The Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast series by Clete Barrett Smith

When David first arrived at his grandmother's bed and breakfast to spend the summer, he did think some of the guests looked a bit odd. David thought his grandmother was a bit of an hippie and what was with that name? The Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast - was it a place for Trekkies or fans of the X-Files? But then he saw the Rules for Guests on the back of the door in his room:

1. Leave nothing behind

2. Take nothing with you

3. Dress appropriately

4. Two arms, two legs, one head

5. No harming the natives

David discovers that the bed and breakfast is a safe vacation spot for aliens who want to visit a more primitive world. Our world! The guests are nice, even if they have some unusual habits and food choices. Occasionally a human sees an alien for real - Sasquatch, for example.

David meets Amy, the daughter of the local sheriff? The sheriff begins to suspect something is going on at the B and B, so David has to help head off trouble and protect the aliens.

The next summer, David can't wait to return to the Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast. There have been some changes - Amy is now the Director of Tourist Entertainment. In her spare time she runs childcare and organizes Senior activities - for the alien guests. Amy's dad is now a member of the Intergalactic Police Force, charged with protecting the guests. But the thing that really worries David, is the new "handyman" Scratchull. There is something very menacing about that alien.

The Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast series is perfect summer reading. Just don't tell anyone that there are aliens among us. Shhhh . . .

 

 

Benjamin Franklinstein Lives!

Founding Fathers, zombies and Franklinstein - best idea for a book yet!

Seriously, well actually there is nothing serious about this book at all, Benjamin Franklinstein Lives! is a very very funny book.

Here's the "what if" question - what if Benjamin Franklin put himself in suspended animation and woke up in our world? Victor, our main character, finds this when Ben wakes up in his basement. Victor doesn't really like problems in his life, and Ben is definitely a problem. Especially since he needs so much re-charging. He's also incredibly curious about everything in our modern world. And he certainly has a way of interfering in Victor's science fair project.

But why did he awake now? What happens to the Custodian who watched over him? And where is the secret society that protected him?

I really want to know more about the secret society Ben was a member of - the Modern Order of Prometheus. You might just find out more here . . . even if it appears closed, I'm sure you are clever enough to figure out how to enter . . .

Want to find out more? Read the first two chapters here.

The fun continues at the Franklinstein website found here. Be sure to check out the authors, one of whom is a real, live, genuine middle school teacher! Both our authors, Matthew McElligott and Larry Tuxbury, host a series of videos on Famous Inventors Who've Never Heard Of! Here's the first:

Missing on Superstitio Mountain by Elise Broach

Elise Broach is one of our favorite mystery writers. We love Masterpiece and Shakespeare's Secret. When I saw this brand new mystery, I had to read it all in one day!

Superstition Mountain is not only a real place, it is a very famous place. Many people have disappeared here in strange ways much like the Bermuda Triangle. The Lost Dutchman Mine is also here and many explorers have tried to find it over the past one hundred years. They are all hoping to find the valuable gold hidden long ago.

When the Barker brothers - Simon, Henry and Jack - move to Superstition, Arizona, everyone warns them NOT to go exploring the mountain. But it is summer, they are bored, and then their cat runs away so they just have to find her. Instead of their cat, they discover three skulls lined up in a row on the edge of a cliff. Along with their new friend, Delilah, they just can't let this mystery go unsolved so they begin to research. Unfortunately they soon find themselves caught up in even more strange and creepy mysteries from the past!

All of the characters in this book are terrific and I can't wait to see what they discover next, since this book is the first is Elisa Broach's new Superstition Mountain series.

Click here to read the first chapter of Missing on Superstition Mountain by Elise Broach.

Warp Speed by Lisa Yee

OK, I admit it, I'm a Trekkie. Which is the reason I could not pass up reading the new novel by Lisa Yee about another Trekkie - Marley Sandelski. Marley is entering seventh grade and he is a member of the A-V Club, whose other members are also dedicated to Star Trek, Star Wars, and Batman. To the other kids in school they are most definitely misunderstood and probably perceived as a little strange.

Much of what happens to Marley and his friends is funny and I found myself giggling at what he wrote each day in his Captain Log journal. And I found myself identifying with the way he perceives life going on around him as he tries to be logical and cool like his favorite character, Spock.

Marley's parents own a old run-down movie theater that shows classic movies to mostly empty seats. Marley and his parents live upstairs above the theater, although Marley has a secret hideaway downstairs in an old prop room full of costumes.

