Run - don't walk - for The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen

    Picking up shortly after The False Prince left off with Jaron’s return and coronation, it is time for the funeral of the royal family.   Jaron slips out to the garden for time alone only to be attacked by two intruders, one of whom Jaron never expected.  He is given a deadline – surrender to pirates in ten days or Carthya will be attacked.    Encouraged by Gregor Breslin, captain of the guard, to go into hiding and allow a steward to rule until he is older, Jaron instead secretly leaves with Mott and Tobias for Farthenwood.  From Farthenwood, Jaron sends Tobias back to the palace and leaves Mott behind, setting out to join the pirates to bring about their downfall from the inside. 

     Along the way, Jaron resumes life as the orphan Sage, meets Rulon Harlowe, a minor Carthyan nobleman, enters Avenia, joins a band of thieves, avoids detection by the Avenian king Vargan, and with the help of Erick,the band’s leader, is taken to the pirates where he becomes one of them.  The pirate king Devlin is suspicious of Sage, but Sage’s troubles truly begin when someone from his past returns to the camp. 

    How will Jaron save himself, his friends, and ultimately his country?  Who is really responsible for the death of his family and political turmoil in Carthya?  And  the girls -  how does he feel about Imogen and Princess Amarinda, and what do they really think of him?   

    Jaron is as reckless as ever, but he is also clever and fiercely loyal to his friends and his country.  Both a convincing thief and a competent royal, he displays all the hubris one would expect from a royal, but he balances it with the humility learned through life on his own.   The cast of characters, the unexpected twists and turns, and the mystery and adventure build on to The False Prince and will leave readers clamoring for the next book – and it can’t get here soon enough!

Chickenhare by Chris Grine

While this is a reprint of a book originally published in 2006, this edition of Chickenhare will find a new audience that will be delighted by the original creatures and dark humor.  Chickenhare and Abe, a bearded turtle, are recognizable recombinants while other creatures such as Meg, Banjo, and the Shromphs are new.   Though the obvious focus of a graphic novel is its pictures, there is more to Chickenhare; the dark humor makes the book a pleasure to read.  A Santa Claus look-alike named Klaus is a sadistic master and taxidermist determined to keep his unusual pets by killing and stuffing them.  The banter between Meg and Banjo is less than playful – they’ll end up killing each other or falling hard for each other.   A long-dead ghost goat tied to its frozen corpse plots its revenge on its former master.   The cute little Shromph have sharp, pointy teeth, and they aren’t afraid to use them.   You’ll find no blood, and violence is more implicit than explicit, but this is no bunny-and-buddies tale.  In other words, it’s the perfect pick for a middle-school audience. 

True Story! Review: Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin

So you think you know everything about Abe Lincoln?  16th president.  Honest Abe.  Civil War president.  Emancipator.  Mary, Robert, Tad, Willie.  Target of grave robbing plot.   Hold on there!  What was that?

What do Lincoln, coney, the Secret Service, and grave robbing all have in common? 10 years after the president's death, a counterfeiting ring plots to steal Lincoln's body as part of an attempt to blackmail the government into releasing one of the best coney men around. At the time, the Secret Service agents' primary job was to stop counterfeiters, not provide protection for presidents, but one agent stumbled upon the grave robbing plot.

Look for some period- and setting-specific lingo. "Coney", "shover", and "ropers" might be unfamiliar terms. But the book is well equipped with a glossary at the back as well as extensive source notes. Sheinkin obviously did his research. There's also a bonus section about "body snatchers" - resurrectionists - and the practice of grave robbing in the nineteenth century. 

It's true!   Check out Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin.