How do you transition from high school to life-after? For these four friends, they hit the road with the all-girl band, The Disenchantments, on their way to drop one off at college. Colby, the only guy on the road trip and our narrator, has borrowed his uncle's vintage VW Van (named Melinda) and will be the girls' roadie. His best friend since, like, forever, is Bev, lead singer of the band. Sisters Meg and Alexa round out the power trio and it is Meg who will be staying in Portland to attend college. Alexa will return to San Francisco to finish her senior year of high school. Colby and Bev will be heading to Europe to backpack for a year, realizing their four-year-old dream of seeing amazing island chains, art, and Colby's mom. But, life has a way of mixing things up and the four teenagers discover this in the cramped interior of Melinda and in cheap motel rooms. Disappointments, secrets and the unexpected threaten all of their plans. Can their friendship, and even romance, survive? I was smitten by all of the characters and grew to care about each of them, even the quirky tattoo artist, Jasper. As realistic fiction goes, this is an easy read full of heart, heartbreak and the chance to follow where the heart leads. As coming of age fiction, it hits all the points of self-discovery, growth (and outgrowing), and saying goodbye.

Darwen Arkwright looks in a mirror given to him by a strange man in a strange store in an Atlanta mall. He sees an alternative universe. Why wouldn't he? It seems this 12 year old orphan would like to escape his reality--losing his parents, transplanting from his home in England, living with his less-than-maternal aunt, and ditching the weird new private school. Only for Darwen, the alternate world in the mirror is real; it is Silbrica. And there is a dastardly plot afoot to cross the boundaries separating the two worlds which will have dire consequences. Darwen and friends, Rich and Alexandra, synergistically combine their talents to make sure the gateway between Silbrica and our reality is not breached.

I was very impressed by the depth of character development and plot in this story. The combination of good-old-adventure and a fantasy world works well as a foil for the real challenges Darwen's life has thrust upon him. In conquering the fantasy problem, his personal struggles find resolutions. Upper elementary and middle school readers will relish this story and wait impatiently for the next installment...should there be one!

By the way, I've seen references to this book a "steampunk," but as I understand that steampunk fiction takes place in the Victorian era, this is most definitely not steampunk. These kids have modern technology and modern peer pressure and modern social situations. DARWEN ARKWRIGHT AND THE PEREGRINE PACT is just a good, modern, fantasy-adventure.

I've sat on this review for awhile because I really don't know what to say. It seems like 2 or 3 separate books. The author's intentions are good and I had high hopes. However, the resulting story needs a great deal of editing. The first 100 pages provides a lot of detail about the Old West, peppered with numerous interruptions by the author to let readers know that this or that point was a reality in the era. Very distracting. I applaud the intent to provide some backstory and even history; but perhaps a glossary, historically accurate appendix, or even a companion non-fiction book (as Mary Pope Osborne often does with the Magic Treehouse Series) would have been a better use of this material. Then the middle of the book caught my attention, but the action and descriptions were very uneven; an adept editor would have helped make this more concise and even. The last 100 pages or so of the book were a pleasure to read. The action, plot and character development finally gelled. My immediate thought was to put the book down but I persevered and was ultimately rewarded. But it took a very long time to get to the pay-off. Will young readers stick it out? Even with the tie-in with the COWBOYS AND ALIENS movie, I don't really believe young readers will stick with this one, especially reluctant readers for whom this could have been a natural recommendation.

Nathan Bransford has created a character that will lure even the most reluctant readers. Jacob Wonderbar has friends, good friends, who stick by him even when the substitute teachers send him to detention yet again. Sarah (don't call her Sarah Daisy) and Dexter are not just Jacob's bff's, they are well developed characters in their own right. When the trio wander to the edge of the local woods, they are met by a space traveler in a silver suit who is willing to trade his space ship for a corn dog. Within minutes, Jacob has grabbed corn dogs from his freezer, traded them with the stranger, and has started a journey through our solar system with his two best friends. Along the way, they explore a planet with an atmosphere that smells like burp breath; they travel to a planet with scientists that think experiments and calculator humor are the best reasons for existing; they outsmart substitute teachers on their home planet; and they meet the King of Everything after being kidnapped by the kid-pirate Mick Cracken. Humor, adventure and a little science are woven into a book that delivers a "kapow" to upper elementary aged children who claim they hate to read. I look forward to the next title in this new series!

Celebrating the nation's bicentennial should be enough to mark a memorable summer. But for 10 year old Eli, the summer marks a turning point in his family and friendships. House tells the story as a reminiscence of an adult Eli and this style of narration perfectly suits the story. We get to know young Eli through his adult eyes, sometimes excusing things his young eyes missed, often coloring that summer's events through more experienced eyes. While the story feels like historical fiction, recounting the juxtaposition of celebrating 250 years of freedom and ignoring the Viet Nam veterans, it reads like family history, like a coming of age story. House's most remarkable accomplishment is in his storytelling. Like the best Southern writers, House's prose seems like a lazy river carrying us through the deep lights and shades of a Southern family, all the while giving only glimpses of the tumultuous undertow below the surface. For the tale of Eli, I would have gladly given the book 4 stars. It is House's development of place that elevates it to a 5 star book.