"Game Over, Pete Watson" by Joe Schreiber and "The Leveller" by Julia Durango

I am blogging about these books together because they are both about video games, but couldn't be more different in their storylines.
Game Over, Pete Watson is a whimsical little story about a kid who is just trying to afford his new video game.  He sells what he thinks is an vintage gaming console and almost destroys the world.  I like the way Pete tells his story.  He remarks throughout the book about what it will be like when his book becomes more interactive like a game.





Leveller is completely different. It is not whimsical, it is much darker.  Nixy lives in a world where kids can access a virtual reality gaming world.  There are rules and time limits but sometimes people don't follow those rules.  Nixy's job is to go into the virtual world and bring people back.  But now, she has a much bigger job.  The creator of the virtual world's son has gone missing in the virtual world and it is Nixy's job to go find him and bring him back.  This was a very exciting book with a very unexpected ending.

I hope you enjoy both of these "gaming" books.

Lost by S.A. Bodeen

At last, a sequel to Bodeen's novel "Shipwreck Island."  In book 1, Sarah and her family were shipwrecked on an island.  This would be terrible enough, but then they start to see some very strange animals making things even more mysterious.  Book 1 left us really wanting more.  Book 2 gives us more about the strange animals, another person that is stuck on the island and some clues as to who is behind it all.  If you read Book 1, you are going to have to read book 2 and guess what, I'm positive there will be a book 3.  THERE HAS TO BE!!

Footer Davis Probably is Crazy by Susan Vaught

Fontana (who prefers to go by "Footer") wants to be a journalist.  She practices her journalistic interviewing skills by trying to solve the mystery of what happened to two neighbor kids after the shooting of their grandpa and a fire at their house.  Footer also thinks she is going "crazy" like her mother.  Her mom had been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and has had to be hospitalized and Footer is worried that some "visions" she is having mean she is well on her way to being hospitalized also.  Great story, with both a good message about mental illness paired with a great mystery.  I really like Footer, she was a great character.

Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan

Tara Sullivan is the author one of this year's Golden Sower nominees, "Golden Boy."  With both of these books, the author brings to life some scary issues that are happening in today's world.  In Bitter Side of Sweet, she addresses the issue of forced child labor in the cocoa industry.  Amadou doesn't even know why he is cutting down the pods off the trees and drying the seeds inside.  He has never had chocolate before.  He just knows he HAS to do his work or he and his little brother will be beat.  The world wants cheap chocolate, and this cheap treat comes at a huge price for many poor children in the nations of Africa.  This book is, at times, difficult to read because of the harsh treatment of Amadou and the other children, but he has such resilience, and his need to protect his brother and new friend are so strong that you just have to keep going.  This is currently only an ebook in our library.  Stop by if you need help getting it on your device.  

The Accidental Afterlife of Thomas Marsden by Emma Trevayne

I enjoyed this story.  Thomas Marsden helps his father, Silas, rob graves.  One night they come upon a grave that holds a body that looks EXACTLY like Thomas.  You really get to know the characters and their stories as Thomas looks to find the truth behind why he looks just like a corpse.  The end really picks up an moves at a breakneck speed as he learns the truth and hurries to reverse an age old wrong doing to help his new friends.

Demon Derby by Carrie Harris

Carrie Harris is the author "Bad Taste in Boys" and "Bad Hair Day." Both of which I really enjoyed and try to convince other to read.  This one is equally good.  I love her main characters.  The girls are always tough and great problem solvers and I love that.  In this one, Casey has conquered cancer but now she is looking to conquer everyone's view of her as the frail "girl with cancer"  She does this by trying out for the local roller derby team. It is here that she learns that demons are real and because of her close brush with death, she has the ability to fight them.  Tough characters AND demons...who could ask for anything more?