Crossing Niagara

This was a nice look at Blondin's crossing of Niagara Falls.  I had no idea that Blondin did this more than once so I learned something ;0  As usual for a Matt Tavares book the illustrations were wonderful.  I wish there had been more about some of the feats - especially on the double page spread.  I have heard a story that Blondin asked if anyone would ride in the wheelbarrow with him.  It appears no one did but I was impressed that he carried his manager on his back ;0

Waiting for Augusta

Ben has had a lump in his throat the size of a golf ball ever since his father died 2 months ago.  No one believes him and of course no one would believe him if he told them his dad is talking to him from his urn.  His dad wants Ben to take him to the Masters Tournament in Augusta and scatter his ashes on the 18th green.  As Ben is debating whether to go he meets a mysterious girl named Nona who is a wanderer and offers to go with him.  Together they set off for Augusta - stealing food, a car, clothes, and hitching a ride on a coal car.  Ben continues to talk to his father and they both come to terms with his failures as a father and his death.  

So...  I enjoyed the story well enough but not so much that I was compelled to finish it quickly.  Nona was a mystery and I liked what happened with her although I found it a bit confusing.  The subplot of segregation was interesting.  Overall good but not mind blowing.  Not a big fan of the cover... too young looking.

The Great Leopard Rescue

The Great Leopard Rescue is about the efforts to save the Amur Leopard in Russia.  When the author started the book there were only 30 left.  The book tells about the leopards, hows they became endangered, and the efforts being made to save them.  I found the breeding and spare population efforts especially interesting.  This is a solid choice for collections that have books on endangered animals.

Soar - Wymer

Eddie is a birder just like his father.  But his father is gone and all Eddie wants to do is prove once and for all that his father really did see a golden eagle.  For his seventh grade science project he sets out to do just that but unfortunately he is paired with his worst enemy who stole his bike, calls him names, and isn’t doing his share.  Can Eddie navigate new friendships, the grief of losing his father, and find the golden eagle?

This was a solid enough story.  Not overly groundbreaking but decent middle grade fiction.

Patrick Griffin's Last Breakfast on Earth

Nothing exciting ever happens to Patrick Griffin - the middle of seven children.  That is until the day he is accidentally left home alone.  Patrick figures it is the perfect time to try a chemistry experiment.  Unfortunately the experiment doesn’t work and it coincidentally leads to a bizarre adventure.  At the exact time of his failed experiment a jackalope for another world is sent to Earth.  As a result, he is sent to Ith - a balance is needed after all.

On Ith, Patrick encounters an advanced society with many marvels but which has also given up some of its freedoms and privacy.  Most of the time Patrick actually thinks he is dreaming.  But, when it all becomes clear to him he has to make a decision - help prevent what happened on Ith from happening on Earth or just pretend not to care.

The book was interesting.  There were parts I enjoyed and then there were parts that really annoyed me.  It became apparent, when there were less than 100 pages left, that it was not going to end well.  I am sure there is a sequel in the works.  Patrick is back on Ith but the fight has just started in the quest to save Earth…

Outlaws of Time: The Legend of Sam Miracle

I was interested in this book because of the time travel aspect which I love but...

Sam Miracle's arms are useless and he goes in and out of dreams and episodes where he passes out.  What he doesn't know is that has actually lived and died hundreds of times in an attempt to stop a Vulture from devastating the world.  With the help of Father Tiempo and his new friend Gloria, Sam tries again to defeat the Vulture and save his sister.

Initially I liked the book.  I was intrigued and curious.  But...there were too many unanswered questions.  The biggest being - why Sam?  What's the deal with him?  Then when his arms were replaced with snakes - well, it just got too weird.

Sorry...this didn't work for me.

The Maypop Kidnapping

Quinnie lives on a small Maine town with her father who runs the local diner and her mom who is the postal worker, real estate agent, and sheriff.  She doesn't go to school and is taught by a neighbor.  When her teacher doesn't show up on the first day of school, Quinnie fears that she has been kidnapped.  Her mother and other townspeople are not initially concerned until a few days go by and a mysterious letter arrives.  Quinnie and her best friend Ben and a new girl Ella try to investigate even though Quinnie's mom has told her to stay out of trouble.

This was a decent enough mystery.  I had figured out who was probably responsible early on but there were some surprises and students would probably not figure it out as easily as I did.  There was good interaction between the characters and some decent action and suspense.