By Piranha T. and Super Kitty

Eleven-year-old Ada Byron is feeling bereft at the prospect of a tutor after her beloved governess gets married. After all, she’s a genius—what could he possibly teach her? She is not cheered, either, by the fact that a strange girl is coming to study with her: Mary Godwin, an intelligent and adventurous fourteen-year-old eager to make friends with Ada. And, despite a rocky start, friends they become. Soon, they have founded a detective agency and are on a case—gathering clues, developing suspects, making discoveries, and, in the process, getting into Newgate prison, riding an omnibus (roof!), and sailing high over London in a craft of their own making. One thing is for sure: nothing will get between these detectives and the apprehension of the criminals!

When I first picked up The Case of the Missing Moonstone, I thought it was going to be similar to other mysteries I had read. However, it was quite amusing, and the main characters (as well as some of the supporting cast) were based on real historical figures—the main characters were based on Ada Byron (daughter of Lord Byron) and Mary Shelly (author of Frankenstein). At the end, there is an author’s note which says which people were real, which was really interesting. And although the historical aspect was fascinating, it did not get in the way of the story. Even if you are not usually drawn to historical books (Piranha T. is typically not), it is still a really cool story in and of itself. It would probably be best for ages 8+. It is the first in The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency series, and there are currently two sequels out. If you are looking for a humorous, fun, and historical mystery with spunky female characters, The Case of the Missing Moonstone is the book for you!
​
Note: although many of the characters in The Case of the Missing Moonstone were based on real people, the story was entirely invented.

By Piranha T.

The Robber Hotzenplotz begins one morning when Kasperl’s grandmother is sitting outside, using the coffee mill she got for her birthday. Before she knows what has happened, the Robber Hotzenplotz steals the coffee mill. However, although he is so tricky he has not yet been caught by the police, Kasperl and her friend, Seppel, devise a plan to get back the coffee mill. Although at first they do not realize it, the Robber Hotzenplotz has more tricks up his sleeve then the two friends suspected—as well as help from a wicked magician with something a little more than unusual in his cellar.

​The Robber Hotzenplotz is an amusing, fast-paced story with several funny plot twists and fun characters. It was originally published in Germany and it is definitely hard to pronounce some of the names, but the plot is entertaining and I did not get mixed up because of them. I highly recommend The Robber Hotzenplotz to readers ages 9 and up. 

By Radical Reader, age 9
Guest Contributor

The story is about a girl named Raymie whose father left her family.
She makes a plan to enter a pageant so her dad will see her in the paper and want to come home. Along the way she makes friends with two girls, one who wants to enter the pageant and one who wants to sabotage it.

I liked this book because it was really sweet. It did have some sad
parts too. It all worked out in the end but not in the way you might think. I loved this book, I would recommend it to anybody looking for a sweet story.

By Radical Reader, Age 9, Massachusetts
Guest Writer

In this book of the series the Baudelaire children face mortal peril (again) at the hand of Count Olaf. They dress themselves up in disguises to fit in at the house of freaks in a carnival. They make some interesting friends along the way. But they're not safe yet. They still have to make sure they don't get eaten by hungry lions!

I liked this book because it had an amazing adventure. It's a little scary but in the end it leaves you wanting to read more. I recommend this book to ages 8 and up only because it's slightly scary.

By Piranha T.

When Simon, Jane and Barney Drew embark on a train to Cornwall, England, none of them suspect what they will find there. Staying with their parents and their mysterious Great-Uncle Merry in a cottage by the cliffs, they discover an ancient manuscript in the house’s attic. It tells of the hiding place of an old grail, which is a key part to defeating the rising forces of evil, the Dark. With the help of their Great-Uncle Merry, who knows more about the Dark than anyone expected, they begin to follow a trail of clues that were left over nine centuries ago. But when it comes to the final moments of the quest, can they save the grail and stop the Dark?

Over Sea, Under Stone is one of the best books I have ever read. It is the first book in The Dark is Rising Sequence, a five-book series which I loved every word of. I enjoyed Over Sea, Under Stone because it was a good fantasy with some magic, and I liked how it was about ordinary children having adventures, although, as I may have pointed out, their adventures were not at all ordinary. I would highly recommend Over Sea, Under Stone to readers ages eight and up.

The audiobook version was also great - my whole family enjoyed the entire series!

- By Super Kitty

Sophie Foster knew she was different. After all, how many 12-year-olds are not only high school seniors, but can hear people’s thoughts? But she had no idea how different she was until she meets Fitz, a telepath like herself, who tells her the truth: she is an elf, and she must leave her human family—her world—as soon as possible. Now Sophie must learn the ways of the Lost Cities, making friends, enemies, and discoveries. But even among her own people, Sophie is special... And as she battles the rising sinister forces of the elven world, she begins to discover that her past—and her future—are intertwined with more secrets then she ever could have imagined.

