The story opens in Agrabah when Aladdin is a young boy. We have the opportunity to meet his mother and learn a little more about how he came to be a street rat. Fast forward to Aladdin rescuing Princess Jasmine in the market just as depicted in Disney’s animated movie, but, as the title suggests, the tale gets twisted. If you saw the movie, you might be pleased to note that most of the initial dialogue is the same. I could definitely hear Aladdin’s voice as he asks Jasmine, “do you trust me?” Read More »

Rocco is the only one in his village with wings but they cause him to stand out in a negative way. His wings are huge, blue and they glow at night. One afternoon the village bullies set a trap for Rocco but he manages to break free and fly away as they are still earthbound. Before he realizes it, he finds himself at the escarpment where his Mother has warned him never to go. Thinking he is out of Read More »

Forest Shade Middle School, home of the Raccoons, is the school that always comes in last, so Luke Abbott does not have high hopes for the outcome when he is coerced into joining the Robotics team when he would rather be playing Alien Onslaught with his online friend, Randy. Luke has enough to worry about with his brother Rob going into the Marines, his grandmothers constantly pinching his cheeks, and his grandfathers thinking he should be playing football instead of video games. Read More »

Welcome to the Isle of the Lost: the place where all of the fairy-tale villains have been banished. On an isolated island far away from the kingdom of Auradon, the inhabitants are forced to live inside a dome which blocks all magic. Malificent rules the island and is determined that one day she will have her revenge. Read More »

Judy Blume is an amazing writer, and this book gives an interesting overview of her career. Targeting young readers in grades 1 through 4, it chronicles her young life and how she felt when the adults would not (or could not) answer the many questions she had about growing up, which prompted her to write Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, published in 1970, to help support other curious children. Read More »

Dolley Payne Madison was born during a time when women had few rights. She married a young man chosen by her father, but he and their infant died of yellow fever, leaving Dolley a widow with a one-year-old son. Soon James Madison expressed his interest in her, and she accepted his proposal. Read More »

Sacajawea is best known for her association with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, but she had an interesting life even before that. In 1800, when she was about twelve, she was taken from her Shoshone tribe by the Hidatsa as a war prize. She lived with the Hidatsa for several years, learning the language and customs, when she met Toussaint Charbonneau, a French Canadian fur trader, and married him. Read More »

Hard-working and dedicated, Sonia Sotomayor decided to be a lawyer when she was just ten years old, because she was a fan of Perry Mason, a television show about an attorney that aired in the 1960’s. She worked hard in school, and was outspoken in college, daring to say or do things that women were not supposed to do or say. Read More »

Kendall Moorhead is having terrifying visions of her own death. Her boyfriend, Jason, thinks she needs to slow down with her ghost hunting, but Kendall knows that her gift was meant to help people. When the Mayor starts complaining about aches and pains, Kendall somehow senses that the Mayor’s problems are tied to an unhappy spirit. Kendall’s spirit guide, Emily, warns Kendall that she should Read More »

Grace and Connor Tempest are still reeling from the discovery that not only are they dhampirs, (half-vampire/half-human), but also their father is Sidorio, self-proclaimed king of the Vampirates. When both are invited to spend time with their father, their reply to the invitation is an emphatic no. But when their superiors hear of this, they realize that this is the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the Vampirates and find out exactly what they are planning.

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In the final book of the Rowan of the Wood series, the Freak Squad is desperately trying to make sense of Cullen’s inheritance, a text written in an ancient language. They know it provides the secret for not only separating Rowan and Cullen, but also defeating Fiana once and for all. Read More »

Max is a young monster who is celebrating his birthday. He invites all his friends over for gooey, delectable monster treats and lots of fun. There is even a magician, and ghoulish games galore. At the end of the party, the goody bags have a very special surprise. Read More »

For Joss, the dream of her life is a horse of her own. As luck would have it, Joss has a birthday coming up and Mr. Essig is willing to rent her any one of his horses for a week. Her older sister, Kate, is thrilled for Joss to finally get her pony, even if it is only for a week. Kate is perceptive about people, which is important because she knows it will help her become a great writer. This is a sweet and tragic story Read More »

Zita has been captured by the Doom Squad and now stands charged with various crimes, and finds herself doing time in a space prison where there is no escape. An enigmatic character arises who helps Zita to escape. As they race to get off the space prison, Zita learns her friend whom she thought had returned safely home has been through the depths of despair and is back again to save her. Read More »

Zita has become a hero to the residents of the various star systems, a helper of all. When a delegation of Lumponians request her help she is off, but is it really Zita or a robot impersonator? As the real Zita races to catch up with the impersonator, she finds herself in a bit of trouble with the space authority. Along the way she meets new friends and discovers that heroes come in many shapes and sizes. Read More »

Zita and her friend, Joseph, encounter a fragment that falls from space. As they examine it, they are pulled into space and flung far from home. Separated, Zita goes in search of Joseph, trying to help rescue him from a race who think that Joseph is the answer to their prophecy and that he will rescue them from an impending asteroid strike. Read More »

Karn Korlundr did not want to be hauld (leader) of the family, and especially did not want to spend his time working on his father’s farm or trading at the local market. All Karn was interested in was the strategy game he excelled at, called Thrones and Bones. He refused to think of anything else, even to the point of trading three oxen for one small barrel of fish, because he was mulling over game strategy and not concentrating on the trading. He was able to challenge the trader and make the deal more equitable, but it was still an embarrassment to Karn’s father, the hauld. Read More »

Blue Ocean Bob loves the sea and wants to make it his life’s work to protect it. His guardian is a hummingbird named Xena who is cautious and protective of Bob. When he begins working with a marine biologist on the Island of Roses, he is initially a little overwhelmed by the things he is tasked with, but finds great advice from ocean-dwelling friends. Read More »

The story you know about King Tut, Egypt’s most famous Pharaoh, is a total lie. Tutankhamun did not die, and it was not his body Carter discovered in the tomb. A fight with his uncle, General Horemheb, should have ended Tut’s life, but the Gods had other plans. Read More »

The book opens with a riddle, then clues are given in poems to try to determine which body part is being described. The answer is revealed with both the medical name and everyday language to help the reader. There are lots of fun illustrations and a glossary with even more illustrations at the back. Read More »