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!