Supergifted by Gordon Korman, 2018

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Donovan Curtis has never been what anyone would call “gifted.” But his genius friend Noah Youkilis is actually supergifted, with one of the highest IQs around. After years at the Academy for Scholastic Distinction, all Noah dreams of is the opportunity to fail if he wants to. And he’s landed in the perfect place to do it—Donovan’s school.

Almost immediately, Noah finds himself on the wrong side of cheerleading captain Megan Mercury and alpha jock Hash “Hashtag” Taggart. Sticking up for Noah lands Donovan in the middle of a huge feud with Hashtag. He’s told to stay away from the sports star—or else.

That should be the end of it, but when a freak incident suddenly makes Donovan a hero, he can’t tell anyone about it since Hashtag is involved. So Noah steps in and becomes “Superkid.” Now he’s gone from nerd to titan at school. And it may have gone more than a little bit to his head.

(304 pages)

Anyone who has followed this blog for long knows that I am a huge fan of Gordon Korman's. I have read most of his backlog, and I make a point of reading every one of his new books as they come out. Ungifted, the prequel to Supergifted, is one of my absolute favorites of his books.  I'm not just saying that, either: I have literally given it to my friends as birthday presents more than once, because it's a funny and engaging read that I knew they would enjoy.

That being said, I obviously came into Supergifted with a lot of enthusiasm and very high expectations.

And it largely did deliver. I have to say that it doesn't quite reach the same level of awesomeness as Ungifted–it's a little less wackily original, and it sidelines a couple of my favorite characters–but it's still a fun read in its own right. Perhaps most importantly, it feels like a genuine continuation of the first book. I always hate when the tone changes from book to book, or when characters act completely different in later books. But Donovan's and Noah's stupid decisions ring completely true and realistic within the context of Ungifted, so I took them in stride and laughed at their ridiculousness rather than being bothered by them.

As I said, I didn't enjoy the book quite as much. I found myself getting rather annoyed by the characters at certain times,  and their dynamics were kind of strange. The storyline with how underappreciated Donovan is at home, and his strained relationship with his brother-in-law, was probably my least favorite. I also didn't appreciate that Rachel was sidelined and basically replaced with Megan.

All in all, I enjoyed reading Supergifted and I'm glad I had the chance to read it.  If you have the opportunity, and you read and enjoyed Ungifted, then I recommend that you check out Supergifted.

Restart by Gordon Korman, 2017

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Chase's memory just went out the window.

Chase doesn't remember falling off the roof. He doesn't remember hitting his head. He doesn't, in fact, remember anything. He wakes up in a hospital room and suddenly has to learn his whole life all over again . . . starting with his own name.

He knows he's Chase. But who is Chase? When he gets back to school, he sees that different kids have very different reactions to his return.

Some kids treat him like a hero. Some kids are clearly afraid of him.

One girl in particular is so angry with him that she pours her frozen yogurt on his head the first chance she gets.

Pretty soon, it's not only a question of who Chase is--it's a question of who he was . . . and who he's going to be.

From the #1 bestselling author of Swindle and Slacker, Restart is the spectacular story of a kid with a messy past who has to figure out what it means to get a clean start.

(256 pages)

Do you know, I was supposed to be studying for my AP exams all day today. That was the goal, at least, until that little yellow package from Scholastic showed up on my doorstep. Once I pulled out my brand new ARC of Restart, the newest Korman novel, then my day was doomed. I dropped everything and devoured the entire thing in about two sittings (the one break consisted of my trying to get back to work, failing, and then shrugging and picking the book up again).

I don't know what it is about Gordon Korman, but his books always suck me in. Perhaps it's because I've been reading them for so long now, his distinctively funny yet deep writing style makes me nostalgic and lets me pretend that I'm a little kid again and not a high school senior preparing to head off to college. Perhaps its simply because of the intriguing storylines or because he always takes the story the way I'm hoping. Maybe it's a combination of all of those things.

Because on the surface, Restart is not the most amazing book I've ever read. I mean, its premise is awesome–a bully who's lost his memory and is nice now? Sweet!–but it's also incredibly unrealistic. Take it from the girl who was supposed to be studying AP Psychology all afternoon. And a lot of the elements that make up Restart have shown up in previous Korman novels. I was especially reminded of No More Dead Dogs and The Chicken Doesn't Skate, because all three books have elements of social blending, with kids from wildly different clubs and interests coming together in a combination of sports and theater/filmmaking/science (respectively). I also noticed a few character archetypes, like the filmmaker addict and the main girl who starts out hating the protagonist, and the slightly spacey fangirl chasing after the protagonist. All of these characters show up in at least two of the three books I mentioned, and some of them in others besides.

