#91 Pond Scum

Move over Walt Disney: make way for Alan Silberberg! Pond Scum is one of the funniest and most clever books I've read this year!

The animals in this book have banded together, lead by General Santo Domingo, and are doing their best to drive all humans away from the pond, and the rundown house that sits near it. Whenever the real estate agent comes to show a new family around, they dive-bomb the people, and play all sorts of tricks to scare them away.

But when Oliver's mother sees the house, she thinks it is perfect - and they move in. Now Oliver is not the kid who runs around checking out the pond: he's more likely to be sitting in front of the tv for hours at a time...but that's not easy when you only get one fuzzy channel. So Oliver climbs up onto the roof of the house and attempts to put an antennae on it, and this is when the excitement really begins! He crashes right through the roof into the attic, where he finds a stone so shiny and mystical looking that it must be magic. (And of course, it is!)

Now Oliver has already found his first pet - a salamander named Mooch - and when he finds out what that jewel can do (make him become whatever animal he and the rock are touching) it isn't long before he's a salamander, tramping around the pond with Mooch. And not long after that he's flying around with his new friend...

Well, that's enough of that: I'm giving away all the fun! If you've enjoyed Disney movies with their goofy characters and their silly plots, then this is definitely the book for you. Enjoy!!

#90 Keeping Score

Keeping Score will definitely be numbered among the best books I've read this year. Maggie-O (named for Joe DiMaggio) lives with her family in a community where baseball is the number one pastime. It's the early 1950's, so everyone listens to the games on the radio, and the Dodgers are the team to cheer for.

Maggie and her brother love to spend time at the fire station where their Dad works. When told she doesn't know anything about baseball because she's a girl, Maggie learns to keep score, and pretty soon she is recording every single Dodgers game. However, this isn't a story just about baseball. Jim, the fireman who taught Maggie how to keep score, ends up being called up to active duty in the Korean War, and Maggie starts out sending him regular letters.

When Jim's letters stop Maggie gets worried, and finally she learns that Jim witnessed some terrible events in Korea and has come home traumatized and unresponsive. Maggie is sure that, with the help of their shared love of baseball, she can get Jim to talk. But, like the Dodgers, there doesn't seem to be any hope for Jim either.

Yes, this is another historical fiction book. Maggie's determination and unfailing hope throughout the book make for a wonderful story, whether or not you are a baseball fan...for this is much more than a book about baseball. I loved it. I think you will too.

#89 The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis

Life for Popeye in his little house in Fayette, South Carolina is bo-o-ring. Every day is the same and nothing ever happens. Until one day when Popeye runs down the road and sees a motor home stuck in the mud. Living in that motor home is one very big, very wild family. The oldest, and bravest of all, is a boy named Elvis.

Elvis and Popeye decide that they need to have an adventure before Elvis's motor home (the Holiday Rambler) gets pulled out of the mud. While waiting and watching for something to happen, they see a little boat floating down the river. The little boat has a little message inside. Who could have written it? And what does it mean?

Now that Elvis and Popeye have found their adventure, will they be able to see it through to the end? And will Popeye's summer turn out to be more exciting than he could ever dream of?

If you're looking for a little fun on a boring summer day, look no further than The Small Adventures of Popeye and Elvis. They just may help you appreciate the little adventures in your life! Here's a little video link if you want to learn more: http://youtu.be/BoEEsSh_jPI.

#88 The Titanic: An Interactive History Adventure

If you could take a trip on the Titanic, and experience the incredible ship in 1912, would you be a passenger in 1st class, 3rd class, or would you be a crewmember? How would you react when the ship collided with the iceberg and panic set in? Would you help others? Would you be the first one to climb into a lifeboat? Or would you jump into the cold icy waters?

This book allows you to experience this historic voyage in many different ways. It's one of those "You choose" stories, where you determine which move you would make a turn to the corresponding page in the book. All of the events really happened to real people aboard the ship - and you get to experience it.

I know many of you love reading the stories of the Titanic. This is one exceptional book that will make you feel as if you were there. There are three stories, 35 choices and 15 different endings, so you'll want to read it again and again. I encourage you to check it out!

#87 Abadazad: The Road to Inconceivable

I have to admit that I almost quit on this book after the first 25 pages. It wasn't that I didn't like the story, for I actually found that to be engaging, creative and adventurous. I think it was because I didn't like the character of Kate, and I especially didn't like the tension between Kate and her mother. (To be really honest, I thought Kate was a spoiled brat, and I really had a hard time reading the mean things she said about people.)

I did keep reading, however, and when I finished the book I decided that it does have some very redeeming qualities that make it worthy of spending time with.

Kate and her little brother Matt are very close, so she is understandably very upset when he disappears while in her care. They have loved sharing the tales of Abadazad together - so when the strange old woman who lives next door tells Kate that she lived in Abadazad, and that her brother has been kidnapped and is there, she realizes that she has to rescue him.

The story is told through Kate's diary, pages from the Abadazad books (supposedly), and graphically through comics. The comics are scattered throughout the book, and they really do help tell the tale.

I think it was when Kate arrived in Abadazad that she began to soften a bit, and I found myself liking her more and more. Now, this story is tough: tough to read, and tough to understand, so it isn't one that I would share with a little brother or sister. But, if you like fantasy, and if you like graphic novels, this is one you should take a serious look at. It is the first book in a series - so don't be surprised by the lack of an ending! I'm sure the author is hoping that it will get you reading the next book!

#86 The Mirror's Tale

Burt and Will are twins - and do they ever take advantage of it! However, their father, the Baron of Ambercrest, is tired of their tricks and decides the best way to teach them to behave is to separate them. He'll keep one twin at Ambercrest and send the other to the Crags, a rocky outpost on the edge of the kingdom.

Once he gets to the Crags, Burt discovers a mysterious mirror, and we begin to learn more about the history of the evil witch and Snow White. The talking mirror convinces Burt that he is more powerful than his brother and should be the heir to the throne. Will Burt listen to the mirror, or will his love for his brother bring him back to his senses?

This is a great, fast-paced adventure that will be enjoyed by boys and girls alike. Give it a try!

The author, P.W. Catanese, has written many stories that tell what happens after the fairy tale ends. You may enjoy some of these as well!

#85 The Candle Man

Theo has lived the most unusual life: he is trapped in a home with his guardians and never allowed to go out anywhere, except to the cemetary. On his birthday, however, he receives a very strange package, and he doesn't have any idea who has sent it.

During the night, robbers break into the house. Scared and not sure what to do, Theo reaches out and touches one of them: and to his surprise, the man melts away into an oily substance! Before he knows what to think, Theo is kidnapped. He then learns a little bit more about who he is, and why he has been held captive for so many years.

This story can be a little creepy at times, but it is light-hearted and funny too, and that makes it a lot of fun to read. You see, Theo's guardians are part of The Society of Good Works (although they are really the bad guys). His kidnappers are part of The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance (you guessed it, they are the good guys, sort of!) There are some great creatures (like the smoglodytes and the garghouls), exciting adventures, and wild chases through the tunnels under London.

This is the first book of a trilogy, so even though this story does have an ending, you'll need to read a few more books to get to the final chapters of the adventure.