To Catch a Mermaid by Suzanne Selfors

2007/256 pgs

To Catch a Mermaid is a perfect tween read. There is lots of humor and tweens will relate to Boom's bad luck. He often ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time and for all his trying to good, he always finds himself in a sticky situation. Plus, he has these really annoying neighbors that keep trying to take everything away from Boom (including his championship title of kick the ball against the wall). And on top of that, Boom is having to grow up a little too fast-having to take care of his sister and his father since both have checked out since his mother died.

Suzanne Selfors handles all this in a masterful way. The book never gets too sad or sappy, but Boom learns that his family is important (even if they can be a bit annoying at times) and the merbaby helps Myrtle and Mr. Broom with their loss and fear of leaving the house. And as I mentioned, there is lots of humor to the book. The Brooms live on a small island that is filled with a cast of zany characters. From the Viking descendants, to the mean bullying Mumps, to the pet store owner who knows fish have feelings, this book has a lot to leave readers laughing. (And yes, I did love the mention that because Myrtle knows so many facts, she has a future as a reference librarian!)

This is a fun fantasy with lots of heart and I would give it to readers who enjoy a touch of fantastical in their books.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

by Tom Angleberger  160 pages

A group of sixth grade friends are trying to figure out whether Dwight, the class weirdo/outcast, really has an Origami Yoda that can use magical powers to give advice, or whether it's just Dwight talking in a funny voice with a green paper wad on his finger. The story is written in a notebook style with cartoons like the Wimpy Kid series. Tommy is collecting "case files" from his classmates to determine whether Origami Yoda is real. Are Yoda's magical powers the only way Dwight could give good advice? Tommy needs to know so he can decide whether he should ask a girl to dance at the PTA Fun Night. This is both a fun story and a good picture of the awkward, self-conscious middle schooler learning to make his way through friendship and how to talk to girls.

The Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby

2010/400 pgs

About the Book: Frederick is an apprentice in a clockwork shop who is secretly working on his own clockwork man in the hopes of making journeyman.

Hannah is a maid working at a hotel trying to raise money for her family and sick father. When she hears of the possibility of a treasure, Hannah decides to seek her fortune.

Giuseppe was kidnapped from his home in Italy and works as a street musician. He dreams of returning home and when he finds a green violin, he wonders if it holds to key to his passage.

The stories weave together and the three learn that they must work together to help each other solve their problems.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: The Clockwork Three was a book I picked up at ALA last year and even heard the author read from, but nothing about it really sparked my interest. Then I had to read it because of committee reading, so I picked it up.

I liked the book to start and I really enjoyed all three characters. They were engaging and interesting. I did listen to part of it on CD and I was a bit annoyed by the narrator's voice for Frederick-he made him sound "nerdy" which was somewhat distracting. But I think that only came through on audio since I didn't get that when I read portions of the book.

I really liked how the author ended up weaving all three storylines together, although it did take awhile for it to happen, so readers might need some patience to get there. I also felt the ending sort of fizzled out. The explanation of Hannah's treasure, the clockwork man Frederick has been working on, and Giuseppe's green violin all seemed to contrived and coincidental. This annoyed me since I thought once the book got going, it was really interesting and I was eager to see how everything turned out. Instead it just sort of quietly ends and in some ways it felt like the author was trying to wrap things up too quickly (which is odd for a book that's 400 pages long!) I would have liked less build up and a more fleshed out ending.

I do think The Clockwork Three would be a great book for tweens who are "reading up" and looking for something a bit heavier to read. I also think it might hold interest for young readers starting to become interested in steampunk. While this isn't necessarily steampunk, the storyline with automatons and the clockwork man might be of interest to steampunk readers.

Tween Fantasy: The Invisible Order Rise of the Darklings by Paul Crilley

2010/ 332 pages

About the Book: Emily and her brother William a thrust into the middle of a war between different factions of fairies, and discover that thier fate may have been written centuries ago.

Andy's Thoughts: Well, I love fantasy, but I am not a fan of fairies. I picked this book up because it was on a list of books that could be the next Harry Potter. I believe that I can safely say that this series is no Harry Potter. The characters are weak, the story is kind of a fantasy steam punk mashup, and all and all this book was a bit of a yawn. I would give a 3 out of 10 and that is being generous.

