Book Review Archive
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A
Al Capone Does My Shirts
by Gennifer Choldenko
What would it be like to grow up on Alcatraz Island, home to the most famous prison and to the most notorious criminals? Twelve year old Moose Flanagan moves to the island with his mom, dad and sister, Natalie. His father has taken a job on Alcatraz as an electrician and guard, hoping to make enough money to send Natalie to a school that can help her. Natalie has autism.
Moose makes new friends on the island and at school. Piper, the warden’s daughter, is always getting Moose into trouble with her father and with his new friends at school. His friend Scout REALLY wants a convict baseball (one that the convicts have hit over the guard fence) but trying to find one with Natalie tagging along is hard!
Will Moose be able to make friends on the island? Will Moose or Natalie get his family kicked off of the island? Will Moose meet Al Capone, one of the worst gangsters in US history?
Anyone who has ever moved can relate to this story, but the history, the characters and the setting of Alcatraz, the most famous prison in US History, make this an especially interesting read. It is difficult to imagine growing up in such a place, but surprising how normal it was!
Grade level 5-8
Sequel: Al Capone Shines My Shoes
Other Books by author:
If you liked this book, try:
The Art of Keeping Cool
By Janet Taylor Lisle
The Art of Keeping Cool is a historical fiction set during WWII, when America is at war with Germany. The time is February 1942, and Nazi submarines are torpedoing U.S. ships off the coast. In March two big guns are brought to a nearby Army base to help protect the coast. Everybody in town comes out to watch the arrival of the guns, including a well known artist from Germany, Abel Hoffman, who is suspected of being a spy.
Robert his mother and sister move from Ohio to Rhode Island to live out the war with his father’s parents. Elliot, Robert’s cousin, can draw better than anyone Robert has ever seen but keeps it hidden in his Grandfather’s house, but won’t say why? No one will talk about Robert’s father, who left the house as a teenager and has not been back since, but who is serving as a pilot in the war.
This is a story of dangers inside and outside of the Grandparent’s house, of deceptive enemies, long time secrets, and how the two boys must find their own way of fighting back.
If you like The Art of Keeping Cool you might like:
Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
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Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls: Moving Day
by Meg Cabot
Rule # 1: Any book by Meg Cabot is a lot of fun!
Moving Day is the first in a fun series of books for children by Meg Cabot, the well known author of teen favorite The Princess Diaries.
Allie Finkle, age 9, likes rules. But she does NOT want to move from her very nice split level house with the pink carpeting. She just knows that moving to that old creepy Victorian home across town will bring ghosts and who knows what else! And who knows if she will make any friends? She has a best friend already. And her new school is NOT new at all! It is OLD! How will she ever learn in an old school? She is determined to stay put in her very nice suburban house.
Follow Allie’s adventure as she tries to convince her parents that this is a huge mistake. Will Allie have to move? And if she does, how will she handle the changes? Check out this fun series and see!
Rule # 2: Visit the Oldham County Public Library and check this book out for yourself!
Books in the Series (click to check availability)
1. Moving Day
2. The New Girl
If you liked this series, you would also like:
- Amber Brown Series by Paula Danziger
- Anastasia Series by Lois Lowery
- Amelia's Notebooks (Series) by Marissa Moss
F
Freestyle with Avery
A Beacon Street Girl Special Adventure
by Annie Bryant
It is winter break and Avery is off to Telluride, Colorado to see her dad and compete in the Snurfer Competition. She has Marty, one of her best friends, with her and life is good! Or is it? Shortly after she arrives in Colorado, she finds out her dad has a new girlfriend with a daughter Avery’s age. Her name is Kazie. Kazie doesn’t seem to like Avery very much but spends a lot of time working at Avery’s dad’s store and snowboarding. She is even a better snow boarder than Avery! Avery does find a friend in Jason, a somewhat mysterious boy who just moved to Telluride to live with his foster parents and foster brother. Jason and Avery both love all animals, but what intrigues Avery the most is Jason’s knowledge of rehabilitating wild hawks which Jason learned from his Grandfather in Durango. Does Avery win the Snurfer Competition or does Kazie? Do Avery and Kazie ever become friends? What about the mysterious Jason? And what is a snurfer? If you enjoy animals, sports, and friends you will like this book. For ages 9-12
Other Books in Series:
Bad News, Good News
Letters From The Heart
Out of Bounds
If you liked this book, try:
by Lisa Yee
By Ann M. Martin
by Marissa Moss
G
Gabriel’s Horses
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Other Books in Series: |
If you liked this book, try:Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt From Slave to Soldier by Deborah Hopkinson Iron Thunder by Avi Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen |
Gideon the Cutpurseby Linda Buckley-Archer
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Other Books in Series:
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If you liked this book, try:Interworld by Neil Gaiman An Acceptable Time by Madeline L'Engle King of Shadows by Susan Cooper Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson
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Peter wakes up on his birthday looking forward to spending a day with his father. Sadly, his father disappoints Peter by going to work instead. Peter’s last words to his father as his father leaves for work are “I hate you!” P
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
By Rick Riordan
This is a series that you will want to start before the summer 
rush! The series starts out when Percy is 12 years old. Percy is a wisecracking boy with ADHD and dyslexia who has a lot of trouble with school. In the first book, The Lightning Thief, Percy is attacked by his pre-algebra teacher who is a monster in disguise. Percy’s mom finally tells him the truth about where he came from, and that Percy himself is a half blood and decides to send him to the one place he will be safe, Camp Half-Blood. This camp is for half bloods (also called demigods): half human and half Greek god. At camp, they learn to train to battle the monsters and demons of Greek mythology. It is while Percy is at camp he learns the father he never knew is Poseidon, the god of the Sea.
