Series: Young and Yang (Middle Grade Fic)

AUTHOR: Kristen Kittscher (US)
PUBLISHED: HarperCollins ; 2013.
PAGES/ILL: ~370 pages.
SERIES: Young and Yang. The Wig in the Window ; The Tiara on the Terrace.

PLOT: (Book 1: The Wig in the Window)
Best friends, 7th graders Sophie Young and Grace Yang, love mysteries and have made a game out of spying on their neighbours. When they discover a bloody scene at the home of their bizarre middle-school counsellor, they are on the case to prove she is not what she seems. Soon the girls are breaking secret codes, being followed by a strange blue car, and tailing strangers. As the case heats up, they are under pressure, which threatens their friendship.

REVIEW:
This is a really fun story for fans of The Secret Seven, The Famous Five, Encyclopaedia Brown, and Nancy Drew (and their parents would have likely liked Trixie Belden and the Hardy Boys). The age-range would target children who have long since moved on from the Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series, but are not be ready for the full series featuring the older Nancy Drew.
The plot has little twists and more suspense than your average middle-grade mystery fiction.
Overall, I highly recommend this series. It would be an appropriate class read-aloud for Grades 4-6

For promoting it in school libraries, I would display this book (along with the others I've listed) together with articles about real-life child investigators, such as this one.

For more mystery and suspense books, check out the list from A Mighty Girl.

AGE: 9+.
GENRE: Detective and Mystery Fiction.
RATING: 4 1/2 - 5 stars.

Series: Phyllis Wong Mysteries (Middle Grade Fic)

AUTHOR: Geoffrey McSkimming (US)
PUBLISHED: Allen & Unwin ; 2014.
PAGES/ILL: ~390 pages.
SERIES: Phyllis Wong Mysteries. Phyllis Wong and the Forgotten Secrets of Mr Okyto ; Phyllis Wong and the Return of the Conjuror ; Phyllis Wong and the Waking of the Wizard.

PLOT: (Book 2: Phyllis Wong and the Return of the Conjuror)
Phyllis Wong, the girl magician, returns to solve a crime from history. Someone has been selling mint-condition copies of Shakespeare's collected plays and Phyllis suspects someone is up to no good. With a secret from her great-grandfather, and with help from her friends Clement and Chief Inspector Inglis, it's up to Phyllis to solve the puzzle and prevent the theft of Shakespeare's missing play.

REVIEW:
This is a fun story, and although I won't go out of my way to read another in the series for my personal choice, I can see it being popular with middle-grade girls. I would have no problem recommending it to children who like 'Matilda' by Roald Dahl.
The book series also has a web-site.

AGE: 9+.
GENRE: Realistic fantasy.
RATING: 3 1/2 stars.

Series: Odditorium (Middle Grade Fic)

AUTHOR: Gregory Funaro (US)
PUBLISHED: Disney Hyperion ; 2015.
PAGES/ILL: ~400 pages.
SERIES: Odditorium. Alistair Grimm's Odditorium ; Alistair Grimm's Odd Aquaticum.

PLOT:
12 year old Grubb has been raised as a chimney sweep. Adopted as a baby, he has lived a miserable existence since his mother died when he was six. But everything changes when he stows away in a mysterious carriage and winds up in the Odditorium and under the care of Alistair Grimm.
The Odditorium is fuelled by a strange blue energy, which Prince Nightshade wants for his own evil ends. Grubb finds himself in an adventure of magic, fairies, banshees, and ninjas. When Grubb is captured by the Prince, he'll need all his wit to save not only himself, but his new family, too.

REVIEW:
The premise is interesting and the story keeps you involved, however there was something about the voice, especially towards the end, that didn't quite gel with me. The plot was generally very predictable, and the character's "ah hah" moments felt flat.

I picked up this book because I'd catalogued the second in the series and it looked and sounded interesting. It's not a terrible book, and I can see that Middle Grade-aged children may really enjoy it, but it just didn't live up to expectations. I think the action would appeal to reluctant readers, and although it is quite long, it's a fast read.