Invisible Order: The Rise of the Darklings by Paul Crilley

2010/352 pgs

About the Book: Emily Snow's parents have disappeared and for the past two years she has been in charge of her younger brother and making sure they survive. One morning, Emily encounters a conversation between strange beings and realizes she can see a entire hidden world in London, full of faeries. A war is raging between faeries. As Emily's brother is kidnapped, Emily must do everything she can to save him. But what side is good? What side will not destroy humankind? Emily must find the key to save her brother and help save London before faeries take over.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: This is quite the twisty mystery/fantasy for middle grade readers. The book starts out much like your usual fantasy novel, but soon the story starts to take many twists and turns. Who is good? Who can Emily trust? And which path is the correct one? The entire book is like one giant riddle which is sure to keep readers engaged.

I will admit that I grew a bit tired of the "can I trust this person/what side is right" as it kept going. Just when you think you have it figured out, it changes, so it keeps readers on their toes, that's for sure! I also wish that many of the supporting characters had been fleshed out a bit more. There were so many great characters that we were introduced to, but we only see them for a small portion of the book. I hope that since this is the start to a series, we see more of them as the series progresses.

I picked this one up originally because my husband told me about a review that mentioned The Invisible Order had the makings to be the next Harry Potter. While I don't think it's quite there, it could grow and become a great series that keeps you guessing. I do think it would be great for Harry Potter fans looking for another series to get into, but I'm not sure how much older reader appeal there is.

It's obviously a series, and while many things are wrapped up in this book, there is a cliffhanger ending and many things are left wide open. Book two will be out in September, so if you do get readers started on this series, they'll have a bit of a wait between installments. But that's part of the fun, right?

Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur

2009/262 pgs.

About the Book: Eleven-year-old Aubrey is barely surviving. Her younger sister and her father were killed in a car accident and her mother has left Aubrey-and hasn't come back. When Gram discovers that Aubrey is by herself, she brings Aubrey with her to Vermont. Aubrey writes letters to help deal with everything that is going on around her. Aubrey slowly makes friends and talks to the school counselor, but healing is a long process.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: I listened to Love, Aubrey on CD and I can't decide if I liked it on audio or not.

It's a very good book and very well written. The author tackles tough issues, especially for a tween novel, and handles them delicately. She's also never message heavy which I think readers will appreciate. Aubrey is a bit of a difficult narrator because her grief is so heavy and that takes a toll on the reader. This especially made listening to the book very hard. The narrator gives Aubrey a scratchy, sad voice, which makes listening to the book a bit depressing. I also wonder if readers will get tired of Aubrey and not stick with the book-it look me awhile to like her.

I love the character of Bridget and she is an incredible friend for Aubrey. She was my favorite character in the book and I wish the world had more people like Bridget who are caring and understanding-no matter what. She's a great character for young readers to meet!

Readers who stick with the book will be rewarded though. Readers go through the healing process with Aubrey and through this I felt I liked Aubrey more. I don't know that this will be a favorite on the Mark Twain list, but I think it will have a small select fan base.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

by Tom Angleberger. 141 pages.

Tommy and his friends face the usual dilemmas facing many sixth graders: the opposite sex, parents, school, the opposite sex, friends, sports and the opposite sex.

Enter Dwight, who rarely does anything right, is always in trouble, gets harassed by other kids and picks his nose. And who is also an origami master. Dwight is the creator and voice of Origami Yoda, a paper puppet. Yoda gives cryptic, very Jedi-like advice to Tommy and all his friends, including Mike, who is driven so insane when playing softball in PE it makes him cry, and Quavondo, who wants to lose his nickname of 'Cheeto Hog.' But Tommy needs to know -- is Origami Yoda real? Can a loser like Dwight, who isn't even smart enough to take Yoda's advice, be the voice of Yoda? To learn if Yoda is real, Tommy's solution is to take a scientific approach -- collect stories from all of his friends and acquaintances into a case file, acquire comments from a confirmed Origami Yoda non-believer, and study the evidence. Because Tommy needs to know the answer -- if he takes Yoda's advice and it's wrong, Tommy is DOOMED.

This is such a fun book to read. Tommy, Sara, Kellen, Lance, even Dwight and Harvey are such believable and relatable characters. All of them remind me of kids I knew in middle school -- Dwight is Jeff Jacoby reincarnated! Middle-schoolers will relate to these very real, very likable characters and be fighting to follow Angleberger's Yoda-folding directions and struggling to provide Jedi-warrior advice.

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm

2010/208pgs.

