Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs

Hold on to your seat, it's going to get bumpy!!  Charlie (AKA Charlotte) Thorne is a mathematical genius.  She is 12 years old and already in college. The CIA kidnaps her and puts her into service in exchange for a crime she committed - stealing money from a company.  She discovers that they are hunting for Pandora, a equation developed by Einstein and hidden away so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands, but who are the wrong hands?  CIA, Mossad, MI6?  Charlie doesn't know who she can trust.  

Plot has lots of twists and turns and will keep you guessing to the end.  Gibbs has left it open to a sequel, I hope he produces one. :) 

The Paris Project by Donna Gephart

Available October 8, 2019

This book has it all... a dad that's incarcerated, a friend that is gay, a sister that wants to go to college in another state, a mom that has to work to support them all, and losing a best friend.  Cleveland Rosebud Potts is a 7th grade student who is having to deal with all the above.  She has a list she is checking off of how she will be able to attend school in Paris.  She is saving her money that she earns walking dogs and checking off her list of "to-do's" in order to be prepared.  Through it all she learns how to forgive her friend for choosing an "enemy" for a friend and her dad for being in prison, how to make new friends and be positive through it all.

The Girl in the Locked Room by Mary Downing Hahn

I just finished this book and thought, WOW!  Jules has moved to a new town because her dad restores old houses.  She is not thrilled with the move and the house seems very creepy.  In the late 1800's a family went missing from the house.  Jules starts to have visions/ deja vu of things that happened in the past.  She meets a girl in town named Maisie and they start a friendship built over books about alternate worlds.  Jules and Maisie discover there was girl locked in a room of the house long ago and she is still there.  Can they help her escape or will she be trapped there forever??

Maximillian Fly by Angie Sage

Available June 2019

Maximillian Fly is a human with cockroach features.  Kaitlin and Jonno (two human children) are trying to escape the Enforcers who mean to kill them.  Maximillian decides to help them and that begins the story.  They live in a town called Hope, which really doesn't have any hope.  It is surrounded by an Orb (which is like a force field) and no one comes in or leaves.  Kaitlin and Jonno's parents are dead, their brother joined the Enforcers and they are on their own.  As the story continues Maximillian and the children become more and more entangled in a fantastical adventure where no one may survive.

Great story for those who like things to always go wrong and lots of twists.  You'll never see the end coming.

Out of Place by Jennifer Blecher

Available June 2019

Cove lives in Martha's Vineyard with her artist mom and she has never left the island in her 12 years.  Her mom refuses to leave, even for a trip.  Cove's best friend, Nina, is moving to New York City so her dad can try selling his artwork there.  Cove is devastated.  She is bullied by the other girls on the island, and really has no other friends.  Once Nina moves Cove decides to apply to be on a reality show called "Create You" so she can go to New York and find Nina.  There's only one problem, Cove doesn't know how to sew.  With the help of her friend, Anna (who lives in a retirement home), Cove begins learning how to sew.  Things go terribly wrong though when Cove makes a decision that she is not ready for. 

Great book for theme, character development, and learning how to deal with typical adolescent social issues.

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

This is the first book in the Land of Stories series.  In this book Alex and Conner Bailey are twins.  Conner is kind of a slacker in school, but has friends and Alex is very smart, but she doesn't have really any friends.  Their dad was in an accident and has passed away and their mom works super hard to make ends meet now.  On their twelfth  birthday their grandma comes to visit, while their mother has to work.  She gives them The Land of Stories book that they grew up listening to stories from.  Soon after the twins fall into the book and are transported to the LAND OF STORIES!  There they meet Froggy who tells them about a wishing spell that could take them back home.  As they are collecting items for the spell, they run into Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and more, but they are not the only ones searching for the items for the spell.  Will they be able to collect the items and get home?

The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix

True account of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's years growing up.  He was from a family of 8 kids and parents who were very educated.  He was raised to be very scientific, logical and knowledgeable.  He also at an early age became known as a theologian (expert on God).  He was born in 1906 and grew up in the time that Germany was recovering from WWI and Hitler was starting to "worm" his way into power.  Through his choices in life Dietrich became a spy and was part of the German resistance to remove Hitler from power.  Great format of pictures and print.  Goes into detail of the timeline of events that happened leading up to WWII.  Has an index, notes and a bibliography. 

Author's intro to book