Aliens on Vacation

Clete Barrett Smith's debut novel and the first in a series, Aliens on Vacation, is on the Texas Bluebonnet 2012 reading list. This entertaining story is narrated by almost seventh grader, Scrub, who is having to spend the summer with his odd grandmother at her home which is also her business called Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast. Scrub notices right away that the tourists staying at his grandmother's home are not normal. Scrub isn't the only one who has noticed that things are not what they seem at the Bed and Breakfast...Sherriff Tate is asking a lot of questions. Things get difficult for Scrub when his grandmother asks him to help out with business. If having to disguise these extra-terrestrial beings who come to the house via a transporter from their home planet isn't hard enough, Scrub has to take three rambunctious children aliens on a campout for an entire night by himself. What happens when they run into Sherriff Tate and local boys on a scouting trip in the woods? Read this humorous story to find out. Can't wait to read Book #2, Alien on a Rampage.

Benjamin Franklinstein Lives!

Benjamin Franklinstein Lives! by Matthew McElligott and Larry Tuxbury (illustrated by Matthew McElligott) is on the 2012-13 Texas Bluebonnet reading list. This book will definitely appeal to upper elementary - middle school students. Victor Godwin, a hardworking A-student, has been gathering statistics about the perfect Science Fair project so he can win this year's contest. His world changes drastically when a new tenant, Benjamin Franklin, moves into his apartment building. The history books say that Benjamin has been dead for 200 years, but no one knows about the Modern Order of Prometheus - a secret society from the past that worked at creating immortality for its members. When Benjamin is awakened from his "sleep", he searches for his Custodian and the reason he has been awakened at that time. Victor has the difficult responsibility of keeping Benjamin's energy levels in check and helping him find the Modern Order of Prometheus. Told in text, illustrations, historical references, and scientific details - this entertaining read will have students wanting to find out more about science and history. Readers will want to read Book 2: Benjamin Franklinstein Meets the Fright Brothers. This book will be on my 6th Grade Reading List this fall.

Escape under the Forever Sky

Escape under the Forever Sky by Eve Yohalem keeps you reading to find out what will happen next. Thirteen-year-old Lucy is tired of being sheltered by her overprotective mom who is the American ambassador in Ethiopia. She has been in Ethiopia for six months and hasn’t had the opportunity to “see” the country. Lucy, leaving the highly protected American compound where she lives, rebels and she and her Ethiopian friend, Tana, head to a local restaurant. Once unprotected, the girls are deceived and Lucy finds herself held hostage. Her only means of escape is into the wild plains of Africa where lions and hyenas await. I love reading books that teach me about other places and cultures. When I finished this book, I felt like I had been on a journey myself. I was surprised to find out that this story was inspired by real events. Read this exciting novel to find out if Lucy can survive her captors and the harsh African landscape.

The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale

Curious about what life was like in Victorian London? Want to be introduced to some famous authors of that time like Charles Dickens? You need to read The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright and illustrated by Barry Moser. This amusing story transports the reader to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese inn where the story is told through the relationships of its characters: a mouse named Pip who has learned to read and uses an enriched vocabulary, a friendly cat named Skilley who agrees to protect the mice in the inn while they protect his big secret, an injured raven named Maldwyn who once perched on the White Hill and would like nothing more than to return to his home, and a mean cat named Pinch who may ruin them all. Famous writers of that time frequent the inn. Charles Dickens intermittently chimes in and expresses the difficulty he has in writing the now famous first sentence in his Tale of Two Cities. It is evident that Deedy, Wright, and Moser put so much research into this story. I loved how the characters are named for characters in Dickens’ works and symbols of that time were used to enhance the storyline. A glossary of the challenging vocabulary words used in the story is included. A great supplement to this book is their amazing website which encourages participants to read more about old England and play games to see how much they have learned. This novel is on the Texas Bluebonnet Reading List 2012-13.