AGE: 9+.
GENRE: Steampunk/Fantasy/Adventure.
RATING: 3 stars.

Series: The Lunar Chronicles (YA Fic)

AUTHOR: Marissa Meyer (US)
PUBLISHED: Puffin ; 2012-2016.
PAGES/ILL: ~550 pages.
SERIES: The Lunar Chronicles - Cinder; Scarlett; Cress; Winter [and an additional prequel, Fairest].

PLOT: (third book: Cress)
Cress has been a prisoner on a satellite for the last 7 years, doing the bidding of the Lunar queen, Levana. When a rescue mission led by Cinder, along with Scarlett, Wolf, and Thorne (characters from previous books) goes awry, the five are separated. Cinder is determined to carry through with her plan to stop the wedding between the Emperor and Levana. {I don't want to give away spoilers, so this is as much plot as I'll give away}.

REVIEW:
This series uses the characters from old fairy stories. The first two books introduce us to Cinder (Cinderella) and Scarlett (Red Riding Hood), and in this third book we meet Cress (Rapunzel).

It's a coincidence that I picked this up after finishing Spinning Starlight, as they are both sci-fi fantasy based on fairy tale characters. I really enjoyed this book, too, but wish I'd started with the first book in the series. This book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so now I have to read the next book in the series, Winter!

AGE: 15+.
GENRE: Fantasy/Science Fiction/Adventure.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars.

Beyond the Laughing Sky (Jnr Fic)

AUTHOR: Michelle Cuevas (US)
PUBLISHED: Dial Books ; 2014.
PAGES/ILL: ~160 pages.

PLOT:
Ten-year-old Nashville doesn’t feel like he belongs with his family, in his town, or even in this world. He was hatched from an egg his father found on the sidewalk and has grown into something not quite boy and not quite bird. Despite the support of his loving parents and his adoring sister, Junebug, Nashville wishes more than anything that he could join his fellow birds up in the sky.

Some people in town understand him, but most don't. Children in his class are curious and can be cruel, but gradually they accept Nashville for who he is. Eventually, he builds himself some wings and flies away.

REVIEW:
This is a sweet little story about individual differences. It would be an appropriate read-aloud for a year 1 class.

AGE: 7+.
RATING: 3 1/2 stars.

Series: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates (Middle Grade Fic)

AUTHOR: Caroline Carlson (US)
PUBLISHED: HarperCollins Children's ; 2013-2015.
PAGES/ILL: ~300 pages.
SERIES: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates. Magic marks the spot, The terror of the southlands, The buccaneer's code.

PLOT: (Third book: The buccaneer's code)
Hilary Westfield, now the Terror of the Southlands, takes on Captain Blacktooth for leadership of the Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates, since he has not been nearly very nearly honorable. She will have to take on the Mutineers who are trying to take over the kingdom and rustle up enough pirates (or Delicate Ladies who wish to be pirates) to support her. Can she win against those who are not playing honorably?

REVIEW:
This book is an easy read. There are no particularly difficult themes and would be appropriate for a year 3 or 4 class read-aloud. It is a lovely good-triumphs-over-evil story with themes of friendship and not being limited to what you can do just because someone else says you can't do it.

I happened to have picked up the third book in the series, but you should start with the first (the plots of the first two books lead into the third).

AGE: 9+.
GENRE: Fantasy Adventure.
RATING: 4 stars.

Olive of Groves (Jnr Fic)

AUTHOR: Louis Nowra (Aust)
PUBLISHED: HarperCollins ; 2015.
PAGES/ILL: 262 pages.

PLOT:
When Olive arrives at Mrs Groves' Boarding School for Naughty Boys, Talking Animals and Circus Performers, it is not the boarding school she thought it would be. However, she is determined to make the best of the situation and earn her place. She pretends to be an acrobat, and makes friends with her talking rat roommates.
She eventually earns a place in the heart of other Naughty Boys, Talking Animals and Circus Performers... All except Pig McKenzie, the most Dastardly Fiend who is Up to No Good.
Eventually she foils a Dastardly Plot, and Pig is kicked out of the school. And all ends well.

