Magic Treehouse, vampires and Lulu Atlantis: It's summer reading

With summer vacation comes plenty of time at the beach, at camp, playing outdoors — and plenty of opportunities for getting lost in a great book, while hanging in a hammock, lazing in a windowseat or floating in a boat.

Michelle Charles, juvenile and young adult book specialist at Oblong Books and Music in Millerton, shared some of her picks for summer reading. To hear more of her choices and reviews, tune in to the Northwest Corner’s newest and smallest National Public Radio Station, WHDD-FM91.9 and AM1020 (on the Web at robinhoodradio.com, click on On Demand and then Kids Book Corner to hear podcasts of past reviews).

Ages 7-10, early chapter books

The Magic Tree House is an ongoing series for young readers filled with adventure and excitement, making them enjoyable for boys and girls alike. There are currently 37 titles in this series, including the newest release, “Dragon of the Red Dawn.†In this book, brother and sister Jack and Annie must help the unhappy magician, Merlin. In order to do so they must travel to Japan in the 1600s and find one of the four secrets of happiness with only a research book, magic wand and three rules to guide them.

For young ladies, the Fairy House series by Kelly McKain has become quite popular. These books are about four fairies, Snowdrop, Daisy, Rosehip and Bluebell, who move into Katie’s dollhouse.

The Barnstormers series by Phil Bildner is popular among boys. These books contain baseball mysteries while injecting  baseball history and terminology throughout. The newest installment, “Game 3,†begins with an amazing come-from-behind win for the Travelin’ Nine. Griffith, Ruby and Graham believe that this is due to the baseball that their Uncle Owen gave them —which they are sure has magical powers. Why else would their uncle have told them that they must keep the ball a secret? The mysteries begin to swirl around as the story progresses.

Ages 8-12

Ingrid Law’s “Savvy†is a tale told through the eyes of a 13-year-old about to receive her magical powers.

In the Beaumont family, each child gets a savvy on his or her 13th birthday. Mib’s mother’s gift is being perfect. Her 17-year-old brother can conduct electricity within his body, while her 14-year-old brother can create storms.

Mississippi, or Mibs for short, is about to find out what her savvy is when her father gets in an accident and Mibs takes it upon herself to help him.

“Lulu Atlantis and the Quest for True Blue Love,†by Patricia Martin, is a story told in a series of vignettes. Lulu is not too happy about having her new little brother, Sam, around, and so she sets out with her dear friend, a top-hat wearing spider, in search of some adventures. She finds much more than that.

The third novel by Blue Balliett, “Calder Game,†is an art-related mystery. Balliett is the author of the immensely popular “Chasing Vermeer,†which was a sort of “DaVinci Code†for young readers: a mystery with codes and great works of art.

In this new title, Calder Pilly returns for another round of art-inspired puzzles. He and his father travel to England, where they find a strange sculpture in the town square. Calder feels that he and the statue don’t belong there — and they both wind up disappearing.

Calder’s friends Petra and Tommy travel to England to help find him and his father — and the task proves much more dangerous then anyoneexpected.

Ages 12 and up

“Genius Squad,†the sequel to “Evil Genius,†by Catherine Jinks, is a dark spy mystery.

Cadel is a computer prodigy who was a witness to some criminal mastermind’s activity and is set to testify against them. He is in a witness protection program, with 24-hour surveillance by the Genius Squad.  But when one of the criminals he had spied on breaks out of jail, the Genius Squad might not be able to protect him any longer, and Cadel will have to rely on his wits to stay safe.

“Lock and Key†is a book about “finding yourself.†In Sarah Desse’s novel, Ruby Cooper is taken away from her mother on the eve of her 18th birthday, and sent to live with an older sister she hasn’t spoken to in 10 years.

Her travels to live with Cora are a journey of self-discovery — and an understanding of what “family†is and can be.

“The Patron Saint of Butterflies†by Cecilia Galante covers difficult material in a sensitive manner. Friends Agnes and Honey have been living in a religious commune with a charismatic but controlling leader.

Agnes’ younger brother is seriously hurt by the leader of the commune and when he is refused aid, Agnes’ grandmother takes her two grandchildren and Honey and they escape.

The story covers everything from friendship to faith as the two girls discover who they are and what they believe in.

Ages 14 and up

Jacquelyn Mitchard’s “All We Know of Heaven: A Novel†is the author’s intepretation in fiction of a story she saw on the news: Two friends who are almost identical are involved in a car accident and only one of them survives. One girl is buried, another remains in a coma in the hospital. But an error of identification is made: The girl that everyone thought was dead and buried is alive, but unable to communicate. The girl that everyone thought was at least alive — is not.

This is the story of the families and how they reconcile the fact that one child has lived and one has died — and then come to grips with the error. And it is the story of the surviving girl’s guilt and regrets as she watches one family’s joy and relief turn to inconsolable grief.

“Declare Yourself†is a timely book, geared to help youngsters understand why it’s so important to take part in the political process. It is a collection of pieces by pop culture figures who explain why they vote, how they vote, and why it is important for everyone to get to the polls.  

Later this summer, look for the newest entry in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series about starcrossed vampires in love to be released.“Breaking Dawn: The Twilight Saga, Book 4†will be in bookstores on Aug. 2.