The Giver *****

By Louis Lowry
Sci-Fi

DEATH *****
PERIL ***
VIOLENCE ****

I thought this was a really good book. It is slightly disturbing, but pretty clean and VERY good. Jonas lives in a perfect community. He has perfect grades. Everyone is equal. There are no problems, no pain. No fear. But when Jonas is chosen to be the next 'Giver', his life changes. The Giver is the one who holds all the memories of the past, all the wonderful, painful memories of before the world destroyed itself with war. Faced with the truth, will Jonas ever be the same again?

The Two Princesses of Bamarre *****

By Gail Carson Levine
Fantasy

DEATH ***
PERIL ****
VIOLENCE ****
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS ***/****
MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ****

This is a really cute book. Again, a very girly book, so boys will probably not enjoy it. Princesses Adelina and Meryl are total opposites. Princess Meryl loves to fence and make battle plans, and longs to go on a quest herself, but she is bound by an oath she made with her sister to stay at home until her sister is wed. Princess Adelina loves to stay indoors and sew. She is terrified of the most simplest things and relies on her sister, Meryl, to protect her. But when Meryl gets a deadly disease, Adelina must face her fears and go on a quest to find a cure for her sister.

Ella Enchanted *****

By Gail Carson Levine
Fantasy

DEATH ****
PERIL ***
MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS ***
VIOLENCE ***

This is definitely a girly book, so I wouldn't recommend it for boys. :) It's a good book, though. And very clean. Ella was born with a curse, a magical curse of obedience that was placed upon her by the notorious fairy Lucinda. She HAS to obey every command given by anybody. She hates it. When tragedy hits, Ella must go to a Lady Etiquette boarding school with her horrid new step sisters. Will Ella ever find freedom?

The Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning (Book 1) ****

By Lemony Snicket
Fiction

DEATH ****
PERIL ***
VIOLENCE **

This series is really good! The way the author writes is absolutely hilarious. It is kind of dismal because their parents die and they can never find a happy place to stay, but other than that the book is really clean! Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are children who's parents were killed in a fire, that also consumed their entire mansion. Devastated and scared, they are sent to stay with a supposed relative that they have never meet nor ever heard about; Count Olaf, who makes them do tedious chores all day long and treats them like his personal slaves. When they realize how villainous he is, can they successfully escape his clutches?

The Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room (Book 2) ****

By Lemony Snicket
Fiction

DEATH ****
PERIL ***
VIOLENCE **

Very funny, very clean. Loved it!
Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are back and off to another supposed relatives home, but this time, their relative is quite nice and they soon discover they rather like him. But their happiness, they soon find, is only temporary when Count Olaf, disguised as their guardian's new assistant, knocks on their front door. Can the children convince their beloved Uncle Monty of his new assistant's true identity?

The Series of Unfortunate Events: The Wide Window (Book 3) ****

By Lemony Snicket
Fiction

DEATH ****
PERIL ***
VIOENCE **
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS **

What can I say? I love this series! They're clean, funny, clever, and exciting. Once again, the trio of orphans are being sent to stay with a supposed distant relative. Meet Aunt Josephine, who lives in a house precariously balanced on the edge above a cliff that looms over Lake Lachromous, which is infested with man-eating leeches. Oh, yeah. She also has a deadly fear of door knobs, refrigerators, and Realtors. What a weirdo. When Count Olaf once again invades their lives, can they save their senile guardian?

Artemis Fowl (Book 1) *****

By Eoin Colfer
Sci-Fi Fantasy

MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
VIOLENCE ***
LANGUAGE * (made up word)
GUNS **
DEATH *
PERIL ***

I love the Artemis Fowl series! It's hilarious, witty, and exciting. *Note: To distinguish 'made-up swear word', the only word they say it 'D'arvit!', and it is a foul gnomish word. So basically, a made up word that doesn't mean anything.* Artemis Fowl is a multi billionaire, criminal mastermind genius. But one problem: he’s 12. No joke. He has a highly seasoned body guard, Butler, and a mother who is going senile. His father has also been captured by the Russian Mafia. And on top of that, he’s running low on money because his father isn't there to keep up the family business, criminalism. But when he finds out about magic creatures that live underground, will anything stop him from stealing their sacred gold?

Artemis Fowl: Artic Incident (Book 2) ****

By Eoin Colfer
Sci-fi Fantasy

MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
VIOLENCE ***
LANGUAGE * (made up word)
GUNS **
DEATH *
PERIL ***


Exciting and action packed! Artemis Fowl, a brilliant 13 year old boy, is back for more, and this time, he’s saving his father, Artemis Fowl senior who dissapeared 3 years previously, from the Russian Mafia. But when disaster strikes, will the fairies aid him?

Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception (Book 3) ****

By Eoin Colfer
Sci-fi Fantasy

MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
VIOLENCE ***
LANGUAGE * (made up word)
GUNS **
DEATH *
PERIL ***

Really good and exciting! Not to mention CLEAN! Opal Koboi, an old enemy, has been captured in a coma for the past two years. But somehow, in some way, the entire time she has been plotting her escape and revenge on Artemis Fowl. In a raging battle of stamina, strength, and wits, will Artemis, Butler, and friends be able to stop her before it’s too late?

Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code (Book 4) *****

By Eoin Colfer
Sci-fi Fantasy

MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
VIOLENCE ***
LANGUAGE * (made up word)
GUNS **
DEATH *
PERIL ***

Very thrilling. I thought it ended nicely. Artemis Fowl has a new invention: A cube. But not just any cube. This cube can hack into any computer in seconds, can x-ray anything, can give you any personal information on any human being on earth. It can give you access to eavesdrop on anyone on a phone call. It can suck power from any satellite.
Artemis meets with one of the most powerful beings on earth and tries taunting him with it. When he gets outraged, Artemis’s best and only friend in the world will be put in mortal danger. Can Artemis save him? Or will he end up destroying him?

Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony (Book 5) *****

By Eoin Colfer
Sci-fi Fantasy

MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
VIOLENCE ***
LANGUAGE * (made up word)
GUNS **
DEATH *
PERIL ***

Really funny! I thought it was really good.
A new species of magical creature has arrived: Demons that were trapped in a space/time continuum for the past millennia. Demons that can time travel. Artemis Fowl is also dealing with another mysterious employer, a twelve year old girl who may just outwit him.

Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox (Book 6) *****

By Eoin Colfer
Sci-fi Fantasy

MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
VIOLENCE ***
LANGUAGE * (made up word)
GUNS **
DEATH *
PERIL ***

Filled with unexpected twists, this is my ultimate favorite of the series so far!
Artemis came back from the time hole to find that it was three years into the future. He is supposed to be 18, but still remains 15. Oh, yeah. Not to mention the two-year-old twin brothers he now has, Miles and Beckett.
When his mother becomes tragically ill, the only remedy for her sickness is a certain species of lemur, that went totally extinct four years ago, by cause of none other then Artemis himself as a 11 year old boy. Can Artemis stop himself in time?

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas ****

By John Boyne
Holocaust Historical Fiction

VIOLENCE ***
GUNS **
ACTIVITIES WITH THE HOLOCAUST ***
PERIL ***

Okay, this has to be the saddest book in the history of sad books! But it is really good and clean. Contains violence, but no immorality or language. Meet Bruno, a nine-year-old boy in Berlin, Germany, 1945. His father had just been promoted to ‘Commandment’, whatever that means. He gets to wear a fancy uniform and wear a strange patch with the symbol of twisted cross on his upper arm. His father’s new job makes them move from their lovely home in Berlin to a boring house called ‘Out-With’, where he discovers a big fence and a camp, where everyone wears stripped pajamas. Join Bruno as he tries to make sense of what’s going on around him, and why he can’t go over the fence and play with the children in the striped pajamas.
A powerful point of view from an innocent child of Germany amidst World War 2, although not very historically accurate because he and his sister would have been involved in the 'Hitler Youth Program', among other things. But still a great story!

The Supernaturalist ****

By Eoin Colfer
Sci-fi / Fantasy
267 pages
PERIL ***
VIOLENCE ***
GUNS ***
SUPERNATURAL CREATURES **

This book is really futuristic, exciting, and funny. I really enjoyed it, and I hope you will, too! Cosmo Hill lives in the future on Satellite City, a cold, metal city controlled by computers and Mayor, Ray Shine. He is an orphan that lives at Clarissa Frayne: Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys, where they are literally testing medicine, new food items, and other revolting things from the government that are slowly killing him. But when Cosmo breaks free, he joins a group of kids that call themselves ‘The Supernaturalists’, after the supernatural creatures they hunt. His eyes are opened up to a whole new world filled with adventure. But when their perspective changes, will they continue?

The Mysterious Benedict Society *****

By Trenton Lee Stewart
Fiction
484 pages

PERIL ***
MAY BE DIFFICULT FOR YOUNG READERS TO COMPREHEND ***

A very clever series, and very clean, at that! This one starts out slow, but gets really exciting at the end. When a strange ad is placed in the newspaper, dozens of children rush to answer the call. A test with impossibly mind-boggling questions single out four children; Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance, who are remarkably intelligent and resourceful children. Together they embark on a secret mission that is a battle of courage and wits. Can this newly found society of friends survive?