REVIEW:
This is a rather cute story about acceptance, belonging, friendship, and standing up against bullies. It is quite silly - maybe a little too much at times, and not quite to the sophistication of Roald Dahl's silliness, but young children will love it.

AGE: 7+.
GENRE: Realistic Fantasy fiction.
RATING: 3 1/2 - 4 stars.

Nuts to You (Jnr Fic)

AUTHOR: Lynne Rae Perkins (US)
PUBLISHED: Greenwillow Books ; 2015.
PAGES/ILL: 235 pages ; ill.

PLOT:
When Jed the squirrel get taken by a hawk, his two best friends go on an adventure to rescue him. When Jed manages to escape the hawk's talons, he falls into unfamiliar territory, meets an interesting species of squirrel, and makes a discovery which puts his home in danger. He and his friends must get back home to warn the other squirrels.

REVIEW:
This is a cute story told through an omniscient narrator, who comments and explains elements of the story through the use of end-of-chapter footnotes and interrupting inserts. Most of these work, but some don't. Some comments are unnecessary and don't add anything to the reader's engagement or enjoyment or understanding. The footnotes would have worked better at end-of-page rather than end-of-chapter - it's distracting having to flick pages to find out what is being referenced.

The author also uses a lot of sentence fragments, including those which begin with "because" (e.g. "He did look around to see if there was a wolf. Because he was irritated, but he was not stupid.") While I'll let a fair bit slide, I get annoyed with children's literature which does not model correct grammar and sentence structure.

When Jed meets the red squirrels, they speak differently (which is spelt differently). E.g. "Tell abowt the wolf" "You'll be roight b'fore y'knowit" "Be loik wooter" [Tell about the wolf / You'll be right before you know it / Be like water]. While I think this works well, some children may struggle to understand and decode this.

All-in-all, I liked this story a lot more than I thought I would, and would freely recommend it to most children aged 8-12, and read it to ages 6 and 7 (leaving out the footnotes, which generally just interrupt the story when reading aloud).

AGE: 8-12.
GENRE: Adventure.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars.

The Scavengers (Middle Grade Fic)

AUTHOR: Michael Perry (US)
PUBLISHED: Harper ; 2014.
PAGES/ILL: ~322 pages.

PLOT:
When the world started to fall apart, the government gave everyone two choices: move into the Bubble Cities...or take their chances outside. Maggie's family chose the latter, and they have been living off the land ever since. They have friends, and Maggie seems to have found her place, renaming herself Ford Falcon after the rusted out car in which she lives.
Then one day she returns from visiting their friends to find her family's house ransacked and her parents missing.
As she uncovers the secrets her father has kept from her, as well as the truth about how the government took over, she must find the strength to be true to herself and save her family at the same time.

REVIEW:
This story was a lot better than I thought it would be. It has very strong underlying political messages (such as big government, control, genetically modified foods, and the environment), so I would recommend parents or teachers reading it first so that they can discuss any questions that might come up.
This book has a strong heroine, and emphasises family and friendship. This is a middle-grade book and would be a suitable first-dystopia for children in upper primary school as an introduction to the genre. I've classed it as Middle Grade because it's below YA, but this is one where you would need to know the child and the book to make your own judgement about whether it is appropriate for a child at the younger end of Middle Grade.

AGE: 11+.
GENRE: Adventure, Soft dystopia.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars.

Cody and the Fountain of Happiness (Jnr Fic)

AUTHOR: Tricia Springstubb (US)
PUBLISHED: Candlewick ; 2015.
PAGES/ILL: ~150 pages ; ill.

PLOT:
Cody loves talking to ants, her family, and summer vacation. When her summer camp is cancelled, she thinks the summer might have taken a turn for the worse, with a teenage brother who is moping after a girl and a mother who has started a new job. But then she meets a new neighbour - a boy who is staying with his grandmother for the summer - and finds that that friendship and family is the fountain of happiness.

REVIEW:
This is a cute little story about a young girl and her relationships with her family and new friend. It would be an appropriate read-aloud for a year 1 class, or for children who are moving on to reading chapter books on their own.

