Two Suggestions

It seems I have two or three books going at a time right now. When the books are of similar story lines or the same genre, characters and plots do get a bit jumbled in my brain. However, the two most recent completions (say that fast five times) are very different.

Bystander by James Preller starts with the new kid in town, Eric, shooting hoops on the playground. He sees this boy, about his age, running towards him. This boy's gait is off, he keeps looking over his shoulder, checking on who might be behind him. He stops to catch his breath, and quickly takes off again. What Eric picked up from this short interaction is this kid is scared. Very, very scared. And then Eric meets Griffin and his cronies.

Neptune's Children by Bonnie Dobkin is an exciting sci-fi adventure. The story begins with a plague - a man-made plague - designed to destroy entire countries. When the canisters are precisely detonated, anyone over the age of fifteen is struck. What the designers of the plague failed to plan for was mutations, and so they become victims of their own planned disaster. Everyone that remains is fourteen and younger. This is story of a group of kids who had been on vacation with their families in a theme park - Isles of Wonder. How will they survive without rules, adult guidance, or even food?

Margaret Peterson Haddix

I just finished the second book in The Missing series by Haddix, of Shadow Children series fame. Found, the first book, is a great science fiction read. Jonah is a regular middle school kid who likes to shoot hoops, hang with his friends, avoid his younger sister - he could be you. His parents, who love him dearly, told him as soon as he was old enough to understand, that he is adopted. One day while hanging with his friend Chip he received mail in a plain white envelope with this message inside: You are one of the missing. Missing? He's lived in his house for as long as he can remember. What he doesn't know is that thirteen years ago a plane appeared at an airport that wasn't scheduled to land, hadn't reported engine trouble...it just wasn't. However, he was on that plane along with thirty-five other babies. No pilots, no navigators, no flight attendants - just the babies. Jonah, Chip, and his sister Katherine set out to discover what the note means and a drawn into the mystery surrounding their arrival thirteen years ago.

On to book number two - Sent. Without giving away too much of the first book, Jonah, Chip, and Katherine find themselves in the fifteenth century in the Tower of London. This book is suspenseful, mysterious, and as thrilling as the first one. I am ready for the third one...whenever that may be.

NOTE: Found is one of the books in the PA Young Readers choices. Read any three - and they are all good - and you can vote for your favorite one. The author will receive an award from PSLA (PA School Librarians Association). Authors really like this kind of thing...honestly.