In Amulet Book 1: The Stonekeeper, Emily and Navin teamed up with some of their Great Grandpa Silas’s robots to rescue their mother who had been transported to an alternative world and was captured by a tentacled creature. The kids traveled inside a house invented by Great Grandpa Silas. The house can transform into a giant robot and move on their command. Emily wears an amulet that wields power in the alternative world. The kids recovered their mom, but she is poisoned.

In Amulet Book 2: The Stonekeeper’s Curse, the family is safely back in their robotic house but their poisoned Mother has not awakened and is growing weaker. The kids point their house toward Kanalis, a mysterious and beautiful city, in hopes of finding an antidote for the poison. The kids’ mom is fighting for her life against the poison. Emily is fighting to figure out the power of the amulet she wears and how to control it. The amulet seems to be fighting to control HER.

At the same time, the family is being pursued by the Elf King’s son, Trellis, who needs to prove his abilities and loyalty by capturing them. The elves are NOT cute and have the most evil looking mouths full of shark-like teeth. What do they use those teeth for? I’m sure Emily and Navin do not want to know. In Kanalis the kids find that there is an underground resistance, an army of citizens fighting to free themselves from the elves. This group knew their Great Grandpa Silas and recognize the power of Emily’s amulet

This story is action scene upon action scene. Be sure to look at the Look Inside link to see the lush artwork - this is a graphic novel whose pictures tell the story as much as the words. Author: Kazu Kibuishi

• Look Inside Amulet 2: The Stonekeeper’s Curse
• Scholastic: Official Amulet Website
• Amulet Blog
• Amulet Comic Book Maker
• The Amulet Characters
• Video: Look Inside Kazu Kibuishi’s Notebook
• Watch Kazu Draw Amulet Characters
• Watch Kazu Talk about Book One: The Stonekeeper

Don’t miss Amulet 1: The Stonekeeper and if you like the idea of a kid fulfilling a prophecy to save an alternate world, there is a whole series of Star Wars graphic novels too. In Robots from Everyday to Out of This World you can find out about real robots - maybe Miskit isn’t that far from reality! Finally, In Robots! get some great ideas for drawing your own robotic creations.

Lucy’s Mom and Grandma run a small town pharmacy. Lucy hangs out there a lot to help out. She straightens shelves and runs the cash register too, but her favorite part of the pharmacy is the beauty aisle. Lucy reads all the boxes and tries out the samples and even though she’s only twelve, she’s kind of an expert.

The problem with the pharmacy is that it is in trouble. There is a lunch counter and soda fountain that nobody is visiting anymore. Too many people are going to Wal-mart instead of their small main street pharmacy. Bills are not getting paid and there’s talk that the family may have to sell their house.

When the local homecoming queen comes in with a major hair disaster, Lucy is able to fix her up for the big night. The beauty queen and her friends become loyal customers.

You saved my friend from horrible hair humiliation at homecoming. You’re like a a hair-care prodigy.

Word gets around and Lucy is soon dishing out beauty tips, make-up lessons, doing nails and offering beauty advice. While kids are there for beauty tips, they begin ordering from the soda counter and buying things. When Lucy joins her school’s Earth Club, her plan really begins to come together, she’s determined to open an Eco-Spa right in her family pharmacy and save it from going out of business

While on the internet, Lucy discovers a grant application for businesses going green. With the help of her college age sister Lucy puts together the grant proposal to make her eco-beauty dreams come true. Will her Mom and Grandma stop bickering long enough to listen to her plan? Do they notice that Lucy has loyal customers of her own, returning for their beauty treatments before the prom and graduation? Do they realize that Lucy has a plan, a real business plan, even if she is just a kid? This is a story for any kid who has ever been frustrated by grownups that won’t take them seriously, just because of their age. Old people don’t want discriminated against because of their age - neither do kids!

Lisa Greenwald Official Website

Here are some books about other kids who take charge when there is something to fix or fight for. They also don’t like grownups not believing they are capable of big things.

Don’t miss World Origami Day tomorrow, Saturday, November 7 from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Drop in and try some paper folding with the Indianapolis Regional Origami Network (IRON) of Folders. This program will be held in The Learning Curve. Questions? Call Central Library 275-4100.

February 10, 2010 is the opening of The Lightning Thief Movie. That day will be here before we know it but you still have time to start…or finish the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series if you haven’t yet! 