AGE: 6+.
GENRE: Realistic fiction
RATING: 3 1/2 stars.

The Lost Thing (video)

The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan is a picture book for upper primary school students about a teenager who finds something (a cross between a robot, a dog, an octopus, a crab, and something unknown) lost and looks for a place where it could belong. It has quite a lot of social commentary embedded in the pictures and sub-text.

It was made into a short 15-minute film.

This book and film could be used together in a literature study for middle school students.

Series: Everest (Middle Grade Fic)

AUTHOR: Gordon Korman (Canada)
PUBLISHED: Scholastic ; 2012, c2002.
PAGES/ILL: ~130 pages.
SERIES: Everest: 1. The Contest 2. The Climb 3. The Summit.

PLOT: (Book 1: The Contest)
Teenagers from across America have the chance to be on the youngest team ever to climb Everest. After winning a sports drink promotion, they must compete in boot camp to prove they have what it takes to survive on the mountain. Dominic is the smallest and the youngest and is in danger of being cut at every turn. The competition is fierce, and some contestants will go to any lengths to make the team.

REVIEW:
This adventure will appeal particularly to boys in upper primary school. I would also recommend it to reluctant readers and it could be used as a year 5 class read aloud. Themes include survival, friendship and interpersonal relationships, being highly skilled, competition, etc.

AGE: 10+.
GENRE: Realistic fiction, Adventure
RATING: 4 1/2 stars.

Prince of Afghanistan (YA Fic)

AUTHOR: Louis Nowra (Aust)
PUBLISHED: Allen & Unwin ; 2015.
PAGES/ILL: 162 pages.

PLOT:
When a rescue mission goes horribly wrong, an Australian soldier and a dog must embark on a journey to safety. Working their way through rough terrain and enemy territory, they depend on each other to survive.

REVIEW:
Written in the first person, present tense, this is a story with strong themes of endurance and survival in war. The bond between man and dog grows stronger as their journey progresses, which touches the heart strings at times. It provides a small glimpse into one view of the war in Afghanistan. Themes include war, soldiers, dogs, survival and death as well as family relations (a mother's death) and drug use. It would be a book you could read aloud in a high school class with discussion of the themes.

AGE: 14+.
GENRE: Realistic fiction.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars.

Paper Planes (Jnr Fic)

AUTHOR: Steve Worland (Aust)
PUBLISHED: Puffin ; 2015.
PAGES/ILL: 196 pages.

PLOT:
Twelve-year-old Dylan Webber lives in outback Western Australia in a small country town. When he discovers he has a talent for folding and flying paper planes, Dylan begins a journey to reach the World Junior Paper Plane Championships in Japan.
Along the way he makes unlikely new friends, clashes with powerful rivals and comes to terms with his family's past before facing his greatest challenge: to create a paper plane that will compete with the best in the world.

REVIEW:
Written in the second person, present tense, this is a quick and easy read. It is based on the screenplay of the movie. I'm sure it will appeal to primary school children who see the movie.

AGE: 7+.
GENRE: Realistic fiction.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars.

Series: The Legion (YA Fic)

AUTHOR: Kami Garcia (USA)
PUBLISHED: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers ;c2014.
PAGES/ILL: 384 pages.
SERIES: The Legion
FIRST BOOK: Unbreakable

PLOT: (book 2: Unmarked)
Kennedy Waters has accidentally set free an extremely powerful demon. She thinks she is part of a group called the Legion, which hunt demons down. As they try to figure out how to capture this one, they discover secrets about Kennedy's family as well as the Legion.

REVIEW:
Overall, the plot and storyline weren't bad, but the writing itself wasn't fantastic. There was a lot of repetitive description, especially in regards to Kennedy's "eidetic memory". The book is filled with "my eidetic memory this" and "my eidetic memory that" "I used my eidetic memory..." "I flipped through images in my eidetic memory" "my eidetic memory made me remember..." "thanks to my eidetic memory..." "my eidetic memory filed it away..."

Yeah, I get it. You have an eidetic memory. You want to say it again? (Yes, she does. Over and over and over).