But you know what? I just don't care. Gordon Korman does middle schools books well. And I love the elements he pulls together, and Restart is actually a really good book. Because you see, I adored No More Dead Dogs and The Chicken Doesn't Skate. To this day, they still rank on my list of favorite books ever. If Korman wants to revisit some of his greatest successes and borrow a few devices, then I am totally okay with that.

And besides, how could I not love the "bully with amnesia" angle? Realistic or not, it's played amazingly here. My main critique, honestly, is that we don't get enough details about Chase's ordeal. I would have loved much more time spent just on watching him adjust to life without any of his memories, and I wouldn't have even minded getting more medical mumbo-jumbo to explain why his whole personality suddenly shifted with the bump on the head!

Anyway, I'll stop the review here because I don't actually have my copy of the book anymore: my elementary-school-aged brother came into my room tonight, asked for Restart, and disappeared with it. And honestly, if that doesn't tell you something about the universal appeal of Korman's books, then I don't know what would.

[Update: Just thought you'd like to know that within the first two days of Restart being in the house, three of us read it: I finished it the first day, my brother borrowed it that night and finished it by lunch the next day, and my mom borrowed it that night and stayed up past midnight reading it (on the landing, because my dad kicked her out so he could go to sleep). Like I said, my family love Gordon Korman books.]

Disclaimer: I received an unsolicited copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Jingle by Gordon Korman, 2016

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JINGLE: a light clinking or tingling sounds, often heralding the approach of Santa, reindeer, or the mysterious thief of a priceless possession . . .
Griffin Bing and his friends are NOT happy. Instead of going away for winter break, they've been signed up to volunteer at a local Christmas extravaganza . . . as elves.
It's not easy being an elf. Not when Santa is bad news and Rudolph is being played by a Doberman who makes up his own rules wherever he goes.
But being an elf is nothing compared to being blamed when a prized Christmas possession -- worth over ten million dollars -- is stolen right from under your nose.
It's time for these elves to get off the shelf and track down a Christmas thief!

(208 pages)

When I told my family I had the latest book in Gordon Korman's Swindle series, the response was two-fold. First, everyone said something along the lines of "wait, for real? There's another one? This series goes on forever!" And then, invariably, they asked if they could borrow it when I'm done.

You see, my family loves Gordon Korman's books. I'm the driving force behind this (i.e. I check the books out from the library), but my siblings will always choose to read the latest Gordon Korman when given the chance. They've had a little trouble keeping track of the Swindle books, though, just because there are so many of them - and the titles/covers sort of blend together after a while. I've read them all, though, mostly in order (besides accidentally reading the second book first), and I've heartily enjoyed every single one. Considering that Jingle is the eighth book of the series, you'd think that the novels would be getting pretty watered down by now. That hasn't been happening at all, though. I will say that in a perfect world I would prefer to see a tad more character development from book to book (the characters all seem pretty static at this point), but since I love the team members the way they are it's not too hard a pill to swallow that they don't change/mature over time.

I'm not here to talk about the Swindle series as a whole, though. Let's focus in on Jingle. I thought it was a really fun idea to have this installment revolving around the holidays, because it added a bit of an edge to the mystery when everything went wrong. No one wants Christmas to roll around with a missing Christmas star! Well, no one but Mr. Slovak, I suppose.

That brings me to the biggest side plot of the novel, the competition between Ben's parents. His mom is Christian; his dad's Jewish. The theft of the star winds up pushing them into a decorating competition (think giant Santas and light-up dreidels competing for roof space), and things get pretty out of hand by the end of the book. It's really funny, but also slightly sad - I felt bad for Ben, torn between his parents' two religious holidays.

As for the search for the stolen star, I thought it was an interesting mystery but maybe not the best the series has seen. Griffin seemed not quite as sharp as usual - there were one or two times when he made a call that even I could immediately tell wasn't right. I felt like there was more dumb luck involved with this one than in the other books, and the surveillance cameras the team often uses somehow felt more like an invasion of privacy in Jingle than they have in any of the other Swindle books. Characters actually discussed this, though, so I guess that was done on purpose. Just a hunch, but maybe the team will be forced to confront the ethics of their tactics in book nine!

There's not much more to say about Jingle. All of Gordon Korman's books are fun, and this is no exception. If you're interested and you haven't read the other books in the Swindle series, though, please go back and start at the beginning. You don't want to spoil pieces of the first seven books by starting with the eighth book in a series!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Slacker by Gordon Korman, 2016

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Cameron Boxer is very happy to spend his life avoiding homework, hanging out with his friends, and gaming for hours in his basement. It's not too hard for him to get away with it . . . until he gets so caught up in one game that he almost lets his house burn down around him.
Oops.

