Riley Mack” Series by Chris Grabenstein

1. Riley Mack and the Other Known Troublemakers
2. Riley Mack Stirs Up More Trouble

An interesting (and hilarious) series about sticking up for the underdog.

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

Riley Mack and his crew (Briana— the actress, Jake— the techie, Mongo— the muscle, Jamal— the assistant, and sometimes Mrs. Mack, Riley’s mom) set out to protect all who cannot protect themselves. If that leads them into huge schemes, conning, rescuing hapless individuals, bringing down bank robbers and various assorted bad guys, not to mention getting in danger, well, it’s all in the line of duty for them. They can act, spy, and talk themselves into any place in the town, and they’ll stop at nothing to protect those who cannot protect themselves.

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Abel’s Island by William Steig

An original story about a mouse who is washed away in a hurricane and stranded on an isolated island.

Recommended age: 8 – 10; 10 – 12; 12 – 14.

Abelard foolishly rushes out to save his wife’s scarf during a hurricane and gets blown away.  After being caught in a rushing stream, he finally comes to land on an island in the middle of a river, far from all other civilized small animals.   On the island, he manages to survive, feed himself, and protect himself from predators while he waits to be rescued.

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“Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School” series by Andrew Clements

1. We the Children
2. Fear Itself
3. The Whites of their Eyes
4. In Harm’s Way
5. We Hold These Truths

An intriguing series of stories of kids trying to solve an old mystery.

Recommended age: 10 – 12; 12 – 14; 14 – 16

Glennley is a large corporation which wants to buy Benjamin Pratt’s two hundred-year old school, demolish it and set up an amusement park.   One day as Benjamin is rushing to school, he comes across the school’s old custodian who is dying.  He gives Benjamin an old coin, and tells him that it is his duty to protect the school.  The coin has a clue on it which leads Benjamin onward.  But first he must get around a sinister assistant custodian or two who have secrets of their own.

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“Pete the Cat” series by Peg Kehret

1. The Stranger Next Door
2. Spy Cat

Two interesting stories about two series of crimes and the cat who helps solve them.

Recommended age: 10 – 12; 12 – 14

In the first book, there is a series of arsons in Alex and Benji’s neighborhood.   Pete the cat leads Alex on the way to the clues to solve the arsons, but then Alex finds himself in great danger.  In the second book, there is a series of burglaries in the area.   When the burglars hit Alex and Benji’s neighbor’s house, and then Alex and Benji’s house, it is very frightening — especially when Benji goes missing.   Fortunately for Alex and Benji, their cat, Pete, is also on the case — and with his help they catch the crooks and free Benji.   Now, if only Pete could stop eating french fries.

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Faithful to the End

“The Last Dogs” series by Christopher Holt

1. The Vanishing
2. Dark Waters
3. The Long Road
4. Journey’s End

A story of three dogs trying to find their owners who have disappeared for an unknown reason.

Recommended age: 10 – 12; 12 – 14

Their owners have disappeared, and they don’t know why.   Max and his two friends have set off to find their masters.  Fleeing starving wolves and seeking their owners, they run into the Corporation — dogs who are much more dangerous than the wolves.   It takes all their courage and resourcefulness to escape and bring freedom to the captives of the Corporation.   In the subsequent books, they continue their journey down river, learning some important information on the way.

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“The Seven Sleepers” series by Gilbert L. Morris

1. Flight of the Eagles
2. The Gates of Neptune
3. The Sword of Camelot
4. The Caves that Time Forgot
5. Winged Raiders of the Desert
6. Empress of the Underworld
7. Voyage of the Dolphin
8. Attack of the Amazons
9. Escape with the Dream Maker
10. The Final Kingdom

Fun fantasy stories about seven young people battling to defeat evil.

Recommended age: 10 – 12; 12 – 14.   Winged Raiders: 12 – 14

The world has been destroyed by nuclear war.   But before the war, seven young children were placed into suspended animation.   Fifty years later, they have been awakened and given a quest — to defeat the evil that is ruling in the land and restore God’s House.

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What We Found in the Sofa and How it Saved the World by Henry Clark

An entertaining book with tessering sofas, Lord of the Rings spoofs, talking dominoes, belly-buttonless clones, and alternate dimensions.

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

When a mysterious sofa appears in front of the bus stop, River, Freak and Fiona thinks it’s a good place to sit while they wait for the bus. Not much more. But when they search under the cushions, they come up with a two-headed coin, a flattened peanut shell, a chewing gum wrapper, a plaid sock, a fishhook (which of course gets stuck in River’s hand), an old wooden double-six domino, and a green crayon with a label that says ZUCCHINI. It turns out that this is likely the only zucchini crayon in existence. And that means it’s valuable. Of course, if you found a multi-hundred-dollar crayon, what would you do? Sell it on e-bay, of course! But when the auction goes startlingly high, and when they meet the owner of the mysterious sofa, they realize they’re into something a lot bigger than they could ever imagine. So come along, catch a ride and find out what they found in the sofa and how it saved the world.

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“Alec Flint Super Sleuth” series by Jill Santopolo

1. Alec Flint Super Sleuth – The Nina, the Pinta, and the Vanishing Treasure
2. The Ransom Note Blues: An Alec Flint Mystery (Not reviewed)

Fun kid detective series

Recommended age: 10 – 12; 12 – 14

A museum exhibit regarding the Voyage of Christopher Colombus has been stolen.  Fourth grader Alec Flint and his friend, Gina, figure out some interesting information about the exhibit, catch the criminal and rescue someone.

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“Isle of Swords” Series by Wayne Thomas Batson

1. Isle of Swords
2. Isle of Fire

A very Christian book with a rousing adventure about pirates.

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

It takes place in the Caribbean in 1713. The main characters are all pirates who had been cast out of the Royal British Navy. While stopping on an island, they come across an unconscious man. When he regains consciousness, it is discovered he has no memory of his past life. At the same time, the pirate captain, Declan Ross, is enlisted by a top secret group of monks (the Brethren) to find and protect the legendary treasure of Constantine from the evilest pirate on the Seven Seas, Bartholomew Thorne. Meanwhile, Declan’s daughter, Anne, is trying to help Cat, the man with no memory, discover his past.

The second book takes place a year later, in 1714. Bartholomew Thorne, once thought dead, is on the rise again, with a revenge plan of great magnitude. And once again, Declan Ross is the only one in his way. Meanwhile, Cat and Anne, with the help of the Brethren, are chasing down an elusive evil adversary, the mysterious Merchant, who is legendary for dealing in death.

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Much Ado About Grubstake by Jean Ferris

It’s a fun mystery/treasure hunt set in the Old West.

Recommended age: 10 – 12; 12 – 14

Arley Pickett — sixteen-year-old, orphan, boarding house owner, and reader of Penny Dreadfuls — is suspicious. A strange city slicker comes to their dusty little town of Grubstake (population 62) claiming he is going to turn it into a resort! Grubstake is a half-abandoned mining town whose mines are totally empty of profit. And the city slicker wants to buy all the mines! Something doesn’t add up, so Arley gets on the case. Then a strange man dressed all in black comes into town, and Arley gets involved in something deeper than even she could imagine.

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