Adventure - and prejudice - on the high seas

For a fascinating look at life on a whaling boat and overcoming prejudice, I highly recommend Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus. This exciting adventure is based on the life of Manjiro Nakahama, the first Japanese person known to come to the U.S. In the mid-1800s, Manjiro was only 14 when he and four other fishermen were caught in a storm and stranded on a desert island. They were rescued, but much to their dismay, their saviors were Americans - well known to be "barbarians." While his countrymen keep their distance, Manjiro is curious about the whaling ship and its odd collection of people with so many different colors of skin, hair, and eyes. Although happy that the captain befriends him and eventually takes him to America, Manjiro still longs to be out on the water and back in Japan. Will he ever get there? Illustrated with actual drawings by the real Manjiro, this is a page-turner that also provides an interesting look at early racism between the U.S. and Japan.

Overcoming the odds

Imagine your favorite thing to do. What if you had an accident, and you probably couldn't to that favorite thing any more? How hard would you work at it? For an inspiring story, read One-Handed Catch by M. J. Auch. Norm is in sixth grade and he just lost his hand in a freak accident at his father's butcher shop. How is he ever going to figure out how to do the simple things in life, like tie his shoes, let alone get back to playing baseball? Pushed by his no-nonsense mom, inspired by real-life major league (and one-armed) player Pete Gray, and helped by his friend Leon, Norm does an amazing job of adapting to his new situation. Based on a real-life incident in the life of the author's husband, this is about a clever kid who perseveres and even shows some humor after life throws him a screwball.

A quick alternative to Twilight

I can't remember who recommended Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber, but I'm glad she did! Raven is 16 and quite the outcast - black lipstick, black nails, combat boots, and only one friend. She'd actually like to be a vampire when she grows up, and that isn't likely to happen in her boring town of "Dullsville." But when the local haunted mansion gets a new family, complete with the creepy butler and pale, hunky Alexander Sterling, things start looking up. The story involves both the Goth life and typical situations at school, and throughout it all, the reader wonders along with Raven...is Alexander really the vampire that will make Raven's dream come true? A more light-hearted alternative to Twilight, fans of this book will apprecate the rest in the Vampire Kisses series, too.

Superheroes - and Daniel - to the rescue!

Powerless by Matthew Cody is a pretty cool blend of genres - a mystery with a supernatural twist.  Daniel is twelve, and his family has just moved to Noble's Green. He soon meets his neighbor Mollie and finds out that she, as well as her friends, all have a variety of superpowers. But for some unknown reason, when each of them turns 13, he or she not only looses the power, but also the memory of ever even having it. Mollie is convinced that Daniel, a regular kid who likes being a detective, can save the rest of them. So how do some old comic books, a meteor strike, an orphanage fire from long ago, and a nearby quarry fit into the puzzle? And who - or what - is The Shroud? Well, dear readers, you're going to have to read this book to discover who the villian really is and whether or not Daniel can save the day!

This is for you, puzzle lovers

If you like to solve puzzles, you might want to check out The Seventh Level by Jody Feldman. The main character is Travis Raines, a likeable seventh grader. He would love to get into the Legend, a secret group at his middle school that plans pretty cool events. When he finds a shiny blue envelope with a strange message in this locker, he can't believe it...does the Legend actually want him? Soon he's solving clues and figuring out puzzle after puzzle, but some of the tasks he's assigned don't really make sense...they have a not-nice undertone to them and they're coming in a different kind of blue envelope. Doesn't sound like the Legend, but who could they be coming from? The pacing is uneven (starts off SLOW) and the plot's a little confusing at times, but this is still a fairly entertaining story, especially if you enjoy solving along with Travis.

How important is your individuality?

Lots to think about when you read Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. The new kid at school goes by the name Stargirl, and she's something else - wears odd clothes, sings "Happy Birthday" while strumming her ukulele, and doesn't really seem to care about others' opinions. After not knowing what to think of her, the students gradually accept her eccentricities and think she's okay. But when she does the unforgiveable - showing compassion to an injured player from an opposing school's basketball team - she is totally shunned. When her friend Leo tries to explain "normal" behavior, she shows up at school with a total make-over: new clothes, look, attitude, and eerily like everyone else. Will the students stop the shunning? Can she keep her true personality buried? And what's more important to Leo, the friendship of Stargirl or the friendship of the others? This excellent story would be great for a book club discussion.

Who knew librarians could be so rotten?

There's no way I could resist a title like Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson! Alcatraz Smedley just turned 13, and for his birthday he received an apparently unremarkable...bag of sand? But the action gets fast and furious when his grandfather shows up and tells him the present was the Sands of Rashid, which the evil Librarians quickly steal to smelt into new lenses of power. Alcatraz learns that all Smedleys have special Talents - how can you not like a kid who's good at breaking things (and his grandfather, who's always late)? - and these talents are put to good use when they infiltrate the library (oh, no!) to track down the bad guys. The story is chaotic and fun; Alcatraz tells it with loads of snarky humor. And if you like it, you're in luck - there are currently three more in the series.

What's in your danger box?

Blue Balliett is known for writing mysteries, and her latest is The Danger Box. Zoomy Chamberlain is an interesting 12-year-old: he's almost legally blind, he's compulsive about making lists, and he's being raised by his grandparents. When his alcoholic father shows up and drops off a box, a battered notebook inside quickly catches Zoomy's attention. After identifying the word "Galapagos," he starts doing some research, and soon Zoomy in convinced the notebook has something to do with Charles Darwin. Teaming up with Lorrol, a girl he meets at the library, the two try to learn more about the notebook and how it might be connected to the newly-arrived (and somewhat creepy) stranger in their small town. Chapters are interspersed with "a free newspaper about a mysterious soul," written by Zoomy and Lorrol; it seemed pretty obvious they were referring to Darwin, and I thought the articles didn't add a lot to the story. Mixed feeling about the book - I was disappointed that there wasn't more of a mystery to solve, but I really liked the characters of Zoomy and Lorrol.

A brutal test of survival

Long ago kids had to grow up fast, and that was certainly true for the main character in Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen.  Samuel is 13 and lives in a woodland settlement during the time of the American Revolution.  He's a woods runner - someone very familiar with the plants, animals, and rhythms of the forest.  One day he comes home from hunting and sees the settlement burned down, his neighbors killed, and his parents missing.  Depending on his survival skills, knowledge of the wilderness, and help from strangers he meets along the way, Samuel is determined to rescue his parents, who were kidnapped by a group of British soldiers and Iroquois Indians.  Paulsen is an accomplished writer of this genre, and this time he intersperses the story with brief nonfiction pieces of information that relate well to the story line, such as weapons, war orphans, and prisoners war.  This book will grab your attention and keep it.   

The action doesn't stop!

I thought the movie was great, and the book was, too: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz. Alex Rider is 14 and learns that the uncle who has been raising him was killed in a car accident because he wasn't wearing his seat belt. Not believing the reason, Alex finds the car and sees that it's filled with bullet holes. He learns that his uncle was actually a spy, and Alex is soon asked to join Britain's MI6 intelligence agency to continue his uncle's mission. He soon discovers a plan that will kill every school child in England...can Alex stop it before it's too late? Trained and given some pretty cool gadgets, Alex is like a young James Bond. The plot is a bit crazy - would a teenager really be in situations like that? - but the non-stop action and chapter-ending cliffhangers make for a fun, action-packed story. If you like it, check out the other books in the Alex Rider Adventure series.