Dragon Pearl

Min is tired of her boring life on Jinju, a badly terraformed planet on the outskirts of civilized worlds.  Her mother insists Min and the other members of the family keep their fox abilities hidden.  Foxes don't exactly have the best reputation with their ability to shapeshift and subtly charm people's emotions. 

When an officer from the Space Forces shows up demanding information about her older brother, Min is shocked and intrigued.  Jun would never desert his post; being in the Space Forces is too important to him.  Plus, they are accusing him of going in search of the Dragon Pearl.  Jun would never risk everything for a myth.  Min decides the only way to help her brother is to run away from home and try to find him herself. 

For the first time in her life, she's really flexing her fox muscles, and it feels great!  She charms her way onto a pirate's ship and escapes near death only to find herself on her brother's own battlecruiser.  With help from a ghost and some new friends (Min considers them friends, but since they don't know who she really is, does that count?), Min must unravel the mystery of what happened to her brother and how it connects to a bigger political game.

This is the newest addition to the Rick Riordan Presents line written by Yoon Ha Lee, and it's been my least favorite so far.  It's ok, but it just doesn't have as much action and fluidity as the other series.  It's worth reading for fantasy fans, and I love the diversity of the line overall, but this title was lacking. 

The Strangers

Chess, Emma, and Finn come home one day to find their mother horrified by a news broadcast about three missing kids in Arizona.  At first, they don't understand why their mom is so upset.  They live in Pennsylvania.  How could this affect them?  Then they see it.  The Arizona kids are the same ages as the Greystones, 12, 10, and 8.  Plus, they look almost identical!

This must be some kind of strange coincidence, but their mom is acting weird.  When she suddenly decides to go on a business trip leaving the kids with a woman they barely know, the feeling of wrongness only increases.

They know their mom didn't tell them the whole truth, and they are desperate to figure out what's going on.  If their mom is in danger, they have to help her!  As they begin uncovering clues, the reality of the situation slowly becomes clear, and it's almost more than they can comprehend.

Margaret Peterson Haddix's new book is a great sci-fi mystery perfect for middle grade kids.  I just wish they were a little bit older, but it really doesn't matter.  The kids only need to see HADDIX on the cover, and they are ready to read! Recommended!

Sweep

Nan Sparrow is an orphan and a chimney sweep.  She spent her early years in the protection of the Sweep.  He kept her safe, taught her the trade, and told her magical tales to fill her head even when her belly was empty.  When the Sweep disappears leaving her with nothing but a warm piece of char, Nan apprentices with Wilkie Crudd, known for his good looks and his slightly less than horrible treatment of his apprentices.

One day she nearly dies after getting stuck in a chimney.  Instead of the afterlife, she awakes to find the char has come to life.  The char has become Charlie, a golem brought to life by fire and built from ash and coal.

Nan knows she must hide Charlie from the world and herself from Wilkie Crudd.  Everyone thinks she's dead anyway, so she and Charlie begin a new life in hiding where she continues to work on her own and try to gain as much information about Charlie as she can.

Nan feels protective of Charlie, but the more she learns about golems and their purpose, the more she fears their time together will be short lived.

I really enjoyed Jonathan Auxier's new novel.  It's set in a Dickensian world with a touch of magic and depicts some of the real-life horrors visited on the poor children of Victorian London.  It's not an easy read, though, and probably not for every kid.  I think it would appeal most to 4th-6th graders with advanced reading comprehension.