Montmorency's Revenge

Montmorency's Revenge is by Eleanor Updale. The fourth book in the saga of Montmorency and his dual life. After George is murdered, Montmorency and Jack set out to find the killers and take revenge. Can he learn to be a father to Tom? Can he stop Farcett's slide into insanity? Can he teach the next generation to forgive when the need for revenge is eating at his own soul? As he races around the globe seeking to stop the anarchist's from killing again he must come face to face with his own past once and for all.

Ratings: 8th grade - 8 out of 10.

The Titan's Curse

The Titan's Curse is by Rick Riordan. The third book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth rush to help Grover rescue two new half-bloods from Luke and the evil Kronos. After Annabeth and Artemis are captured Percy, Thalia and Zoe (one of Artemis' hunters) have only a short time to save them and prevent the Titan's Curse from destroying the Olympian gods and the human world. But will they fall prey to the curse, and who will be the ones the Oracle says will never return? Another great installment in the series.

Ratings: 8th grade - 9 out of 10.

The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees is by Sue Monk Kidd. Lily lives in South Carolina with an abusive father and a black "stand-in mother" named Rosaleen who has taken care of her since her mother was killed. Determined to register to vote Rosaleen insults three racists and is thrown in jail and beaten. Lily decides to free Rosaleen and run away to Tiburon, a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by three beekeeping black sisters she is introduced to the world of bees, honey, and the Black Madonna. A remarkable novel set against the civil rights struggle of 1964. A powerful tale of healing, forgiveness, and the power of love.

Ratings: 9th grade - 9 out of 10 - P (profanity).

Impossible

Impossible is by Nancy Werlin. A fantastically amazing story based on the song "Scarborough Fair". Lucy is seventeen and getting ready for her prom. She is looking forward to her future; true her birth mother is mentally unstable, but she has wonderful foster parents and her childhood neighbor and friend, Zach. When Lucy becomes pregnant after being raped by her prom date she discovers that the women in her family are cursed by the Elfin Knight to become pregnant at 17 and go mad after the baby's birth. She decides to keep the child and find a way to complete the three "impossible" tasks that will break the curse. Her foster parents rally around to support her and her relationship with Zach matures from friendship to love. But can she and her child escape from the evil Elfin Knight's curse? A wonderfully enchanted new take on fairy tales from a modern perspective. There is mature thematic content, although there are no graphic descriptions of any kind.

Ratings: 9th grade - 10 out of 10 - AC (mature thematic content) - MP (mild profanity).

The Rise of the Black Wolf

The Rise of the Black Wolf is by Derek Benz & J.S. Lewis. The second book in The Grey Griffins series. Max and his friends are off to Scotland to spend Christmas at his father's castle. But things begin to go wrong when a pack of werewolves appear and come after the Grey Griffins, and if that isn't bad enough Max's dad is taken by Morgan LaFey. She threatens to kill him unless Max brings her the Spear of Ragnarok which only he can find. Can the Griffins find the spear and save Max's dad? Perhaps, but things are not at all as they appear. This book has a totally unexpected ending.

Ratings: 7th grade - 9 out of 10.

Eagle

Eagle is by Jeff Stone. Book five in The Five Ancestors series continues the story from Ying's point of view. Ying and Hok continue to search for the dragon treasure and avoid capture by Tonglong. Ying has been deceived by the Emperor and Tonglong. Is there anyone he can trust? Left with no choice but to trust the very five young monks he tried to kill, Ying continues his search for his past and the treasure. The tale of the young monks continues to flow in a seamless fashion that is not interrupted by every book's change of perspective. Young boys will devour this series.

Ratings: 6th grade - 9 out of 10.

Soul Eater

Soul Eater is by Michelle Paver. The third installment in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series. Torak and Renn are in the Far North searching for Wolf who has been taken by the Soul Eaters. What do they want with him? Can Renn and Torak rescue him in time and save their world from the machinations of the evil Soul Eaters? This series is thoroughly enjoyable. Every installment is better than the last. Can't wait for the next volume!

Ratings: 7th grade - 10 out of 10.