Next week I'm going to Maine, but before I leave I'm getting some new books ready for kids to borrow from Plympton Library when I return.  I haven't read any of these yet, and am trying to decide which ones to try first.  If you get to read any of them before I do, let me know what you think...and if you don't, look for them when school starts.  So here's what I've been looking at today:

Titanic by Gordon Korman--a trilogy that follows four kids on this famous ship as they set sail, solve crimes, and apparently work together to save lives as the ship goes down.  Sure to be a hit with 4th graders.

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass--contestants vie to see who can create the best new candy in a competition that is more than it seems.  The kids involve must solve a mystery, and this book is getting a good buzz from readers in 4th grade through middle school.  On the Mass. Children's Book Award list.

Falling In by Frances Roarke Dowell--a fantasy on the Mass. Children's Book Award list that involves a perfectly normal kid who falls into fairy tale land.  Unfortunately, she's wearing her pointy-toe boots, which gets everyone there convinced that she's THE WITCH.


Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine--A girl with Asperberger's syndrome struggles to make sense of things after her world falls apart.  This book comes highly recommended for kids in grades 4 to 8 and yes, it's on the Mass. Children's Book Award list.

Agent Amelia by Michael Broad--Looks like the start of a great series for kids in grades 3 and up.  Amelia Kidd is a secret agent who stops evil geniuses even though she's just a kid.

Cloudy With a Chance of Boys by Megan McDonald.  The author of the Judy Moody  series explains what happens when all the girls start to get "boy crazy," and one girl--Stevie--isn't sure she likes this at all.  Her older sister thinks boys are dreamy, and her younger sister thinks frogs beat boys any day.  Stevie's not sure who's right.


Scarlett & Crimson by Allyson Black is a new series about best friends who have a band and also spend time figuring out how to work around "the Leetz"--a group of girls who act like they own the school.  Their band DarqStartz lets them find lots of new friends,and the book is written with lots of illustrations...a bit like a graphic novel.


Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby is a fantasy about three children who discover that a host of magic secrets come together and learn that each of them knows something that will solve an important mystery for the other two.  Highly recommended by lots of middle school readers this year.

So which one should I read first?