Nation by Terry Pratchett

After a great wave hits, Mau is the only survivor of his island village. He is joined by other survivors, some islanders like him, and one very different girl from the west. His people, the Nation, had a very rich culture and oral tradition of history. As they do the work of surviving each day, Mau battles with the voices of his people's past and the new experiences brought on by exposure to other cultures. Along the way, Mau grows from a regular boy to a great man.

This book will appeal to readers that enjoy survival stories, folklore, history, and even science. The interweaving of folklore throughout the story adds an element of mysticism that makes the reader wonder if there is some fantasy happening, too.

I'd recommend this book to middle schoolers.

Secrets, Lies and My Sister Kate

This wonderful novel by Belinda Hollyer takes the reader on an adventure with two sisters, Mini and Kate. Mini and Kate are sisters and best friends. They have no secrets - or so Mini thought. Mini discovers a family secret that is not only explosive, but threatens the core of her relationship with her sister. Even worse is that Kate knew, but didn't tell Mini. When Kate disappears without a trace, Mini stops at nothing to find her. Kate always knew how to make things better, but now that she is gone, what will Mini do? Mini can't get answers from her parents and with Kate gone, she is forced to rely on her own instincts. If she finds her, will her family ever be whole again or will they be forever broken. This is a great coming of age novel. Recommended for grades 7-12.

Big Bad Bunny, by Franny Billingsley

This delightful story for very young children combines a scary story with the reassurance that mama will always be there. The story begins with a horrible bunny monster roaming the countryside. When mama mouse discovers that her youngest child is missing at bedtime, she combs the land until she finds her baby pretending to be the Big Bad Bunny. The baby declares that she isn't a baby anymore and demands some respects, but is very happy to go home with mama to her safe bed. The reader has to go back to the beginning illustrations to see if the clues are there, to realize that the Big Bad Bunny was wearing a costume. This will be a good one for lap reading or pre-school storytime. Children will want to "help" with the bunny's shouts after the first reading.

Tadpole Rex, by Kurt Cyrus

When a dinosaur's foot makes a puddle in prehistoric earth, a tadpole hatches and survives in that footprint puddle. Pictures show the dangers he faces, from carnivorous insects to larger hunters. As this tiny tadpole grows into a frog, he thinks of himself as a fierce creature, meeting triceratops, alamosauruses, and duckbills. The author's note tells that frogs lived 100 million years before these dinosaurs lived. He also warns that pollution and disappearing habitat may cause amphibians to follow the dinosaurs into extinction. This is for the dinosaur lover, the frog lover, and the child who wishes to be stronger than he is. The rhymes, the vivid language, and the sound effects make this book fun. The illustrations complement the text perfectly.

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale

Rapunzel’s tale gets on a new twist as she emerges as a take-charge personality. After her “mom” locks her in her ghastly tower, she realizes her long hair can be very useful. She uses it to escape (no need of prince charming here, in fact, he happens along after she’s freed herself and she tricks him in to continuing to the empty tower!) and teams up with an annoying boy named Jack (of the beanstalk fame!) to seek revenge on her fake mom and release her real mom from a life of slavery.

It’s lots of fun and a powerful female lead. The graphic nature adds to the adventure, more of the rough and tumble fights and stuff happen in the illustrations, not in the text. Easy to follow graphics with distinction between the narrative description (in beige background rectangles) and the dialog (in white bubbles).