The Silver Dream/Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves/240 pgs./Neil Gaiman challenge

This is called the sequel to Gaiman and Reaves' The Silver Dream, but by the ending it's obvious there is at least one book coming. Also, according to the cover of the book, the story was conceived by Gaiman and Reaves, but was actually written by Michael and Mallory Reaves. Putting all of that aside, The Silver Dream picks up where Interworld leaves off. Joey Harker is a Walker--he can "walk" between dimensions. Originally from Earth (as we know it), Joey is now part of InterWorld, an "organization" whose goal is to keep the universe in balance. A new "person" enters the story line--Acacia Jones--whose true purpose isn't revealed until closer to the book's end. This is science fiction, action, and suspense all rolled into one. Middle -schoolers should find this very entertaining!

InterWorld/Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves/239 pgs./May Challenge

Joey Harker, a high school sophomore, stumbles into an alternate world; in fact, he discovers that there are multiple earths with different properties. There are also different versions of himself coming from these alternate worlds. He comes to discover that some of these worlds are ruled by magic, and others by science--and the worlds are at war with each other! In order to keep the balance of power among the worlds even, Joey, and a team of his alternates, must battle the evil Lord Dogknife and Lady Indigo. It has action and suspense--very enjoyable!

Stronger, Jeff Bauman, 244 pages,

Jeff Bauman was waiting for his girlfriend Erin to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon in 2013.  He stares at a young man and gets a bad feeling.  Moments later the man is gone, but his back pack is still there.  Before Jeff can react, his life is forever changed.  Jeff delivers a very upbeat account of his life after the Boston Marathon bombing.  This book was a fairly quick read from Jeff's point of view, without medical or forensic jargon.

Among the Hidden / Margaret Peterson Haddix / 153 pgs. / December Challenge - Dystopian

In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong.

A very quick read and a good discussion starter for kids.  I like that it brings up the topics of overpopulation, government control, protest and courage.  It also asks the question what kind of life do you want to live?  One that you control or one that you let happen to you?

This is the first book in the "Shadow Children" Series. 

Into the Dream / William Sleator / 127 pages

This is an old juvenile fiction book from 1979.  It is still relevant and interesting.  Two children are having the same scary dream and slowly come to realize that there is a deeper meaning that they need to discover.  A ufo is involved as well as the proverbial "men in black" or government men.  It is short, neat, well-written book that progresses toward the end without a lot of extraneous "stuff" thrown in to make it longer.  A good book for reluctant reader that doesn't want a tome.

Aliens on vacation/ Clete Barrett Smith/ 272 pages

This is a totally new book that hasn't even reached the library yet in hard copy. I had to listen to it. It is by Disney so expect a movie. There is also a sequel in the works.

David "Scrub" Elliot has to spend his summer vacation before 7th grade at his grandmother's bed & breakfast in Washington State instead of chilling at home around the pool and playing basketball in Tampa, Florida. The plot revolves around the strange clientelle of the bed & breakfast which all happen to be aliens. The aliens are closer to the kind in "Men in Black" than realistic sited aliens so it makes for a wacky story since the aliens are on Earth for vacation and must be disguised. There's an obnoxious stereotypic sheriff, some punk high school kids, and the girl love interest. There's also, my favorite, grandma. She's a new age, galactic hippie - very cool.

I can buy the whole alien culture and alien vacations and everything else in the book. What I couldn't buy into was that David could make an entire alien costume complete with paper mache and paint in less than an hour. I guess the author didn't either because he hedges and puts in a lame bit about using 2 hair dryers and "not that much paper mache". Sure. I believe in the reality of aliens more than I believe paper mache could dry in 20 minutes. Other than that, it was an entertaining book even if it wasn't quite what I was hoping for.

Icarus at the edge of Time/ Greene/ 32 pgs

This is a science fiction story that retells the Greek legend of Icarus. It could have been a really cool book about 200 pages, but the author wanted to use all the Hubble telescope photos so it is a 32 page cardboard book. so I guess it could be a toddler board book for genius 2 year olds.

Still, the bare bones story is really cool. I so wanted to read it in a longer form. Icarus is on a journey that started with his great-grandfather. He has always lived aboard the ship and will die on the journey. They encounter a black hole that he thinks he can explore without being drawn in. Of course, being drawn in is not the real problem. Icarus easily skirts the edge as skilled as he is. What he did not factor in was the effect of time and gravity.

He comes out thousands of years in the future and is the stuff of legends. Very cool.

The Search for WondLa / Tony DiTerlizzi / 477 pages

There aren't many good science fiction books for kids and I'm glad to say that this one is a great science fiction story. Eva Nine lives underground with her robot muthr. She longs to meet other humans but has never been on the surface of the planet. Chaos ensues when a brutal hunter blasts into her sanctuary and she must escape. Readers will be fascinated by the unusual creatures that Eva meets and hooked by what happens to Eva as she searches for other humans. The book while very long, will keep the attention of good middle grade readers. It's very thought-provoking too. The illustrations by DiTerlizzi are unique, fabulous and integral to the book. Hope the 2nd book comes along soon as you are left hanging at the end of the 1st book.