Reader Girls Blog

This week our picks are about a mysterious boy, a kidnapped girl  and an assassin searching for his apprentice--and this is all in one book! Our second choice is not one but two upcoming volumes in a long-running and highly anticipated manga series about vampires, and the third is a tale of two girls set in two different worlds at different times and the lure of history. Without any more fanfare, here are our choices: The Fallen Blade (The Vampire Assassin Trilogy, Book One) by Jon Courtenay Grimwood Publisher: Orbit (1/27/2011) Summary: In the depths of night, customs officers board a galley in a harbor and overpower its guards. In the hold they find oil and silver, and a naked boy chained to the bulkhead. Stunningly beautiful but half-starved, the boy has no name. The officers break the boy’s chains to rescue him, but he escapes… Venice is at the height of its power. In theory Duke Marco commands. But Marco is a simpleton so his aunt and uncle rule in his stead. They comma...

Reading level: Middle Grade Paperback: 280 pages Publisher: Leap Books (12/15/2009) Summary: Kenzie didn't expect her first summer in the Florida Keys to be murder. Or cute guys, awesome boats, endangered species, and gun-toting thugs... When city girl Kenzie Ryan moves to a Florida wildlife refuge, she plunges straight into an eco-mystery. Kenzie trades New York streets for Keys pollution cleanup, and now, instead of hailing cabs, she's tracking down a poacher of endangered Key deer. Her new home does have some benefits-mainly Angelo, an island native, who teams up with her to nab the culprit. But will they both survive when the killer turns from stalking deer to hunting humans?  My review: The beginning of this book started off a bit shaky for me and I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep reading. Since I don't like to give up on a book I continued reading. Was I glad I did. Island Sting really shot off a few pages later and I found myself not wanting to take a b...

Reading level: MG Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: Dial (4/1/2010)  Summary: Abbie Adams and her family come from a long line of witches. One day her father brings home a kitten. But when Abbie looks into the kitten's eyes, she realizes there's a boy in there. The family is shocked to realize he's none other than the young Thomas Edison, and if they don't save him fast, he'll never change the world with his inventions.  My review: This was a magical book in many ways. From the very beginning, I felt as if I was in the book right alongside the main character, Abbie Adams, trying to help Tom the cat by using my witch powers. But then I was snapped back into reality and suddenly.... My powers were gone.  The great thing about reading books is being able to get lost inside of them. Since Rhonda Hayter created a cool magical world of witches and a cat who is really a human--in fact he's Thomas Edison!--I was able to do just that. I loved the story, especiall...