to his condition-which is that he can never seem to stop talking!

Melanie-This is Cass’s mother.

Grandpa Wayne & Grandpa Larry-They are Cass’s “substitute” grandpas.  Grandpa Larry was Cass’s mom’s high school history teacher.  Melanie asked Wayne and Larry to fill in as Cass’s grandpas since neither one of her original grandpas was around.  They live in an old firehouse that doubles as an antique shop.  Cass is close with them and goes to the shop after school sometimes to help out. 

Gloria Fortune-She is a real estate agent who has the magician’s house on the market.  Gloria also brings things from estates to the antique shop for the Grandpas to sell.

Sebastian-This is the Grandpas’ dog.  He is blind and also losing his hearing, but has an awesome sense of smell.  Cass relies on him for protection and sniffing things out.

Benjamin-This is a boy that goes to school with Cass and Max-Ernest.  Cass believes that he has a special ability with smells, colors, and music, which is why his paintings are all connected to music.  When Benjamin is kidnapped by Dr. L. and Ms. Mauvais, Cass tries to figure out why.

Dr. L.-He is the partner of Ms. Mauvais.  Together they run a place called the Midnight Sun Sensorium and Spa.

Ms. Mauvais-The woman who was interested in the magician’s belongings and the notebook that Cass took.  Also referred to as the “Golden Lady” by the magician in his notebook. 

Annotation:  This book is so cleverly written, and has many twists and turns during the storytelling and is suspenseful.  The narration is written skillfully to avoid giving certain details such as addresses or names in order to keep the secret.  The story continues……

The Sisters Grimm, Book One: The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley (2005)

Plot Summary:  Twelve year old Sabrina Grimm and her seven year old sister, Daphne, are shuffled from one foster home to another in New York City since their parents have gone missing. The police have found no leads and it seems as if they have just vanished into thin air.  The girls have been sent to one awful foster home after another by their caseworker Ms. Smirt.  Ms. Smirt seems to despise children and just loves to pinch the girls.  Finally, a grandmother they never knew and that they thought was dead takes responsibility for the girls and brings them to live with her in the town of Ferry Landing, NY.  Sabrina is suspicious at first and doesn’t believe that this woman is truly their grandmother.  It just doesn’t make sense.  Mrs. Grimm’s house is odd and she serves food that is weird.   Why would her father tell them his mother was dead?  What reasons would he have from keeping them away from their grandmother, if that is who she is?  Sabrina decides that she and Daphne are going to run away from this place, just as they ran away from the foster homes.

Their plan to run away doesn’t exactly go as planned and the girls find themselves back in their “Granny’s” house.  There are so many odd things going on there-locked rooms, strange voices behind closed doors, and the fact that her so-called grandmother talked to the house.  When their first outing turns out to be a visit to a crime scene, they realize that there is something unusual about their granny.  Sabrina and Daphne learn that Ferryport Landing is the home of the “Everafters”-which is what the fairy-tale creatures call themselves.  Years earlier, when regular people started moving into Ferry port Landing, the Everafters felt threatened and problems arose.  In order to keep peace, a very powerful witch put a spell on the town preventing the Everafters from ever leaving, and the spell would remain in place for as long as there is a living descendant of the Grimm brothers. 

It is then that Sabrina and Daphne find out that they are the direct descendants of the Brothers Grimm and that they come from a long line of fairy tale detectives. They are expected to continue this tradition, and this investigation is only the beginning of Sabrina and Daphne's journey into the world of fairy tales.  When their Granny Relda is taken by a giant, it is up to the girls to save her.

Genre:  Mystery

Suggested age range:  8 through 12

Series Information: To date, 8 books in all: 

Book Two:       The Unusual Suspects (2006)

Book Three:     The Problem Child (2006)

Book Four:      Once Upon a Crime (2007)

Book Five:       Magic and Other Misdemeanors (2007)

Book Six:         Tales from the Hood (2008)

Book Seven:    The Eve rafter War (2009)

Book Eight:      The Inside Story (2010)

Subjects/Themes:  Fairy tale characters, magic, orphans, Brothers Grimm

Awards:  
Beehive Children's Fictional Book Award (nominated for an award) 2007
Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award (nominated for an award) 2008
Grand Canyon Reader Award (nominated for an award) 2009
    
Reviews:

School Library Journal, Booklist, Horn Book Guide, Kirkus, VOYA, and Library Media Connection

all gave this first book in the series good reviews.

Annotation:  This is the first in an excellent mystery series by this author.  Fairy tale fans will love exploring this series with all of its interesting characters rewritten into modern roles.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1967)

Plot Summary:  Claudia Kincaid is unhappy at home.  She is tired of all of the responsibilities that are thrust upon her as the oldest child in a large family.  Claudia has her mind set on running away—and not just anywhere—she wants to leave her family in Connecticut and run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.  Claudia carefully plans which of her brothers she is going to ask to accompany her on her journey.  She decides on Jamie, since he is very cost conscious and saves all of his money.  They plan to stuff whatever clothes that they can into their instrument cases-Claudia plays the violin and Jamie the trumpet.  Claudia and Jamie very carefully plan their trip and arrive at the museum as planned.  Once there, they learn the schedule of the guards and the opening and closing routines of the museum.  When it’s close to closing time, they creep into the nearest bathroom and perch on the toilet so that they will not be discovered.  During the day, they blend in with classes that are there on field trips and venture outside of the museum to local places to eat.  Claudia and Jamie very carefully budget their money so that they can afford meals and have the opportunity to wash their clothes at a laundromat.  At Claudia’s insistence, they bathe in the fountain within the museum.  Jamie is in charge of the money, and Claudia is in charge of their learning and personal care. 