The Mysterious Benedict Society: The Perilous Journey ****

By Trenton Lee Stewart
Fiction
440 pages
PERIL ***
MAY BE DIFFICULT FOR YOUNG READERS TO COMPREHEND ***

Really exciting and adventurous! Very clean and appropriate.
The Mysterious Benedict Society is sent on a new mission, a scavenger hunt designed to test their wits and talents. When things go horribly wrong, can Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance save their namesake?

The Mysterious Benedict Society: The Prisoners Dilemma ****

By Trenton Lee Stewart
Fiction
391 pages
PERIL ***
MAY BE DIFFICULT FOR YOUNG READERS TO COMPREHEND ***

A serious brain-twister! I really enjoyed this series. In this final chapter to the Mysterious Benedict Society, Constance is desperately trying to recover her heritage. Does she have parents? Who were her parents? What happened to her? Is she an orphan?
Using the Whisperer, they may just uncover the truth. But when peculiar things start happening, and danger lurks around the corner, they have to consider who are their friends, and who are the enemies. Will even the Mysterious Benedict Society be out-smarted?

The Candy Shop War *****

By Brandon Mull
Fantasy/Fiction
404 pages
PERIL ***
VIOENCE **

I loved this book! Funny, action-packed, clean. A really good book!
Nate and his new friends get employed to work for Ms. White, owner of the Sweet tooth Ice Cream and Candy Shoppe, eager to try out her candy. But they discover that some of her candy contains magic powers. And also Mr. Stott has arrived with some magical treats of his own. But when Nate, Pigeon, Summer, and Trevor find out about a secret treasure, whom should they trust?

Fablehaven (Book 1) ****

by Brandon Mull
Fantasy/Fiction
(peril, scary mythical creatures, violence)
351 pages

VIOLENCE **
MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
PERIL ***

This, being the first book in the series, is a pretty slow book at first but picks up at the end. The other books in the series are way better! When Kendra and Seth visit their grandparents‘ home, they discover it’s really Fablehaven, a preserve for mythical creatures . A whole new world of adventure and magic is unfolded. But when Seth’s curiosity gets the best of him, a new threat arises. Can Kendra and Seth save the day?

Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star (Book 2) ****

by Brandon Mull
Fantasy/Fiction
427 pages

VIOLENCE **
MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
PERIL ***

WAY more exciting than the first book. Lots of twists and turns - will keep you reading late into the night! When Seth gets bitten by a demon, Kendra and Seth get whisked away to Fablehaven where they can be kept safe. When somebody unleashes the demon within the gates, Seth is being hunted. New friendships are tested as danger escalates. Can Kendra learn her new powers in time?

Fablehaven: The Shadow Plague (Book 3) ****

By Brandon Mull
Fantasy/Fiction
477 pages

VIOLENCE **
MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
PERIL ***

This one was okay. Not as good as the last two, but it is still pretty good, and really clean! Kendra, newly appointed member of the Knights of the Dawn, is setting out to another preserve, The Lost Mesa, in search of an artifact. Meanwhile, at Fablehaven, Seth and his grandparents are facing their own trials as this mysterious plague spreads throughout Fablehaven. Will they ever find a cure?

Fablehaven: The Dragon Sanctuary (Book 4) *****

By Brandon Mull
Fantasy/Fiction
527 pages

VIOLENCE **
MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
PERIL ***

My second favorite book in the series. It is really exciting and adventurous!
Okay, so Kendra, Gavin, Warren, and other members of the K.D. are sent on another mission to retrieve an artifact. But this time, they are sent to one of the most dangerous preserves in the world, Wyrmroost, a dragon sanctuary. AND they are racing with the Sphinx and the demon prince, Navarog. Faced with merciless, vicious dragons and other horrors, can they retrieve the artifact and stay alive?

Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison (Book 5) *****

By Brandon Mull
Fantasy/Fiction

VIOLENCE **
MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
PERIL ***
WAR FARE ***
DEATH **

My favorite in the series! Again, very clean. Loved it! In this final book in the Fablehaven series, the Sphinx has the remaining artifacts in his grasp. If he gets a hold of them, he will open the demon prison and the world will end. Kendra, Seth, the Knights of the Dawn, and some new friends are frantically trying to stop him. But are they strong enough to fight him off? In a daring chase filled with action and peril at ever turn, the final chapter of the Fablehaven series is a battle of light and darkness as they race to take control of the keys to the demon prison. Action packed!