Disney in Shadow by Ridley Pearson

Disney in Shadow by Ridley Pearson
545 pages
    After narrowly escaping from thier last batele with the Overtakers, the Kingdom Keepers realize that Amanda and Jess need to be part of their group. They quickly turn the girls into DHIs so it is easier for them to help.
    Now they need to find Wayne, their mentor, who has gone missing. They know he is being held by Maleficent, but they do not know where. Following clues left by Wayne, the Kingdom Keepers see that the Overtakers have a plan that no one had ever expected.


From the moment Finn took off running, he was afraid. He hated snakes. Any kind of snake gave him the weebies. A python as thick around as a basketball and nearly twenty feet long was the stuff of his worst nightmares-he's never even had a dream that bad. Somewhere inside him he understood how stupid he'd been to offer to play the decoy.
    Somewhere inside him he understood how fast a snake that big could travel across level ground and how if there were any small piece of him not fully crossed-over when the snake couaght up to him-for it would catch up to him no matter how fast he ran-that he would be caught, crushed, and consumed. But he ran straight ar the snake, as fast as his legs would carry him.
                                                                          ~Disney in Shadow by Ridley Pearson

*Book 3 in the Kingdom Keepers series*
Previous book: Disney at Dawn
Next book: Power Play

The Son of Neptune: New Characters Revealed

Several new characters from the Heros of Olympus have been revealed. There parents have not yet been revealed, but it is fun to guess who they are:

Octavian:

Reyna:

Frank:

Ella the Harpy:

Thanatos:

Hazel:


What rick riordan says about each new person:
Hazel- 'Meet Hazel, a girl with a complicated past. Demigod? Yes. Is that horse important? You bet. Hazel has powers you have never seen before, because her godly parent is on the Roman side. But (major hint) she is related to a character you know well from the Percy Jackson series.Which one? I think that will surprise you.'

Thanatos- 'You will meet many gods in The Son of Neptune, but here's a fellow most mortals would prefer not to meet: Thanatos, the god of death. What part will he play, and what's up with those chains? For that, you will have to wait for the book.'
Ella- '. . . This week we meet Ella, a very special harpy who might hold some valuable secrets. But what secrets, and will she be willing to share them?'
Octavian- '. . . Time for another character reveal from The Son of Neptune! Meet Octavian and his unfortunate collection of stuffed animal friends. What Octavian's story? You can get some hints at the Heroes of Olympus website, but only time will tell if he's friend or foe, and what part he will play.'

Reyna- 'Time for our second character reveal for The Son of Neptune. Meet Reyna, with her automaton hounds Aurum and Argentium. Reyna's godly parent? Hint: it's a god you haven't met yet. Is Reyna powerful? Yes. Are those hounds deadly? Yes. Will she be friend or foe to Percy Jackson? Ah, that's a good question.'

Frank- 'Who is Frank's godly parent? What are Frank's powers? You may be surprised. In fact, Frank may be surprised. But he has a very important part to play in The Son of Neptune.'


So, who do you think their parents are? Post your guesses below and we will see who is right on 4 October
when The Son of Neptune releases!

Disney at Dawn by Ridley Pearson

Disney at Dawn by Ridley Pearson
377 pages

    There is a giant parade on the day the five DHI kids return to Disney World. Everyone is thrilled. It seems that everything is finally the way it should be, but then the kids notice something strange about Cinderella's Castle. When they check it out, they find the Maleficent has escaped. Now they must recapture the villain. But something else is strange as well.
    The Overtakers have messed with the DHI server system. Now, if any of the teens fall asleep, they will not be able to wake up. They have also made a second server to create an animal army. But the teens soon discover that Meleficent is not the one in charge: she has a master, someone even more powerful. Can the Kingdom Keepers stop them?



    Maleficent stood in the open window, her robe fluttering, the fireworks flashing colors in the sky beyond her. "Silly boys!" she said in a raspy voice. "The end is near."

**Book 2 in the Kingdom Keepers series**
Previous book: Disney After Dark
Next book: Disney in Shadow

Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson

Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson
296 pages

    It seems that Adrianne Keynnman's life cannot get any worse. Her father died years ago and his fortune is gone, so the Keynnmans are now poor. Adrianne's Aunt Minnah hates her and her mother is afraid to stand up to her. One night, she finds her sister, Cecily stranded on a rock on the beach. As Adrianne goes out to rescue her, she sees the Windwaithe mermaid trying to take her sister into the sea. She stops the mermaid from taking Cecily, but discovers later that the mermaid is really after her. Adrianne soon realises that the mermaid's call is hard to resist. Will she give in and leave her mother and sister who need her?

