Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2). Disney-Hyperion, 2006. 288 pages.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riodan. Disney-Hyperion, 2006. 400 pages

Very Harry Potteresque-- Young Percy Jackson learns at the age of 12 that he is really a demi-god-- his absent father is really Neptune, God of the Sea. For his own safety he must leave his mortal mother and his home in Manhattan and travel to Camp Half-Blood with his best friend who, it turns out, is not a boy at all, but a Satyr (goat feet). He learns the skills needed to survive the greek monsters and must go one a quest with Grover and new friend Annabeth. They must find who has stolen lightning from Zeus-- but before they do, lots of adventures and humor and learning about Greek mythology
Very Harry Potter-- if for a younger set who like the US setting, the fresh and sassy and smart alecky Percy and a lot more action-- less pages but still a healthy read. i enjoyed it. An 11 year old i am very friendly with Loved it and cannot wait to read them all--fancies himself a young Percy i have no doubt-- just waiting to be rescued and sent to live with his exciting new family...
A very good series-- i recommend it absolutely-- kids love it. it will not have the adult followers that HP did, but it is not as deep as HP-- still
i do not hesitate to recommend it and even put it on the city of boston's myths and legends summer book list for middle school grades 6-8.

Bearwalker by Joseph Bruchac. HarperCollins 2007, 208 pages.

13 year old Baron is a small for his age new kid at school. Both his parents are military personnel-- his father is MIA and his mother is active duty in Iraq, so Baron lives with his grandmother. Already a bully magnet, Baron keeps his Native American heritage to himself, until the class takes a school trip to an outward bound type camp in the Adirondacks. There he must call on his knowledge of Mohawk legends to help save his classmates from the Bearwalker.
I love Joseph Bruchac, but i was so disappointed in this story. It reads like a reluctant reader--not like the work of a master storyteller, and the storyline was so cliché-- i actually cringed when i read it. The professional reviewers gave it great reviews-- and school library journal called it a work for teens- 7 grade +-- and based on that-plus the fact that it is written by the a literary lion like Bruchac, i put it on the middle school myths and legends summer reading list. But i had not read it, and now i am so sorry. i would still recommend it to certain kids-- boy reluctant readers, or, even more likely-- younger boys who read well above level-- but that is about it.
disappointed overall-- will try Skeleton Man instead.

Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood by Tony Lee. Candlewick Press. 2009.

True to the classic legend and very well done, Lee's graphic adaptation of the famous English classic adds just enough of a contemporary feel to be real and accessible to kids today. The illustrations and general feel is dark and brooding-- lots of shadows and "KERPOW" for action, sidebar celtic knots and medieval backdrops help keep the story real and compelling. it is a time of political turmoil in England. King Richard the Lionhearted is kidnapped and held for ransome on the way home from the Crusades. His brother John and his Norman cohorts are running England to the ground-- usurping the ancestral lands of "real" English Lords and handing them over to Norman invaders, who, in turn, are taxing the local peasantry into the ground and abusing the population. Robin of Loxley, Earl of Huntington, and ally of good King Richard, turns outlaw when the Sheriff of Nottingham (ally of Prince John and enforcer of brutal tax levies) steals his land. Robin robs from the Normans and English traitors and gives the money back to the peasants so they can pay their taxes--he fights for the forces of sweetness and light, gains all the respect of the peasantry and the good lords -- even King Richard himself-- and wins the heart of the brave and lovely Maid Marion to boot! A very well done classic adventure story done in graphic format. i loved it. great for all kids-- especially boys and anglophiles. lots of text for a graphic-- but very well done- and like all good graphics, each word is well chosen (much like poetry has to be) inorder to convey the core message in a small word bubble. Great for content knowledge and pleasure reading. Interesting backpage history of the legend included. Highly recommended. I put it on the middle school myths and legends summer reading list.

Bloodline by Kate Cary. Razorbill/Penguin, 2005. 324 pages.

Set in England during World War I and told entirely through journal entries and letters or the characters, Nurse Mary Seward reads the journal of Lt. John Shaw, a patient badly injured-- physically but especially emotionally--during fierce fighting in France. She becomes wary of Captain Harker, John's commanding officer. As Mary grows more suspicious, Harker gets close to John's only living relative, a young and naive sister Lily. Before Mary can convince John of the danger, Harker and Lily run off to Transylvania to marry and the shared bloodline to Dracula becomes known. John and Mary follow to try to save Lily, and the entire family from their fate.
I am especially fond of stories told in journal and letter form. I really enjoyed the beginning and middle of this book--the journal entries brought trench life during the First World War to life. Cary knows something about the period, i suspect. The story was compelling and well written until about two thirds through, when i thought it felt hurried and got ridiculous. the entire vampire part bored me, honestly-- anyone could see it coming-- all the tension of a good creepy horror story was gone. Also, i did not much like the characters in the end, and so cared little for what happened to them.
So, a no for me personally, but vampire fans-- youngish, middle school aged ones-- will enjoy it fully.

Beowulf: A Hero's Tale Retold by James Rumford. Houghton-Mifflin, 2007. 48 pages.

A wonderful retelling of the Old English Classic-- Liner notes detail the research Rumford did into the legendary epic itself, as well as the linguistics behind the history of english that are very much a part of the modern student's study of the tale. The language is strong and dynamic, luscious and poetic, with- more amazingly- Rumford using only english words derived from anglo saxon-- (with the exception of 3 words from old norse). The dark and powerful retelling mirrors the language of a storyteller, and is enhanced by Rumford's own illustrations-- muted blues and green and grays that evoke misty, sunless lands of northern europe. Celtic knots and ancient symbols float in the people, clothing and landscape, ripped open by the occasional brilliant black, gold or red, where the curve of the dragon's tail mirrors the prow of a viking ship. Please understand, I never liked this poem as a highschool student who had to study it in english class. But this is different--a fabulous retelling of the ancient classic, full of action and power and made accessible to kids today. strong recommendation for upper elementary and older.