Worst case scenario

Braces. Bullies. Chores. Childhood is chock full of perils but finally here's something to come to the rescue. This book provides hands on, step-by-step instructions for outwitting a nosy sibling, surviving a school dance, cleaning your room in a snap, dealing with an irritated parent (recognizing the tell-tale signs) and more. If you don't believe me - check out this clip.

Ring of Fire

Ring of Fire by P.D. Baccalario

Four kids. One hotel room. And a briefcase full of mysteries.

Rome. December 29

A mix-up with their reservations forces Harvey form New York, Mistral from Paris and Sheng from Shanghai to share a room with the hotel owner's daughter, Elettra. Soon the four kids discover an amazing coincidence - they all have birthdays on February 29, Leap Day. That night, a strange man gives them a briefcase and asks them to take care of it until he returns. Soon afterward, the man is murdered.

The kids open the briefcase. in it they find a series of clues that takes them all over Rome, through dusty libraries and dark catacombs, in search of the elusive Ring of Fire, an anicient object so powerful that legend says even a Roman emperor couldn't control it.

This is the first in a four book series surrounded by mystery that will take four cities and four extraordinary kids to solve.

This book is being hyped as DaVinci code for kids. I'd like to say I liked it more than I did, but it didn't quite grab me - it could have had more character development and the mystery seemed scattered at best. I did think the visual clues (in the center of book) useful but I wasn't really sure when to look at them - once I had finished the book?

Curious what the students will think of this one.

Remembering Raquel

Remembering Raquel by Vivian Vande Velde

Fourteen-year-old Raquel Falcone is, as one of her classmates puts it, the kind of kid who has the tendency to be invisible. That is until the night she's hit by a car and killed while walking home from the movies. In brief, moving chapters, we hear about Raquel from her classmates, her best friend, her family - and the woman who was driving the car that struck her. The loss of this seemingly invisible girl deeply affects her entire community, proving just how interconnected and similar we all really are.

Left me feeling very thoughtful.

Skeleton Key

Skeleton Key by Anthony Horowitz

from the publisher - For fans of the Alex Rider graphic novels Point Blank and Stormbreaker, the wait is finally over. Alex is back! Featuring the same action-packed, manga-esque style as the previous installments, Skeleton Key brings all the thrills and the gadetry to life in colorful, page-turning form.

Winner of a graphic novel, fun fast paced just like the novels. Couldn't put it down.