The Midnight Tunnel by Angie Frazier

I hope Elizabeth enjoys Angie Frazier's The Midnight Tunnel as much as I did. My sisters and I are all mystery fans. I sent a copy of this to my niece, Elizabeth, since she challenged me to read again this year. Maybe I'll make a mystery reader out of her as well. This first Suzanna Snow book, designed for readers eight to twelve, introduces one of the most intelligent young detectives I've read about in quite a while.

Eleven-year-old Suzanna (Zanna) Snow is the daughter of the managers of a resort hotel in New Brunswick, Canada. In 1904, the Rosemount Hotel is a summer destination for the wealthy, and Suzanna's parents hope she'll join them in management eventually. To that end, her mother is attempting to transform her into a lady, providing her with a list of social taboos, each describing what a proper lady would never do. Suzanna's mother might as well give up. Zanna has her own list, notebooks filled with overheard conversations, detective rules and quotes. Zanna aspires to be a detective, just like her father's brother, Uncle Bruce, a famous detective in Boston.
 
When the lights in the hotel go out in the middle of a storm one night, and a little girl goes missing, Zanna just might have her chance. She saw something in the servants' tunnel during the storm, and she's convinced she saw someone taking the child. But, only her friend, Isaac, the boy who works on the lobster boat, believes her. When her Uncle Bruce is hired to find Maddie, Zanna knows he'll accept her help. Instead, she finds her clues belittled. And, that revered uncle doesn't seem to be as wonderful as she dreamed. He even brought a nephew with him. Will James is supposed to be apprenticing as a detective, which makes Zanna jealous.  However, Will and Isaac seem to be the only two people willing to listen to Zanna, who is determined to find the missing Maddie.

Frazier's juvenile mystery, with its appealing heroine, interesting setting and time period, is a fascinating story. And, any of us who grew up with Nancy Drew or Harriet the Spy will welcome this new addition to the genre. The humor in this story comes from Suzanna's failure as an assistant in the kitchen. She just isn't cut out for the hotel business, but, hopefully, The Midnight Tunnel will launch her successful detecting career.

Angie Frazier's website is www.angiefrazier.com

The Midnight Tunnel by Angie Frazier. Scholastic, Inc., ©2011. ISBN 9780545208628 (hardcover), 288p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me a copy of the book, in hopes I would review it.

Blast from the Past by Meg Cabot

This is my niece, Elizabeth.  I know this is an odd way to start a book review, but, let me explain.  Some of you may recognize her from a few years ago when she challenged me, saying she could read more books than I could that year.  She did beat me, by a couple books.  Elizabeth is still a reader, but she has other interests as well.  She was Junior Goat Princess this year at the fair, and this is her, and her pygmy goat, Fred.  She also plays volleyball, is a cheerleader, and acts in community and school theater. 

But, she's still a reader, and the last time I sent her mother a box of books, she asked if there was one for her.  Not that time, but this book will be coming soon, Elizabeth.  I hadn't read any of Meg Cabot's books in the Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls series until this one.  Blast from the Past is book six, but you don't have to have read earlier ones to love Allie.  Why does a girl who wants to be a veterinarian/actress, has two brothers, and lives in an older house within walking distance of a school remind me of Elizabeth?

Allie Finkle is excited about the class field trip.  She's never ridden a bus because she walks to school.  And, she's had bad luck, and missed every field trip, including the one the previous year at her other school, when her former best friend, Mary Kay Shiner had Allie's permission slip, but told the teacher she'd given it back to Allie. 

But, this year, she's all set.  She might not have the cell phone she wants, and her cat might be hiding in the wall, but she's going to ride a bus to Honeypot Prairie to visit a restored one-room schoolhouse and living history museum.   At least Allie's excited until she finds out her class is paired up with her old school, and her partner for the day, her "buddy," is none other than Mary Kay Shiner.

I always mention I know I'm not the target audience when I review juvenile books.  But, Meg Cabot is an exceptional author, whether she's writing for tweens, teens or adults.  Her books are always fun, with humor, and, usually lessons for the reader.  Since Allie Finkle herself has lists of rules for life, Cabot doesn't have to point out her lessons.  I think Cabot's target audience of tween girls will enjoy Allie Finkle in Blast from the Past.  So, this one is coming your way, Elizabeth. 

Meg Cabot has two websites, http://www.megcabot.com/ and http://www.alliefinklerules.com/.

Blast from the Past by Meg Cabot.  Scholastic, ©2010. ISBN 9780545040488 (hardcover), 240p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me an advanced reading copy, in hopes I would review it.

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

For those of us who mourned the ending of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the first book in the spin-off series was released this week, The Lost Hero.  The Heroes of Olympus is the name of this follow-up series, and, if the first book is any indication, readers will be just as pleased with these.  I don't care that the target audience is 9 to 11.  I bought my copy for my Kindle because I wanted it on Tuesday. 

The opening sentence of The Lost Hero would capture anyone's attention.  "Even before he got electrocuted, Jason was having a rotten day."  Jason doesn't know who he is, or how he ended up at Wilderness School with a group of troubled teens who were fifteen and sixteen.  But, when a monster attacks Jason and two other teens on the walkway at the Grand Canyon, he quickly figures out the three of them are a little different.  When a rescue team, led by Annabeth, swoops in to rescue them and take them to Camp Half-Blood, he knows how different they are.  But, Jason still doesn't know who he is.

Piper and Leo are only a little better off.  They're all a little old to arrive at Camp Half-Blood, but they quickly learn they're essential members of a new team sent on a quest.  Hera is imprisoned, and, if she's not rescued by the solstice, in four days, a king will arise who opposes the gods on Olympus.  All three, Jason, Piper, and Leo, have secrets, but the oracle's messages indicate they must move quickly.  And, each one has strange dreams, and messages from Hera.

Riordan's first series always left the reader breathless with anticipation and anxiety.  Percy Jackson's adventures were riveting, involving the Greek gods.  Now,  Percy Jackson's disappearance is an essential plot element, while Jason's involvement introduces the elements of the Roman gods.  The three new demi-gods have fascinating backgrounds, different from characters in the earlier books.  To tell anymore would be to ruin the excitement of this series.  My only disappointment?  It will be a year before the next book in the series.  But, The Lost Hero successfully launches an exciting follow-up series combining fantasy and mythology.  It's a must-read for those of us who loved Percy Jackson.

Rick Riordan's website is http://www.rickriordan.com/

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan.  Hyperion, ©2010. ISBN 9781423113393 (hardcover), 576p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - I bought the ebook for my Kindle.