The True Adventures of Nicoló Zen

The True Adventures of Nicoló Zen
By Nicholas Christopher


"Magic, danger, and an unstoppable hero..."

Taking place in 18th-century Italy, and including the composer  Antonio Vivaldi as one of the characters, this fun novel is full of intrigue and romance.

I especially enjoyed the beginning, when 14-year-old Nicoló dresses up as a girl in order to get into a an all-girls orphanage, where he can play his enchanted clarinet in a prestigious orchestra.

With magicians, gangsters, lovers, fame and fortune--this story has a lot of twists and turns!

Caminar

Caminar
By Skila Brown

April is National Poetry Month, a perfect time to read a book written entirely in free-verse poetry!

Caminar is an intense, moving story of a Guatemalan boy, Carlos, who flees into the jungle when his remote village is attacked by the Guatemalan military. From his hiding place, Carlos hears his neighbors and family being massacred.

He survives alone until he meets a small band of guerrillas--a rebel group, striving to overcome the military soldiers--heading toward a mountain camp. Not understanding the reasons for the war happening in his country, Carlos grapples with who he should trust, and what responsibilities he must now have.

In beautiful language, the author focuses on the results of the violence on small, rural villages during the horrible Civil War in Guatemala in the 1980's. Although this story is fictionalized, it is in many ways an accurate account of what really happened during that time, and the recovery afterward--that continues in Guatemala to this day.

Downsiders

Downsiders

By Neal Shusterman

An intriguing tale of an alternate, secret world below New York City streets by the masterful Neal Shusterman--but unlike in Gregor the Overlander, this Downside world is inhabited by humans.

14-year-old Talon is a curious Downsider youth, drawn to the surface (the Topside) and interested in the snowy, sunny world above. Seeking out medicine for his ill little sister, Talon meets a Topsider girl named Lindsay. They strike up an important friendship/romance, but ultimately must make difficult decisions about which world they will choose.

Loved it!

Turtle in Paradise

Turtle in Paradise
by Jennifer L. Holm

This is a Newbery Honor Book by the creator of the very popular Babymouse series...I didn't realize she wrote historical fiction until I read this great book!

Set in the 1930's in hot and humid Key West, Florida, it's a tough time to be the kid of a single mom desperate for work--it's the middle of the Great Depression.

Eleven-year-old Turtle is sent off to live with her aunt, uncle and 3 wild boy cousins who are just scraping by themselves.

But Turtle is a strong and strong-willed girl, and she makes the best of the situation...not only surviving a hurricane on a tiny island with her cousins, but also navigating the ups and downs of family life--and an unexpected adventure involving pirate treasure!

I was interested to read that this novel is inspired by the author's own Conch great-grandmother, who emigrated to Key West from the Bahamas.

The Penderwicks

The Penderwicks
By Jeanne Birdsall

I enjoyed this summery novel about 4 sisters who live with their dad (their mom has died) and their loyal dog, Hound. They have many adventures while staying in a rented cottage on the grounds of a mansion.

New friends are discovered (the eldest sister develops a huge crush) and enemies are made while the girls find themselves frequently getting into trouble.

But they stick together and manage to get out of crazy predicaments, learning a few lessons along the way.

This story is kind of old-fashioned, but in a good way!

The Real Boy

The Real Boy 
By Anne Ursu

This novel just arrived in our library, and since I hadn't read any fantasy books in a while I checked it out.

It's an interesting story--sort of a fairy tale, a little dystopian, too--that asks the question: can you have magic without monsters?

The Magician's orphaned helper, Oscar, is struggling to figure out why the seemingly perfect magic-infused world he lives in is breaking down. And the people he knows are suddenly not who he thinks they are.

Oscar is an awkward, shy boy, and wonders if he himself was just magically fabricated from wood. Luckily he is befriended by Callie, a strong girl who is the Healer's apprentice...together the two of them unravel a dark mystery that is destroying their community, and they find great strength in friendship.

Peak

Peak

By Roland Smith

I was curious to read Peak partly because I remember when Roland Smith, the author, visited a school I taught at years ago in Oregon, and he was so interesting!

And I've always been fascinated by Mt. Everest (OK, maybe not always, but ever since I was hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail for 3 months and got obsessed with reading an Outside Magazine article about a climb-gone-wrong on the highest mountain on Earth. That was 1996, when 12 climbers died in one season, and Jon Krakauer wrote about it later in his book Into Thin Air).

Anyway, I'm glad I picked this one out. I really had a hard time putting it down, and felt like I was right there gasping for breath at 28,000 feet above sea level with the 14-year-old protagonist, Peak Marcello.

There's a lot about mountain climbing in this novel, obviously, but there are also other interesting story lines--about Peak and his self-absorbed, distant but famous father; the terrible treatment of Tibetans by the Chinese government; and what it's like to feel competitive with a close friend.

Highly recommended!