Three Middle School Books

Today I want to take a moment to talk to you about three middle school books I've recently had a chance to review.

First up is.. what I thought was a touch of an odd book..The title is Secrets of the Dragon Tomb.The characters were interesting and the story was a clever mystery and had twists and turns that kept me alert, but I still thought... it's an odd book.   A mystery wrapped up in a fantasy world.  

The  setting is high society Mars.  Strange clockwork machines,. Pterodactyls gliding through the sky, automatic servants hard at work, and in the north, the great dragon tombs hide marvels of Ancient Martian technology.

Twelve-year-old Edward Sullivan has always dreamed of becoming a spy .... Instead, he spends his days keeping his eccentric family from complete disaster.  BUT THEN his family is kidnapped.  Edward is off to save them. He discovers that spywork is a bit more challenging than he had imagined. . . .

This book was written by  Patrick Samphire and illustrated by Jeremy Holmes.

Recommend it?  I think so.   It's oddity is kinda appealing.   It's not fine literature, but it was entertaining seeing how this eccentric family ended up working together to save the day.

 Patrick Griffin's Last Breakfast on Earth.   Written by Ned Rust.

Mr. Rust introduces us to Patrick, the middle child in a family with seven children.   It's a busy household with a boy in the middle of it who liked science... who could have guessed that such a love would get him into such a mess of trouble?

Alternate realities exist!  Earth - Ith.  Celebrate the odd, teach the expected, be plugged in at all times, or not.   Meet the proscribed rules, do what needs to be done.   or hold on...

Perhaps one should work to save the world?   Yeah, work to save the world and have the biggest adventure of your life.

Recommend it? This book intrigued me.  :)   It was a fun read, and I think most middle schoolers would get a kick out of it.

Wolf Keepers by Elise Broach.

Take two children, who form an unlikely alliance, one secure in her family relationship, the other not, the setting... John Muir Wildlife Park.   Add a mystery...something is happening with the wolves at the zoo.   Strange noises and happenings at night...the wolves are dying and no one knows why.  Add the intrigue of John Muir and his lost cabin..can it still be around?

Two snoopy youth, a fast moving vehicle, Yosemite Park, a mystery solved.  History explained.

Recommend it? I have to admit, my son and I loved this book.  Well written with excellent character development.  Good cliff-hangers.  Great story line that left room for questions and considerations...it's good to see a book make a lad think.   I so enjoy watching that.

So there you have it, three very different from each other books....but all with their own intrigues to them.   Depending on what your middle schoolers like to read, these three books just might fit the bill eh?

All these books were sent to me courtesy of Raincoast Books.