WHEN THE CIRCUS CAME TO TOWN

by Laurence Yep (3rd+)

Ursula always wanted to see the circus. That is, until she caught smallpox. Now all she wants is to hide her scarred face. But Ah Sam, her parents’ Chinese cook, has other ideas. He brings to town a magical circus and finds a way to give Ursula the confidence she needs to face the world. In return, Ursula finds a way to make Ah Sam happy. She creates the biggest, best Chinese New Year celebration that Whistle, Montana, has ever seen! This story is based on actual events that occurred in the early twentieth century.

A great book about the pain of being different and overcoming that by finding comfort in the community in which you belong.

GIRL WHO COULDN'T REMEMBER, THE

Nancy Drew # 91
By Carolyn Keene (3rd+)

Nancy Drew is not just a normal girl. She is also a very good detective and since she was in high school she has been solving mysteries and strange events. Always along for the ride are her two best friends Bess and George, who though very opposite from each other, happen to also be cousins. Nancy, Bess, and George have decided to get away for a while and spend a mystery free week in a cabin on Wisconsin’s Lake Minosha. Though they are definitely not looking for it and had hoped to get away from any detective work for a while, they end up with a mystery after all. This mystery comes in the form of a girl who shows up unconscious and hurt on the porch of their cabin. When the girl comes to she has temporary amnesia and cannot remember anything about what happened. All she can tell the girls is that she does not want them to call the police because she thinks the police are already looking for her. Nancy gives her 48 hours in which they will try to find out anything they can about her before they have to notify the police. Can Nancy and her friends help this girl find out why she may be running from the police or will they find out too much and find themselves in danger as well. Read The Girl Who Couldn’t Remember by Carolyn Keene.

MOTOCROSS MADNESS

The Hardy Boys #190
By Franklin W. Dixon (3rd+)

Joe and Frank Hardy, brother detectives, were not looking for a new case but one fell into their laps anyway. The Hardy boys and their friend Jamal have signed up to participate in a fundraiser motocross competition to help another of their friends who had been in a bad accident on her bike. There are many people participating from ameateur to experienced and even a few famous riders. The main prize is a classic motorcycle. As the events get under way there are strange burglaries and many accidents that don’t seem to be just accidents. The Hardy boys find themselves not only racing in the competition but also racing to solve a new case before someone really gets hurt. Find out what happens when the hardy boys take on this new case in Motocross Madness.

BAD BEGINNING, THE

Book 1 of the Series of Unfortunate Events
by Lemony Snicket (3rd+)

The Bad Beginning is the beginning of the long adventure of the Baudelaire children-Sunny, Klaus, and Violet. These three children lose their parents in a fire and are sent to live with an uncle that they have never even heard of. When first meeting this uncle, Count Olaf, they find him to be very strange. A the days go by and they are forced to live with him, they find that he is also very cruel. The kids are made to do long lists of chores, they are locked in the house, and they are not aloud to do anything that might bother him. The only reason he is having them stay with him is to get the money that their parents left behind. When he finds out that the only way he can get that money is by their death or Violets marriage, he tries both ways to get his hands on it. We leave the Baudelaire children running from relative to relative while Count Olaf chases after them, determined to have that money. Read book 2-The Reptile Room-in the Series of Unfortunate Events to find out what danger the Baudelaire children will face next.

DON'T THINK TWICE

Book 5 of the Twitches series
by H.B. Gilmour (4th+)

Cam’s best friend Bree is in trouble and no one seems to notice. But when Alex gets the talent to mind read and can’t turn it off she realizes that Bree is in danger. she needs to get help right away. Before Alex and Cam can help her, Bree disappears and meets a mysterious woman who helps her with her problems. This woman is one that both Cam and Alex have been waiting to meet. She holds the key to everything about them. Will they help Bree and meet this mysterious woman? Read Don’t Think Twice by H.B. Gilmour.

DEAD WRONG

Book 4 of the Twitches series
by H.B. Gilmour (4th+)

Alex has just found out that her real father is alive and now he is asking for custody of her. He wants her to come back to Montana and live with him. Alex’s best friend, Evan, who is also in Montana is in trouble and needs help right away. So Cam and Alex find themselves on their way to Montana. When they arrive their they find that the evil warlock Thantos has followed them and has an evil surprise for them. Read this spellbinding story of warlocks and witches, Dead Wrong.

SEEING IS DECEIVING

Book 3 of the Twitches series
by H.B. Gilmour (4th+)

Alex and Camryn, twin witches, are finally starting to work together with their magic more and more and it continues to bring them closer together. On the flip side though, the closer they get the further apart Camryn and her best friend are getting. Beth is in real need of her best friend right now and when Camryn is not there for her, she turns to an organization called helping hands. Both Alex and Camryn know that something is not right with this organization because of a run in they had with its leader, a woman named Ms. Webb. While this is taking place, the warlock Thantos, the girls uncle, is again playing tricks and luring the girls from each other, in order to destroy them. Will the girls be able to work together and once again defeat their uncle or will this tear them apart? Will the girls at the same time be able to help Beth get away from Helping Hands and stop the scam they have going? Read Seeing is Deceiving, the third book in the Twitches series to find out.