From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

11 year old Claudia's parents don't appreciate her nearly enough.  So, she decides to run away.  Not for long of course, she only wants to teach her family a lesson in Claudia appreciation.  Claudia also isn't a girl who would go somewhere without a plan, so she plans.  She plans to save money, bring her younger brother because he has money, and most importantly, stay at the Metropolitan Museum of Art while she is away.  When she finds a statute at the Met that she falls in love with, she decides she must stay until she learns the maker of it, a fact that has eluded even the best of the experts.  After all, Claudia is tired of being the perfect straight-A student and yearns for an adventure.  Her search leads her to Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  When  Claudia and her brother come back, it is most certainly her, not her parents who have learned the most.

There are very few books that I would re-read.  From the Mixed-up Files is definitely one of them.  It is a book that holds your attention, is well written (it won a Newbery Medal), and almost anyone could enjoy.  Because of the size of the book (162 pages) I'd recommend it to kids ages 8-12.  However, I think someone of any age could enjoy this book, and I definitely think it would make a great read aloud.  If you liked it, I would recommend the Lemonade War series by Jacqueline Davies. Happy reading, Little New Yorker!

Mirage by Jenn Reese

As I was browsing through the library the other day, I had a stack of books about a foot high when I was only half way done browsing the children's section. Due to the fact that I love in an apartment and only have so much space to keep books, I told myself I would only pick up books of they were absolute must reads. Mirage certainly fit into that category. Last year I picked up Above World, which Mirage is the sequel to, on a whim. I loved it and could not wait for the sequel. Naturally, I was very excited when Mirage came out. Mirage picks up where Above World left off (if you have not read Above World, you may be a bit confused by this review. Sorry). Fathom has recently been defeated at the Hydro-Dome and Aluna, Hoku, Calli, and Dash, four friends from very different places, are on their way to the desert, to warn the Equians of the dangers of Karl Strand. Unfortunately, Scorch, Strand's eviler, female clone, got there first and has the Equian leader in her clutches. All hope may be lost for the Equians, Aviars, and Kampii if the four friends cannot figure out how to wrestle the leadership of the powerful Equians out of the hands of Scorch. Mirage was a wonderful book and I highly recommend it to girls and boys ages 10-14. This was a little romance and a little violence, but similar to Above World, nothing to be concerned about. Mirage was 356 pages long, and if you liked it, try reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series or the Hunger Games Trilogy for older reads. Happy reading, Little New Yorker!

A Good Horse by Jane Smiley

A Good Horse is a wonderful book. 8th grader Abby Lovitt has always known being on her family's ranch, riding and taking care of her dad's horses, is the perfect place for her, but when a letter comes in the mail, things start to get crazy on the Lovitt Ranch, and her family may have to give up not one, not two, not three, but four of her favorite horses, including Black Jack, her beloved colt. I loved A Good Horse and would highly recommend it to girls ages 11-14. It was 246 pages long. Happy Reading, Little New Yorker's littler sister who would much rather be on a ranch!

Freakling by Lana Krumwiede

In Taemon's world one only needs to think about something moving for it to do so. Everyone in his town has telekineses, which they call psi and it forms their whole world. Silverware is non existent because to eat, one only needs to visualize a piece of food flying into one's open mouth. However, Taemon's powers go farther than that. He can also let his mind wander anywhere, he can see the inside of his body, or a room far away. However, Taemon's father has warned Taemon not to use it, because that might make him different, and in this world, different is bad. However, when Taemon's older brother Yens gets power hungry, everything changes for Taemon. Freakling was a truly wonderful book. It started a little slowly, but the plot picked up quickly and, overall, I was very engaged while reading. I would recommend Freakling to boys or girls 11-14 and if you read Freakling and love it, try reading Above world by Jenn Reese or Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Happy Reading, Little New Yorker!

Game Changer by Margaret Peterson Haddix

First off, sorry for the sparodic posts recently. I recently started do rehearsals for a play I'm in and my schedule has become crazy because of it. Now, I give you the review. I would like to start by saying that usually I adore Haddix's books. However, although Game Changer wasn't bad, it definitely wasn't her best. Game Changer is told through the eyes of 8th grader KT Sutton, softball champion and the apple of her parents' eyes. Then  suddenly in the middle of a champion softball game, she is transported to a different world where sports are school and vise versa. So KT suddenly becomes a nerd who is lousy and Acs, the academic competitions replace sports in the crazy world. To top it all off, KT's brother, who used to be nearly ignored by her parents, is fantastic at Acs, so now, she's the 'unimportant' child. The plot does thicken a little bit more, however, I won't tell you anymore for the sake of suspense. Anyway, I didn't particularly love Game Changer. For starters, in order to create drama, Haddix exaggerated the role sports play in the lives of middle schoolers. She made it seem if you were good at sports everyone loved you. You were popular with both your teachers and fellow students if you were good at any sport. However, woe to the smart kid, anyone who was smart pretended not to be if they cared about popularity. Also, the book failed to keep me on the edge of my seat like most Haddix books. In fact, I didn't really even care much about what happened to KT, nor was I totally shocked by the ending of the book. So, because of those reasons, I cannot recommended Game Changer for most people. However very sporty girls ages 9-12 might enjoy this.  Otherwise, skip it and read a different Haddix book, believe me almost all of her other book are much better. If you did like Game Changer, check out Above World by Jenn Reese. Happy Reading, Little New Yorker!