It's time for some serious damage control--so Cameron and his friends invent a fake school club that will make it seem like they're doing good deeds instead of slacking off. The problem? Some kids think the club is real--and Cameron is stuck being president.
Soon Cameron is part of a mission to save a beaver named Elvis from certain extinction. Along the way, he makes some new friends--and some powerful new enemies. The guy who never cared about anything is now at the center of everything . . . and it's going to take all his slacker skills to win this round.
(240 pages)

Who doesn't love a good Gordon Korman? I know I certainly do! This was a great read to kick off the summer with, because it's just so fun.

Now, the cynical part of me does has to say that Slacker is similar to many of Korman's other books, especially Ungifted and A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag (both of which I like more, partly just because I read them first). It's beginning to feel like Korman is kind of recycling components of his older books.

He's still a great writer, though, and I know that Slacker will appeal to a lot of kids. Heck, it appealed to me even though I'd already read so many of Korman's other books. He's an amazingly skilled writer, an amazingly funny writer, and that will always draw the attention of his audience. Plus, Cameron's gaming obsession is a total draw. I know that my brother's eyes lit up the minute I said the word "gaming" - now he wants to read Slacker as soon as I'm done with it, because he assumes it will be an interesting book.

For me, though, Slacker just didn't quite hit the sweet spot. It was good, and I really did enjoy kicking off the summer with a new Gordon Korman novel to make me laugh, but I never felt quite the same connection to the story, or the characters, that I have had with many of his others. If you haven't read as many of his books, though, then I definitely still suggest you give Slacker a try - it may not be very cutting edge compared to Korman's other books, but it's still funnier than the vast majority of middle grade books out there. If you do read Slacker, definitely let me know what you think of it in the comments section below!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Criminal Destiny by Gordon Korman, 2016

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The clones of Project Osiris are free—but they’re being hunted. . . . After their narrow escape from their “perfect” hometown, Eli, Tori, Amber, and Malik are finally in the real world and determined to expose the leaders of Serenity. They decide to track down Tamara Dunleavy, the mysterious billionaire and founder of Project Osiris. Evading capture by breaking laws and sneaking into houses, hotels, buses, and cars—are they becoming the criminals they were destined to be?
What they discover will change everything, leading them straight into the Plastic Works and the heart of the experiment, in order to uncover the deadly criminals they’re cloned from—and any evidence that will convince the outside world to believe the truth. But the outside world isn’t exactly what they expected—strangers aren’t just unfriendly, they’re dangerous. And the wrong move could send them right back into the arms of Dr. Hammerstrom—and trapped in Serenity for good.
On a breakneck journey from Jackson Hole to a maximum security prison—Eli, Tori, Amber, and Malik will stop at nothing to take Project Osiris down.

(320 pages)

Anyone who's been following my reviews for a while knows that I really loved Masterminds. When I found out that the sequel was coming out, I was so excited to see what would happen next! I went to Barnes & Noble the week it came out, and snagged my very own bright, shiny copy.

Needless to say, it did not survive the night. I didn't name my blog "Read Till Dawn" because I have a real abundance of self-control.

And honestly, I am glad I bought a copy of Criminal Destiny, but I'm slightly disappointed in it. And I don't think this is really the book's fault - it's more mine, for having read so many other "on-the-run" books over the years. Stealing cars, crashing in strangers' houses, worrying about the ethics of crimes you do while on the run . . . it all sounds very familiar, and that's because Gordon Korman himself actually has a series (literally called "On the Run") that incorporates a lot of those same elements. I'm not saying that Korman is out of things to write about or consciously copying himself, but with the basic premise of the story he had to include a lot of scenes about being on the run and after a six-book series he really hadn't left himself much unused material to tap into.

The characters don't make a huge amount of progress in regards to their conundrum, but they're certainly trying. I like that they're actively doing their very best to not just stay away from Project Osiris, but to also find a way to permanent safety. Watching them fumble their way through modern, normal cities is also a lot of fun - I never get tired of reading about people discovering things like skyscrapers for the first time.

My biggest attraction to these books, however, is the premise: that the kids are cloned from some of the worst criminals alive. The news hit them like a sledgehammer towards the end of the last book, but it isn't until now - with limitless wifi access - that they truly begin to explore all of the details of their crazy beginnings. They also have a disturbing notion that they're not actually human, because they don't have two biological parents. It's actually kind of heartbreaking, and I really hope that someone comforts them and explains things in the third book.

Because there is going to be a third book, right? Right?!

The Dragonfly Effect by Gordon Korman, 2015

I tried not to spoil the first two books of the Hypnotists series, but it's pretty hard to review the third book in a trilogy without ruining something from the preceding books. If you have never read any of the Hypnotists books before, get off this page right now. Here, why don't you check out the first book on Goodreads?