About the Book: It's 1935 and jobs aren't easy to find. So when Turtle's mom gets a housekeeping job that won't allow her to have kids in the house, she send Turtle to live in Key West with her Aunt, Uncle and cousins. Turtle doesn't know anything about living in Key West and finds a whole new world. She encounters scorpions, a group of boys known as the diaper gang, a crabby old lady, and a legend about buried treasure. Can Turtle find the treasure and find her way to easy street?

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: I'm a bit mixed on if I think this book was Newbery Honor worthy. On one hand I really enjoyed it, the storyline is great, and the author weaves together a lovely plot. On the other, I thought there was a lot that wasn't developed and the book wrapped up too quickly. The end of the book felt much different than the beginning.

The setting of 1930's Key West is a unique one-I didn't know much about Key West during this time, so I learned a bit from this book. But while this is a historical novel, it could almost be set in any time period. Turtle's life might be a bit simpler, and there are lots of references to 30's comics and Shirley Temple, but the characters and adventure and dreaming for something bigger fit no matter what the time period.

Although Turtle is the narrator and the story is told in first person, there were times I forgot she was narrating the story. At times it almost feels like her voice goes into a third person limited narration. This threw me off a bit and I had to remind myself Turtle was telling the story. I also had a problem with how fast the ending wrapped up. For the most part, the book reads almost like a diary, with day to day adventures of Turtle and her cousins in Key West. Then the ending throws in a bunch of twists and instead of giving time to wrap things up with these characters we've gotten to know and care about throughout the book just ends. As an adult, I got the subtlety that is thrown in at the end and could figure out the things left unsaid, (and yes, it's a bit predictable) but I wonder how much will go over young readers heads.

It might sound like I didn't enjoy this one, but I really did! It's a fast read that's full of humor and I really enjoyed Turtle's voice. She's a likeable character and she reminded me a bit of India Opal Buloni from Because of Winn-Dixie or Franny Chapman in Countdown. I loved the diaper gang and thought they were hilarious! And the setting of 1930's Key West makes the book stand out and a bit more unique.

It's a great read and I flew through it-it's a very easy read. It would be good for a classroom read aloud and I think it has some kid appeal, especially for readers who like historical fiction. I could even see it being used as a step up from the American Girl series for readers who like Kit. I just would have liked a more fleshed out ending.

Jane in Bloom by Deborah Lytton

This book will never win the Truman Award but it isn't because it's a bad book.  The title is "Jane in Bloom"-reason #1 for why no boy will read it willingly.  It has a giant yellow rose on the cover-reason #2 why no boy will read it willingly.  It's written by a woman-reason #3 why no boy will read it willingly.  It's very sad-reason #4...you get the picture.  But it's a shame because the book is not only well-written in a straightforward style but it's a really meaningful look at how it feels to love a sister and still be overshadowed-how all the drama in a family can get wrapped up in one person without anyone ever intending that to happen, how a girl can love her sister but not be able to save her.  I required four Kleenex to read this book, which I finished in one sitting.  It's only 182 pages long but it's lean and spare in the best way a book like this can be.  And it's subtle, not too preachy.  I'm not really sure who the audience for this book is.  I made a big deal out of saying boys wouldn't pick it up, but I don't think every girl will like it either.  I'm going to try it out on my 12 year old who hates everything.  I'll keep you posted...
Kim F

A True Princess by Diane Zahler

2011/192 pgs

About the Book: Lilia is not a very good servant. She spends too much time daydreaming, her porridge is lumpy, and she breaks dishes. So when Lilia overhears that the family she lives with is planning on selling her to the miller's family, Lilia decides to run away.

Ten years ago, Lilia showed up in a basket floating down the river, so Lilia decided to set out and discover her true family. Lilia's best friends Kai and Karina decide to journey with her. But an encounter with the Elf-King and his daughter cause Kai to fall under the Elf-daughter's spell, and Karina and Lilia must recover a lost jewel, or Kai will be lost to them forever.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: A True Princess has it's roots in The Princess and the Pea, but that's only part of the story and the plot stands firmly on its own.

Lilia is searching for her family but also searching for a way to rescue Kai. These stories weave together nicely and have a very fairy tale feel to them. While the story might be a big predictable, especially for older readers, it's still a lot of fun to read and there are plenty of twists and turns that may surprise some readers. Lilia is a very likeable character. Each chapter starts with a phrase from a booklet entitled "How To Tell A True Princess" and include things like "A True Princess Does Not Gossip" and it's fun to see how Lilia proves each chapter heading wrong!

This is a perfect read for tweens who want a light fairy tale, especially if those readers are fans of Shannon Hale and Gail Carson Levine.