The Children's Hour - Children's Book Reviews - Middle Grades (12-14 YRS)

CHILDREN'S BOOK REVIEWS
MIDDLE GRADES (12-14 YRS)
NOTABLE BOOKS 2006

Middle Grades

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SKYBREAKER
written by Kenneth Oppel, (HarperCollins, $16.99, ISBN 0-06-053227-0), 304p, Ages 12+.
In this sequel to Airborn, Matt Cruise is now a student at the Airship Academy. With his friend, Kate de Vries, a mysterious gypsy and a daring captain, they team up to find a ghost airship that disappeared forty years ago. The Hyperion is rumored to carry a treasure beyond imagination, but at twenty thousand feet, no ship can reach the freighter alive.

BELLA AT MIDNIGHT
written by Diane Stanley, illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline, (HarperCollins, $15.99, ISBN 0-06-077573-4), 208p, Ages 10+.
Loosely based on "Cinderella", the heroine Bella is poor but of noble birth. Unwanted by her father after her mother's death, Bella is sent to live with a surrogate family. Poor but content, neither Bella nor her best friend Prince Julian (also raised by the same family) notice the differences in their status. Now sixteen, Bella discovers that she is the daughter of a knight, and returns to live with her strange father, cold stepmother and unfriendly stepsisters. Caught up in a plot between two warring kingdoms (one of which is Prince Julian's), Bella finds help from a godmother with three enchanted gifts. Thus, she begins a journey to prevent the destruction of their world. Set in a medieval world, there is a love story as well as with strong values of loyalty, truth, and honor.

BLOOD RED HORSE: BOOK ONE OF THE GRANDVILLE TRILOGY
written by K. M. Grant, (Walker Books, $7.95, ISBN 0-8027-7764-1), 220p, Ages 11-14.
Now in paperback and the first book in the De Granville Trilogy, the tale surrounds two brothers, Gavin and William, who join England's King Richard I on his Crusade into the battlefields of the Middle East. Left behind is Ellie, raised with the brothers and promised to Gavin. Tying the story together is William's small red horse Hosanna who touches everyone's life in different ways, even the Muslim leader Saladin and his ward Kamil. With a futility of war theme, this historical novel will appeal to horse lovers and satisfy those to like battlefield drama and adventure.

THE WALL AND THE WING
written by Laura Ruby, (HarperCollins, $16.99, ISBN 0-06-075255-6), 256p, Ages 11+.
In a futuristic Manhattan where almost everyone flies, twelve-year-old Gurl, an orphan from the Hope House for the Homeless and Hopeless, discovers that she can turn invisible (the wall.) With an orphan friend Bug (the wing) and a wacky cat that showers and blow dries her fur, they seek to unravel mysteries surrounding the orphanage. This poor little rich girl story is full of peculiar characters. The eccentric Professor with a head full of grass lives with hundreds of cats and seeks information from the Answer Hand he bought on eBay. Mrs. Terwiliger, orphanage matron, has a plastic surgery obsession and blackmails Gurl into stealing for her. Sweetcheeks Grabowski, a gangster, realizes that Gurl is a wall (a person born every 100 years) and kidnaps her. Add to this mixture are the rat men, a zipper-faced monster, and mechanical monkeys. A magical, wacky, and bizarre story with good triumphing over evil. A sequel is planned.

GREEN JASPER: BOOK TWO OF THE DE GRANVILLE TRILOGY
written by K. M. Grant, (Walker Books, $16.95, ISBN 0-8027-8073-3), 248p, Ages 12+.
The de Grandville brothers, from "Blood Red Horse," return from the Crusades to a very unstable 12th century England. With King Richard the Lionheart imprisoned in Germany, his brother John coveting the throne, and Ellie kidnapped, Will and Gavin make hard decisions that will affect their future and the future of England. Will and Gavin become estranged, and Hosanna, Will's beloved red horse, falls into the clutches of the evil Constable de Scabious. With themes of loyalty, romance, and political fervor, this second offering should not disappoint readers.

THE VALLEY OF SECRETS
written by Charmian Hussey, illus. by Christopher Crump, (Simon Pulse, $8.99, PB, ISBN 1-4169-0015-2), 400p, Ages 12+.
Teenager Stephen Lansbury, raised in a London orphanage, receives a letter informing him of an inheritance from his long-lost great-uncle Theodore. Lansbury Hall, a vast estate in Cornwall, sparks Stephen's inquisitive and curious nature as he begins to explore and question the unusual greenery and seemingly empty mansion. A story within a story begins when the boy examines Theodore's journal of 1911 surrounding an exploration into the Amazon jungle, friendship with a tribe of Amazon Indians, and the discovery of exotic plants and creatures, some of which returned with great-uncle Theodore. Mixing fantasy, mystery, and ecological elements, this unique tale of finding one's place in the world, friendship, and environmental concerns is recommended for sophisticated and sensitive readers and listeners. It will be well worth the time invested, especially with a cast of bugwomps, tigerwomps, and Murra-yari, the old Indian caretaker.

MUCH ADO ABOUT GRUBSTAKE
written by Jean Ferris, (Harcourt Children's Books, $17.00, ISBN 0-15-205706-4), 272p, 12+.
The year is 1888, and according to sixteen-year-old Arley Pickett, nothing ever changes in Grubstake, a failed mining town in Colorado. Busy with running the town's only boarding house, Arley becomes suspicious when a stranger offers to buy all the mines around Grubstake. The story comes alive with amusing and appealing characters–a tough and independent teenager, gullible, eccentric miners, a mysterious black-clad stranger, and a city slicker with a mean streak. With elements of mystery, humor, and surprise, it's a good read.

MIRACLE ON 49TH STREET
written by Mike Lupica, (Philomel Books, $17.99, ISBN 0-399-24488-3), 288p, Ages 12+.
Josh Cameron, superstar point guard to the Boston Celtics, has fame and fortune. When confronted by an unknown 12-year-old daughter, Josh is reluctant to assume fatherhood, but upbeat Molly Parker wants a father badly. As their relationship grows, bachelor Josh realizes that just maybe he also needs a daughter. They both come to understand that love and forgiveness can break down barriers of selfishness and doubt. A host of wonderful supporting characters–a plucky and warmhearted housekeeper, loyal friends, and a greedy, agent–round out this beautifully written story of friendship, family, and unconditional love at Christmas.

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