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The government has promised to protect Jax Opus and his family from enemies that want to use his hypnotic power to bring more evil into the world. Jax has reluctantly agreed to be protected. But protection has its price -- and soon Jax learns that if the government is going to help him, it's going to want some help in return.
The reach of Jax's hypnotic talents is especially dangerous because he doesn't have to be looking at people directly to control them. No, he can hypnotize people through video broadcasts -- so a person can be innocently checking a computer, and suddenly have a hypnotic message planted.
Even worse? Jax is not the only person who can do this. He is up against a hypnotic mastermind who has more than a few tricks up his sleeve.
It's a race against time and the power of evil in this heart-stopping adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman.

(256 pages)

Rather cheesy covers aside (honestly, just look at that green block text - did someone tell the cover artist The Dragonfly Effect was a horror novel?!), the Hypnotists books are great MG reads, and I've enjoyed reading them. If asked, I would have chalked my enjoyment for the first book almost entirely up to Korman's writing rather than the story itself, because it felt a little too much like other MG books about kids who discover they have powers. The second book, Memory Maze, continued to have Korman's uniquely compelling writing style, but also delved into some of the implications of hypnotism, going into the psychological effects it had on Jax. With The Dragonfly Effect we continue to explore the (sometimes horrifying) uses for hypnotism, the ethics involved in letting an organization like the military use hypnotism for their own ends, and the very real pain that can spring from the misuse of such power.

I think my favorite thing about this trilogy is that it never treats hypnotism like this awesome get-out-of-jail free card - no, that's not right. It's a get-out-of-jail free card, yes, but it's also the card that puts you into jail in the first place. Jax's hypnotism is pretty much just a curse for him, because it forced him to flee for his life and go into hiding. His parents, who love him dearly and readily sacrificed their entire careers for Jax's safety, are terrified of looking into his eyes because he might accidentally hypnotize them. The "gift" that Jax has comes at a terrible cost, and that cost is safety, peace of mind, familial trust, and, basically, childhood innocence.

Mako is an interesting villain because his innate skills are supposed to be weaker than Jax's, and yet he always seems so much stronger. This comes from the sheer ruthlessness with which he brandishes the ability, doing whatever it takes to reach his goals no matter who gets hurt in the process. That sort of cruel single-mindedness makes him a huge threat to Jax, because Jax is a genuinely good kid who is much too nice for his own good. I liked the almost Harry-Potter-esque contrast between good and evil there, especially with the addition of a third major party in the stand-off (whom I won't name for fear of spoilers - but for those of you who have read the book: I really loved him/her!). In a perfect world, one in which The Dragonfly Effect was a longer book, I would have liked to learn a little bit more about Mako's history. Was he always such a terrible person, or did something happen to make him that way? There could have been a fascinating (and probably heartbreaking) story there, but instead we just got the pretty much one-dimensional villain with a crazy evil scheme that would (as far as I can tell, anyway) hurt him as much as it did anyone else.

And that brings me to the biggest issue I had with this book: the ending. Everything was just too convenient. I obviously can't talk too much about it, but why on Earth would Mako set things up so that his opponents could do what they did? For a smart man, he's pretty stupid. And the thing with the airplane was exciting, but a little contrived. As for the number of casualties? Puh-lease.

Then again, this is Middle Grade fiction. And honestly, I actually really loved the way things ended. Sure it wasn't the most realistic series of events, but this is a MG book about kids with hypnotic powers. And the ending was really thrilling, with danger and excitement and a horse trotting through downtown New York. If I said I wanted a more realistic ending, I would totally be lying.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Five Authors I Want to Meet (and Five I Already Have)

Note: Okay, so this week's prompt is actually for upcoming releases we're excited about. I have no idea why I thought it was authors we want to meet - the only excuse I can offer is that I put this post together the evening before I took the SAT. I guess I was a little distracted, huh?

I have met many fabulous authors in my life, and there are many more I am dying to meet. This week's Top Ten prompt asks for ten authors I want to meet, but I've met a lot of the authors I really wanted to, so I'm dividing this into five authors I have already met and five I want to meet sometime in the future. Here we go:

First, here are five authors I am dying to meet:

1. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books
This one is obvious. Who doesn't want to meet JK Rowling?! Maybe if I do decide to go to college in the UK, my chances of meeting her will increase. Hey, I should go add that to my college decision notebook!

2. Angie Sage, author of the Septimus Heap books
She also lives in the UK, so I guess this one goes under "reasons to move to Great Britain" along with potentially meeting JK Rowling. I have talked to her on Twitter a few times, but I would love to meet her and get her to sign my books.

3. Jennifer A. Nielsen, author of the Ascendance trilogy (my review)
I have been trying to get Jennifer Nielsen to visit Maryland for years, and I even contacted her publicist once about it - but I've never been able to meet her. I do have an autographed ARC of Mark of the Thief, and I've talked to her on Twitter a handful of times, but it's not the same as meeting her in person.

4. Wendy Mass, author of the Willow Falls books (and many more!)
I'm not exactly sure where Wendy Mass lives, but I'm pretty sure it's in America. I'd love to meet her and get her to autograph at least some of the half a dozen books I own by her.

5. Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series, the Kane Chronicles, and the Heroes of Olympus books
Any event with Rick Riordan attending sells out in like five minutes flat, so the odds of my ever meeting him face-to-face are extremely small. If I could meet him, though, I would love to have him autograph my copy of The Lightning Thief, which began my journey with Riordan's books almost 5 years ago.

Next, these are some of my favorite authors who I have already met:

1. Margaret Peterson Haddix, author of more books than I can list here (including Double Identity)
Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows that I am a massive fan of Margaret Peterson Haddix's. My parents also know this. That's why my mother went two hours out of her way to drive me to a middle school where Haddix was doing an author visit. With the school's permission, not only did I get to see Haddix and hear her presentation, but I also got to spend 5 to 10 minutes with her before the presentation, chatting with her about her books as she signed her way through the four I'd brought in. It was awesome!

2. Gordon Korman, author of many wonderful books including No More Dead Dogs
He was actually the first author I ever met. It was at a book fair, and I was one of a long line of people signing up to get books autographed after his presentation. I spent the entire 30 seconds it took him to sign my books grinning like a maniac and bobbing up and down like an excitable puppy.

3. Shannon Hale, author of the Princess Academy trilogy
I met her during her book tour for Palace of Stone, the second Princess Academy book. She was on a panel with Jessica Day George (see #4), and it was very surreal to me to meet the author of the book I've loved since before I understood that there were people who wrote the books I read. I got my childhood copy of Princess Academy autographed, so now it's even more special to me than it was before.

4. Jessica Day George, author of the Dragon trilogy (plus a lot of other great books!)
As I said above, I met her at the same time I met Shannon Hale. There on a panel together at a book Festival, and I was really lucky they're sitting next to each other because I only had to sit through one line to get books by both of them signed. As soon as I saw Jessica Day George during the panel, I knew that she was someone I would love to talk to. Now that I follow her on Twitter, I'm sure of it!

5. Matthew J. Kirby, author of The Clockwork Three (and more)
my family was late to Kirby's session, but we caught him just as he was walking off to get in his car. He was very kind to me even though I was making him go off schedule, and he signed the brochure for the festival (which was all I had with me at the time). He sat and chatted for a moment before going on his way, and I was really struck with how nice he was as a person, on top of being a fantastic author.

Have you met at any of the authors on either of these lists, or any other authors? If you could pick any author in the world, who would you want to meet?

Masterminds by Gordon Korman, 2015

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From bestselling author Gordon Korman comes a thrilling new middle grade trilogy about a group of kids living in a Pleasantville-type town who discover a dark secret that connects them to some of the greatest criminal masterminds of their time.
Eli Frieden lives in the most boring town in the world: Serenity, New Mexico. Only thirty kids live in the idyllic town, where every lawn is perfectly manicured and everyone has a pool and a basketball hoop. Honesty and kindness are the backbone of the community. There is no crime in this utopia.
Eli has never left town…. Why would he ever want to? But everything changes the day he and his friend Randy bike to the edge of the city limits. Eli is suddenly struck with a paralyzing headache and collapses. Almost instantly, a crew of security—or “Purple People Eaters,” as the kids call them—descend via helicopter. Eli awakens in the hospital, and the next day, Randy and his family are gone. As Eli convinces his friends Tori and Malik to help him investigate Randy’s disappearance, it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems in Serenity. As the clues mount to reveal a shocking discovery, the kids realize they can trust no one—least of all their own parents . . .

(336 pages)

I got all excited about Masterminds in January, when it came out, but somehow lost track of it before I ccould get my act together enough to find myself a copy. Four months after it came out, I was ambling around the library looking for good books to read on a road trip. I stopped by the Gordon Korman section for some old favorites, and snatched up Masterminds instead! I picked it up that evening and . . . well, let's just say Masterminds didn't make it to the roadtrip. There's a reason my blog is called "Read Till Dawn," okay?

The minute I first read the teaser for Masterminds, I had all sorts of predictions for what would happen. I drew an immediate parallel to Margaret Peterson Haddix's Running Out of Time, which also revolves around a secluded city that turns out to have many secrets - many of which the parents were keeping from their children. That comparison holds largely true after finishing the novel, but there are actually a few other books that Masterminds reminds me of: Margaret Peterson Haddix's Escape From Memory, plus another Margaret Peterson Haddix that I can't name for fear of spoiling the plot twist and several of Korman's other books. The plot is very reminiscent of some of my favorite Haddix books, which means both that I loved it and that I had seen almost all of it before. The characters felt like combinations of Korman's other characters, most especially Amber (a slightly less likeable version of Rachel from No More Dead Dogs - link goes to my review) and Tori (whose innate climbing skills harken back to Pitch from the Swindle series), though as a whole they are unique enough to feel separate from earlier characters.

