THE MAYPOP KIDNAPPING, by C.M. Surrisi

The story: When Quinnie Boyd's personal tutor goes missing, Quinnie knows she can't just have gone on an unexpected trip. Quinnie, along with best friend Ben and annoying new girl Ella, starts poking around town looking for clues, much to the irritation of the town sheriff--who also happens to be her mother. Quinnie should have known that snooping around where she's not wanted was going to land her in a literal boatload of trouble!

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (kidnapping, drug production) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: This is a fun mystery and a solid MS read that will appeal to girl fans of the genre. Too bad the cover makes it look younger than it actually is.

CHARISMA, by Jeanne Ryan

The story: When super-shy Aislyn has the chance to secretly help test a gene therapy that may cure her, she's all over it. But it's not long before all the kids who were recruited start having bad side effects--and some of them even die. Worse, it looks like the virus that loads the gene is contagious--so people around them start getting sick too. When the doctor who designed the procedure disappears, former intern Aislyn knows she's going to have to figure out the solution on her own...or maybe die trying.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13; Violence PG; Sexual content PG-13; Nudity PG; substance abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content PG; adult themes (unsanctioned medical and the ethics of medical testing; unintended homicide, disease transmission via sexual contact) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: This is almost two books in one--science fiction medical story at the start, detective thriller at the end. Girls will like the "Will they or won't they?" set-up; boys will put up with it because of reasonably strong guy characters and an interesting plot. Give it to better readers of science fiction.

PAX, by Sara Pennypacker

The story: Dad's going off to war, Peter's going to his grandfather's, and Pax is abandoned by the side of the road. Peter raised the fox from a kit, and he knows Pax doesn't have the skills to survive in the wild on his own--so once Dad leaves, Peter does too. He's on the run, determined to cover the 300 miles to the place where they left Pax and rescue his beloved pet. But war and nature have other plans, and without help from unexpected places, Peter will never be able to complete the journey on his own.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG-13; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (war and its aftermath) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Told in alternating chapters shifting between Peter's and Pax's stories, this is a tale about resiliency and love. It's not one that the average MS reader will pick up on their own, and it does seem geared to younger audiences. However, Peter's courage and Pax's own journey of learning will appeal to fans of Applegate's "The One and Only Ivan", "War Horse" by Morpurgo, or the "Saving Zasha" books by Barrow.

FUZZY MUD, by Louis Sachar

The story: Tamaya and Marshall take a shortcut through the woods to avoid a bully, but he tracks them down and starts beating Marshall up. Strangely, the real trouble doesn't start until Tamaya picks up a handful of unusual mud and crams it into Chad's face to stop him. Later, when her arm starts to swell and blister, she knows it must have been caused by the Fuzzy Mud--and when Chad turns up missing, she knows he must be lost in the woods, possibly blinded, his face a blistered mess too. So do you go looking for the bully who's been harassing everyone, or just leave him to what he deserves? And just what caused the mud to turn fuzzy and evil, anyway?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G: GLBT content G; adult themes (big corporations vs. the environment) PG; overall rating G.

Liz's comments: I liked this one because it takes on environmental concerns and doesn't offer any easy answers. However, since the main character is in 5th grade, it's a better fit for upper ES than for MS. No middle school kid wants to read a story about a 5th grader, sorry--starred reviews notwithstanding--but those who liked "Holes" might be willing to give this one the benefit of the doubt.

CALAMITY, by Brandon Sanderson

The story: David and what's left of the Reckoners take on the now-evil Prof, determined to test David's theory that facing their weaknesses can enable an Epic to emerge from the Dark Side. Test it they must, but die they might. It's all in a day's work for the Reckoners.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG-13; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult (in a sci-fi setting) PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (self-sacrifice, how choices mold character) PG; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: If you've already read "Steelheart" and "Firefight", you don't need my recommendation. What are you waiting for? If you haven't...start there. Come here later. This series is one of my favorites!

BOOK SCAVENGER, by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

The story: When Emily and James stumble onto a clue for the newest Garrison Griswold Book Scavenger game, they're ready to play. What they don't realize is that someone else is looking for the clue too--the same person who left Mr. Griswold for dead in a subway station. Now the two have to solve a series of riddles and coded ciphers to win the game and catch the bad guys...and if they don't, the bad guys will catch them first. Game over.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; substance abuse PG; magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes G; overall rating G.

Liz's comments: This was a very fun story for upper ES to 7th grade--comparable to Blue Balliett's "Chasing Vermeer", but actually even a little more accessible to kids.

THE CONSPIRACY OF US, by Maggie Hall

The story: Avery always knew her life was different, but she never knew just how much until she accepted a prom date with a handsome new kid at school and ended up in Paris the next morning. Her abductors don't want to harm her--yet--but Avery finds herself in the middle of an age-old conspiracy dating back to Alexander the Great, as well as in the middle of a love triangle pitting two of the ancient families of "The Circle" against each other. She and the mysterious Jack keep just a step ahead of their enemies as Avery discovers the hidden secrets in her life--including the one that could keep her apart from Jack forever.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence R; Sexual content PG-13; Nudity PG; Substance Abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content PG; adult themes (parental abandonment; abuse of power by the wealthy) PG; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Hand this one to fans of Ally Carter or Kate Kay Myers' "Inherit Midnight". Sometimes the author expects readers to just believe what's being delivered, rather than setting up a fully fleshed-in backstory, but with not one but TWO swoon-worthy guys at Avery's side, the average MS girl reader won't be paying attention to that!

