More 2016 Chapter Books to Love

Can you believe it? I’ve found more chapter books to love!

(Of course you can.)

Did I ever tell you that my childhood goal was to read ALL the books in the library. I’m realizing that I might still be subconsciously working on that goal. At least in the children’s section. Hmm . . . 🙂

More 2016 Chapter Books to Love

The Great Shelby Holmes by Elizabeth Eulberg MYSTERY
What a lovely surprise this Sherlock inspired book is– it’s so well, written and tells a great story that kids will enjoy as much as me. John Watson moves with his mom who has recently left both the military and John’s dad to Harlem. There he meets a very unique girl named Shelby Holmes who reluctantly allows him to tag along with her as she solves her latest crime — who took a posh, show-dog from a classmate’s secure house.

The Iron Tomb (Pyramid Hunters) by Peter Vegas ADVENTURE
Sam arrives for summer vacation in Egypt only to discover his uncle is missing — and he is being hunted. Sam accepts the help of a friendly taxi driver and a rich girl from his plane ride (who both are hiding something) and follows the clues his uncle left behind. It looks like his uncle might have found one of the Arks of the Covenant and could be trapped there. But will Sam get to him before the thieves? An action-packed story in an interesting part of the world.

Welcome to Wonderland Home Sweet Motel by Chris Grabenstein ADVENTURE / HUMOR
P.T. (named after the other P.T.) tells the most creative stories — and it’s his creativity that hopefully will save his family’s motel from the bank. With only a month to raise $100,000, he and his new friend, the math whiz, Gloria Ortega, think they can do it with some unique promotions that include a talking frog and a pirate’s buried treasure. Unfortunately, they come up short only to discover that there might be REAL buried treasure somewhere at the motel.

Beetle Boy by M.G. Leonard ADVENTURE / SCI-FI
Darkus Cuttle’s museum director dad mysteriously disappears from a locked room in the museum. Darkus learns that there’s something very strange going on . . . and it has to do with intelligent beetles and a cruel benefactress of the museum. This middle grade chapter book took me by surprise; I really loved it.

The Poet’s Dog by Patricia MacLachlan REALISTIC
Short but filled with tenderness! When a grief-stricken dog rescues two lost children in a terrible snow storm, he takes them to the cabin of his former friend, a poet named Sylvan who rescued him years before. Told from the dog’s perspective we watch them bond and wonder if maybe the kids have saved him as much as he saved them. (And the beautiful ending WILL make you cry!) (This book is on my BEST CHILDREN’S CHAPTER BOOKS OF 2016 list!)

Chains, Forge, Ashes (Seeds of America) by Laurie Halse Anderson HISTORICAL FICTION
I’m writing this after just closing Ashes, the final book of this historical fiction chapter book series about the time of the Revolutionary War as experienced through the eyes of an African-American girl named Isabel and her friend, Cuzon. Enslaved, escaped, or enlisted, these two are determined survivors. The writing is amazing and the stories, captivating. I love and highly recommend these books! (This book is on my BEST CHILDREN’S CHAPTER BOOKS OF 2016 list!)

The Misadventures of Max Crumbly by Rachel Renee Russell ADVENTURE / HUMOR
If you like slapstick, will-you-never-learn stories, then this is for you. Max is always opening his big mouth and getting in trouble. Currently, he’s writing and drawing his life story from the inside of his locker after a bully stuffed him in there FOR THE SECOND TIME of the day. No cell phone, a three day weekend, a lie to his parents who think he’s staying with someone overnight, and Max doesn’t know how he’ll survive!

Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart, illustrated by Diana Sudyka SCI-FI / ADVENTURE
Rueben must figure out what to do about the men hunting him for the mysterious watch that makes him invisible. He travels to a lighthouse where he meets a family that knows the full story. There he’ll make plans to stop The Smoke, the evil villain controlling his city and seeking the watch.

Delilah Dirk and the King’s Shilling by Tony Cliff ADVENTURE
This exciting YA graphic novel is about a kick-butt heroine whose world travels are cut short when she returns home to England to get revenge, clear her name, and save the British army, even if she has to be her alter-ego, proper lady while she’s there.

Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science by Jeannine Atkins NONFICTION
Three girls lives, Maria Merian, Mary Anning, and Maria Mitchell, are showcased in this beautiful verse. Each girl’s interest is explained and elaborated. We see how these interests grew into something more, into the passions and discoveries that become their life’s work. I love the flow of the poems and the celebration of these ground-breaking women.