Seattle Mystery Bookshop: Great Books for Kids stuck in the Middle (9-14)

Great Books for kids stuck in the middle (9-14):

The Mystery Of The Missing Everything - by Ben H. Winters

Bethesda Fielding is now in 8th grade finds herself in the middle of a new mystery. The only trophy ever won by Mary Todd Lincoln Middle School has been stolen! And even worse than that the principle has cancelled all after school activities until the trophy is found. Including the weeklong field trip to Taproot Valley, something which the entire 8th grade class has been looking forward to since they were in the 7th grade! And another mystery a bit closer to home, Tenny is now back at school, but he seems different to Bethesda than he was last year…hhmmm…..

Just like The Secret Life of Mrs. Finkleman this book is funny and clever. With several small mysteries intertwined with the larger mystery there is never a dull moment in the book. I enjoyed reading it. I would recommend this book for girls or boys, since it is told from both perspectives.

Floors - By Patrick Carman

Leo Fillmore is worried Mr. Merganzer D. Whippet has been missing for 100 days from the Whippet Hotel. Leo is the son of the hotel’s janitor and knows almost everything about the hotel, the very strange hotel. Where there is a room filled with robots, another like a great pinball machine and yet another filled with cupcakes…..and these are just the rooms Leo has seen, up until today. Today a strange box has been left on the duck elevator ( did I mention Mr. Whippet absolutely loves duck and has several in residence on the roof?). This box gives Leo instructions to a brand new room, and a clue to what is happening to the hotel now. Since it seems like things are starting to fall apart at the seams….

This book reminds me of Willy Wonka, however the characters are unique enough and the hotel so well imagined that this obvious influence never detracts from Floors. I really enjoyed reading about Leo’s adventures, narrow escapes and solutions. The fact that mallard ducks play a prominent roll in the book was also great fun! I would recommend this to any boy looking for a new and hilarious adventure.

Circle of Secrets - Kimberly Griffiths Little

Shelby Jayne has hardly spoken to her mother for over a year. She left to take care of her sick mother who lived in the bayou and never came back. Now Shelby Jayne’s dad has to go out of town for work and she has to go live in the bayou with her mother. What’s worse is she has to change schools and everyone knows where she lives and teases and torments her. Until she meets a new friend who also lives in the Bayou, another girl who has secrets of her own…..

This is both a sad and happy story of a mother and daughter putting to rest ghosts from their past and memories between them. It was an enjoyable read filled humor and understated action. I also enjoyed the setting, a Louisiana bayou is not a place I normally read about and it was filled with great images and thing well I normally don’t have to worry about in my daily life, like alligators…I would recommend this to any girl who wants to read something a little different.

Wonderstruck - by Brian Selznick

This is the story of two kids, Ben and Rose. Each wishes that their lives were different, Ben after loosing his mother wished to be a part of his mysterious father’s life. While Rose dreams of a mysterious actress and escape. Their lives are fifty years apart yet they share a startling similarities, which narrow when both embark on the same journey to find what their lives are missing.

This is a really fascinating book, told both through pictures and writing. It is a great way to get reluctant readers into reading. You have to pay attention and interpret the details in the pictures, or you miss what is happening in Rose’s life. Just as Ben’s life, told through words, need similar attention since it is told in short bursts. It is a great book for both girls and boys since both points of view are strongly represented

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling - Maryrose Wood

Still one of my favorite reads this year!

This is a fantastic story for girls (and perhaps open minded boys) from 9-11. It is the story of Miss Penelope Lumley a fifteen year old governess who has just graduated from Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. Her first post is in Ashton Place where her pupils are three very unusual children, Alexander, Beowuolf and Casseopia Incorrigable. Three children Lord Ashton found on his estate and has decided to take possession of, "Finders Keepers", the three children appear to have been raised by wolves and other animals in the forest. Penelope has her work cut out for her, she must quwell the children's desire to stalk squires, howl and and gnaw on their shoes for starters. All in hopes they will be able to attend the Christmas party, a very formal affair, without embarissing Lady Ashton.....

If you have a kid who is in need of a book for a book report, this is the story for you. The main charecter Penelope is one filled with common sense and great catch phrases. I also enjoyed the fact the mysteries contained within the book don't hit you over the head, you have to reason, observe and ask questions. Such as where did the Incorrigables come from? Who are Charlotte's parents? Why did Lord Ashton really keep the children? And who set the squirrel loose on the ballroom floor?