• #1: The Lightning Thief on CD and Downloadable Audiobook
• #2: The Sea of Monsters on CD and Downloadable Audiobook
• #3: The Titan’s Curse on CD and Downloadable Audiobook
• #4: The Battle of the Labyrinth on CD and Downloadable Audiobook
• #5: The Last Olympian on CD and Downloadable Audiobook

The author of the Percy Jackson books, Rick Riordan, has announced TWO new series that will begin in 2010.

The Kane Chronicles
Just last week Mr. Riordan announced a brand new series called The Kane Chronicles. The first book in the series will come out May 4, 2010. He says, “my Egyptian mythology series will be called the Kane Chronicles, and the first book’s title is The Red Pyramid. The series follows brother and sister Carter and Sadie Kane, who accidentally help unleash the Egyptian gods into the modern world, and then discover they are the only ones who can set things right. ”

• Rick Riordan Official Blog
• Rick’s Official Website
• Welcome to Camp Half Blood

Watch this movie - Mr. Riordan reads the first part of The Red Pyramid.

Camp Half-Blood Series (Official Name Not Known)
Mr. Riordan also announced a new series about Camp Half-Blood. In his blog he said, “I’ve launched into the new Camp Half-Blood series and am having a great time with it. I get SO many emails from worried readers saying please, please, please, please (times fifty) write more Percy Jackson books, but all I can say is chill, guys. I’m putting a new twist on things but it’s not the end of Percy and friends by a long shot. You’ll see where I’m going with it winter 2010 when the first book comes out, and I think you’ll be pleased (and I hope a little shocked and amazed!) but that’s all I can say for now.” I haven’t seen anything more concrete about the date other than winter, 2010, so I guess we just have to wait and see…and be a little shocked and amazed…which will be fun!

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure is a story that is being written online by several different children’s book authors. A new chapter (episode) comes out every 2 weeks. The whole adventure will take one year to complete.

Jon Scieszka started off the crazy adventure on October 9. Today, Episode 3 came out written by Kate Dicamillo. Epidsode 4 came out today written by Susan Cooper.

Start at the beginning if you need to:

• Episode 1 by Jon Scieszka - A set of twins, Joe and Nancy, are on a train. They have run away from the circus and have in their possession a letter from parents they never new they had. The letter is mysterious and tells them to “follow the clues.” What they don’t know, is that there is a ticking bomb under one of the bridges their train will pass over in a very short amount of time.
• Episode 2: The Lost Clue by Katherine Paterson - Joe and Nancy are pursued by Boppo, a demented clown, and try to escape from the train and from Boppo, before the bomb explodes.
• Episode 3: The Found Clue by Kate DiCamillo. Boppo is in hot pursuit juggling meatballs…and a another bomb! And now somebody else might be after Joe and Nancy too!
• Episode 4: Dig That Pig by Susan Cooper. Actually, it’s not a someBODY else after Joe and Nancy, it’s a someTHING…a crazed pig to be exact and they encounter a roller skating baby and a white haired genius. Whew.

Tune in November 20, 2009 for Episode 5 by Gregory Maguire

Bobby and Holly have been friends since forever. They know boys and girls aren’t usually best friends and they know their friends at school wouldn’t understand, so they have a strategy they call “The Parting Place”.  They walk to school together everyday, but when they get to “The Parting Place” about a block from their school, Bobby speeds up and Holly slows down…just so they won’t be seen together. It works.

But then the week before fourth grade starts, Bobby starts to notice some weird things about Holly. She starts caring about her hair and misses a traditional rock hunting afternoon with Bobby because she’s going shopping with Jillian. On the first day of school their friendship hits a definite bump in the road:

“Hey Bobby, wait up!” Holly was running to catch up to him.

Bobby stared at her in disbelief. “Why are you wearing that? It’s not Halloween.”

Holly smoothed the sleeve of her light blue dress. The big white bow around the waist reminded him of toilet paper. “It’s new,” She said proudly, “Do you like it?”

Bobby shook his head. “Nope.”

Oh, man. NOT smooth. And it’s downhill from there!  When Bobby and Holly are both nominated to run against each other in their class election for Student Council Representative an all out boys vs girls war begins. What’s the best strategy when your arch rival knows your weaknesses and all your secrets? Game on! Author: Lisa Yee

• Read Chapter 11 Bobby vs. Girls
• Official Website Bobby vs. Girls (Don’t miss the Fish Tricks videos!)
• Read an Interview with the author Lisa Yee

Bobby isn’t the only boy mystified by girls. Alvin Ho is allergic to them! Holly isn’t the only girl mystified by boys. Sheila Tubman never has understood Peter Hatcher. Here are some more funny books that showcase the battle between boys and girls: