Dare To Be Scared

This week, I'm sharing scary chapter books for kids in grade school.  Here are a few of my favorites . . .

The Seer of Shadows by Avi
In New York City in 1872, fourteen-year-old Horace, a photographer's apprentice, becomes entangled in a plot to create fraudulent spirit photographs, but when Horace accidentally frees the real ghost of a dead girl bent on revenge, his life takes a frightening turn.

Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan
Two boys who are best friends visit an illegal freak show, where an encounter with a vampire and a deadly spider forces them to make life-changing choices.

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier
Irish orphans Molly, fourteen, and Kip, ten, travel to England to work as servants in a crumbling manor house where nothing is quite what it seems to be, and soon the siblings are confronted by a mysterious stranger and secrets of the cursed house.


More Scary Stories --
The Book of Bad Things by Dan Poblocki
The Boy Who Cried Werewolf by J.H. Reynolds
Case File 13: Zombie Kid by J. Scott Savage
Charlie and the Grandmothers by Katy Towell
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Darkness Creeping: Twenty Twisted Tales by Neal Shusterman
Doll Bones by Holly Black
The Doll Graveyard by Laura Ruby
Guys Read: Terrifying Tales by Jon Scieszka
Literally Disturbed: Tales to Keep You Up at Night by Ben H. Winters
Mothman's Curse by Christine Hayes
Nightbooks by J.A. White
Strange Star by Emma Carroll
Whisper in the Dark by Joseph Bruchac

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through November 8, 2019.

Best Books of 2018 - Chapter Books

This week, I'm sharing some of the best chapter books of 2018 for children.  Here are a few of my favorites . . .

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier
In nineteenth-century England, after her father's disappearance Nan Sparrow, ten, works as a "climbing boy," aiding chimney sweeps, but when her most treasured possessions end up in a fireplace, she unwittingly creates a golem.

The Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis
When his poor sharecropper father is killed in an accident and leaves the family in debt, twelve-year-old Little Charlie agrees to accompany fearsome plantation overseer Cap'n Buck north in pursuit of people who have stolen from him.

Inkling by Kenneth Oppel
When an inkblot, who can write, listen, learn, and draw, jumps out of Mr. Rylance's sketchbook, Ethan believes he may be the answer to their problems and names him Inkling.

My Father's Words by Patricia MacLachlan
Declan O'Brien always had a gentle word to share, odd phrases he liked to repeat, and songs to sing. His family loved him deeply and always knew they were loved in return, but a terrible accident one day changes their lives forever. What words are there to guide them through such overwhelming grief?


More Best Chapter Books --
The Boy, the Bird, and the Coffin Maker by Matilda Woods
Denis Ever After by Tony Abbott
The Key to Everything by Pat Schmatz
Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty
The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson
Samantha Spinner and the Super-Secret Plans by Russell Ginns
The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller
The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon
The Serpent's Secret by Sayantani Dasgupta
The Tale of Angelino Brown by David Almond
The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor
Very Rich by Polly Horvath

Check these and more books out on display at the Arnold Branch through January 11, 2019.

It's a Hard-Knock Life: Stories of Orphans

This week, I'm sharing chapter book stories featuring orphans . . . .

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
Raised to be a thief, blind orphan Peter Nimble, age ten, steals from a mysterious stranger three pairs of magical eyes, that lead him to a hidden island where he must decide to become a hero or resume his life of crime.

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
When ten-year-old orphan Peter Augustus Duchene encounters a fortune teller in the marketplace one day and she tells him that his sister, who is presumed dead, is in fact alive, he embarks on a remarkable series of adventures as he desperately tries to find her.

Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones
Although an orphan, Earwig has always enjoyed living at St. Morwald's, where she manages to make everyone do her bidding, but when she is taken in by a foster parents who are actually a witch and a demon, she has a hard time trying to turn the situation to her advantage.

The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
In this tongue-in-cheek take on classic themes in children's literature, the four Willoughby children set about to become "deserving orphans" after their neglectful parents embark on a treacherous around-the-world adventure, leaving them in the care of an odious nanny.


More Tales of Orphans --
Audacity Jones to the Rescue by Kirby Larson
Baker's Magic by Diane Zahler
Bubble by Stewart Foster
The Door by the Staircase by Katherine Marsh
The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen
Fast Break by Mike Lupica
Greetings from Witness Protection! by Jake Burt
The League of Beastly Dreadfuls by Holly Grant
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin by Elinor Teele
The Orphan and the Mouse by Russell Freedman
Unhooking the Moon by Gregory Hughes
Wanderville by Wendy McClure
When Mischief Came to Town by Katrina Nannestad

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through June 22, 2018.

Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard by Jonathan Auxier

Peter Nimble is back!

Sophie Quire's life changes forever when she is caught trying to rescue some books from being burned for being full of "nonsense".  She is rescued from Inquisitor Prigg by the boy Peter Nimble who later asks her assistance in mending an old book.  This book will lead Sophie and Peter on an adventure to save the world . . . .

This is the second book featuring Peter Nimble.  It is fascinating to see how attaining the ability to see changes Peter.  It is also interesting to meet Sophie and learn how a bookish intellectual can save the world.  Hopefully, more Peter Nimble and Sophie Quire books are written.

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier

Peter Nimble is an blind orphan that has been forced into a life as a thief by his guardian Mr. Seamus.  One afternoon after picking the locks on a mysterious carriage, Peter is spirited away on an adventure to save the Lost Kingdom.  It is an adventure involving talking animals, a desert full of traitors, an evil king, and a box full of magical eyes.  It is an adventure that can only be taken by the greatest thief in the world . . . Peter Nimble!

This is a fantastic book for everybody to read.  The character of Peter Nimble is the perfect hero who is unsure of himself while still wanting to save the day.  It would be a great read for those who enjoyed the Peter and the Starcatchers books.

This book is also available on audio.

Boo! Tales to Haunt You

Halloween is quickly approaching, which means that one of the most popular requests at the moment is "scary" books.  Ghosts are always a popular answer to those requests.  So here are some of my favorite ghost stories for children . . .

Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise
In this story told mostly through letters, children's book author, I. B. Grumply, gets more than he bargained for when he rents a quiet place to write for the summer.

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
A mix-up involving the greatest magic in the world has tremendous consequences for Liesl, an orphan who has been locked in an attic, Will, an alchemist's runaway apprentice, and Po, a ghost, as they are pursued by friend and foe while making an important journey.

The Beasts of Clawstone Castle by Eva Ibbotson
While spending the summer with elderly relatives at Clawstone Castle in northern England, Madlyn and her brother Rollo, with the help of several ghosts, attempt to save the rare cattle that live on the castle grounds.

The Seer of Shadows by Avi
In New York City in 1872, fourteen-year-old Horace, a photographer's apprentice, becomes entangled in a plot to create fraudulent spirit photographs, but when Horace accidentally frees the real ghost of a dead girl bent on revenge, his life takes a frightening turn.

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier
Irish orphans Molly, fourteen, and Kip, ten, travel to England to work as servants in a crumbling manor house where nothing is quite what it seems to be, and soon the siblings are confronted by a mysterious stranger and secrets of the cursed house.


More Ghost Books ---
Constable & Toop by Gareth P. Jones
Doll Bones by Holly Black
The Ghost Behind the Wall by  Melvin Burgess
The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn
Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost by Cornelia Funke
The Hunt for the Seventh by Christine Morton Shaw
Knee-Knock Rise by Natalie Babbitt
Paranorman: A Novel by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Please the Ghost by Sharon Creech
Stealaway by K.M. Peyton
Sweet Miss Honeywell's Revenge: A Ghost Story by Kathryn Reiss
The Time of the Ghost by Diana Wynne Jones
The Wicked, Wicked Ladies in the Haunted House by Mary Chase


Check out these and other ghosts stories at the Arnold Branch!

Stop! Thief!

Stories of thievery are very exciting.  Whether a character who has to steal an object for survival or kids trying to stop a theft from taking place, these stories are thrilling.  Here are some great chapter books featuring thieves . . .

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
Gen flaunts his ingenuity as a thief and relishes the adventure which takes him to a remote temple of the gods where he will attempt to steal a precious stone.

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
Raised to be a thief, blind orphan Peter Nimble, age ten, steals from a mysterious stranger three pairs of magical eyes, that lead him to a hidden island where he must decide to become a hero or resume his life of crime.

Clueless McGee by Jeff Mack
Through a series of letters to his father, a private investigator, fifth-grader PJ "Clueless" McGee tells of his efforts to discover who stole macaroni and cheese from the school cafeteria.

More Books About Thievery --

Atlantis Rising by T.A. Barron

Code of Silence by Tim Shoemaker

Framed by Gordon Korman

Highway Robbery by Kate Thompson

Madhattan Mystery by John J. Bonk

The Map to Everywhere by Carrie Ryan

Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief by Wendelin Van Draanen

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

Tracking Daddy Down by Marbeth Kelsey

The Vengekeep Prophecies by Brian Farrey