Max Tilt: Fire the Depths by Peter Lerangis

Twelve-year-old Max Tilt’s life is slowly falling apart. His mother’s cancer has returned and his father can’t work because of her condition. When Max’s parents leave to start her treatments, they put Max’s older, Canadian cousin, Alex, in charge. But as soon as Alex arrives, she and Max uncover a mountain of unpaid bills that will lead to their eviction. Desperately searching the house for items to sell, Alex and Max find a lost manuscript left by their famous ancestor, Jules Verne. Verne’s manuscript reveals that his science-fiction tales were based on Verne’s own experiences and that he left a treasure for his descendants if they can decipher the clues he left behind.

Lerangis proves he is a master of middle-grade fantasy with his heart-racing, new series based on the works of Jules Verne. Lerangis weaves a unique twist to his tantalizing tale by bringing up the fact that the fantastical technology Verne described in his stories was eventually invented. In other words, science-fiction became reality. So why not apply it to Verne’s personal life? Lerangis plunges Verne’s legends into a modern story to prove that Verne’s fiction was fact. Lerangis’ adventure is told through the synesthesia-suffering, intelligent tween, Max and his spunky, courageous cousin, Alex. Readers will cheer on the cousins as they piece together the Verne’s puzzles while avoiding doom, gloom, and bad smells. A great series for newbie or seasoned Verne fans, ages 12 and up.

Seven Ways to Trick a Troll by Lise Lunge-Larsen, illustrated by Kari Vick

In ancient Norse tales, the frost giant, Ymir, used his planet-sized body to create the earth. After the creation process, his troll children crawled out from between his toes. Even at the point, trolls were large beings who loathed humans and coveted what humans had. Luckily troll brains are small so even a child can cleverly trick their way out of any troll dilemma. But a child must be more than clever to trick a troll. They must be brave, persistent, caring, hard-working, and spunky. It also helps to know some key weaknesses to defeat a troll. These weaknesses include distaste of loud noises; exploding when angry; turning into stone from direct or reflected sunlight; easily distracted; unable to swim; and clumsy during a pursuit. Armed with this information, seven children take on various trolls to save themselves, their families, or friends from several greedy trolls.

Larsen and Vick’s collection of troll fairytales is a delight from start to finish. Vick’s bright, engaging, and lively watercolor illustrations harkens to the works of master illustrator Trina Schart Hyman. Larsen’s seven troll-defeating adventures are entertaining yet heartfelt because almost all the stories are about brave children saving their families or loved ones from a troll’s wrath. At the back of the book, Larsen even includes a section dedicated to identifying the remains of trolls turned into stone. One minor flaw of the story is that a troll’s weakness of sunlight is used twice. Even on the book’s back cover it states only six weaknesses because a trolls’ weakness of sunlight, whether direct or reflected, can be condensed into just one weakness. However, the fault is easily forgiven by another satisfying serving of a sunlight-based fairytale. Seven Ways to Trick a Troll is a must-read and must-own for any fairytale lovers or fairytale beginners.

The Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart

New Umbra is ruled by the mastermind, the Smoke. Twelve-year-old Reuben is aloof to the city’s political problems until he discovers a mysterious watch. Reuben attempts to pawn the watch to help his mother, but it turns out the Smoke desperately wants the watch. Reuben decides to wind the watch and he turns invisible. Reuben relishes being invisible, but the Smoke’s agents zero in on him. Reuben leaves home to protect his mother and find the watch’s true owner. This leads him to the Meyer family and their legend with the watch. Because of their family’s legend, siblings Penny and Jack Meyer agree to help Reuben overthrow the Smoke.

Stewart expertly creates another unique middle-grade masterpiece full of puzzles, humor, and suspense. But the clever clues don’t overshadow the emotional depth of Stewart’s book. Before finding the watch, Reuben’s life was difficult. He father was killed and his mother struggles to provide for them. These trials rule Reuben’s life, not the political problems caused by the Smoke. When Reuben finds and uses the watch, he temporarily escapes his life by invisibility. But as Reuben gets entangled with the Smoke, Reuben realizes the Smoke’s addiction to the watch is the reason behind all the suffering in New Umbra. It’s a difficult realization for Reuben, but once he lets go of the watch, everyone flourishes, including himself. A fantastic read for ages 12 and up.