Children of the Lamp, the Akhenaten Adventures

Hola. Children of the Lamp, The Akhenaten Adventures, by P. B. Kerr. In this book, two kids, John and Philipa Gaunt—some rather rich, claustrophobic, and interesting twins get their wisdom teeth pulled. During this normal event, the children both have the same dream in which they meet their eccentric uncle, Nimrod and play a dice game with him. In the dream, Nimrod tells them to go to London for the summer to meet him. After the tooth pulling, the kids have strange things happen. They both grow enormous amounts, Philipa seems to be able to grant wishes, and there is a crack in John's wall that exactly matches one in Cairo, Egypt. Then, Uncle Nimrod tells them they are from an ancient line of djinn, and the real adventure starts. I liked this book, although it was a little strange. I just realized that there are like five books in the series, so I better get reading! Three stars.

Pendragon, Book One: The Merchant of Death

HO-LA. So, I think that I am going to write about Pendragon Book One: The Merchant of Death. It's by DJ MacHale, and I actually met him once, (He was super cool!), but I hadn't read any of his books at the time. Well, it's about a boy named Bobby Pendragon, who just so happens to be a Traveler! Meaning: he is one of the few people that can travel the flumes in between territories. I know, super confusing, but it's really complicated! There are 10 territories—think of them as planets that you can get to by going through tunnels through time and space. Fun! Each territory is going to have a turning point in its history, determining if there will be peace or chaos. And it is the Travelers job to see that the territories go the peaceful way. But of course, things are never that simple. Saint Dane, the shape shifting, power hungry, rather insane Traveler is ready to destroy all of the territories. All so that he can pick up the pieces and create a new place, ruled, (DUH!) by Saint Dane. So far I am on the sixth book and they are AMAZING! If, so far, you agree with my ratings for books, them you will adore the Pendragon series!!! Four and a half stars!!!

Savvy

Hola...... Savvy, by Ingrid Law is my next pick. So there is this girl, Mibs Beaumont, who lives in the middle of nowhere with the rest of her family. Except, they're not a normal family. Mibs' brothers can whip-up storms and create electricity. And it's not just them, when any member of her family turns 13, they get a......lets say, super-power. As Mibs' 13th birthday approaches, she digs herself into a metaphorical pit, and it's rather deep. With spunk and charm, you go on a somewhat painful adventure with Mibs and her crew. It's written in an accent, which personally, turns me off of most books. But here, it just adds to the enchanting theme of the book. Three and a half stars.

The Penderwicks

Hola! One of my favorite books is The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall. In it, four sisters, Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty, and their loving father, Martin, go on vacation to a place called Arundel in the Berkshires. There they meet a boy with, lets say, some problems. The Penderwick sisters help sort out Jeffrey's issues while getting into more trouble themselves. All in all, it is the type of feel-good book that you could read over and over and not get bored of. Four stars!

Pandora Gets Jealous

Hola! What do you think about Pandora Gets Jealous? (It's by Carolyn Hennesy,) Okay, I have to admit that yes, this is a girl book, so boys of the world, you can skip this one. And yes, is is also about the Greeks. This is a modern story of Pandora's Box. (Well, it was a jar, but whatever!) But it's not in like L.A. or something, no, its in ancient Athens, and the story is really a fresh look at it. Thirteen-year-old Pandora opens the box, but it was accident! Well, unfortunately, the gods aren't that forgiving and give her six months to return all of the evils to the box, easier said than done. With the help of her friends, Pandy cleans up the mess she got herself into. (PS, there are three more: Pandora gets Vain, Pandora Gets Lazy, and Pandora Gets Heart.) In all, it's really good! Four stars!

City of Fire

Hola, City of Fire by Laurence Yep is my next book. It is set in some sort of mythological San Francisco, (my home-town!) meaning that people see and understand many types of creatures, including: griffins, dragons, gods, air spirits, and many more. In this book, a twelve-year-old girl named Scirye sets out on a mission to avenge her sister and take back what was stolen from her people by a power hungry dragon and mysterious Mr. Roland. Accompanied by Leech, an unknowingly powerful boy, Koko, his sketchy companion, and Bayang, a dragon in disguise. If you are interested in books that are slightly confusing and very fantastical, City of Fire is awesome. (Personally, I like magical and confusing books, so I loved it.) Four stars! (By the way, I love the cover art!)

The Name of this Book is Secret

Hola! So, today I went to the Mills College graduation. And guess who was there, Nancy Pelosi, and she had this fifteen minute speech, that was actually kind of cool. But anyway, my mom wanted me to write that. I'm thinking The Name of This Book is Secret, by Pseudonymous Bosch. Ok, even though I have the book signed by the author to me, I really don't like it. It was slightly scary, so I stopped reading it. The concept is disturbing, too. Max-Ernst and Cass are investigating a dead magician, and come across so very...... interesting secrets. In other words, if you are as wimpy as I am, don't read it. Half a star.