Lightning Round

Okay, so here's the quickie recaps of my July reading.  (Most of these are from my Summer of YA)

--Dying to Meet You by Kate and Sarah M. Klise.  Grumpy author moves into haunted house.  Ghost of the house is a dead, unappreciated, better author who, along with the kid in the attic, eventually melts the grumpy guy's heart and together they write bestsellers and start a really bizarre family.  All told through a series of letters, memos, newspaper articles, etc.  

--The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan.  The 39 Clues series = coolest educational anything since TV series Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?  Two orphaned kids in a race to become most important people in world history track down Ben Franklin-related clues while trying not to be killed by their relatives.

--Zamboni Rodeo: Chasing Hockey Dreams from Austin to Albuquerque by Jason Cohen.  The one non-YA book.  Very non-YA.  Writer follows the Austin Ice Bats around for a season in the early years of the old WPHL.  A must-read for any fan of the CHL, WPHL, or minor league hockey in general.  Bad language. 

--Diary of a Wimpy Kid  by Jeff Kinney.  One of the funniest things I've read in a while.  Don't see how a movie could have possibly done it justice. 

--The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey.  Villain is a mad scientist who wears a diaper (no apparent reason).  Protagonists distract him by launching a piece of fake poop behind him, leaving him so embarrassed he has to excuse himself for a few minutes.  Pretty much all you need to know right there.

--One False Note by Gordon Korman.  Next 39 Clues book.  A whole series written by different authors?  Cool idea.  (This book not as good as the first)

--Savvy by Ingrid Law.  Very sweet story about a family that (for lack of a better term) receives special abilities (i.e. superpowers) on their thirteenth birthdays.  Really, though, a sweet coming-of-age, finding-your-place type story.  Surprising.

--The Cave of the Dark Wind: A Never Land Book by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.  BORING!

--Addie McCormick and the Chicago Surprise by Leanne Lucas.  Still not sure what exactly the Chicago Surprise was.  But there sure was a lot of praying for people!  (Not to make fun of prayer.  Prayer is good, folks)

Just about finished with my first ever Christian pirate adventure YA novel.  It's actually pretty good.  Picking up my next round of YA books this week and about to dive into Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series.