THE END IS NEAR!

Attention all kids who have been participating in the Summer Reading Challenge (or who want to get a very late start): only 3 days left to redeem your (full) punch cards for free advance copies of books! We will continue posting reviews if we continue receiving them. Thanks to everyone who participated by reading books and/or writing these fantastic reviews. Keep reading and we'll see you in the store!

- GGP Staff

Liar and Spy

Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead; reviewed by Hannah M.

"Liar and Spy is a great book that really makes you wonder: is anything true? It's about a boy named Georges (silent "s") who stops by to see what a piece of paper saying "Spy Club Meeting Today" really means. But when he walks through the door, it's only two very strange members named Candy and Safer. This odd meeting sets Georges off to find the "true" nature of Mr. X. This is a great follow-up to Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me." - Hannah M.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here! This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

Hollow Earth

Hollow Earth by John Barrowman and Carole E. Barrowman; reviewed by Cecily B.

"Hollow Earth is about 12-year old twins named Matt and Em, who are from present day London , England . A week before the story in the book begins, they figure out that they have magical abilities–that they can bring to life what they draw and travel through art. The twins are being hunted by a group that wants to  imprison them.  Another group is trying to protect them.  I would recommend this book to people who like mysteries and adventure. I liked this book because it was written really well and had a really unique story-line; I especially liked that the kids discovered their powers before the book started. Usually in these kinds of stories, half the book is spent figuring out what their powers are and getting over the fact that they have powers. All that is done here before the book even starts and the kids are fine with the fact that they're magical. Even though the beginning seemed like any other book in this genre, it got much better toward the middle and end. Overall I thought this was a really good story." - Cecily B.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here. This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

The Chronicles of Egg: Deadweather and Sunrise

The Chronicles of Egg: Deadweather and Sunrise by Geoff Rodkey; reviewed by Cecily B.

"This book is about a thirteen-year-old boy named Eggbert, whose family–his brother Adonis, sister Venus, and their dad–are a bunch of pirates. Eggbert isn't suited to life as a pirate and so he doesn't like anyone in his family–except maybe his father. They live on Deadweather Island , a smallish island where a whole lot of pirates live. It seems, at first, like life gets a lot better for Eggbert when his dad brings the family to a "paradise" called Sunrise Island to live with Roger and Millicent Pembroke. Eggbert is in love with Millicent so he's pretty happy with this situation. He is even happier when the rest of his family floats away on a balloon because that means he can stay living with Millicent and Roger. Suddenly, though, everything goes wrong when someone tries to throw him off a cliff. Eggbert finds himself up to his neck in a mystery involving a strange parchment, weird maps on walls, and someone who keeps trying to kill him. His only friends are Millicent and a possibly crazy cabin boy. This book had a lot of twists and turns and I thought that the character of Eggbert was written really well. It was an unusual story, which I liked and I thought that the author let the story unfold in a very interesting way. Overall I really liked this book." - Cecily B.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here. This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

Tacky Goes to Camp

Tacky Goes to Camp by Helen Lester; reviewed by Declan F.

"Tacky Goes to Camp is one of the many Tacky books about a penguin who always does stuff wrong, but then it all works out in the end. In Tacky Goes to Camp, Tacky and five friends named, Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly and Perfect go to camp. They pack all of the stuff you would need like a sleeping bag and a first aid kit. Tacky packs a tv and pizza. The other penguins wear neat uniforms and he wears a crazy uniform. He doesn't do the activities the right way and he even tips over the canoe with everyone in it. When they eat smores, he makes his with way too many marshmallows and graham crackers. He puts his sleeping bag on top of the leftover smores. Tacky tells a very scary story at the campfire about a bear and then the story becomes real! A bear comes and eats the picnic basket, the guitar and some logs. Then Tacky scares him away because all of the leftover smores made a scary face on his sleeping bag. The other penguins wake him up to tell him the bear is coming and he is stuck in his sleeping bag. He starts walking toward the bear and the scary face scares the bear away. I like this book because it is really funny. All of the Tacky books are really funny." - Declan F.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here. This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

Nancy Drew: the Clue in the Crumbling Wall

Nancy Drew: The Clue in the Crumbling Wall by Carolyn Keene; reviewed by Catie F.

"Famous dancer, Florianna Johnson, has inherited a castle patterned after one in England, but is no where to be seen.  Nancy Drew has been asked to help find her, but can she do it before time runs out? 

I started reading Nancy Drew books this summer and haven't been able to put any of them down until Nancy Drew solved the mystery! Carolyn Keene used many cliff hanger-style chapters and even though this particular one was published in 1945, the subject matter is still interesting.  And best of all, my  mom likes them because she knows that they will not be inappropriate." - Catie F.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here. This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.

The Great Unexpected

The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech; reviewed by Hannah M.

"The Great Unexpected is an amazing book that crosses between two stories. The first one is about an elderly woman living in Ireland, and the second is about two girls named Naomi and Lizzie. The girls live in a small town across the ocean from Ireland called Blackbird Tree. But everything changes at Blackbird Tree when a boy named Finn comes along and the two stories start to blend. Anyone who likes adventure and laughter (and being a bit scared) should read this book." - Hannah M.

If this book sounds good to you, read more here while you wait for it to be published next month. This review is part of our Summer Reading Challenge.