Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell

An enjoyable look at the “Living  in the Past” trend with surprising twists.

Recommended age: 12 – 14; 14 – 16; 16 – 18; Adult

Gen’s mother has chosen to take their family to a camp where you live like it was the 1890s on the frontier.  Gen is not happy.   She smuggles in a cell phone, and, unwittingly, creates a crisis at the camp — and a very surprising media event.   In the meantime, Gen learns how to milk cows, harvest corn, fight a mill fire, avoid bears and even to like her enemies!

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Crescent Dawn by Clive Cussler

An exciting book with many memorable characters.

Recommended age: 16 – 18; Adult

Back in 327 A.D., a Roman ship carrying valuable artifacts to Constantinople disappears after being chased by pirates. In 1916, a mighty British warship sinks north of Scotland, supposedly destroyed by German mines. In both cases, however, there is much more than meets the eye. Now, in the modern day, the results of these events have reached a critical point, and only Dirk Pitt, director of NUMA, has even a hope of staving off disaster.

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Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl

An interesting look at life in the early 18^th century.

Recommended age: 14 – 16; 16 – 18; Adult

Liza has lost all of her money, but her lawyer has told her that there is an opportunity for a lady in waiting to the princess.   Once at Kensington Palace, Liza learns that life in the palace is full of intrigue and danger, as well as loyalty to the princess.  Avoiding dangerous noblemen, spying for the princess, carrying messages out of the palace, and crawling through secret tunnels, Liza perseveres in her attempt to protect the Princess.

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The Adventures of Sally by P.G. Wodehouse

One of the better Wodehouse stories.   Not as funny as some, but a better story.

Recommended age: 14 – 16; 16 – 18; Adult

Sally, from New York, is engaged to a man who she would not, perhaps,  be engaged to if she knew him better.   Ginger meets her sunbathing on a beach in France as he unravels a dogfight, and he falls in love with her.  The rest of the story devolves into the typical Wodehousian confusion as truth and love find their way through to the end.

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The Adventures of Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks

Graphic Novel

A fun, funky story of a girl with super powers.

Recommended age: 12 – 14; 14 – 16; 16 – 18; Adult

Superhero girl is living a life of fighting crime.    It is a small town; there aren’t many villains, and very few super-villains (you know it’s bad when you have to fight Marshmallow Menace — who throws Marshmallows at you). It can be frustrating, and there is no money in it.   But Superhero girl is determined to do what is right, even when she is pestered by her super-successful superhero older brother.

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Manga Shakespeare: Hamlet by William Shakespeare text adapted by Appignanesi, Richard; illustrated by Vieceli, Richard.

An interesting manga version of one of Shakespeare’s most famed plays

Recommended age: 14 – 16; 16 – 18; Adult.

Hamlet the Dane’s father died, and his uncle became king, marrying the widowed queen in the process. When the ghost of the Old King presents himself to Hamlet, speaking of murder, Hamlet is set upon a quest for truth and revenge that ends up in tragedy and death.

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“Pals in Peril Tales” series by M.T. Anderson

1. Whales on Stilts
2. The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen
3. Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware
4. Agent Q, or the Smell of Danger
5. Zombie Mommy
6. He Laughed with His Other Mouths

A very funny series of spoofs of various genres of story books, but there are some questionable aspects to some of the books in the series.  I do not recommend Zombie Mommy, but others may not find it a problem.

Recommended age: 10 – 12; 12 – 14; 14 – 16; 16 – 18; Adult.

Jasper and Katie are story book heroes.   They have not aged because their books are still being read.  In the first book, we are introduced to our heroes as they foil a dastardly plot to take over the world using, yes, whales walking on stilts.  In the second book, Lily, Jasper and Katie, along with a whole list of other story-book heroes have been invited to a rustic country resort for a special dinner.   Turns out the invitation was fraudulent, and there is skullduggery afoot.   Fortunately, the three figure it out, catch the criminals and everyone, including the bad guys (who are tied up with policemen to guard them) all go skiing.  In the third book and fourth books, they go to Delaware, through its jungles and ancient cities, dodging the Delaware secret police, dinosaurs and tentacled monsters, to find an ancient monastery hidden in the mountains, and then fight their way out.

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