Darth Paper Strikes Back

     In the sequel to The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, Harvey creates Darth Paper to duel Origami Yoda.  The dark side of the force is too strong for Origami Yoda and Dwight gets kicked out of school.  The kids are lost without Yoda's wisdom and begin a case file to convince the school board that Dwight and Origami Yoda have helped them.  Harvey tricks Tommy into giving him the file so he can make a strong case for keeping Dwight out of school.  Things look hopeless know that Darth Paper has arrived.  Is there any chance Darth Paper has a good side under his helmet?
     I loved this book.  The Star Wars puns were original and funny.  The pictures the kids drew in the case file are cute, especially the Star Wars' characters.  The characters are realistic and act like middle schoolers desperate to figure out their lives and willing to believe any advice - even from Origami puppets.  There is a good moral to the story, but it isn't heavy handed.  It's a quick read with lots of pictures, so it is a good choice for reluctant readers.  It is also a good choice for boys.  

The Forgotten Garden

     A little girl stands alone on a dock with a suitcase and a book of fairy tales.  The dockmaster and his wife adopt her and raise her as their own.  On the eve of her twenty-first birthday, the man she thought was her father tells her the true story of her arrival.  The secret devastates Nell.  She spends the rest of her life trying to unravel the secret of her childhood and the authoress who haunts her memories.  The secrets lead to Cliff Cottage, but she gives up the search to raise her granddaughter Cassandra.
     When Nell dies, Cassandra is shocked to find out about Nell's past and even more surprised to learn about her inheritance of Cliff Cottage.  She travels to England to unravel the secrets and dark mysteries of her family that stretch through three countries and a century of time.
     This is a beautiful story that reads like a fairy tale.  It is one of my favorite books.  The writing was exquisite.  The world came alive in every location and every time period.  The characters were well developed, interesting, and believable.  I loved the way the decisions, mistakes, and tragedies of each generation impacted the next generation so profoundly.  It made the tragedies more heartbreaking and the grace in the face of evil even more beautiful.  This book changed me and made me a better person.
     This book has limited action and tells the story from many perspectives and time periods, so it may be frustrating for some readers.

The Mermaid Chair

     Jessie Sullivan had an idyllic childhood on Egret Island until her father died.  As soon as she could, Jessie left the island.  When Jessie's mom deliberately cuts off her finger, Jessie leaves her husband Hugh and returns to the island.  While caring for her mother, Jessie falls in love with Brother Thomas who is months away from taking his final vows.  Their affair destroys her marriage and tears brother Thomas' faith in the life he has chosen.
     While on the island, Jessie rediscovers the mermaid chair that she loved as a child.  The legend of the mermaid who becomes a saint has always resonated with Jessie.  She doesn't know that the chair is intricately linked to her father's death and her mother's self mutilation.  Jessie needs to find the truth that will set her, and her mother, free.
     I liked this book, but it wasn't one of my favorites.  The affair with Brother Thomas was difficult for me to understand, and made me look at biases I was not aware of having.  Brother Thomas was an interesting character and I liked his thoughts about God and religion.
     The legend of the mermaid chair was beautiful.  It was an interesting way to bring the past and present together in the story.    

Between Sisters

     Meghann Dontess learned long ago that love can break you in ways you never recover.  Her sister Claire learned long ago that a sister's love is one of the most powerful, even when it's gone.  Meghann and Claire try to build a new relationship from the ruins of their childhood, but they can't seem to find their way.
     When Meghann is nearly killed, she is forced to reassess her life and her beliefs about love.  Claire just found her happily ever after just in time for her own tragic ending.  She needs her sister more than ever.  Will Meghann be able to make up for the mistakes she made in the past and be the sister Claire needs?
     You have to suspend your disbelief a lot in this book as coincidences are a major part of the plot.  The writing is average.  However, some of the characters are well developed and make the book worth reading.   I loved her other book, The Winter Garden, but I don't think this book is as good.

Out of my Mind

     Melody is eleven-years-old and never been able to speak until now.  Her Cerebral Palsy has kept her  body in a wheel chair and her words locked inside her mind.  After years of feeling alienated and alone, she gets a special computer that speaks for her.  She hopes it will be enough to be normal like the other kids in her class, but she finds out that life isn't always fair.
     This book is not one of my favorites.  The author plays with the reader's emotions and forces reactions.  The characters are black and white and overly good or overly bad.  They are not shades of gray like real people.
     Many pages of the book are spent on lists of questions and multiple choice answers which gets monotonous.  Although the reading level is pretty easy, mature readers will like the book more than other readers because of the way the book is written and the emotional reactions to bullying.  Since there is not much action and lots of the book takes place in Melody's head, it is not a good choice for reluctant readers. 

The Bridge to Never Land

   Aidan and Sarah Cooper find a strange clue that leads them to England in search of Stardust.  Ombra has been waiting for a century for Stardust so he can take over the world.  He uses ravens to attack people, steal their shadows, and control their minds.
     The kids head to America to find a legendary Starcatcher to help them keep the Stardust from Ombra.  When they find out about a possible Einstein-Rosen Bridge hiding Never Land,  they race to Disney World's Peter Pan's Flight in hopes they can get to Neverland before Ombra catches them.  
     Although the books starts slowly, it quickly becomes action packed.  There are a lot of coincidences to get everyone to Never Land, but kids won't mind.  Some parts may be too scary for young kids.  There are references to the other books in the Starcatchers series, but you can still enjoy the book if you haven't read any of the other books in the series.  The author explains the references to you.  It's a fun book for kids that like fantasy, Disney, or Peter Pan.          

Happy Birthday Bad Kitty

     It is bad kitty's birthday.  He doesn't want to go to the party or spend time with the other cats coming to his party.  On top of all that, his presents are all disappointments and he hates his cake.  Luckily his birthday is saved when his mom comes to visit.
     This is a fun book for kids who are just learning to read chapter books.  There are lots of pictures to support new readers.  The words are easy to read and the structure is predictable.  There are only a few words on each page, but several chapters make it seem like you are reading a longer book at 176 pages.  Bad Kitty will make kids laugh with his bad antics.  There is also information on cats to help students learn while they read.  The only thing I didn't like was that the author's asides were distracting.  This is a quick read and fun for ages 6-9.