If I had read this book five years ago I would have adored it to pieces. Reading it now, the whole thing felt like one big rehash of a bunch of other books (see paragraph #2!). It's a matter of exposure: I've already been exposed to almost all of the themes and twists that dominated Masterminds. If I had read it first before reading the other books, then those would have been the books that seemed a little repetitive. But I'll be completely honest: even with all of its predictability, I still kind of adored Masterminds. It's exciting, it's grabbing, it's got drama and mental gymnastics and deception and identity crises. There's a reason I've read so many books with themes that parallel Masterminds, and it's not because I didn't like them. 

To find a book that combines so many of my favorite plot points was pretty awesome, and to find one written by one of the best authors I know was just about perfect. I will be highly recommending Masterminds to anyone who seems like a good fit for it, plus a few who probably wouldn't be very good fits. I will also be keeping an eye out for the sequels - and this time, I won't wait four months to track down a copy!

My Top Ten Favorite Authors

When I saw this week's Top Ten Tuesday prompt, I couldn't help but smile! Who doesn't like reeling off their favorite authors? This was probably the easiest post I've ever written, and one of the funnest. I hope you pick up a few new books/authors to check out as you read through here. I tried to include a few favorites from each author so you can check them out if you're interested.

1. Margaret Peterson Haddix

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my review

If I had to make a list of one, and choose a single favorite author, I wouldn't even blink before choosing her. She has written over 30 books, and I have read every single one of them. I adored some, I loved others, and merely liked others, but I have never actually disliked a book by Margaret Peterson Haddix. And after so many books, I find it extremely unlikely that this trend will ever change.

2. E.D. Baker

She does some great fairytale retellings. Her Frog Princess series is one of the few series that can get away with having eight books all about the same characters, and not get boring. I also love her book Wings, which isn't so much a retelling as it is a modern continuation/reinterpretation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Click to check out
my review

3. Gordon Korman

He is hilarious. Hilarious. I fell in love with his books years ago, and got my next oldest brother hooked as soon as he reached middle school. I am determined to foist his books on my youngest two siblings once they get old enough too, because his books are awesome entertainment. Even the names are charmingly silly: two that come to mind are The Chicken Doesn't Skate and No More Dead Dogs (incidentally, two of my favorites!).

4. Andrew Clements

Most of his books are for elementary and middle school kids, and that's where I was when I fell in love with them. Somehow I never really fell out of love with his books, and I still turn to them when I need a break from my normal fare. He also has a phenomenal YA book called Things Not Seen, which is just amazing.

5. Wendy Mass

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my review

She has a few books for older and younger people that I'm not a huge fan of (the older books are too racy for me, and the younger ones too slow), but the rest of her books are amazing. She always comes up with compelling, unique story ideas that keep you on your toes. Some of my favorites of her books include the Willow Falls books, the Twice Upon a Time series, and The Candymakers.

6. Angie Sage

Two words: Septimus Heap. It's one of my all-time favorite fantasy series, and is just all-around amazing. She's writing the spin-off series now, called TodHunter Moon, and it's one of the few spin-offs I've read that actually maintain a significant amount of the charm of the original series.

Click to check out
my review

7. Jennifer A. Nielsen

I fell in love with Jaron from The False Prince back in 2013, and haven't looked back since. I devoured the rest of the Acendance trilogy and moved on to her Underworld Chronicles. It's for younger kids, but I enjoyed it and my middle-school-aged brother liked it even more than I did. Just recently I read and loved Mark of the Thief, the start of her new series, and I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next. She has a World War II book coming out that's centered around the Berlin wall, which I can't wait to read. It's called A Night Divided.

8. Rick Riordan

Yes, he still goes on this list. I'm not a huge fan of the Heroes of Olympus books, so I may come across as kind of negative toward his books on this blog (in fact, I even did a post listing his most-used cliches!). However, I really do love the Percy Jackson series and that will never change. Those books are hilarious, heartwarming, and altogether charming, and will never lose their space on my bookshelf. And for that, Riordan gets a spot on my "favorite authors" list.

9. Jessica Day George

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my review

This is another author whose books I absolutely love. I'm the kind of person who hunts down as many books as I can when I like an author, so after finishing her amazing Dragon trilogy I moved straight into her Princess books and the Castle Glower series. I have never met a Jessica Day George I didn't like, and I don't believe I ever will!

