The Raucous Royals: Test your Royal Wits: Crack Codes, Solve Mysteries, and Deduce Which Royal Rumors are True by Carlyn Beccia

Was Napoleon Bonaparte really short? Was Henry VIII so fat that he needed to be carried by his servants? Was Prince Dracula a real vampire? From her research, Beccia reveals the truth behind the myths and rumors spread about many royals in history.

Written in the style of a humorous tabloid, The Raucous Royals includes facts about each monarch and highlights the time period they lived in. Along with these facts, Beccia provides quizzes, codes, charts, and guessing games to test the readers' knowledge on historical gossip. At the end of the book, Beccia shows the process students can use in writing research papers based upon a historical rumor. The Raucous Royals is a hilarious, fun take on history appropriate for ages 12 and up.

A True Princess by Diane Zahler

Living as a servant on the Jorgen's farm is not easy for twelve-year-old Lilia. But Lilia's hardship is subdued by her deep friendship between two of the Jorgen children: Kai and Karina. One day Lilia overhears Mrs. Jorgen say that they need to sell Lilia. Upon hearing this, Lilia decides to runaway to the Northern Kingdom. As Lilia is sneaking away, Kai and Karina show up to join Lilia on her quest. However, problems arise for the group when their trail leads them to the dangerously enchanted Bitra Forest--the Elf-King's domain. While they travel through the forest, Kai is entranced by the Elf'-King's daughter and joins the king's spell-bound, stolen children. Lilia and Karina escape, but it is up them to find help in the Northern Kingdom to rescue Kai and the other children.

Zahler mixes Hans Christian Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea" and Goethe's poem "The Erl-King" to create this suspenseful, middle-grade read. Because of the combination of these two tales, Zahler addresses two driving themes in her book: uncovering a person's true identity and avoiding the deadly enchantments of magic. Lilia leaves her servitude to uncover a life that most likely started in the Northern Kingdom. This is due to her looks and her baby blanket. But when Lilia loses Kai to the Elf-King, Lilia's love for him causes her to place her plans on hold until she can rescue him. A True Princess is a great fantasy read showing the importance of fighting for friendships and searching for family. Appropriate for ages 9 and up.

The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler

All her life, Zita never questioned her orphaned beginnings. But as she grows up working in the royal palace, Zita finally asks the staff about her mother. Zita's questions take her on an adventure that not only uncovers a royal lineage, but also reveals an evil curse laid upon the twelve princesses she serves and loves.
 
The Thirteenth Princess is an imaginative interpretation of Grimm's fairytale well-crafted by Zahler. Told from Zita's perspective, readers see Grimm's tale through the eyes of a forgotten sister rejected by her royal father. After accepting her rocky past, Zita sees that her disownment at birth can be the means of saving the princesses' future. Fans of Shannon Hale or Jessica Day George's work will enjoy this quick-paced and engaging fantasy read. Great for ages 10 and up. 

The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey by Louise Borden, illustrated by Allan Drummond

Many years ago, two Jewish artists from Germany met in Brazil, started a business, fell in love, and got married. The Brazilians could not pronounce their German names, so the couple shortened them to H.A. and Margret Rey. While honeymooning in Europe, the Reys decided to stay in Paris so H.A. could pursue a career as a children's book author and illustrator. During this time, H.A. started developing stories about a curious little monkey, influenced by the many monkeys he saw in Brazil. But Hitler's forces delayed H.A.'s plans for the little monkey until he and Margret could safely escape Europe.

Written and structured in the simple style of the Curious George stories, Borden unveils the tale of this amazing duo who endured much to bring about a priceless picture book story. Along with Borden's concise text, Drummond's watercolor illustrations capture the Rey's hope and perseverance as they carefully made their escape from Europe. Included in the book are maps showing their travels, H.A.'s daily agenda entries, Margret's photographs, original manuscripts for Curious George, and early concept art for several of H.A.'s children's books. Unlike the Curious George books, this is not a story for very young readers. However, The Journey That Saved Curious George is a rich resource for older elementary readers who grew up enjoying the mischievous escapades of a curious little monkey.

Across the Blue Pacific: A World War II Story by Louise Borden, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker

Through the years, Molly and her little brother become close friends with their neighbor's son, Ted Walker--a recent Naval Academy graduate. Life is carefree as they enjoy time with Ted. However, this lifestyle ends when WWII breaks out. Ted is ordered to the South Pacific on the submarine USS Albacore. While Ted faces the dangers of war, Molly faces an easy, secure existence. But Molly's life changes when the Walkers receive a telegram from the United States Navy. 

Borden's WWII story is not about heroic deeds accomplished by extraordinary people when facing insurmountable odds. This book is an unspoken tale that is shared by thousands of children who lived through WWII. Like Molly, many children felt that the war was too far away for them to worry about. Some didn't experience any effects of the war until they lost a loved one in distance battles. Once this occurred, these children began fighting their own internal wars to understand why the loss happened. A thought-provoking but quiet picture book appropriate for ages 6 and up.   

Baseball Is. . . by Louise Borden, illustrated by Raul Colon

Baseball is a complex sport riddled with rich history, monumental players, and loyal fans. But baseball is more than just a game. Baseball creates memories for it's fans with sitting in the bleachers, listening to commentators, cheering for a team, eating peanuts and hotdogs, singing familiar songs, and watching the American flag wave over the field. Baseball is an integral part of our culture that all are welcome to experience.

Borden's succinct, poetic words and Colon's colored pencil illustrations capture the purity of the all-American sport. Borden highlights baseball's memorable past, engaging present, and promising future in catchy prose, mimicking the pace of the game itself. Any fan--old or young, pro or rookie, boy or girl--will have their appetite for baseball quenched as they read Baseball Is....         

Lady Macbeth's Daughter by Lisa Klein

Macbeth has seen the soothsaying sisters and they have foretold that Macbeth and his wife, Grelach, will have many sons. However, when Grelach bears a crippled girl, Macbeth wants to leave the newborn to the wolves. However, Grelach's lady-in-waiting, Rhuven, takes the baby to her soothsaying sisters Helwain and Geillis. They call the girl Albia and raise her as their own. But Albia's bloodstained heritage eventually comes out when Macbeth becomes king.

Klein creates another intriguing Shakespearean-based tale with Lady Macbeth's Daughter. This story is told from Albia's perspective as she witnesses the downfall of her power-hungry parents, hoping their madness will not trickle down to her. Besides adding a new character, Klein also gives more background as to why Macbeth wanted to become king. Beautifully written and incredibly imaginative, any fan of Shakespeare would enjoy Klein's spin on this classic play. A note to parents: because of the gruesome content of the play, this book is more appropriate for ages 13 and up.  

Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko

Moose may have taken advantage of Al Capone to secretly get what his family needed, but Capone is smart enough to see a chance to help himself. Soon after Moose's sister, Natalie, starts attending her special needs school, Moose finds a note from Capone in his shoes. The note says that it is Moose's turn to do Capone a favor. Moose does not know what Capone wants, but he does know that Al Capone is still very powerful behind bars. For his own safety, Moose must decide if he should tell his parents the truth about Capone's part in helping Natalie or keep his secret and complete Capone's illegal errand. 

Choldenko's second book in her Alcatraz series is just as good as or even better than Al Capone Does My Shirts. Now that readers know who Moose is and how he thinks, they can delve deeper into his mind. How does he feel about Natalie's special needs? How far is he willing to go to protect his family and friends? How does he really feel about Piper? Following an undeviating plot, Choldenko adds more suspense, thrills, humor, and emotion to Moose's extraordinary story. The final book in the series is Al Capone Does My Homework.