Tween Tuesday

September 22, 2009

Tween Tuesday is a meme I first saw at Green Bean Teen Queen and really liked because she is also a librarian who deals with teens and tweens. So, since most of my blog is devoted to YA and teen books I figured that on Tuesdays I can do posts for all the tweeners out there!

The Hanging Hill (Sequel to The Crossroads)
by Chris Grabenstein
How serious is stage fright? At the Hanging Hill Playhouse, it can kill you.
After narrowly escaping a malevolent spirit in The Crossroads, Zack and Judy are hoping to relax during the rehearsals for a show based on Judy’s bestselling children’s books. Little do they know that the director is planning to raise a horde of evil specters from the dead, and to accomplish this, he needs a human sacrifice . . . and Zack fits the bill perfectly. This second book featuring the intrepid Zack and his stepmother, Judy, is full of the same humorous and spine-tingling storytelling that has made Chris Grabenstein a fast favorite with young and old alike.

I loved The Crossroads and I feel the same about the sequel. It has a great mystery, scary ghosts, an evil villain and of course our hero Zack. Perfect for 5th grade and up!



Dormia
by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski
Alfonso Perplexon is an unusual sleeper. He climbs trees, raises falcons, even shoots deadly accurate arrows, all in his sleep. No one can figure out why. Then one evening a man arrives at Alfonso’s door, claiming to be Alfonso’s long-lost uncle Hill. This uncle tells a fantastical tale: Alfonso’s ancestors hail from Dormia—an ancient kingdom of gifted sleepers—which is hidden in the snowy peaks of the Ural Mountains. According to Hill, Dormia exists thanks to a tree known as the Founding Tree, with roots that pump life into the frozen valley. But the Founding Tree is now dying, and in a matter of days, Dormia faces an icy apocalypse. Dormia’s salvation lies with the Great Sleeper, who possesses the special powers to enter a sleep trance and grow a new Founding Tree. Hill suspects that Alfonso is just such a person. In fact, Alfonso’s sleeping-self has already hatched this tree. Now the question is: Can Alfonso and his uncle deliver it in time? They must hurry, but they also must be careful not to be followed by Dormia’s age-old enemy, the Dragoonya, who are always hunting for one of the secret entryways into Dormia. Alfonso agrees to take the tree to Dormia, and thus begins one of the greatest adventures a twelve-year-old boy could ever wish for. As he woke up from a late afternoon nap, Alfonso blinked open his eyes and discovered that he was perched at the top of a gigantic pine tree – some two-hundred feet above the ground. The view was spectacular. Alfonso could see for miles in every direction and he could even make out his house in the distant hamlet of World’s End, Minnesota. Unfortunately, there was no time to enjoy the view. The small branch that Alfonso stood upon was covered with gleaming snow and creaked dangerously under the pressure of his weight. Icy gusts of wind shook the entire treetop. Alfonso looked down grimly at the ground far below. If he fell, he would most certainly die. “Oh brother,” muttered Alfonso to himself. “Not again.”

This is an original and exciting story with a well-crafted plot. Readers are introduced to the secret world of Dormia where citizens do their best work when they are asleep! Lots of twists and turns with great, in depth characters. There are also plenty of action and fight scenes to keep you turning the pages! Although suited for almost any age, it does have a higher reading level of 5.8 (base on AR levels).

Avalon High:Coronation Series (Manga - Graphic Novel)
by Meg Cabot
Illustrated by Jinky Coronado
Being a new student at Avalon High has been exciting for Ellie, to say the least...she's an honor student, a star on the track team, and oh, yeah, dating the super-hot class president, Will. Who also happens to be alleged reincarnation of King Arhtur.

Ellie couldn't be happier to have Will in her life, but she's also worried that his estrangement from his parents is tearing him apart. To make matters worse, Will's doubt that he really is King Aruthur could prevent the Merlin Prophecy—an age of enlightenment—from occurring. Can Ellie convince Will to believe in something that even she isn't sure about? And more importantly, can she get him to give his parents another chance?

With all the mythology and mysticism of AVALON HIGH, Meg Cabot's very first manga is indeed a tale for the ages.

There are three books in the series:

Volume 1, The Merlin Prophecy

Volume 2, Homecoming

Volume 3, Hunter's Moon

A great manga series for middle school kids!