10. James Riley

Riley is a master at fracturing fairytales. His Half Upon a Time books are hilarious, and so heartwarming. On the surface his writing style feels kind of juvenile (read: lots of exclamation marks), but this style of writing becomes part of the overall feel/humor of the books. I love how he takes all of the fairtyales and sets them in an alternate universe to our own.

Those are a few of my all-time favorite authors! What are yours?

No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman, 2000

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on Goodreads 

Nobody understands Wallace Wallace. This reluctant school football hero has been suspended from the team for writing an unfavorable book report of Old Shep, My Pal. But Wallace won't tell a lie -- he hated every minute of the book! Why does the dog in every classic novel have to croak at the end?After refusing to do a rewrite, his English teacher, who happens to be directing the school play Old Shep, My Pal, forces him go to the rehearsals as punishment. Although Wallace doesn't change his mind, he does end up changing the play into a rock-and-roll rendition, complete with Rollerblades and a moped!
(180 pages)

This is one of my all-time favorites of Korman's - and that's saying a lot! I've read the vast majority of his books, and loved the vast majority of those. His books are funny, clever, witty, and always leave you with a smile at the end of the day. I own a bunch of Gordon Kormans, but this is one of my favorites - right up there with Schooled and The Chicken Doesn't Skate. I've read it literally more times than I can count, coming back to it again and again whenever I need cheering up or a reminder of why I love to read. I finally bought my own copy with one of the gift cards I got for Christmas, and I loved re-reading it yet again! It never grows old for me, and I could literally read it over and over again and never get sick of it.

This is a character-driven book, full of characters with just enough quirk to be hilarious and charming, but not enough to be over-the-top obnoxiously quirky. The traditional school roles of the jocks and the drama nerds are simultaneously affirmed and trampled in this book where the most happening event of the school year is the play, and the star of the football team spends far more time back-stage than he does on the field.

Speaking of Wallace Wallace (no typo, his first name is also his last name!), he is both heartwarming and hilarious. He unerringly tells the truth no matter what the question, or who is listening. This means that he is absolutely, rolling-on-the-ground, hilarious when people ask him questions that really warrant a white lie, not a detailed (and completely truthful) answer. I love him for being so honest, so straightforward, and so matter-of-fact about things. He wants more than anything else to be honest, but along the way he creates a big mess.

Of course, the story is not just about Wallace. It switches POV between many other characters as well, including Rachel (president of the drama club), Trudi (Rachel's ditzy best friend with a crush on Wallace), and Mr. Fogelman (the teacher who forces Wallace to participate in the play until he writes a positive essay about Old Shep, My Pal). The POV switches often enough to keep things fresh, without confusing the reader. Every chapter is narrated in first person by a different character, but each of them has such a different voice that it is impossible to forget who is talking. My favorite narrator would have to be Rachel, because I love her by herself and because I love seeing Wallace through her eyes.

I can't put into words why exactly I love this book so much, but I do, and I wholeheartedly reccomend it to anyone and everyone. Please, read it. You'll thank me once you're finished.

Swindle by Gordon Korman, 2008

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
After a mean collector named Swindle cons him out of his most valuable baseball card, Griffin Bing must put together a band of misfits to break into Swindle's compound and recapture the card. There are many things standing in their way -- a menacing guard dog, a high-tech security system, a very secret hiding place, and their general inability to drive -- but Griffin and his team are going to get back what's rightfully his . . . even if hijinks ensue. 
(256 pages)


This is a fun book that I first read years ago. Since then both I and my middle school brother have read the rest of the books, more or less in order. I wouldn't call this one of my favorite books from the series, but because it's the first it's definintely fun to see where everything began. This is where the team comes together for the first time: it's their first crazy adventure, and coming back to it there's a bit of nostalgia in the air - or at least to me there is.

This is a Middle Grade series that is a lot of fun. My middle school-aged brother always sucks these books in as fast as I get ahold of them. He isn't obsessed with them or anything, but he likes them enough he'll drop a less interesting read for a day or two to read a new one. I do still get them when they ccome out, for my own reading enjoyment (I was reading them before he was!), but I don't go out of my way to snag a copy of the new books or even remember when there is a new one half the time - they just sort of pop up every now and then, and I check them out to read them.

As for this book in particular, I'm sorry I can't remember more details. I set out to review this almost a year ago after re-reading it, and forgot to actually do the writing part of writing a review. Now I, slightly neurotic, am trying to clear out my draft pile (which right now is filled with "spam-posts" that I started and never finished a long time ago). Some would point out that I could just throw out all those old half-posts by hitting the "delete" button. But nay, that would be cheating!

So here we go. Characters, lets talk about characters. I love Korman's characters. Just, you know, in general. He comes up with the funnest MCs and supporters. The Swindle books really put his talent in the best light as he draws each unique, unrealistic but oh-so-realistic character in the group. There's Logan, the aspiring actor, Savannah the animal lover, Melissa the shy computer genius, Ben the ever present sidekick, and Griffin, known as The Man with the Plan. The villains are interesting if not incredibly three-dimensional. There's the school bully who forces himself in on the plan and of course there's swindle himself who jerked Griffin out of a valuable baseball card that could save his family from having to move away.