Unfortunately, Marley has also attracted the attention of some big-time bullies. I must confess, I found these bullies particularly troubling. Although they were seriously physical in their bullying, I think we have more trouble with emotional and cyber bullying in school. I was also distressed that Marley's parents and teachers weren't more aware of what was going on and that he never felt safe in telling them.


Marley and his friends go to the same middle school featured in author Lisa Yee's other novels - and the same characters weave their way in and out of the stories and this one, as well. Millicent Min, Girl Genius; Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time and So Totally Emily Ebers all tell the story of the same summer - but from three different points of view. You don't need to read them in any particular order at all. To get a preview of the other three books in this series, watch author Lisa Yee describe each title in the video below. I do know, after you read Warp Speed, you will want to know more about these characters.

We Are Not Eaten by Yaks by C. Alexander London

I love everything about this book! Why you ask?

1. Obnoxious and irritating and slightly lovable main characters - Celia and Oliver Navel, eleven-year-old twins, who would rather watch television ALL DAY than go on adventures. Their parents are real live adventurers! And daredevils like Indiana Jones! The entire family lives at the Explorer's Club in New York City (a real place, by the way) where they are surrounded by other real live explorers who tell great stories of their real live adventures. But what would Celia and Oliver rather do? Watch reality TV.

2. Unfortunately, their mother has gone missing on an exploration. What was she looking for? Only the greatest library of the ancient world - the wonderful, marvelous, incredible Library of Alexandria - where all of mankind's knowledge was gathered in one place. Librarians love the very thought of it. Tragically, it was burned to the ground by the Romans in 30 B.C. But Oliver and Celia's mother thinks maybe it was just . . . misplaced . . . so she sets off to find it. And she falls into a big, evil plot.

3. Oliver and Celia reluctantly - very reluctantly - are forced to set off to rescue their mother. Which means they have to do all sorts of things they hate - like travel to Tibet, climb mountains, and even ride yaks. It's all a tremendous adventure to all sorts of incredible places I would love to explore. I would love to pet a yak - they have wonderfully soft hair that you can spin into yarn. Oliver and Celia would rather watch cable.

4. The author, C. Alexander London, is a librarian! A real, certified librarian, who has the Dewey Decimal System memorized. Or at least he did, before he started working as a journalist, a writer, and a explorer himself. I am trying to solve the mystery of his real name - C. Alexander London is a pseudonym. Hmmm. He very much reminds me of another popular author, Pseudonymous Bosch, who writes The Secret Series . . . I'll keep you informed of any discoveries I make. . .

5. The book trailer. Click here to watch it. Stay tuned to the end and you'll spot the most beautiful corgi puppy. Not that it influenced how much I love this book, even though I happen to own a corgi and everyone in my family owns corgis and . . . oh, just read the book!

P.S. I can't wait for the sequel - We Dine With Cannibals. And, Celia and Oliver - I'm sorry you don't get to stay home and watch TV.

Half Upon a Time by James Riley

OK - so Jack's father disappeared in the whole Giant and the Beanstalk incident and everyone keeps pushing him to go rescue a princess, but Jack thinks maybe this whole fairy tale thing is not for him. He's not real handy with a sword and he always messes up all the "rescue the princess" simulations his teachers assign to him.

And then - bam - a princess falls out of the sky. Her name is May and she doesn't believe she's a princess. However Jack and all the guys in the village know she is, because she's wearing a T-shirt that says "punk princess." She is in trouble though - and Jack figures it out. The Wicked Queen has kidnapped her grandmother and a huntsman is chasing her.

Half Upon a Time is a hysterical, fractured fairy tale! You can read the first chapter online here.

The Magnificent 12: The Call by Michael Grant

Here is the beginning of a big new series called The Magnificent 12. If you followed The 39 Clues, you will enjoy this series as well.

Twelve-year-old Mac MacAvoy thinks he has a normal boring life - until one day at school when things really change! Grimluk, a 3000 year-old man, appears in the boy's bathroom to tell Mac that he is one of the Magnificent 12! Mac needs to find the other 11 twelve-year-olds in order to stop the Evil that threatens the world. Mac is not sure about all of this but he seems to have no choice. The adventures that follow are full of magic and excitement but they are also really funny!

Click here to visit the series website, follow the interactive map, learn more about the characters, and discover important clues.

And be sure to watch the book trailer below. It is probably one of the best book trailers I have ever seen.

The Birthday Ball

One of my favorite authors, Lois Lowry, has written a new book that is very different from The Giver. The Birthday Ball is a fairy tale-like story about a bored princess who trades places with one of her maids to see how the rest of the world lives. She goes to school for the first time and experiences life beyond the castle walls. She also must figure out how to choose her husband at her Birthday Ball. The only three suitors are VERY unsuitable!