Soon after Percy’s arrival he is accused of stealing Zeus’ master lightning bolt. To prove his innocence, he and two friends (a satyr named Grover and a demigod daughter of the goddess Athena, Anna Beth) set off on a quest. They must journey across the United States to the gates of the Underworld (located in Hollywood, California) to reclaim the bolt and return it to Zeus himself. To make matters worse he and his friends only have 10 days to do it in or there will be a catastrophic war between the gods! This book (as with the rest of the series) is filled with nonstop action and great, easy to understand Greek Mythology.
If you like this series you might also like:
Pendragon (Series)
Artemis Fowl (Series)
Alex Rider (Series)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series
(Click title for availability)
T
Time Spies
By Candice Ransom
There are many books in this fun series of adventures starring Alex, Mattie and Sophie. The series begins when Alex and his sisters move from Maryland to a really old house in Colonial Virginia that their parents are making into a bed and breakfast. While looking for a guest (and doing a little exploring of the house) they discover a hidden tower room with an old spy glass in it. To their surprise, when they touch the spy glass they are sent back in time.
Each time the children are sent back in time they need to solve a mystery to go home, whether it is to help Seabiscuit or to send a signal for a wig wager. They also learn about the history of the time periods they visit which include the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Great Depression, and many more. At the end of each book their travel guide (who always stays in the Jefferson Suite of the house) leaves them a note. The note includes how-to instructions to help make them better spies, like how to write secret messages using invisible ink and codes and how to make a spy light. These are really fun and exciting books for the new or reluctant reader.
If you like Times Spies, you may also like:
Series List (Click on title to check availability)
- Secret in the Tower
- Bones in the Badlands
- Giant in the Garden
- Magician in the Trunk
- Signals in the Sky
- Rider in the Night
- Horses in the Wind
- Gold in the Hills
- Message in the Mountain
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos
By R. L. LaFevers
Think of Indiana Jones as an eleven year old girl and you have a pretty good picture of Theodosia. She spends most of her time in the Museum of Legends and Antiquities in London where her parents work as head curators. Her parents dig up ancient artifacts from around the world and Theodosia has the ability to see curses and black magic still attached to the artifacts. Her parent’s inability to see these things keeps her on her toes as she must keep it all under control!
When Theo’s mom brings home the Heart of Egypt, an amulet that belongs in an ancient tomb, everything goes nuts. It is up to Theo to put things back in order before all of Britain is destroyed! Theo must first find out all about the curses on the amulet so she can fix it. While researching the curses Theo discovers an old organization, The Brotherhood of the Chosen Keepers, that will help her in her quest. Meanwhile, Theodosia has accidentally demonized her cat Isis and must figure out a way to reverse the curse, her pesky brother has come home from boarding school, and her Grandmother Throckmorton wants to make her into a proper lady. Hopefully, with the help of The Brotherhood of the Chosen Keepers, her brother Henry, and a pickpocket Sticky Will, Theo will be able to make all things right again!
Books in the Series (click to check availability)
If you liked this series, you would also like:
- The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch
- The 39 Clues
- The Seven Keys of Balabad by Paul Haven