If you like Middle Grade books, then check out this series. If you don't have time to read the entire series, then I would recommend starting with some of Korman's other books: this is a very good series, but it gets better as it goes along. If you're looking for good, funny Middle Grade book either for yourself or for a middle schooler you know, Korman is probably the best Middle Grade author I've ever read. If you have read this series and are looking for more books by him, an excellent place to start would be with Ungifted, No More Dead Dogs, or Schooled (the links go to Goodreads). You can read my review of Ungifted here.

Ungifted by Gordon Korman, 2012

The word gifted has never been applied to a kid like Donovan Curtis. It's usually more like Don't try this at home. So when the troublemaker pulls a major prank at his middle school, he thinks he's finally gone too far. But thanks to a mix-up by one of the administrators, instead of getting in trouble, Donovan is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction (ASD), a special program for gifted and talented students.

It wasn't exactly what Donovan had intended, but there couldn't be a more perfect hideout for someone like him. That is, if he can manage to fool people whose IQs are above genius level. And that becomes harder and harder as the students and teachers of ASD grow to realize that Donovan may not be good at math or science (or just about anything). But after an ongoing experiment with a live human (sister), an unforgettably dramatic middle-school dance, and the most astonishing come-from-behind robot victory ever, Donovan shows that his gifts might be exactly what the ASD students never knew they needed.

This book is Gordon Korman at his best. It's also not very old, so that gives me hope for his future books. I hate it when an author kind of slowly slides down in quality until you go from great books to reading mud, you know? But this is definitely not the case with Gordon Korman. He's at the top of his game in Ungifted, and I love it!

Donovan is not gifted. At all. He's average in every sense of the word - but he does get in trouble more than the average person. He has what could almost be some form of ADHD or something, where once he thinks of an idea he just has to try it - no matter the conseqences. So it's business like usual when Donovan grabs a stick and whacks it across the giant behind of a large metal statue of Atlas (the guy, not the map) holding up the world. When things get a little out of hand, however, is when the world literally falls out of Atlas' hands. The world portion of the statue falls off, rolls down the hill, and crashes into a mega-expensive sports building full of screaming sports fans. No one is hurt, but Donovan's in trouble.
But wait. Y'see, the superintendant of the school made a mistake. He wrote Donovan's name on the paper with kids who go to the special school for gifted kids down the road. That's right, Donovan didn't get expelled - he got promoted. He decides to stick it out with the geniuses to save his parents from footing the bill for the gym, and that's when he starts to realize that those geeks and nerds are very cool in their own way - they just need a little push in the right direction from someone who doesn't spend all his time stressing about grades or some new science concept. But this uneasy answer won't last forever, and Donovan knows it's only a matter of time before the super-intendant finds him.

This book is flat out hilarious. That's the first thing I'll say. Donovan is a hoot, and everyone around him, from the serious genius girl who can't think about anything but getting into a good college, to the freakishly smart boy who wishes he were normal and didn't have to go to the smart kid school (and so tries desperately to flunk, a running punch-line throughout the book) - and who discovers the secrets of YouTube and is suddenly addicted.
The book is told alternating views between classmates at the Academy (the gifted school), the teachers, the super-intendant, Donovan himself, and Donovan's also funny (and highly pregnant) sister. It is very cool reading how everyone thinks about Donovan and sees him, which is somehow very different from how he sees himself in certain ways.

There is a reference throughout the book to an ancestor who survived the sinking of the Titanic, which for me (a tried-and-true Titaniac) was kind of a cool little tie-in to actual history. Also, for those who don't know Gordon Korman's works, he also wrote the Titanic trilogy and I find he fits in little references to the Titanic in many of his books. Got half an hour to kill? Ask me a question about the Titanic. Or books that even use the word titanic (i.e. "He took a titanic leap"). I probably know a little too much on the subject than it is really possibly to classify under "passing interest."

Katie (Donovan's sister)'s husband is stationed over-seas in the military, and rather than being anything bad her pregnancy is more of a running gag and something that comes in very handy when the Academy students realize they haven't taken "sex ed" yet - what's better education in that area than studying an actual child in vitro? Nothing inappropriate, and it's actually extremely sweet. 

This book is awesome, and I have given it as a gift to a friend who loves Wendy Mass books (who said she loves it). It is a great, great book and even if it might be a little tilted when it comes to what smart kids are like, so what? I'm a smart kid (though no Noah), and I don't mind. You come into the story knowing it's not really the way life is, and it's the story (not the "message") that is the reason you should read it.