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Cosmic
By Frank Cottrell Boyce
Walden Pond Press, 2010
$16.99, ages 8-12, 314 pages.
What's a big lad of 12 to do if everyone assumes he's grown up just because he's tall?
Well, play along. Why not? Especially if it allows him to do things he couldn't do otherwise, like ride the Cosmic catapult at the amusement park and be invited to test drive a Porsche off the showroom floor.
But now Liam's gone too far and conned his way onto a spaceship that's rolled out of orbit, and Mom and Dad have no idea where he is.
Hilariously fun and clever, this crazy fun story imagines a resourceful kid finagling his way out of an impossible situation as only a kid can do.
If you love this, check out Boyce's Carnegie Medal-winning hit Millions and equally enjoyable Framed.
Wishing for Tomorrow: The Sequel to A Little Princess
by Hillary McKay
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010
$16.99, ages 8-12, 288 page
In this lovely sequel to the 100-year-old Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic A Little Princess, Bauer returns to Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies to see how Ermengarde, Lottie and Lavinia have faired since Sara Crewe, the little princess, and her scullery maid Becky left with a mysterious benefactor.
A new maid, Alice, has arrived at the school, bringing a breath of fresh air and practicality, as Emengarde eases her sadness at the loss of Sara and, at Sara's urging, agrees to watch over precocious Lottie, and an intriguing new boy moves in next door, stirring Lavinia's hunger for higher learning.