This fast-paced story has elements of the silly and the serious. The illustrations by the famous cartoonist Jules Feiffer add to the fun.

Lois Lowry explains where she got the idea for The Birthday Ball and explains how she developed the story, in the video below:

The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

The Mysterious Howling is the first in a new series called The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place. The children are not really incorrigible, but are called that by their adopted father. He found them in the woods, believing they were raised by wolves. Have you heard people say that? "Were you raised by wolves?" Incorrigible means "incapable of being corrected or reformed." How harsh!

Miss Lumley is the new, young governess for these incorrigible children - Alexander, Cassiopeia, and Beowulf. These three act like wolves - Alexander gives little nips, Cassiopeia barks, and Beowulf chases squirrels!
If you like Lemony Snicket and the Series of Unfortunate Events, this is the book for you!

Click here to listen to a great podcast by the author. Maryrose Wood tells you about how she came to write this book, the first in a new series, and reads an excerpt aloud.

Click here if you would like to browse inside the ebook of The Mysterious Howling.

The incorrigible children themselves are very good at spotting squirrels! See how good you are here.

The Fast and the Furriest

Kevin Pugh's dad is an ex-pro football player. Kevin has no interest in the sport, but keeps trying...and getting clobbered. He'd rather be playing video games with his friend, Zach, and hang out with his dog, Cromwell. When Cromwell spots a dog agility competition on TV, he starts behaving strangely. The former couch potato dog becomes active and tries to get Kevin involved in his activity. With Zach's help and financial backing, Kevin and Cromwell investigate and get involved in the world of dog agility competition.

Is agility a sport? Could Kevin and Cromwell have finally found their niche? This amusing tale will keep you in stitches!

Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford

Newt Newman is almost invisible. He's the younger brother of the town's star football player and something of a nerd. When his brother is injured in the big game and is hospitalized, he is left to fend for himself. It's Halloween and his two best friends fix him up with a costume--Captain Nobody.

When he wears his costume, Newt becomes another person. He really is Captain Nobody. Before long he is wearing it everywhere, including to school. He saves the day in many situations. Is it because he has superpowers when he wears the costume or is something else happening? You'll laugh out loud at the adventures of Newt and his friends!

Click here to visit the author's website. You can read or listen to a sample chapter, watch a video about Captain Nobody or take a fun quiz!

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

Homer Figg usually tells the truth - usually. He does have an unfortunate habit of exaggerating the truth . . .

Homer does have a serious problem. Actually - several problems. Homer and his brother are orphans and they live with their uncle. Their uncle is "the meanest man in the state of Maine." Finally he does a really terrible thing - he sells Homer's older brother, Harold, into the Union Army during the Civil War. Harold is definitely too young to be a soldier. Homer is terribly worried about his brother so he sets of on a "borrowed" horse to find Harold and explain to the authorities that Harold doesn't belong in the war. Homer ends up, after many exciting adventures, right in the middle of the Battle of Gettysburg!

Homer Figg is just the right combination of history, adventure, danger, comedy and seriousness. Along the way, Homer meets good guys, bad guys, heroes, spies and con men.

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg is written by Rodman Philbrick, the author Freak the Mighty and several other books. In this video clip, Rodman Philbrick reads a chapter from his new book:

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love

Super logical Emma-Jean Lazarus (who earlier Fell Out of a Tree) returns. Now it is spring and the 7th grade dance, where the girls ask the boys, is coming soon. Whenever she is around Will Keeler, she gets a little heart flutter. Will she get up the nerve to ask him to the dance?First she has to figure out who her friend Colleen's secret admirer is AND try to keep their boarder (who is in love with her mother) from moving to California.

Emma-Jean and her friends are always busy, getting into misunderstandings and drama. Follow them through the spring at William Gladstone Middle School and laugh along!

Lauren Tarshis is the author of both of the Emma-Jean books. She often comments that if you knew her when she was in fourth-grade, you would have thought she was the least likely person to become a writer! Lauren Tarshis struggled very hard to learn to read. Look around your classroom and find the person you think is unlikely to do something special - I promise you - you will be surprised at what the future holds.

The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity

The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity is the first book in the new Brixton Brothers series of exciting and thrilling mysteries.

The first mystery is - who is the other Brixton brother - since we only discover Steve Brixton in this book! Steve LOVES the series about two brothers who are boy detectives, The Bailey Brothers, who sound suspiciously like the Hardy Boys to me . . . Steve turns to the Bailey Brother Detective Handbook for advice on everything from escaping from second floor windows to escaping from kidnappers.

