Children's Books: Dark Lord: A Fiend In Need by Jamie Thomson

Wow. Just wow. When you thought it couldn’t get any better, Jamie Thomson’s sequel to his hugely praised novel, Dark Lord: The Early Years, is even better than its predecessor. Dark Lord: A Fiend in Need (Walker Childrens) exceeds the original by pumping up the action, danger, comedy, and cleverness.

This time, our main protagonist (or antagonist, for that matter), Dirk Lloyd, a Dark Lord from another dimension, must join forces with his foster brother to return to his homeworld of the Darklands to save his friend Sooz, who was accidently sent there in the previous installment. Meanwhile, Sooz must navigate her way through the treacherous land by befriending Dirk’s former warriors and becoming her own queen. Shenanigans ensue involving a White Witch, dimension jumping, and a whole lot of betrayal. By the end of this book, you’ll cheer with joy to see that we have been set up for a third book.

After reading the book, a great depression fell over me, as I realized that I would have to wait a whole year until the next book. Left off of on a massive cliffhanger, I must wait for a year, until another BEA.

Jamie Thomson was one of the biggest names in writing during the 1980s and 90s. After going into the videogame business, he returned to writing to make the Dark Lord novels, which have won him many awards and much praise. He lives in Great Britain, writing novels for kids, editing, and making video games. ◊


Ian Buchsbaum is a kid who loves to read. In fact, the only thing he loves more than reading is writing. He loves writing about books -- and he’s already writing one of his own.

Children's Books: Big Nate Flips Out by Lincoln Peirce

Lincoln Peirce is back with the fifth installment in the Big Nate series. This time around, Nate is signing on as a candid photographer for his school yearbook. The one problem: the only way he can get a camera is by having his friend get it. So, if he loses it, his friend gets the blame. When Nate loses the camera because of his messiness, he and his friend split. So, he decides to clean up his act -- literally! Nate goes to a hypnotist to make him a neat person. But soon, his blessing turns into a curse. How will he get back his friend, and how will he rid himself of his neatness? Pick up Big Nate Flips Out to find out!

Big Nate Flips Out (HarperCollins) was amazing. An intriguing and quick read, this book will quickly pull you in and hold you there until you finish. Nate’s exaggerated comics are major laughs, and a clever and comical way to explain the situations Nate is facing. The best part of the book are the small details in the pictures. Everything that’s happening in the background gives you laugh, such as a bully bullying someone, or a character off to the side hitting on a girl. The book has a real uniqueness to it, where Nate has a special code which we decode every time he uses it as a note to his friends. Fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid will love this comic-filled graphic novel.

Lincoln Peirce is comic writer and the author of the famous Big Nate comic strip. He has been most recently recognized for his Big Nate novels, which have received lots of attention. He lives in Maine with his wife and kids. ◊

Ian Buchsbaum is a kid who loves to read. In fact, the only thing he loves more than reading is writing. He loves writing about books -- and he’s already writing one of his own.

Children's Books: 33 Minutes by Todd Hasak-Lowy

In this heartwarming a story, we learn that -- as the book says -- friendships don’t always last forever. Morgan and Sam, best friends since first grade, have a date with destiny. Because in 33 minutes, Morgan is going to kick Sam’s butt. Taking TAMADE (The Absolute Most Amazing Day Ever [The day they became the best team ever in Alien Wars history by playing through the entire game in one day]) and their history into consideration, you’d never think these two would become worst enemies. All Sam is trying to do is delay the fight to figure a way to save his butt, try to act as smooth as possible around the pretty girl, and to just make ends meet with Morgan. Read along as we hear Sam’s commentary during the countdown and him recollecting on his experiences with Morgan.

33 Minutes (Aladdin), by Todd Hasak-Lowy, is a hilarious story depicting how quickly friendships can fall apart. It hilariously shows the types of people you’ll find in middle school: the nerd who you’d rarely see doing any sports (I consider myself to be one of those); the smart girl that is attractive to the nerd; the troublemaker who influences big, tough kids to do pranks and the suspension worthy feats so they don’t have to; and the all around jock who turns on their friends. 33 Minutes skillfully doesn’t take away from the story when going into a flashback, and always keeps the reader interested by adding in creative and funny doodles, and reminiscing all the good times the ex-friends used to have. I give this book five stars out of five, recommending it to anyone who is going into or already in middle school, bullied children, or anyone who wants to learn how cope with a “friendship breakup.”

Todd Hasak-Lowy is the author for multiple adult novels, such as the Task of This Translator. He is currently living in Illinois with his wife and two daughters, teaching Hebrew Literature at the university of Florida. ◊

Ian Buchsbaum is a kid who loves to read. In fact, the only thing he loves more than reading is writing. He loves writing about books -- and he’s already writing one of his own.

Children's Books: Freakling by Lana Krumweide

“If everyone is special, is anyone really special?” — Anonymous

The famous phrase is what  Lana Krumweide’s Freakling (Candlewick) is about. In the future, there is an isolated metropolis called Deliverance where everyone has a telekinetic power called psi. Taemon is an 11-year old boy who's finally starting to get the hang of using his power. Meanwhile, his older brother, Yens, torments him and is believed to become the new successor of Deliverance, otherwise known as the True Son. But what is unknown is Yens has true evil inside him, and unfortunately, everyone but Taemon is blind to that. Yens soon goes as far as almost killing his brother, which gives Taemon the ability to kill him. But Taemon can't do it, and the inner force that controls everyone's psi, takes Taemon's away. In Deliverance, those without psi are sent to colony of past psi-wielders, where they live in harmony with their hands.