The themes centre around demonology, but there is a bit of a love interest in there, too. Sexual themes are only hinted at.

I can see the appeal to young teens who are getting into the demonology and paranormal fiction, but I wasn't that impressed. For my own rating, I would give it 2 stars, but for teen appeal, I'll give it 3 1/2. One or two teen girls may rate it 4 and maybe even 5 stars.

AGE: 13+.
GENRE: Paranormal romance
RATING: 3 1/2 stars.

Series: Take Back The Skies (Jnr YA Fic)

AUTHOR: Lucy Saxon (UK)
PUBLISHED: Bloosmbury, c2014.
PAGES/ILL: 378 pages, map.
SERIES: Take Back The Skies.
FIRST BOOK: Take Back The Skies.

PLOT:

Catherine Hunter is the daughter of a senior government official on the island of Anglya, in the world of Tellus. Since the monarchs went missing during a war, the government officials have controlled everything. She lives a privileged life, unlike the Commoners, whose children have been Collected for a war no one knows much about. Unhappy with her caged life, she stows away on the skyship Stormdancer. As they leave Anglya behind, Cat learns about other lands in Tellus and that her government is involved in a despicable secret scheme and has been lying to the people of Anglya. With the help of the crew of the Stormdancer, she vows to set things right. (And along the way, she falls for one of the crew members.)

REVIEW:
First of all, cudos to a 16 year old for writing it, but I was really disappointed in this story. I really wanted to like this book, and for the first half I did.

The world Saxon has created is rather great. A little steampunk, a little fantasy. The main and supporting characters started off quite likeable. However, the story falls down with some of the plot and character developments.

The plot is developed (if you can call it that), reaches the climax, and ends way to fast. As for the love interest, you can see Fox and Cat falling for each other a mile off. Unsurprisingly (because the characters and the author are teens), it's a fairly juvenile relationship, going from 0-10 in a matter of chapters, and, annoyingly, with constant "saying the wrong thing and being taken the wrong way" back and forth they keep up for almost the entire book.

The progression of events is thus:
- Cat leaves her privileged life and stows away on the skyship Skydancer where she makes friends with the crew and falls for Fox, who does the whole "I'll act like an arse because I secretly like you" thing while Cat does the "I'm independent and I'll overreact" thing.
- The government plot comes to light - they are kidnapping kids for something and lying to their people about being at war.
- The adults on the Skydancer have known something was up for YEARS, but Cat gets them to mount an offensive in one conversation (obviously only those on the Skydancer have a clue and none of the other nations know what is going on, and obviously they should do something without finding out more details or alerting authorities in other lands).
- They plan what they are going to do for all of a day or two, managing to find blueprints of the government building they need to infiltrate, along with making secret video and audio equipment, explosives, etc.
- Once in the building, they discover exactly what is going on (turning children into half-machine soldiers), find the missing monarchs, and Fox and Cat realise their feelings for each other and are in 'love'. (And the previously-missing prince gets an instant crush on Cat that makes you gag).
- The next day, they rescue the monarchs as well as a lot of children, broadcast to the world images of what is going on, and go after the skyship on which the completed child/machine soldiers are being kept. - They find the ship, kill the main baddie, Fox dies (in an unlikely scenario), the Prince makes a move on Cat, she swears she will never love him or marry him (all this within a few hours).
- "Two years later" Cat marries the Prince. The end.

Riiiight. The first part is fine. I'll even overlook the Mission Impossible plot of infiltrating a secret government plot in a matter of days.
What would have made it more interesting, though, is the baddie getting away, finding out there are MORE ships with child/machine soldiers, and Fox living to fight another day in the next book where they continue to hunt for the baddie and try to find the other ships and eventually maybe having to fight those machines. (This also means the prince can get over his nauseous little infatuation and find someone else, Cat and Fox's relationship might actually develop into something quite good while providing the romance in the story, and then the trio could actually work quite well).

