The 39 Clues Book One- The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

Amy and Dan Cahill grieve the loss of their grandmother. At the reading of her will, grandma offers the family members a choice between money or a challenge to find out more about their powerful and influential ancestors by giving them the first of 39 clues. The fate of the world rests on who discovers the secret first.

This book reminds me of a "National Treasure" for kids. Fun, but I can't imagine reading 39 of these. I'd be willing to go through 4 or 5. There's also cards that go with the book and an online game.

AR level 4.3

pts 7.0

Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville

"Eragon" meets "Indian in the Cupboard."
Jeremy stumbles upon a magic shop that seems to appear out of nowhere. The strange man who owns the shop sells him a large colorful "marble." Included are instructions on how to hatch a dragon egg. Caring for a baby dragon and keeping it a secret proves to be quite a challenge for Jeremy.
AR level 4.9
pts 4.0

The Spiderwick Chronicles- The Field Guide

The three Grace children move into their Aunt Lucinda's house with their mother after their parents' divorce. The place is dusty and run down, and they can hear something inside the walls. After some searching of the house, the children discover a hidden room, full of secrets.

This book appears to be the tip of the iceberg for the rest of the series, fun to read out loud.

AR level 4.2

pts 1.0

The Adventures of Captain Underpants

Everything your son wants to read about- underwear, poop, boogers, vomit, wedgies, toilets, and on and on. Lots of comics. This is definitely a kid pleaser, not a mom pleaser. One of my big pet peeves is that many words are deliberately spelled wrong. That being said, my son was absolutely enthralled. He's read everyone in the series. Now there's one called Super Diaper Baby, which he read in one day. By Dave Pilkey.

Th only reason I recommended this one as a "buy" is because my child has read them so many times it's worth it, even though they are not a favorite of mine.

AR level 4.3

pts 1.0

Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective

Written by Donald J. Sobol. Leroy Brown is so smart, everyone calls him "Encylclopedia Brown." He decides to open his own detective agency. The book contains 10 different cases that he solves. The end of the book tells the solution to each case.

I enjoyed these as a kid, and now they're great for my kids!

AR level 4.1

pts 1.0

The Doll People by Ann M. Martin and Laura Goodwin

The Doll family has been passed down for generations through the Palmer family from mother to daughter. They are very careful to make sure the people they live with do not know they are alive. Young Anabelle Doll finds her Auntie Sarah's journal and tries to solve the mystery of her disappearance that occured 45 years ago. She gets help from her friend Tiffany Funcraft. The Funcrafts are a new family of dolls who aren't quite as traditional and rule abiding as the Doll family.

My eight year old daughter loves this one! I believe there is a sequel, "Runaway Dolls."

AR level 4.0

pts 5.0

"The Indian in the Cupboard"

Omri gets a small plastic Indian for his birthday which he thought to be average. But he put it in his cupboard and locked it with his Grandma's special key, and the Indian magically comes to life!
We rented this audio book, read by the author who does a great job! Now I want the book for our home library. The entire family loved it.
AR level 4.6
pts 6.0