Cirque Du Freak #3: Tunnels of Blood, by Darren Shan (Little, Brown and Company, 2002)

Once, Darren Shan was an ordinary teen. That is, until a fateful trip to the mysterious traveling show known as the Cirque du Freak embroiled him in a nightmare world of vampires and monsters. In Tunnels of Blood, the third … Continue reading

Capt. Hook, by J.V. Hart, Illustrated by Brett Helquist (Laura Geringer Books, 2005)

Ever wonder where the esteemed Captain James Hook came from? Well, long before the hook, the crocodile, Neverland, and a certain boy who could fly, there was just James Matthew, the bastard son of an English lord, a young man … Continue reading

Blue is for Nightmares, by Laurie Faria Stolarz (Llewellyn, 2003)

Stacey Brown’s having nightmares about her roommate again, the sort of nightmares that cause her to wake screaming and sweating. Worse still, she can’t ignore them because her dreams tend to come true, and the last time she ignored them, … Continue reading

Being Dead, by Vivian Vande Velde (Magic Carpet Books, 2003)

This creepy little collection of short stories all focuses on one thing: that eerie dichotomy between the living and the dead. Seven tales of ghosts and spirits, and things that definitely go bump in the night because they’re not ready … Continue reading

Beauty, by Nancy Butcher, (Simon Pulse, 2005)

For Princess Tatiana Anatolia, better known as Ana, nothing matters more to her than gaining the approval and love of her mother, a woman whose dominant characteristic is her overwhelming vanity. When Ana realizes that she might very well surpass … Continue reading

Babu the Buffalo, Book 1: Old Friends, by Beatrice J. Corry, illustrated by Carol Heyer (Babu Books, 2002)

This is the inaugural volume of a new series of picture books starring Babu the Water Buffalo, a young hero who gets involved in all sorts of adventures while learning about life and growing up in India. Meet Malla the … Continue reading

A Stir of Bones, by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (Viking Children’s Books, 2003)

Prequel to Nina Kiriki Hoffman’s previous books, Red Heart of Memories and Past the Size of Dreaming, A Stir of Bones can be read as a stand-alone with no problems at all. The year is 1981, and 14 year old … Continue reading

A School For Sorcery, by E. Rose Sabin (Starscape, 2003)

When Tria is invited to attend the prestigious Lesley Simonton School for the Magically Gifted in the land of Arucadi, she has no way of knowing what to expect. It’s supposed to be the best place in the land for … Continue reading

A Scholar of Magics, by Caroline Stevermer (Tor, 2004)

Samuel Lambert is an American sharpshooter and adventurer. Jane Brailsford is an English lady with a talent for defying propriety while maintaining her dignity. An unlikely pair, they’re thrown together by unusual circumstances when a secret military project being conducted … Continue reading

Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer (Miramax/Hyperion, 2002)

Artemis Fowl is a millionaire and criminal genius, at the tender age of twelve. With his father missing and his mother ill, it’s up to him to keep the family going, and he has some distinctly unusual views on how … Continue reading