Petra and Calder are brought together again. This time they are on a mission to save a house in their Chicago neighborhood that was built by Frank Lloyd Wright. Things start getting strange when they learn about how the house was built. I was worried when voices are heard in the empty house and moving shadows are seen behind the art-glass windows. All of my questions were eventually answered: Is the house haunted? Is it true that there is hidden treasure there? Who will risk his/her life to save the house?

Recommended by Jessilynn

It's not often you open your locker and find a dead body, only to see it vanish 30 seconds later. But for seventh grader Dorso Clayman, it's another bizarre happening in a chain of practical jokes gone dangerously wrong. The ultimate pranksters have hacked into the time line, and now objects from the past are appearing in the present. If Dorso and his friend Frank can't break the hackers' code soon enough, they'll end up lost in the past themselves. Can they beat the hackers at their own game? The Time Hackers is a new kind of adventure from the king of adventure tales, Gary Paulsen.

Recommended by Susan

Prepare to be swept away to the Paris train station in 1931, where 10 year old Hugo Cabret hides in a tiny apartment and keeps the many clocks running on time. The mystery of Hugo’s life is told through words and the most incredible illustrations that are reminiscent of a silent film. This is storytelling at its finest. My words will not do it justice...you'll have to peek inside.

Recommended by Susan

From the pair that has delighted us with the Peter and the Starcatchers series, comes this uproarious (no kidding--I was in stitches in the first paragraph alone) novel about an evil dictator from "Kprshtskan (pronounced Krpshtskan)" who believes the best way to overthrow the American government is by selling encrypted software to the science-fair-cheating kids of Hubble Middle School. This year, however, Toby Harbinger is a student at Hubble, and is as honest as they come. But when he and his best friends are framed for crimes against the government, he must overcome countless obstacles to save his country, prove his innocence and, most challenging of all, subvert his Vice Principal (aka "The Armpit"). I haven't laughed this hard or been so tongue-tied in some time.

Recommended by Katie

Reminiscent of Lois Lowry's The Giver, DuPrau's book brings us a world that was created as the last refuge for the human race. The city has survived for 200 years under the direction that each person is appointed to a fitting job. Lina is an underground worker; Doon is a messenger; it is only when they switch jobs that they discover a secret which leads them to a world that is not so extinct after all!

Recommended by Katie

Whenever Prince Brat misbehaves, however insignificantly, Jemmy receives the punishment. He is the young highness' Whipping Boy, a position Jemmy fears he will hold for the rest of his life. But when he and the Prince are captured by two theives who find out that one of the boys is royalty, they must come together if they wish to remain alive.

Recommended by Katie

When Elmer happens upon a stray cat who regales him with stories of the magical land of Wild Island, the unlikely duo stows away on a cargo ship bound for sea. Once the pair land on the island, they encounter a menagerie of dangerous creatures, all of whom hope to prevent Elmer from rescuing the captive dragon. Elmer must use the collection of odd items in his backpack to survive each encounter if he is to save the dragon and himself from certain doom!

Recommended by Katie

It's been only a couple hundred years, but better late than never . . . the Hales have at last told the real tale of Rapunzel and her never-ending braids (used less to escape from towers and more as lassos). The illustrations alternate between exaggerated comical expressions and superhero posing -- both styles helping to illuminate this rollicking adventure of a sassy, rough-and-tumble maiden, out to help the downtrodden and punish the powerful. I haven't had this much fun in a long time!

Recommended by Katie

An enduring and timeless tale of adventure in unexpected places (and a great before bedtime book). Plastic, Lumphy and Stingray think they are quite wordly, as they've listened closely to all that the Little Girl says of the "outside world." But when they venture out of the bedroom to find a birthday gift for her, the three friends soon discover that they have much to learn. Absolutely imaginative and heartwarming.

Recommended by Katie

Skulduggery Pleasant is the sort of guy that everyone would like to have on his or her side -- he's handy with throwing flames; he's got a sharp sense of humor that encourages witty replies; he wears a fedora and shades very well; and he's a wiz of a magician, detective and, oh yes, a skeleton. And for Stephanie Edgley, a young, ordinary girl from outside of Dublin, Skulduggery is the one person (once-person? thing?) who may just hold the secret to Stephanie's not-so-ordinary destiny. So if you like loads of suspense, a good bit of chills, and plenty of magic, take a nap, have a hearty meal and then pick up these books, because you won't stop to sleep or eat until you've reached the end!

Recommended by Katie

Have you ever felt that your head would explode while thinking too hard about outer space? Read this book! But beyond being totally astronomical, it is also the very down-to-earth story of three kids, each at a pivotal moment in their lives, who find themselves together, in the middle of nowhere, to see a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse. And only as they are forced together, and begin to contemplate the vastness of space, do they realize the significant role each of them has to play in the universe.

Recommended by Katie

The summer of 2008 marked the centennial of L.M. Montgomery's debut novel featuring the orphaned "Anne-girl." I've only known Anne for a mere 15 of those 100 years, but no other character has since been such a "kindred spirit." This is a classic that no young girl should be without. Anne is the sort of friend that comes around only once in a lifetime, and the one who charming antics and generous heart will stay with you forever.

Recommended by Katie

In elementary school I became thoroughly obsessed with the Salem Witch Trials after reading this book for a historical fiction unit. The author vividly relates the story of a young woman named Kit who journeys to the colonies to live with relatives. There she befriends a kindly hermit woman, ostracized by the prejudiced and fearful community and eventually accused of witchcraft. Now Kit must make the life-threatening decision to stand by her innocent friend and risk her own life, or abandon the only true companion she's ever known!

Recommended by Katie

One of my childhood favorites as well as the quintessential read for any young girl who has a love of dancing, acting and fulfilling her greatest dreams. Noel Streatfeild tells the story of the three Fossil sisters, orphaned while young, but with the good fortune to be gifted with talents to make names for themselves at an eminent ballet academy. And it's not until the pointe shoes are on, that the girls find a happiness that they feared they had lost forever.

Recommended by Katie

As is tradition, Koly is placed into an arranged marriage at the tender age of 13. She soon discovers that she was chosen not so much as a wife, but foremost as a caretaker for her dying husband. Faced with a future as an unwanted widow, Koly begins to stictch her story into an intricate quilt; and with every stitch made by her clever hands, Koly comes one step closer to rewriting her story, and finding peace within herself. Breathtakingly beautiful and inspiring.

Recommended by Katie