Klein, Lisa. Ophelia

Klein, Lisa. Ophelia. Bloomsbury, 2006 [1-58234-801-4 // 978-1-58234-804-8]
This is an novelized expansion of the story of Ophelia from Shakespeare's Hamlet. Ophelia falls in love with Hamlet but eventually must escape the castle, from the mess there. She devises a plan to sneak away with a secret known only to her. This is a tragic love story which follows Shakespeare's tale. I can not comment on how close it is to the original, not being familiar with it. Even without comparisons, this 328 page book is a very readable love story.

Shearer, Alex. Canned

Shearer, Alex. Canned. Scholastic, 2008 [978-0-439-920309-7 // 0-439-90309-2]
Fergal is an unusual kid who one day decides to start collecting unlabeled cans. One day he finds a can that is light and has a light rattle so he decides to open it. Inside he finds a earring. Another day he finds a can with a strange sound so he opens that and inside was a cutoff finger. He meets another kid who collects cans who has also found strange things in them. They decide to figure out what is happening without telling anyone yet. Well this starts an adventure in which Fergal has to be rescued. This 237 page book is a fun story that gets a little strange at times. A good read.

Cooney, Caroline B. If the witness lied.

Cooney, Caroline B. If the witness lied. Delacorte, 2009 [978-0-385-73448-6]
Jack and his family have been torn up by the tragic events of the last years. Their mother died of cancer and shortly thereafter there was a terrible accident which killed their father. Luckily their Aunt was able to come and take over the family. Not only were the events terrible, but the media attention made them worse. Now when the Aunt wants to stir up the media again, Jack and his siblings start to really think about the accident which killed their father. What if Aunt who was the only witness to the accident had lied about the facts? Why would she have done so.? In this 213 page book Cooney has once again written and thought-provoking mystery. She continues to write wonderful, non-formula books.

Pinkwater, Daniel. The Yggyssey

Pinkwater, Daniel. The Yggyssey: How Iggy wondered what happened to all the ghosts, found out where they went, and went there. Houghton Mifflin, 2009 [978-0-618-59445-0]
In this sequel to "The Neddiad", Iggy notices that all the ghosts in the old L.A. hotel where he lives are disappearing. He decides to take a collection of his friends (both human and spiritual) to go on an adventure to find them and discover whey they left. This 245 page book is another of Pinkwater's books with his strange humor. Although it is not as zaney as some of his others, either you like his books, or your don't. There is no middle road. I happen to like them but I have a hard time selling them to students.

Lupica, Mike. Million-dollar Throw

Lupica, Mike. Million-Dollar throw. Philomel Books, 2009 [0-399-24626-5]
Nat loves football and has a good passing arm so when he wins a chance to win a million dollars by throwing a ball through a target on national TV, he is excited. Unfortunately troubles are also piling on him. His family is really feeling the strains of the troubled economy and to top it all off, his best friend is going blind. The problems begin to effect his throw. While one he thought is was a sure thing to win the million dollars, now things are looking bleak. Can he make the throw? What will he do with his million dollars if he does? This 244 page book is a another great sports story (with much more) by Lupica. I can not keep his books on my shelves.

Sanderson, Brandon. Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians

Sanderson, Brandon. Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians. Scholastic Press, 2007 [978-0439-92550-1 // 0-439-42550-9]
Alcatraz (his family members are named after prisons) receives a mysterious delivery of sand on his 13th birthday. Soon he meets his unusual grandfather who as a special talent and shows Alcatraz what his special talent. His grandfather takes Alcatraz on an adventure to save the world from the evil librarians who try to the world by controlling all information. This 308 page book is an interesting fantasy with strange creature and puts librarians in an evil light...I thought we were supposed to be forces for good.

Green, Tim. Football Hero

Green, Tim. Football Hero. Harper Collins, 2008 [978-0-06-112275-0]
Before the book opens, Thane & Ty's parents are killed in a car crash. Thane is a big football star at college who is being courted by the NFL. Ty now lives with his seedy aunt and Uncle. His uncle forces Ty to work in his cleaning business. Ty, unwittingly gives insider information about his brother's games to his Uncle and this insider information gets them tangled up with a Mafia betting scheme. This 297 book is a sports book, a story of two orphans struggling to remain a family, and a suspense story all tied up in one.