Instead, they kill the baddie, and we immediately jump to 'two years later'. So.... a government conspiracy just magically vanished like smoke after destroying one building and killing some people? What about the child/machines? What did they do with them? What about the kids who hadn't been made into machines yet? How far did the conspiracy reach? What was the punishment for those captured? What did the other lands make of it? How did people react to learning about the plot and finding out what had happened to their kids? How about learning that the missing King is actually part of the conspiracy? Or that some people in other nations are in on it, too? There are a lot of options to take this plot further, but instead it's over in one chapter and 'two years later'.

Oh, and Cat goes completely against the 'tough independent' character she's been (sometimes taking it a little too far) for the whole book and goes from a 15 year old losing the 'love of her life' to a 17 year old 'doing her duty' and marrying the sack-of-wet-cement prince which she swore she never would (I HATE predictable and obvious foreshadowing), while still, apparently, being in love with the memory of Fox.

Since a 16 year old wrote it, yes, the writing is juvenile with a lot of "telling" rather than "showing" (although it's still very good for her age). This is another book which is a bit of a let-down and could have been much better (see my review of 'Death & Co.').


AGE: 11+.
GENRE: Fantasy/Steampunk fiction
RATING: I'd give it 3 1/2 - 4 stars until the end. The end gets a 2. Overall, I'll give it 3, but I can see some pre-teen girls giving it a 5.

Series: Death & Co. (Fic)

AUTHOR: McCune, D.J. (Ireland)
PUBLISHED: Hot Key Books, c2013.
PAGES/ILL: 279 pages
SERIES: Frankie Death & Co.
FIRST BOOK: Death & Co.

PLOT:
Lumen are charged with guiding souls down their Light after death. Luman can move fairly freely between the real world and the Hinterland where they meet the souls. Adam belongs to a Luman family, but he's not sure he wants the job. He likes being 'normal' - having friends, going to schools, and beginning to date girls. But Adam has a special gift, and when he starts to embrace it, he realises he can change more than his own destiny. But not without a price...

REVIEW:
This is one of those books which, for the most part, I liked, but which didn't live up to potential. Some parts of the story I'd give a strong 4 stars. Other parts get a 2.
For the potential appeal to children, I give it 4 stars.

The premise of the plot (adapting the 'Ferryman' folklore) is great and it's such a pity that the author didn't do it justice. The target audience is supposed to be teen, but it reads more like a middle grade book.

I found Adam and his friends fairly juvenile. A sub-plot has Adam and his friends playing pranks on a head teacher, fooling and humiliating him. The story shows this teacher as a bully and dumb enough to fall for the pranks - a very juvenile idea. This sub-plot was not necessary and just took time away from the main story line (exploring the world of the Lumen). Sure, it introduced us to the 'normal' part of Adam's life, but it wasn't done particularly well. It felt too lower and middle grade (Captain Underpants-esque) compared to the other themes (you'd think a boy who has grown up with the responsibility of helping souls move on after death would have a little more maturity).

There were missed opportunities for character development and world-building. Children won't notice the lack of development so much, but it would have contributed making the book higher quality (obviously).

Overall, I did enjoy reading the book and will read the next one. Unfortunately, it could have been so much more (hopefully the next book/s will build a bit more guts into the story line).

I can see that it does have appeal for children (suitable age depends on the child). While it's promoted for YA, it's more pre-adolescent (9 or 10+), although you'd have to know the 9 y.o to know how much 'death' is ok for them (for example, in one scene Adam and his family are in the Hinterland, helping souls who have just been mass-executed in a military coup). It's for kids who have moved way beyond Diary of a Wimpy Kid/Captain Underpants, but are no where near ready for Hunger Games. It's about on par with the early Harry Potters or Skulduggery Pleasants.

AGE: 9-14.
GENRE: Fantasy fiction.
RATING: 3 1/2 - 4 stars.

Series: The Mapmaker Chronicles (Fic)

AUTHOR: A.L. Tait (Aust)
PUBLISHED: Lothian, c2014.
PAGES/ILL: 238 pages.
SERIES: The Mapmaker Chronicles
FIRST BOOK: Race to the End of the World

PLOT: (Race to the End of the World)
Quinn is just a farmer's son. And one of the very few not of the nobility to know how to read and write, thanks to his mother. He also has a phenomenal memory. It is these skills that the King is looking for when he decides that his kingdom should be the first to map the entire world, so Quinn must leave his family and embark on an adventure he's not sure he really wants.