When crowds start appearing at the museum to get a glimpse of a newly arrived statue, Claudia and Jamie become curious and wonder what is so interesting.  They find out that there is a question as to whether or not the “Angel” statue is a piece of art created by Michelangelo.    They decide to try to do some detective work on their own, but are unable to find out anything significant, except for information about the person who donated the statue—a Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler of Farmington, Connecticut.  Once their adventure at the museum seems to come to a standstill, they decide that they need to visit Mrs. Frankweiler to find out more about the statue.  What they find is that Mrs. Frankweiler herself is something of a mystery, but that she welcomes the children’s curiosity and determination to find out the truth surrounding the statue.

Genre:  Mystery/Detective Stories

Suggested age range:  9 through 12

Subjects/Themes:  Metropolitan Museum of Art, runaways, NYC, Michelangelo.

Awards:          Newbery Award (1968)

William Allen White Children’s Book Award (won award) 1970

                        Flicker Tale Children’s Book Award (nominated for an award) 1987

Reviews: Booklist and Publishers Weekly give this books a favorable review, noting that this particular story and adventure is still interesting to readers after 35 years

Annotation:  Although I am certainly dating myself, this is one of my favorite childhood books.  Re-reading it was a pleasure and it is a wonderful story filled with mystery and adventure.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (2008)

Plot Summary:   The setting of this story is in a graveyard, where Nobody Owens, a young boy, is living with ghosts since his family was murdered.  The lives of his mother, father, and sister were taken in the middle of the night, and he would have been murdered as well if it wasn’t for the fact that he heard a loud noise, climbed out of his crib, and toddled out of the house down to the graveyard.  The ghost of his mother appeared to the folks of the graveyard begging one woman in particular, Mrs. Owens, to take care of and protect her child.  There was a great debate amongst the people of the graveyard-some 300 participants argued and spent an entire night discussing whether or not they should allow a live boy to stay and live there.  Mr. and Mrs. Owens agree to take care of and raise him and they give him the name of Nobody Owens.

Silas is the only one who can leave the graveyard, so he volunteers to be the guardian of Nobody to ensure that he has food and proper clothing.  So “Bod,” as he is known to the spirits in the graveyard, is given the “Freedom of the Graveyard” which means that he can pretty much go anywhere within.  As Bod grows older, he is taught to read and to do some of the things that the ghosts can do, such as “fade” and blend in to his surroundings even though he is a live boy.  He meets Scarlett, a real girl, whose parents come to sit on a bench and read in the cemetery.  He spends some time with her and together they make some interesting discoveries in the cemetery, such as coming face to face with the Indigo Man and hearing the Sleer.  Scarlett moves and Bod is once again left to find someone to play with.  Silas has to leave so he arranges for Ms. Lupescu to come and take care of Bod.  Bod is angry that Silas is leaving and immediately dislikes Ms. Lupescu.  Things become more difficult when she feeds him terrible food and makes him learn things about the graveyard that Bod thinks are ridiculous. His boredom leads him to meet some newly arrived members of the graveyard, and he winds up being taken through a ghoul gate by ghouls.  Luckily, the things that Ms. Lupescu taught him come in handy and he is able to summon help.  Ms. Lupescu saves his life and Bod’s attitude towards her changes significantly.  As Bod grows older, he is allowed to venture a bit from the graveyard and attend school.   He must learn to be just a shadow and a whisper to people, and to not draw attention to himself.  Bod blossoms into a responsible young man who is quite capable of taking care of himself both inside and outside of the graveyard.  The man Jack has not forgotten about him though, and Bod must be ready to face him when the time comes with the support of his family.

Genre:  Mystery

Subjects/Themes:        Cemeteries, Ghosts, Supernatural, Orphans

Awards:          Newbery Award (won award) 2009

Hugo Awards (won award) 2009Los Angeles Times Book Prizes (nominated for an award) 2008Locus Awards (won award) 2009Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature (nominated for an award) 2009Audie Award (won award) 2009World Fantasy Awards (nominated for an award) 2009Elizabeth Burr/Worrall Award (won award) 2009Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards (nominated for an award) 2009Book Sense Book of the Year (won award) 2009American Library Association Notable Books for Children (won award) 2009Great Stone Face Children's Book Award (nominated for an award) 2009Evergreen Young Adult Book Award (nominated for an award) 2011Kate Greenaway Medal (nominated for an award) 2010Carnegie Medal (won award) 2010Young Reader's Choice Award (nominated for an award) 2011

Reviews:         Received *Starred review* from Booklist, as well as very positive review from School Library Journal

Suggested age range:  8 through 12

Annotation:  This book gives the reader a rare glimpse into the community and daily activities of the graveyard, where live people are the outsiders.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (2007)

Plot Summary:  Greg Heffley’s mom wants him to write his feelings down in a diary.  He is appalled and insists that it’s a journal and that’s all it is.  He figures it might come in handy one day when he’s famous and that is the only reason that he agrees to do it.  Can you imagine if he actually got caught with this thing by someone?  How humiliating that would be.  Middle school is tough enough without giving kids additional reasons to bully and torment you.  Greg writes about his experiences at school, with his horrible older brother Rodrick, and his best friend Rowley.  Greg is new to middle school and isn’t too happy about the changes that come along with it-girls, bullies, trying to be cool, and many other social problems of growing up.  His stories and drawings are hilarious and typical of this age group.

Awards:  Quill Awards (nominated for an award) 2007, Original Voices Award (won award) 2007, Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award (won award) 2009

Reviews:  Positive reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, Voice of Youth Advocates, and Publishers Weekly

Genre: Realistic fiction, Humor

Subjects/Themes: Friendship, middle school, diaries, humor

Age Group: Grades 5-8