Winston Breen loves puzzles - all kinds of puzzles. So when he is asked by his school principal to be on a team to play in an all day puzzle competition for a chance to win $50,000 for the school, he is psyched. Of course he picks his two best friends Mal and Jake to be on the team with him. The only kink in the works is that they are required to have a teacher chaperone them on the hunt - and not just any teacher but one of the most unpopular teachers at school... Mr. Garvey. Still, Winston is determined not to let Mr. Garvey ruin his excitement at the prospect of a day of puzzling.

As the day of the event begins though, it quickly becomes apparent that they are all dealing with more than just solving puzzles. While several of the teams are competitive, someone on one of the other teams is not just competitive but a saboteur... determined to win at all costs even if that means cheating. Will Winston and his friends be able to solve all the puzzles before the other teams do and also learn the identity of the mystery cheater? Read The Potato Chip Puzzles by Eric Berlin to find out.

If you enjoy solving puzzles too, you will also have the chance to play along as Winston and his team come across the puzzles in the story. All answers are provided at the end for you to check yourself.

In this haunting and comic tale, the Volnik family inherits an old castle in Scotland and soon experiences strange occurrences after returning to their home in Canada. Furniture and other objects fly in the air and unusual sounds are heard during the day and night. Emily and Jessup investigate and discover that a devilish boggart is somehow trapped in a piece of furniture from the castle and wishes to go home. Soon, Emily and Jessup go on a daring and risky mission to help the boggart return home.



Readers who wish to continue reading the eerie tale of The Boggart should check out the sequel, The Boggart and the Monster by Susan Cooper at your library today! In this sequel, the Boggart goes on a mission to help save Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster.

Callie Jones likes to write. She would like to find other like-minded students, so she decides to try out for the school's first newspaper, The Hawk. A plus for her is the extremely cute advisor, Mr. Fischer. Of course, she has to watch out for her nemesis, Shane.

Once again, Callie finds herself on the wrong-end of Mr. Nolan or "Mr. No-Man." She learns about censorship, bullies, and the power of the press.

Naomi Zucker's Callie is a unique character, much like the title character in Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls series. This title is a continuation of Callie Rules. Anybody who likes to write will surely enjoy Write on, Callie Jones (AR 5.0, Level 4.7)!

"Sinking a sub" has nothing to do with submarines in this thoughtful tale of fourth graders and their schemes to make a substitute teacher succumb and cry.

The fourth graders in Hobie Hanson's class are ecstatic when their teacher, Mr. Star, has to go home with the flu.  Mr. Star is never sick! What follows is a competition between the boys and the girls to see who can make the sub, Miss. Ivanovitch, cry. At stake: retrieving balls from the spit pit!

The competition gets intense and finally ends with a big disaster no one saw coming. The fourth graders soon learn that this new sub is unlike any other they have seen before! Thirteen Ways to Sink A Sub (AR 4.0, Level 5.2) occurs in only one day. However, the fourth graders learn alot and have fun, too! Have fun reading this quick read from Jamie Gilson!

Nature Girl (AR 8.0, Level 3.9) by Jane Kelley is one of those tales where you might have to suspend your disbelief, especially if you saw the movie 127 Hours!

If you like character development and hiking, this is the book for you!

The title character is very superficial and self-absorbed until she takes to the Appalachian Trail. She feels that she is a person who is a quitter and who complains about everything. Quickly, she learns that when you get lost in the woods with only your dog, quitting and complaining are not options.

Watch her encounter some large woodland animals, unruly teens, fire-making, raging currents, fishing, falling dogs, and large mountains. What Megan learns about herself is both positive and negative. She learns about true friendship and kindness from strangers. Most importantly, she discovers within herself an enduring and resourceful spirit!

Rafe Khatchadorian in Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life (AR 4.0, Level 4.5) is not self-absorbed like Greg in Diary of a Wimpy Kid nor self-delusional like Nate in Big Nate: In a Class by Himself. Rafe is more interested in having fun at middle school, while avoiding his arch nemesis Miller, Bear, and schoolwork. He has discovered that rule-breaking may be the ticket for fun at school! He is also interested in impressing his dream girl, Jeanne Galletta. Rafe is an especially gifted artist, much like Junior, in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, but in a story written for kids.

Everyone wants Rafe to settle down: Jeanne, his Mom, and Mrs. Donatello. However, they do not realize that they are up against Leo the Silent, who seems to get Rafe in a lot of trouble!

The story begins and ends with Rafe and Leo in a police car. Don't worry, though, the situation is not as desperate as it may seem. Read the book to find out what happens to Rafe!

James Patterson has immersed himself in young adult fiction in recent years. See the Maximum Ride series, starting with The Angel Experiment; Witch and Wizard series; and the Daniel X series, starting with Dangerous Days of Daniel X. Written with Chris Tebbetts, Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life is his first novel for children. The graphics in this book are perfect for kids who are reluctant readers. James Patterson is dedicated to making kids readers for life. See his ReadKiddoRead website for more information.