The King has decided three ships will compete against each other to be the first to bring home the most detailed map. Quinn is recruited to a ship captained by a slave who is competing for his freedom, and along the way they encounter strange creatures, barbaric tribes, and subterfuge from the other competitors.

REVIEW:
Promoted as being the next 'Ranger's Apprentice', this story was enticing enough that I read it in one sitting (about 3 hours or so) one night and will be on the look-out for the next book. While, as an adult, I would have liked a little more character and story development, there is enough to make it accessible for younger children and still interesting for older readers. The journey is based on how explorers created maps in the past and includes encounters with unknowns such as a narwhal and the aurora borealis. Told in the third person and mostly from Quinn's point of view, it deserves a solid recommendation.

Would be a good class read-aloud for grades 3-5.

AGE: 7-12. (Reading age about 9+).
GENRE: Fantasy fiction
RATING: 5 stars.

Series: The League of Princes (Fic)

AUTHOR: Christopher Healy (USA)
PUBLISHED: HarperCollins, c2014.
PAGES/ILL: 516 pages, illustrations.
SERIES: The League of Princes / The Hero's Guides
FIRST BOOK: The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

PLOT: (The Hero's Guide to Being and Outlaw -#3)
Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. Known as the League of Princes, but we know them simply as "Prince Charming". These are the princes who live in a land with Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel. And they must join forces to fight evil and save their kingdoms.

When an evil wizard plots to take over the 13 kingdoms (and his plot is a good one - frame the princes for murder, kidnap the 'victim', and get the bards to sing songs about how horrible they are), the League must pull together to clear their names and defeat evil, all while escaping prison, trolls, witches and more.

REVIEW:
Lighthearted and easy to read, with the occasional suspenseful moments, this is a fun romp.
It maintains the reader's interest with challenges which aren't solved in a single chapter, and reasonably well-developed characters.

Recommended for those looking for something in a similar vein but a bit meatier than Treasure Hunters.

Would be a good class read-aloud for grades 3-5.

AGE: 8-13. (Reading age 9+).

GENRE: Fantasy fiction
RATING: 4 - 4 1/2 stars.

Series: Princess DisGrace (Jnr Fic)

AUTHOR: Lou Kuenzler (USA)
PUBLISHED: Scholastic, c2014.
PAGES/ILL: 224 pages, illustrations.
SERIES: Princess DisGrace
FIRST BOOK: First term at Tall Towers

PLOT:
When Princess Grace arrives at Tall Towers, she ruffles some feathers. She is not what a "Princess" is "supposed" to be. She is clumsy and bedraggled.
But her heart is in the right place, and she quickly develops strong friendships. Her cousin, Princess Precious, bullies her, picks on her, and is downright nasty - so nasty her behaviour is very "un-princess-like" and a special honour (leading a parade) is taken away from her and given to Grace.
Even then, Precious tries to derail her, but Grace saves the day in the end.

Tall Towers is a boarding school for princesses, where they learn princessy things like walking with books on their heads and looking after their unicorns.

REVIEW:
To be honest, the writing is average and the plot is sappy and predictable, however it will still engage very young girls with a loveable character, while giving a positive message about friendship, trying hard, and taking pride in being yourself and doing your best.
This is one book which won't cross gender lines. You might get one boy in thousands who will read this, but only if he is a voracious reader who reads anything he can get his hands on, including his sister's books.

Recommended for girls who are looking for something a step up from Rainbow Magic.

AGE: 6-9. Interest age is 6+, but most 6 year olds won't have the ability to read at this level yet. The recommended age on the back of the book is 8+, but the storyline is unlikely to capture much interest beyond 9 (depending on the child, of course. Some girls stay happily in light fantasy about fairies and unicorns for most of primary school. There is nothing wrong with this, but this book will be scorned by girls who are starting to look for meatier reading).

GENRE: Fantasy fiction
RATING: A solid 3 stars.