BOOK FAIR PREVIEW: Infinity Ring - A Mutiny in Time by James Dashner

Dak and Sera are best friends living in a world a shade off-normal (Columbus didn't discover America, presidents you've never heard of are on Mt. Rushmore, etc.). Dak is a total history geek while Sera's passion is science. Together they stumble onto an invention by Dak's parents - a time travel device called The Infinity Ring. A group called the Hystorians take Dak and Sera in, telling them there are breaks in the natural time line and they need The Infinity Ring to fix them. Dak and Sera travel back to 1492 to deal with one of them.

This is the first book in a 39Clues-ish series. The story spends more time setting up the series than dealing with the actual time issues, but there is great potential for future stories. Lots of tension as the kids don't know who they can trust, not only in the present, but also in the past. I think my students will enjoy this series because of the adventure and the time travel components. In that regard, this is like a Magic Tree House for older readers.This volume may bog down some readers with all the set up material, but if they persevere, they will enjoy it.

4 out of 5 stars
AR level of 5.3

Recommended for: fans of 39 Clues, history fans, fans of adventure stories

Book 2 - Divide and Conquer releases November 6th
Book 3 - The Trap Door releases February 5th, 2013

Waiting on WEDNESDAY: May New Releases, part 2

A Deadly Grind ~ Hamilton (first in a new cozy mystery series - the Vintage Kitchen series)

Brownies and Broomsticks ~ Cates (first in a new magical bakery mystery series)

Copycat Killing ~ Kelly (the latest in the magical cats mystery series)

The Accused (Theodore Boone) ~ Grisham (third in a mystery series for kids by John Grisham)

Operation Trinity (39 Clues) A stand alone novel in the 39 Clue series providing back story on various characters

Puzzler's Mansion (Winston Breen) ~ Berlin (latest in a fun series for kids with puzzles to solve along with the main character

Waiting on WEDNESDAY: March New Releases, part 1

New Release Day is next Tuesday. Here are some of the titles I'll be looking for next week:


Due or Die by Jennifer McKinlay (Library Lover's Mystery)
Little Shop of Homicide by Denise Swanson (new series - Devereaux Dime Store Mystery)
The Probability of Murder by  Ada Madison (Professor Sophie Knowles series)
Fire Engine Dead by Sheila Connolly (Museum Mystery)
Sketch a Falling Star by Sharon Pape (Portrait of Crime Mystery)
Cat's Claw by Susan Wittig Albert (Pecan Springs Mystery)
Death of a Kitchen Diva by Lee Hollis (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktail Mystery)
Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke (Hannah Swensen mystery)
Dead of Night (39 Clues, Cahills vs. Vespers) by Peter Lerangis
Cooking the Books by  Kerry  Greenwood (Corinna Chapman Mystery)
Murder Buys a T-Shirt by Christy Fifield (Haunted Souvenir Mystery)

New Releases - December 2011

I am counting down the days - hours - until December 6th when MANY new books release. Here is a list of books I am looking forward to reading in December:


Alien Proliferation by Gini Koch (this is the one I am most eager to get my hands on - I have really enjoyed this series)
The Last Word ~ Adams (Books by the Bay series)
A Cookie before Dying ~ Lowell (Cookie Cutter Shop series)
Double Booked for Death ~ Brandon (Black Cat Bookshop mystery)
Threadbare ~ Ferris (Needlecraft series)
The Cocoa Conspiracy ~ Penrose (Lady Arianna series)
You Might as Well Die ~ Murphy (Algonquin Round Table series)
A Spirited Gift ~ Lavene (Missing Pieces series)
39 Clues - A King's Ransom ~ Watson (Cahills vs. Vespars, book 2)


So many good books - here's hoping my December  (and yours) is full of lots of reading time!

Waiting on WEDNESDAY: April New Releases, part 3

  The next book in the 39 Clues series for kids comes out this month. These are definitely books that should be enjoyed in order. Book one is The Maze of Bones (39 Clues, No. 1) and I blogged about it here.

BONUS BLOG: Sequel news

Found a couple news pieces on sequels coming - one is about a sequel to the quirky The Strange Case of Origami Yoda called Darth Paper Strikes Back which is due out next summer.

The next is a link about the next set of books about the Cahill Family, whose story started in The 39 Clues series.  The 39 Clues, Book 11: Vespers Rising is due out in April. I didn't dig too far into the website since we are only on book 4 of the original series - I don't want to come across any spoilers. Our goal is to be done with the first series in time to read Vespers when it comes out!

MONDAY: The 39 Clues: Maze of Bones (Book 1)

Amy and Dan Cahill are orphans under the "supervision"of their great-aunt Beatrice (whose idea of guardianship means hiring and firing a string of au-pairs to stay with the kids in a small apartment on another side of town from where she lives). The only real family who shows them any sort of love is their grandmother, Grace. 

When Grace dies, the money-grubbing Cahills come out of the woodwork, but only select family members are included in her will, including Amy and Dan. But there is a catch. Each one has to choose between a million dollars in cash or the chance at the "most important treasure in the world" and power "beyond belief."

Amy and Dan choose the challenge over the money, but the first steps in their journey teach them quickly that their family members are cunning, ruthless manipulators and liars. They have only one another to count on.

Great start to a 10 book series (with more stories to come). Dan and Amy take turns with the story and Riordan doles out backstory bit by bit to draw the reader in without distracting from the action.

I find it fascinating that 10 different authors can pen part of the story without losing the voice of the characters. We plan to read the whole series, so there may be more reviews to come.

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Waiting on WEDNESDAY

This week I am hoping to dig in to the first book in the 39 Clues series. We bought this early on and never got to it and now the 10th and final book is out! Yikes! Time really got away from us. 

Since the series is published by Scholastic, we are thinking if we like the first one, we might be able to get some more at our school's Book Fair this fall.


It's time to get this one read!

[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and purchase something, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.]