On an innocent assignment to the public library to research "American needlework" for his teacher - Steve is attacked by a librarian SWAT team, pursued by the evil Mr E and other bad guys, mistaken for a detective by the police, and finally placed on a wanted list by the government. And that report on needlework is due on Monday!

I also like the illustrations by Adam Rex, who wrote another funny book, The True Meaning of Smekday. Click here to find out what Smekday is all about!

Mac Barnett, the author of The Brixton Brothers, reveals the top-secret information he discovered about librarians in this video clip.

Much Ado about Grubstake

Jean Ferris is my new favorite author! See my earlier posts about Once Upon a Marigold and Twice Upon a Marigold. In Much Ado About Grubstake we meet sixteen-year-old orphan Arley and a colorful cast of characters who live in the town of Grubstake, an almost abandoned mining town in the Old West. There's a saloon, a boarding house, the mercantile and the newspaper included, too. Find out what happens when a city slicker comes to town and tries to buy out all their mining claims!

This book is funny and touching, adventurous and will show you how important friends can be.

Once Upon a Marigold, Twice Upon a Marigold

Marigold is a princess in this fairy tale with a modern twist. Not your typical beautiful princess, she spends most of her time in her room and on her balcony with her dog. It is there that Christian sees her through his telescope and falls in love. Christian, who lives in a cave with his troll father, is not what he seems. Laugh with them as Christian wins her hand and they battle with the evil queen.

Stay tuned for Twice Upon a Marigold, the sequel by Jean Ferris.

The Rising Star of Rusty Nail

Franny Hansen is a ten year old girl living in Rusty Nail, Minnesota in the 1950's. She is a typical girl, except that she is an extremely talented pianist. Her talent can only go so far in Rusty Nail, until she comes into contact with a mysterious "Commie." While some of the neighbors think this Russian woman is a threat to their way of life, Franny sees in her an opportunity to learn and become a better pianist.

Lesley Blume has created a story that can be laugh out loud funny as well as touching. She also shows us what life was like in the 50's and by letting us see a glimpse of the life of someone who was victimized by the McCarthy era "witch hunts," we can see how sad that time truly was.

Click on the title above for 6 Insider Secrets!

11 Birthdays

Author Wendy Mass writes funny books. Some of my favorites include Leap Day and Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. 11 birthdays is her newest book.

11 Birthdays has two main characters - Amanda and Leo. It seems like they have been the best of friends since the day - the same day - that they were born in the hospital. Every year for the past ten years they have celebrated their birthday together. Last year something went wrong when Amanda overheard something hurtful Leo said about her. So this year for the first time they are having separate parties. And Amanda is not happy.

But then something very strange happens - Amanda keeps waking up and reliving this terrible eleventh birthday. Amanda tries changing the events of the day but nothing works! Every morning she keeps waking up and the same day starts over again. Anhd what about Leo? Is the same thing happening to him?

Wendy Mass really likes to meet other authors and get her picture taken with them. If you click on the title above, you can view her huge collection of author photos. This is fun if you've always wondered what some of your favorite authors look like. You might be surprised!

The Trouble Begins

The Trouble Begins by Linda Himelblau

Du is a young Vietnamese boy who comes to the U.S. with his grandmother to join the rest of his family. He wants to fit in, but because he doesn't speak much English, he is misunderstood by kids at school where he is a new fifth grader. His family just wants him to be a "good boy", but they don't understand what he is going through either. It seems everything he does gets him in trouble. This enjoyable story, told from the point of view of a young immigrant, can help make you aware of what it might be like to be new to a totally foreign place.

Jolted: Newton Starker's Rules for Survival

The Jeremy Potts Academy for Higher Learning and Survival is located in Moosejaw, Canada. The students wear traditional Scottish kilts and take some really unusual and dangerous classes. Newton Goddard Starker believes that this is the perfect school for him. After all, for hundreds of years every member of his mother's family has been killed by lightening.

Newton is raised in a very protective environment (and one that does not attract lightening) so it is natural that he finds himself something of an outsider. Following his mother's death (zapped, of course), Newton is determined to succeed and survive at his new school. Jeremy sets out to overcome his fears and deal with his sadness. Along the way he makes some real friends and acquires an adorable and strangely intelligent, truffle-hunting pig named Josephine.

Hang on! This is a fast-paced and funny ride with lots of unusual characters. I really hope the author, Arthur Slade, brings Newton back for Year Two.


Click on the title link to visit the author's website and listen to the Jolted podcast.
Click here to view the book trailer video.