Across the Great Barrier by Patricia C. Wrede

Across the Great Barrier by Patricia C. Wrede
339 pages

    Eff is asked to travel past the Barrier Spell and into the unprotected territory of the far west. She finally convinces her mother to let her go. At first, it seems to be no dangerous trip, since they have magic to protect them. But then they see weird things. Wild cats hanging out in unusual places in unusual groups and plants growing in strange places. These may be just a result of teh mirror bugs from the season before, but a frightening and stange discovery tells them otherwise.
    When they stop to camp for the night, Eff and Professor Torgeson find stone statues of animals that are perfectly carved-a little to perfect. Is some unknown creature turning thae animals to stone? Will it be a threat to the settlers, or is it something from a long time ago?



*Book 2 in 'Frontier Magic'*
Previous book: Thirteenth Child

Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede

Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
344 pages

    Eff is the thirteenth child in her family, so everyone thinks she is unlucky. Her Uncle Earn is especially mean about it. Eff's twin brother, Lan, is the seventh son of a seventh son, so everyone thinks he is lucky.  People want Lan to learn magic, so he can be a powerful magician, but no one lets Eff learn. But when the family moves out west to the frontier, everyone's lives change.
    Eff can learn magic, and no one knows that she is supposed to be unlucky. But Eff still has problems. She feels that everything bad that happens is her fault. When a sudden problem comes up, can Eff realize that she is not destined to fail?



*Book 1 of 'Frontier Magic'*
Next book: Across the Great Barrier

The Limit by Kristen Landon

The Limit by Kristen Landon

291 pages

    In a futuristic world, the government controls how much families spend. If a family goes over the limit of spending, they take their eldest child to a work house until their debt is under control. When Matt's family unexpectedly goes over the limit, Matt is taken. The work house is nothing like Matt expected. He is assigned to the top floor, where the smartest kids are. They have computers, video games and huge televisions in their rooms, in addition to a swimming pool, a gym, and a dance room. With all this cool stuff, no one wants to go back home!

     But then Matt realizes something is really wrong. It is up to him and his new friends to find the information that will save all the kids in the work house. But even if they find the evidence,  will anyone believe them?

Liberty Porter, First Daughter by Julia DeVillers

Liberty Porter, First Daughter by Julia DeVillers
163 pages

    Liberty's dad is about to become the president of the United States. Which means she is about to become the first daughter! Making friends with the staff and security is easy for Liberty, but making friends with Miss Crum? Not so easy. It seems that everything she does is wrong. Can Liberty be a good First Daughter or will it turn out to be a disaster?

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy

247 pages

Price: Hardcover-$17.99 U.S./$20.99 Can

    Zulaikha, a young Afghan girl with a cleft lip, wants to be normal. The boys in her town make fun of her calling her 'Donkeyface', her stepmother is nasty to her, and now her younger brother is ignoring her. The only things in life that give Zulaikha joy are her father, who loves her no matter what, and learning to read and write.

    When American soldiers come, they offer Zulaikha a wonderful gift: an operation that can make her mouth normal. She is thrilled to have the chance to finally blend in when she goes out and live a normal life. But when tragedy strikes, Zulaikha learns what is most important: love.

**Note: some material in this book may not be suitable for young children. Recommended age: Thirteen and up.

Exile by Anne Osterlund

Exile by Anne Osterlund
295 pages

Price: Paperback-$8.99 U.S./$10.50 CAN

    Aurelia has survived tons of assassination attempts and is now on an expedition with her best friend, Robert, to see her country and meet her people. But Aurelia is still not safe. One night, her royal guard tries to kill her by burning her tent. She and Robert escape and flees across the country to the frontier.

    But Aurelia is not the only one in danger. Will Aurelia and Robert be safe at Roberts home? Will the king be safe in the castle with an assassin?

How could he think of leaving without telling me? Aurelia tried to say the words aloud to Daria, and they came out, "How could he leave without me?"

    "Do you want to go?"

    "Yes." Well, there it was. The truth.

    "Then go." Daria crossed the room and opened the wardrobe. "Just"-she paused-"don't hurt him, Aurelia."

    Hurt him? Aurelia felt numb. "What do you mean?"

    Her friend returned from the wardrobe with wool stockings and Aurelia's battered riding boots. She did not release them. "You must know."

    Know what? "Daria." Aurelia's tone was threatening.

    "He's in love with you."

    The world stopped. For one long, outrageous moment, Aurelia let herself consider the statement. He had kissed her. Once. And saved her life. More than once.

    But the idea that he could be in love with her did not-could not be true. "That's nonsense." She had tried to let Robert know she wanted to spend time alone with him on the way to Sterling. And he had rejected her. He was still rejecting her.

    Daria habded her the stockings. "Honestly, Aurelia. There's nothing wrong with being in love."

    Aurelia was not at all certain of that.

                                                                                               ~Exile by Anne Osterlund

*Book 2*
Previous book: Aurelia