The Obsidian Miror

Fisher, Catherine. The Obsidian Mirror. Dial, 2013.

Jake has finally gotten himself kicked out of boarding school, and he's being sent back to stay with the man he thinks murdered his father.  Jake is glad for the chance to find the truth and also seek revenge, but he gets more than he bargained for when he encounters Oberon Venn and his mirror. Venn had been working with Jake's father to use the mirror for time travel.  Will Jake be able to bring his father back from the past and destroy the dangerous mirror once and for all?

This book was really intense and interesting after a rather strange start.  The book opens with Jake getting kicked out of school, but that isn't really the focus of the story.  The story of this mirror that allows people to time travel, and of the devastation that has caused in multiple time periods, was really interesting.  I was intrigued to see how the book would end, and this book has already circulated several times in just the first couple weeks of school, so it's popular with my students, too.

Recommended for: tweens, teens, fans of adventure stories

Red flags: Some violence

Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

House of Secrets

Columbus, Chris. House of Secrets. Balzer + Bray, 2013.

The kids in the Walker family had a great life, that is, until their father lost his job.  Now they are downsizing, and they move into a mysterious house in the Sea Cliff area of San Francisco.  But the trio soon find that the house holds more than its share of secrets. Will the kids be able to save themselves and their parents before it's too late?

I thought this book would be amazingly fast-paced and would keep me up all night. It actually didn't.  It starts out spookily enough, with the kids moving to the new house and the creepy weeping angel statue / witch appearing outside, but once they shift to the fantasy land, I lost interest quickly.  I think there was just too much going on at once.  There are a lot of fans of "scary books" in my library, though, so some of the kids might really enjoy reading this one.  It isn't super-scary, but it is intense. [Also, a family who can still afford to buy a house in the city of San Francisco is NOT suffering financially, just sayin'.]

Recommended for: tweens, strong readers

Red flags: none

Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Bluffton

Phelan, Matt. Bluffton: My Summers with Buster Keaton. Candlewick, 2013.

Vaudeville performers invade small town Michigan in the early 1900s, and a small boy spends several successive summers with the group, befriending Buster "the human mop" and getting to know the performers.  Not much else happens in this story, which has a gentle pace that matches its pastel illustrations.

I didn't like this book as much as I've liked others.  The slow pace and nostalgic feel didn't appeal to me, and I don't think it will appeal to my teen readers, but my wife loved the book, so I think I was just the wrong audience for it.  I will still book talk it to my patrons and see who will be interested.

Recommended for: fans of historical fictions, teens and tweens

Red Flags: none

Overall Rating: 3/5 stars.

Cardboard

TenNapel, Doug. Cardboard. GRAPHIX, 2012.

Cam's father has no money, so although Cam is disappointed when he receives an empty cardboard box for his birthday, he determines to make the best of it.  Imagine his surprise when the boxer they created from the cardboard box comes to life!  But Cam's rival Marcus is determined to make his own cardboard creation, and what started as a gift soon becomes a disaster larger than either Cam or Marcus.

I enjoyed the illustrations in this story.  I enjoyed the plot.  I think this book will be very popular with my patrons.  However, when Marcus has his "great turnaround" at the end of the book, I'm a bit disturbed that the only noticeable change is that he gets a haircut.  Short hair does not a person reform. That and his friend Pink Eye's disgusting pink eyes are my only objections.  Overall, though, this is a great book.

Recommended for: teens and tweens

Red Flags: minor violence

Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Freakling

Krumwiede, Lana. Freakling. Candlewick, 2012.

Everyone in Taemon's world has a special power called Psi - the ability to move objects with one's mind. They are eagerly awaiting the arrival of The Chosen One, while rival factions disagree about the use of Psi and the application of this power.  When Taemon loses his Psi ability in an accident, he is terrified that he will be discovered and sent away to live with other Psi-less individuals.  All the while his brother has been accepted as The Chosen One and is gaining more and more power. Can Taemon keep his disability a secret, and what is his role in his brother's imminent reign?

This book was much better than I expected it to be. Taemon's time in the world of the Psi-less reminded me of Swans & Klons. I was happy to watch Taemon change and grow, his competition with his brother seemed very realistic to me, and I enjoyed the ending of the story very much. This one will be popular with my science fiction fans, especially those who enjoy reading about the Force in Star Wars.

Recommended for: teens, fans of science fiction

Red Flags; mild violence

Overall Rating: 5/5 stars