Books for Teens

This is a great book for upper elementary students through middle schoolers.  I won this book in a raffle and I quickly finished the book.  It reminded me a lot of the movie National Treasure.  It is basically a treasure hunt book.  The main characters Amy and Dan Cahill are left the first clue by the grandmother.  Unfortunately, she left the same clue to many other relatives, so the race is on to see who can figure it out first.  The race leads to many historic places, with enemies ready to trap them at every turn.  Book one ends with clue #1 solved, but does this mean we have to read 38 more books to find out what the mystery treasure is?  I liked the book well enough, but I’m not sure I want to commit to reading 39 books.  Something that was cool is that each book comes with clue cards to help you decipher the big mystery.  You can go online and log in to find out more about the characters.  There are also additional card packs to buy if you want more clues.  I think kids will enjoy the internet connection and the chance to win prizes.  I went ahead and put this in my elementary library to see how the kids react to it.

The format of this book is incredibly appealing. At over 500 pages, it might be intimidating to a young reader until they pick it up and flip through the pages. Selznick’s book is a graphic novel told in pages of words alternating with pages of black and white drawings. It was a quick read, despite the length and I highly enjoyed reading it.

Hugo is an orphan. After his father died he has been hiding in a train station, maintaining the clocks in the building. The only thing he has left from his father is a broken automaton and the dream of repairing it. Hugo tries his best to fend for himself. He often has to steal food and parts for his repairs from a local toyshop. One day Hugo befriends the toyshop owner’s goddaughter at the movie theater. Later, he is caught stealing by Georges Melies, the shop owner. Georges takes Hugo’s sketch book as a penance for the theft. More than anything Hugo wants his sketch book back, so he begins to work for the shopkeeper to earn it back. Through the help of his new friend, Hugo is able to get his sketch book and repair the automaton. Once they turn on the automaton, it begins to draw a picture and write out a message.  Hugo can’t wait to see what it creates.  He is shocked to find at the bottom of the picture the automaton has signed Georges Melies’ name.  A mystery is to be uncovered.  What role did Georges play in the creation of the automaton?  Why did it draw a scene from Hugo’s father’s favorite movie?  The fast paced ending had me glued to my seat, eager to find out what would become of Hugo Cabret.

Bethany’s life has always been over protected. No overnight slumber parties, no staying out with friends. One day her strict parents, put her in the car, pack up all her stuff and tell her they’re leaving. Shocked, she doesn’t know what to say. Her mother sobs in the fronts seat while her dad drives white knuckled through the night. When they finally get to their destination, Bethany is horrified to learn that she is being dropped off at some random relative’s house while her parents take off to do who knows what. How could they do this to me? She wonders constantly. While in this new town, people start acting strangely around her. Almost as if they recognize her…Apparently she looks suspiciously like another girl who lived in that town.