New Adventurous Reads Inspire
Imaginations
Lee Littlewood
10-07-05
These new novels for young readers will
capture attention with tons of infused adventure
and mystery.
"Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer" by John Grisham;
Dutton/Penguin; 263 pages; $16.99.
John Grisham's first book for children
delivers the masterful storytelling of his
best-sellers, but this time he captures
courtroom drama appropriate for 10- to
14-year-old readers. Here, 13-year-old Theo
Boone knows every judge, policeman and court
clerk in his small town. And though Theo dreams
of being a lawyer, he isn't quite ready for his
unexpected courtroom trial.
Full of intense intrigue and suspense,
Grisham's carefully crafted legal thriller keeps
readers guessing, especially when young Theo is
dragged into a sensational murder trial with a
cold-blooded killer who is about to go free.
Kudos once again, Mr. Grisham. Let's hope
this is only your first in a long line of
suspense novels for kids.
"The Ring of Five" by Eoin McNamee; Knopf
Delacorte Dell/Random House; 352 pages; $16.99.
Known for the critically acclaimed
"Navigator" series, Eoin McNamee debuts a new
trilogy that looks to be both thrilling and
imaginative. In "The Ring of Five," a lonely boy
named Danny, with pointed ears and a triangular
face, is sent away to what he thinks is boarding
school. But when Danny arrives, he realizes he's
in a school for spies. He meets a bevy of
unusual friends, including a thief with wings, a
girl who can disappear and reappear at will, and
a physick who can suck illness from anyone's
body.
Why is Danny at the new school? So that he
can penetrate the inner circle and report their
secrets back to the teachers. A fun spy
thriller-meets-fantasy novel, "The Ring of Five"
should engage kids 10 and up.
"The Dead-Tossed Waves" by Carrie Ryan;
Delacorte Press; 416 pages; $17.99.
Ryan's "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" is a
gorgeously crafted, powerful novel for young
adults. The story continues within the confines
of a world devastated by a deadly virus in her
latest, which takes a distinctively narrative
turn. Here, Mary's daughter — who is content
with her quiet life by the sea — tells her point
of view.
Ryan ingeniously weaves in this new
protagonist, Gabry, and a story line that
reflects both the past and present. Gabry feels
secure behind the barrier that protects her town
from the forest, but danger is still not
invisible. And a childhood dare opens up a
terrifying world and a tangled web of love,
hurt, anger and mystery.
"The Dead-Tossed Waves" works as either a
companion to Ryan's predecessor or as an
absorbing, dramatic novel on its own. Much more
than a series about the living dead, Ryan's
works are nail biters.
"Gold Medal Murder: Nancy Drew and the Hardy
Boys Super Mystery" by Caroline Keene and
Franklin W. Dixon; Aladdin/Simon and Schuster;
170 pages; $5.99.
Things have to turn out when Nancy Drew meets
up with the Hardy Boys. In this "new" Nancy Drew
tale, an Olympic swimmer is being thrown off his
game when he receives death threats. With plenty
of sports drama, Olympics fever and Los Angeles
gloss, this Drew/Hardy mystery is more modern
and sunny than others.
A perfect "throw-in-the-beach-bag" paperback
girls and boys ages 8 to 12 will devour in an
afternoon, the active mystery's back cover sums
it up: "One Olympic scandal. One big crime.
Three of the best teen detectives of all time."
"Monster's Proof" by Richard Lewis; Simon &
Schuster; 280 pages; $7.99.
Booklist calls Lewis' latest novel "a mix of
abstract theory, algebra cult worship, and
divine intervention that's nothing short of
audacious." In this math-centered (wait! Don't
snooze off just yet!) tale, Livey Eli juggles
cheerleading, school, and managing her
absent-minded professor father and math genius
little brother. But things get weirder when
young Darby brings his imaginary friend, Bob, to
life through a math theorem.
Where's the problem, you say? Well, Bob, a
creature of pure math, hates chaos in any form
and wreaks havoc in his determination to fix the
disorderly world.
Completely abstract and randomly odd and
imaginative, "Monster's Proof" is that book kids
(12 and up) will shake their heads at and cling
to at the same time.
To find out more about Lee Littlewood and
read features by other Creators Syndicate
writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators
Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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