Action, Adventure, Mystery and Mayhem
Sara Grajek
July 13, 2007
Summer is the time for blockbuster movies, action, adventure, and…reading? Of course! Rowan Public Library has plenty of books to keep even the most fidgety on the edge of their seats. Pirates are popular these days and we have no shortage of books to indulge that interest. What about superheroes? No problem. Don’t forget about martial arts and mystery books. They are sure to catch young readers’ attention and hold it until the very last page.
If you’ve got a pirate fanatic, try Peter and the Starcatchers, and the sequel, Peter and the Shadow Thieves. Written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, they offer their own version of what might have happened before Peter Pan’s original adventure. Full of wild creatures such as flying crocodiles, biting mermaids, pirates, and of course the orphans led by Peter, these books are sure to intrigue all true pirates. A sequel to the classic J. M. Barrie tale is Peter Pan in Scarlet, by Geraldine McCaughrean. The author won a contest held in Britain by the estate of J. M. Barrie. She was awarded the rights to pen the approved sequel to Peter Pan. Years after Barrie’s tale ended, Neverland is in need of help and Wendy and the Lost Boys, who are now grown-ups, return to make things better.
Are you in need of a superhero to rescue you from a boring summer? Call on Ordinary Boy! In a town where everyone is a superhero and they all have a special power, Ordinary Boy stands out for his lack of one. In The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy: The Hero Revealed by William Boniface, Ordinary Boy fights evil villains such as The Amazing Indestruco and Professor Brain-Drain. Fans of Captain Underpants, will want to read this book as well as its sequel, The Return of Meteor Boy?.
Martial arts fans will enjoy the Five Ancestors series by Jeff Stone. Five orphans in 17th century China are raised and trained as martial arts masters and each one is specially trained with the traits of an animal. Their story is related in each of the five books: Tiger, Monkey, Snake, Crane, and the yet to be released Eagle. In the first of the series, Tiger must reclaim scrolls outlining ancient training methods, which have been stolen from his home. The books have been described as graphic novels without pictures, and will appeal to those who like video games or anime. They are recommended for middle grade readers because of the fighting and content.
For an adventure story centered around a girl spy, check out Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller. One ordinary day, Ananka, who lives in New York City, wakes up to find a large hole outside her apartment. No one seems to pay much attention to the hole, even when a monkey or a troll of some sort crawls out. Ananka soon discovers that inside the hole is another city, just as large as New York, if not even larger. What exactly is under there? What does she do? You’ll have to read the book to find out. If you need more girl adventure, there is always the new and updated Nancy Drew: Girl Detective series, new at the library and just in time for the movie. Whether you are in the mood for pirates, superheroes, or a mystery, one thing is for sure – summer isn’t for sitting around and Rowan Public Library has got you covered.