Taemon decides to keep his loss of power in secret, and trick everyone into thinking he still has powers. But he soon becomes to cocky, and his secret is revealed at a sporting event. Taemon is immediately taken from his still loving family and is put into the colony. All because of Yens.

After reaching the colony, Taemon realizes that being powerless isn’t so bad, and is in fact better than having psi. He befriends plenty of people, and chooses to become the apprentice of a blacksmith. But soon, one of his friends tells him a secret that could cause all evil to break loose if psi-wielders found out. And, if it wasn’t obvious enough, Taemon accidentally lets the secret out, leading to all hell breaking loose.

Freakling is an amazing story about what happens when superpowers get out of hand. Ben Parker wasn’t wrong when he said, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” Five stars. You’ll be intrigued at every turn, wanting to read more and more. It was full of wonderful ideas and things that you wouldn’t think of. For example, you wouldn’t think of it as a bad thing if the people of Deliverance knew how the body worked. But Krumweide was able to think of the perfect reason: if they know how the body works, they can use that information for dangerous things. Detailed descriptions and flashbacks are always fun, getting you excited on why and how everything came to be.

Lana Krumweide is an article writer and poet for various children's magazines, including Highlights, Spider, Babybug, and others. This is her first book. She lives in Richmond, Virginia. ◊

Ian Buchsbaum is a kid who loves to read. In fact, the only thing he loves more than reading is writing. He loves writing about books -- and he’s already writing one of his own.

Children’s Books: The Secret of the Fortune Wookie by Tom Angleberger

Breaking the rule that says the first of a trilogy is the best, the third book the popular Origami Yoda series has come out, and I thought that this was the best one yet! This addition to the trio was full of hilarity and kept me hooked throughout the whole book, with interesting stories and fun concepts. Tom Angleberger has continued his streak of wonderful books with this great story.

The star of The Secret of the Fortune Wookie (Amulet) is ... well, a Fortune Wookie: a cootie catcher designed to look like the famous character Chewbacca from Star Wars. This time, our origami wielder is none other than Sara, the girlfriend of our main character, Tommy. She lets the students ask questions, which are answered with roars and are translated by the Fortune Wookie’s friend, Han Foldo. But, while the students have fun with the Fortune Wookie, the infamous Harvey is trying to prove that all this origami stuff is fake, and that he’s been right all along. Meanwhile, the star of the first books in the series, Dwight and Origami Yoda, are trapped at a fancy private school where everyone has picked up on making Star Wars origami, making Dwight miserable and no longer unique. Read Secret of the Fortune Wookie to see how everything is resolved. Is Harvey right? Is the Fortune Wookie real? Will Dwight escape from private school?

Tom Angleberger is the praised author of the first two Origami Yoda books, Horton Halfpott and Fake Mustache. He lives in Roanoke, Virginia, with his wife, CeCe Bell. He works for the newspaper, The Roanoke Times. ◊

Ian Buchsbaum is a kid who loves to read. In fact, the only thing he loves more than reading is writing. He loves writing about books -- and he’s already writing one of his own.

Children's Book: Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger

Tom Angleberger has once again written an amazing children’s comedy that finds kids in adult or silly situations. Fake Mustache (Amulet Books) is a mesh of many things -- including fairy tales and politics. This book has a little something for everyone: comedy, action, fantasy, suspense, surprises, doodles and much more! Not to mention all the different forms of writing.

This book is told from two people’s points of view, has a bit of screenplay writing, televised news, and helpful illustrations to perk up readers’ attention even more. The book promotes many products -- real and made-up, such as a mustache and other incredible toys -- with such creativity that kids will laugh their heads off. Angleberger has even been able to set it up for a possible sequel.

Fake Mustache is about how a fake mustache is all you need to rule the world. Lenny Flem Jr. and his friend, Casper Beuge, go to a toy store in hopes of getting a good bargain. Casper is intrigued by a deluxe handlebar mustache and buys it. That week, a short, mustachioed man goes around robbing banks with brainwashed minions. It doesn’t take Lenny long to put two and two together. He and his new friend, teen cowgirl Jodie O’Rodeo, must stop Casper from brainwashing and taking over the rest of the world.

So, the question stands: Is a fake mustache really all you need to rule the world?

Tom Angleberger is the author of many children’s novels,including Horton Halfpott and the Origami Yoda series. Like many authors today, he is a cartoonist who’s been able to incorporate his art into his stories. While the Origami Yoda books have doodles in the margins, Fake Mustache has huge, full-page, hilarious pictures to show readers what characters look like and to help understand what’s going on.

If you like Origami Yoda, you’ll love Fake Mustache. It’s fun and addictive from beginning to end. ◊

Ian Buchsbaum is a kid who loves to read. In fact, the only thing he loves more than reading is writing. He loves writing about books -- and he's already writing one of his own.