Monday, February 27, 2012

Book 7: Saint Louis Armstrong Beach

Saint Louis Armstrong Beach by Brenda Woods

There are three things Saint Louis Armstrong Beach (yes, his real name) loves--1) the neighborhood dog he's adopted and named Shadow, 2) playing his clarinet for the tourists (he's going to Juilliard someday) and 3) the girl next door named MonaLisa, also known as Money.  Life is good for a boy growing up in New Orleans during the summer of 2005.  But that's before Hurricane Katrina hits in August. . . and Saint realizes that his beloved New Orleans may never be the same.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Book 6: Cloaked

Cloaked by Alex Flinn

Johnny Marco isn't anything special.  During the day, he works in his family's shoe store repairing shoes for the rich and famous of Miami; by night, he goes home to an apartment without electricity because his mother can't afford the bills since his dad walked out on them.  But that all changes when a famous princess shows up in Miami. . . . with an odd request for Johnny:  find her brother, the prince, who has disappeared. . .  oh, and he's also been turned into a frog.  Johnny's quest to the Florida Keys leads him to a magic cloak, six talking swans, two giants, a fox needing a favor, and a witch who plans to ruin everything.  What will it take for Johnny to live "happily ever after?"       

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Book 5: Ruby Red

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier 

Gwenyth Shepherd is a typical teenage girl in present day London--except that she's just discovered she has inherited a family gene that allows her to travel into the past.  All of a sudden, her world is turned upside down as   she realizes that the story of her birth is not at all what she once believed, and she is thrust into a dangerous mission into the past.  She is accompanied by Gideon, another time traveler who just happens to be stunningly handsome, and as they make their way to different time periods, it becomes more and more obvious that nothing can prepare them for the mysteries of the secret society to which they now belong.  And as she travels back in time, what secrets of her own past will be revealed?