I really enjoyed this book—an adventure story (or in this case, series) that I can lose myself in is always welcome. There are seven* books in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, getting progressively longer, but only six have come out. Sophie ages fairly quickly (in Lodestar, book five, she is fourteen), so I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone under the age of eight, especially since some of the evil characters can be quite intimidating. Also, although the first two have good endings, starting with book three the cliffhanger endings get progressively more suspenseful, and in book five it was so much so that the author started the afterward with “Yay! You’re still talking to me!” and went on to apologize about the ending and extreme cliffhanger. It works, though—Piranha T. and I are desperate to know what happens next! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys exciting, fast paced books filled with friendship, adventure, and magic.                            

​*There are now going to be nine books in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. Book seven came out in November 2018. 

by Piranha T.

The Mysterious Benedict Society begins with a boy called Reynie Muldoon reading an ad in a newspaper--one that offers ‘special opportunities’ to any child who passes an unspecified test. Reynie completes it, as do three other children, these others being Kate Wetherall, Sticky Washington, and Constance Contraire. Upon passing, they receive instructions for a mysterious mission. And soon they discover time is short, and that they must complete their mission soon or they will have failed and everyone will be in danger.
​
I liked The Mysterious Benedict Society because it was about kids, and there was also a very good storyline. There were plenty of twists and narrow escapes. The first book in the best-selling Mysterious Benedict Society series, I highly recommend The Mysterious Benedict Society to readers ages 8 and up (even our parents loved it!) 

By A Bull, guest reviewer

Mr.Lemoncello`s Library is a fun and exciting book! Mr. Lemoncello is a game maker and also has a very strange library. The book starts when three children, Kyle, Mike and Curtis, were playing a game of Mr. Lemoncello's and Kyle breaks a window. He gets grounded by his parents for doing this.

The next morning he gets on the bus and his friend reminds him that his school report is due that morning. He writes the report on the bus and he thinks it's terrible. Little did he know that this report would be entered in a contest to get into Mr. Lemoncello's library first. Kyle and some other children were picked to go to the library first and then had to escape the library without using the front door. The rest of the book is about them trying to get out and very action packed and mysterious!

I really liked this book because it was exciting to read about the kids trying to escape through different clues and it made me want to be in the book! It is similar to Willy Wonka so if you like that book you will like this book too.

- by Piranha T.

When Tuesday Mcgillycuddy and her dog Baxterr discover that Serendipity Smith, a famous author (and Tuesday's mother!) has gone missing, they decide to look for her. Tuesday starts typing on her mother's typewriter, and she and Baxterr are magically transported to the land where stories come from - and specifically into the world where all her mother's stories come from. They find themselves in a world of magic, fairies, pirates, ships and, at last - with a very happy ending.

I liked this book because it was kind of about writing a book (I love to write), and its story was great. I read all 280 pages of it in two days it was so good! I highly recommend Finding Serendipity to readers.

By Piranha T.

Tabitha Crum is a daughter of two un-loving parents. Her only company is her pet mouse, Pemberly. One day, she receives a letter in a fancy envelope and is eager to read it, especially when she discovers it is an invitation from the Countess of Windermere, who nobody knows much about. Mr and Mrs Crum let Tabitha accept the invitation, and she learns five other children have been invited: Violet Dale, Frances Wellington, Oliver Appleby, Barnaby Trundle and Edward Herringbone. Though none of the children know why they were sent the invitation, they will soon learn... and Tabitha will solve the biggest mystery of her life.

Nooks and Crannies is a wonderful mystery novel, and I recommend it to readers!

by Piranha T.

After their father dies suddenly, twins Alex and Connor Bailey must move to a new home with their mother. This is a very sad time until their Grandmother comes to visit on their twelfth birthday. She gives them her old fairy tale book, called The Land of Stories, which she has read to them from since they were young.

One night, Alex wishes she was in the Land of Stories; and then, in the days following, the book starts to hum and glow... Alex learns that when it is glowing, she can drop things into the pages - and they disappear.

What will disappear into the book next.....? You have to read it to find out! I like this book because of the creative twists it gives to the old fairy tales and fairy tale characters. It is a fun story! I recommend it to readers. It is also well-read on audio (by the author himself).

Note: this is the first in an ongoing series by the intrepid Chris Colfer.

- by Piranha T.

This is a collection of fourteen silly stories. The first story, Dragons at Crumbling Castle, is about a boy named Ralph going to fight dragons at Crumbling Castle because "all the knights were on quests, except for Sir Lancelot, and he was on a vacation to France." The stories are all hilarious, but they are all clever as well as silly.

I like this book because it is so silly! The stories all have their own silly characters, though a the beginning this makes it a tiny big confusing.

I recommend Dragons at Crumbling Castle to readers.