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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“Nick and Tesla’s”

Author:  Pflugfelder, “Science Bob” and Steve Hockensmith.

Book Titles:

1. High-Voltage Danger Lab
2. Robot Army Rampage
3. Secret Agent Gadget Battle
4. Super Cyborg Gadget Glove

Fun quirky stories about kid detectives and robot geeks.

Recommended age: 10-12; 12-14.

Nick and Tesla’s parents are off in Uzbekistan studying soybeans and Nick and Tesla are sent to live with their eccentric scientist/inventor uncle.   In the books of this series, Nick and Tesla use their brains to survive various dangers and adventures.  As the series progresses, they also learn that maybe there may be more to their parents’ stay in Uzbekistan than they have been told.  In the first book, they foil kidnappers.  In the second book, they unmask a thief who is using robots to rob local stores.   In the third book, they beat some spies at their own game.

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Chasing Vermeer by Blue Ballilett

An unusual and enjoyable mystery story.

Recommended age: 10 – 12; 12 – 14

Petra has a dream in which the lady in a Vermeer portrait calls to her.    With the help of her friend Calder, they keep their eyes open, drawing clues from the coincidences that keep happening, and manage to stay hot on the trail of an international art thief.

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