TOOK, by Mary Downing Hahn

The story: It's bad enough that Daniel's family moved to West Virginia, and even worse that his little sister seems to be losing it. But when Daniel hears the stories of Old Auntie and her half man, half razor-back hog companion--and when a girl who went missing 50 years turns back up and is still 7 years old--things get creepy beyond standing. After Erica follows the voices in her head and disappears in the woods, Daniel knows he has to do something. But if Old Auntie can kidnap a little girl, she can also kill a 7th grader. Daniel needs help fast...but where can he go to find it?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; substance abuse PG; Magic and the occult PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes (kidnapping, witchcraft) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Mary Downing Hahn is a reliable provider of ghost stories for upper ES/MS. They're scary without being horrifying, and aren't gory. Give this one to kids looking for just the right amount of shiver.

ALL-AMERICAN BOYS, by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

The story: When a cop thinks Rashad is threatening a lady at the corner market (he's not), he takes the kid down and beats him senseless. Rashad ends up in the hospital, but figures it could have been worse--he could have been dead. Fellow senior Quinn witnesses part of the beating, and is horrified because he knows the cop: Paul Galuzzo has been a family friend and substitute father to him for years. But does being a good guy excuse what Paul did? Rashad has to figure out how to deal with his new reality, while Quinn has to figure out whether to tell the truth and change his own, or just walk away like he's done so many times before.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language R; Violence PG-13; Sexual content PG; Nudity PG; Substance abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (police brutality, racial stereotyping) PG-13; overall rating R.

Liz's comments: This is a thought-provoking and timely story. Rashad's story is written by Reynolds and Quinn's by Kiely, and both have an excellent feel for the inner voice of their characters. However, the explicit language (one F-bomb per page is how it seems) renders it far better for high school than for middle school, despite its 8-up rating in SLJ.

SIX OF CROWS, by Leigh Bardugo

The story: A group of teenage misfits and criminals is hired to kidnap a scientist whose drug could change the way magic is performed by the Grisha--making them almost impossible to stop, but also quickly killing them in the process. But the payout will be high, and luckily, Kaz is a master at criminal proceedings, and at getting and holding together his ragtag group of crooks. But everyone in the group has their own private agendas, and busting Bo Yul-Bayur out of an impenetrable Fjerdan jail may prove to be the ruin of them all.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence R; Sexual content PG-13; Nudity PG; Substance abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult R; GLBT content PG; adult themes (magic used to enslave and subjugate; slavery) PG-13; overall rating R.

Liz's comments: It's hard to know where to place this one. Really good 8th grade readers will be fine with it, but it's probably better for older readers because of its complexity. Additionally, while a good reader will be able to do fine with the story without having read Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy (starting with "Shadow and Bone") they'll get a whole new level of appreciation for this story if they invest in the other ones first.

THE SHRUNKEN HEAD (Curiosity House #1), by Lauren Oliver

The story: Four kids with...unusual..talents live at Dumfrey's Dime Museum, in among the oddities of nature and alongside a bearded lady, a giant named Hugo, and the World's Fattest Lady. Max can throw knives; Sam is immensely strong; Thomas is a contortionist, and Pippa can read minds (sort of). When the museum's shrunken head is stolen, and a murder threatens to shut the museum down--and even worse, land Mr. Dumfrey in jail!--the kids have to use their abilities to go up against the cops, the reporters, and the gawkers. Can they do it? Bet against them, and you may find yourself pinned to the wall with a knife!

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (murder) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: The author of the "Pandemonium" books goes in a different direction with this latest series. A fun, fast-moving mystery story with a sequel due out shortly.

SERAFINA AND THE BLACK CLOAK, by Robert Beatty

The story: Serafina lives a secret life in the basement of the fabulous Biltmore mansion, hunting rats and helping her father. She's never been allowed a friend, or even a conversation with one of the "sparkling" people upstairs--but when she witnesses a man in a black cloak murder a young girl deep in her basement territory, and as children keep disappearing from the estate, she knows she has to speak out. Problem is...who will listen to a rat catcher?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG-13; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes (murder, black magic) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Set against the backdrop of the actual Biltmore mansion in North Carolina, this is a pretty darn creepy story featuring black magic and even the unexpected presence of shape-shifters. If you can convince a kid to get over the fact that it's historical fiction part and get into the substance of the book (not always an easy feat) you'll find that fans of scary stories will eat it up. Sadly, the cover makes sure that boys will stay well away--sad, because if they can get past the fact that a girl is the main character, there's plenty to keep them entertained here.

DARK ENERGY, by Robison Wells

The story: The aliens have landed, and Alice ought to have a front-row seat: her dad works for NASA and they're on their way to the landing zone. Only problem is, he's sticking her in a preppy boarding school so she'll be safe while he investigates the unknown. Little do they know that the action is about to come to school: first the aliens known as Guides, who are surprisingly human, and then the alien second wave, reptilian monsters who are here to recapture their former slaves--and will stop at nothing to do it. Only Alice and her friends stand between the slaves and their Masters, and humans are so...breakable.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13; Violence PG-13; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; Substance Abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (murder, slavery) PG; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Here's a stand-alone novel (yay!) with interesting elements of both alien invasion and life on The Rez. It's not often an author includes the Anasazi as a plot point in a YA novel, especially to implicate aliens in the mystery of the Ancestral Pueboans' disappearance 800 years ago. I was expecting the story to be continued in a second volume, but was perfectly content to see it wrapped up as it was, although the ending did seem a bit rushed. Still, it's nice not to feel like you have to get married to a series just to find out what happens at the end.