Superteam The Red Raptor Files Part 2 (YA)

Sawyer, AKA Red Raptor is fed up with the guild rules and decides he will just start his own team to fight crime in the city, and let the super chips fall where they may.  And while that doesn't exactly goes as well as planned, it could have been much worse, I mean heck the world could have been taken over or something.  In the mean time Sawyer's mom and recently found biological dad have decided he needs to get a job and his dad knows just the spot, one of his burger joints, close to their apartment building. 
I  am going to leave the description there before I give to much away, I will just say that the Red Raptor is no Spider-Man and when you get to a certain part of the book you will totally understand that statement as you are laughing and cheering him on.  It is for this reason I love this series, the sidekicks are doing a very serious job but some times the way they go about it is very in orthodox and very humorous.  This was a great sequel to Sidekick, And I hope there are more Red Raptor stories to come.

Max Tilt Fire the Depths (MG)

When thirteen year old Max (great great great grandson of Jules Verne) and his cousin, Alex,  stumble upon one of Jules unfinished works while cleaning the attic looking for things to sell, Max's family needed help to save their house and fast. Well Max and Alex decide to follow the clues in the book, but they need money and help, is this guy Spencer Niemand the one to help them or the one to hurt them the most, and who is he?
I have read all kinds of books where authors take the reader on trips back in time, historical fiction. Or they write a book in a way to teach the reader one thing or another, but I believe this is the first book I have read that had been written, at least for middle graders, to teach them about a classic book, and it was a really fun awesome book.  (Hint: Libraries if you don't have it now stock up on a few 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, you are going to need them.)  Peter Lerangis does not disappoint with this awesome race against time, nature, and humans, the action is non stop and the suspense is thick, but you will always find yourself rooting for the underdogs on this the ultimate race.

Secret Coders Robots & Repeats (MG)

Hopper, Eni and Josh are back and still fighting Principal One-Zero.   This  time One-Zero is determined to split the team up, but the team has other plans to bad they didn't factor in robot ducks with teeth.
I find these some of the cutest coding books for kids that work on the fundamentals of coding and usually one or two things at a time.  This book teaches about nesting and goes back and reinforces the binary code as well.  It teaches code in a fun manner and one that can be repeated on paper if a computer is not available.  Not to mention if your not quite into the coding part yet the storyline is still fun and action packed with lots of cliff hangers.  This is just a awesome fun series and I have enjoyed reviewing, talking and suggesting these books to many of readers now for some time, and I hope I can continue.

The Glass Eye (ADULT)

Jeannie Vanasco's first book is a tribute to her father and a long dark trip for her.  It span from a promise she made to her dying father before she was forced back to school thinking she would be back in a few days for the weekend to see him again, only to find out he died while she was on the train back to school, and that sparks her long dark journey of with her own demons and some of her dads before this books will end, but will Jeannie with a "I" ever win over her grief and the demons that haunt her from a lifetime ago. 
This was a really good book, by debut book author Jeannie Vanasco.  She bares all to tell her story, the story of her dad, and the story of their family.  This is a no hold barred as she tells all about her illness as well and how deep grief can run for daddy's little girl.  This is a wonderful story I hope its the one everyone will read this year.

Mustaches For Maddie (MG)

Maddie is your typical twelve year old, she has worked hard to make it into the in crowd of girls at school, she has a boy she likes (but would never tell him), and she likes to make people laugh especially with her stick on mustaches (she always has several in her pocket for occasions).  But when class queen Cassie's bossiness, turns to bullying over who is to try out for what roll in the class play, Maddie just hopes she can be forgiven and still stay in the inner circle.  At the same time Maddie's arm has been bugging her and her mom takes her to the doctor only to find out that a serious surgery is in the cards and her play performance is out, but Cassie can even make that turn worse than it is as well.
I put off reading this book when it was first offered as I thought it would be depressing (mostly due to what I was going through at the time).  After several people assured it me it wasn't I dove in. Even though I had tears leaking out through most of the book it was very inspiration, and if this child could do this so can I, I just need to find some mustaches and lots of them.  I want to thank those two people who talked me into reading this book, you know who your are.  It was a awesome to see Maddie transform and see what was really important to her in life, not the in crowd, but true friends the ones that are there for her and would stand by her, no matter what.  To even see Maddie's brothers change and transform and pick what was really important to them, not the superficial things but the real things, the deep down things.  Maybe those mustaches turned into butterfly's at some point. 

The Lost Causes (YA)

I stumbled upon this book and just had to read it feeling like a lost cause most of my teen years myself, and the book did not disappoint, it was great!  Five teens all with different problem, all had been given up on by parents and various other adults in their lives, until the FBI needed them.  These five were needed because they wouldn't be missed while helping look for a killer, one that would kill a FBI agent, oh did I mention the teens would have help a special drug to help their minds develop their psychic abilities, whatever they be.
I absolutely loved this book it was imaginative, action packed, and suspenseful.  The characters were so different but fit together so well in this tight nit group with there being only the one thing in common.  Even the complex puzzle of the killer was well hidden from the reader until the very end.  I liked this book a lot and hope there is another as I would like to see more of the team and find out what happens next, do The Lost Causes ever get found?

Spliced (YA)

Jimi will do anything for her friend Del especially to keep him safe.  But will she ruin her chances to go to college, will she go to jail, will she run away and hurt other people, maybe kill them, all for Del and what for?  Because Del made some decisions without fully thinking them through, he went to a shady genie to get his splice, who gets spliced with a amphibian?  No one, and by the time they take him to get it undone the cops are there and Del disappears sending Jimi on the path of self destruction to find more people than Del who might not want to be found.
This was a interesting book on many levels, I suppose the biggest one is morality, and if your genes are part animal part human what are you animal or human.  Or does it go by percent's, and could this start with the advent of using animal parts for transplant parts?  But besides all the mind baffling what if's this book is full of action, suspense, and pit falls you won't see coming that will keep you on your toes right up until the end of the book, so be prepared for some long nights until you finish the book because you won't want to put it down.