Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) (Hardcover) by J.K. Rowling, Mary GrandPré (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 9-12

The long-awaited, eagerly anticipated, arguably over-hyped Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has arrived, and the question on the minds of kids, adults, fans, and skeptics alike is, "Is it worth the hype?" The answer, luckily, is simple: yep. A magnificent spectacle more than worth the price of admission, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will blow you away. However, given that so much has gone into protecting the secrets of the book (including armored trucks and injunctions), don't expect any spoilers in this review. It's much more fun not knowing what's coming--and in the case of Rowling's delicious sixth book, you don't want to know. Just sit tight, despite the earth-shattering revelations that will have your head in your hands as you hope the words will rearrange themselves into a different story. But take one warning to heart: do not open Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince until you have first found a secluded spot, safe from curious eyes, where you can tuck in for a good long read. Because once you start, you won't stop until you reach the very last page.

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The Chronicles of Narnia Boxed Set [BOX SET] (Paperback) by C.S. Lewis, Pauline Baynes (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 9-12

The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis, is one of the very few sets of books that should be read three times: in childhood, early adulthood, and late in life. In brief, four children travel repeatedly to a world in which they are far more than mere children and everything is far more than it seems. Richly told, populated with fascinating characters, perfectly realized in detail of world and pacing of plot, and profoundly allegorical, the story is infused throughout with the timeless issues of good and evil, faith and hope. This boxed set edition includes all seven volumes.

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The Grim Grotto (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 11)by Lemony Snicket
Reading level: Ages 9-12

It's tough when the things that stand between you and your desired sugar bowl are a host of deadly mushrooms and an uncomfortable diving suit. The unlucky Baudelaire orphans find themselves in deep (once again) in this eleventh book in Lemony Snicket's odd-and-full-of-woe-but-quite-funny Series of Unfortunate Events.

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Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke, Anthea Bell
Reading level: Ages 9-12

Firedrake, a brave young dragon, his loyal brownie friend Sorrel and a lonely boy called Ben are united as if by destiny. Together, they embark on a magical journey to find the legendary place where silver dragons can live in peace forever.

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The Golem's Eye (Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 2) by Jonathan Stroud
Reading level: Ages 9-12

Due to the success of his first campaign involving the Amulet of Samarkand, Nathaniel, now fourteen, has been appointed the youngest representative ever to the Office of Internal Affairs, and has been devising traps to capture members of the Resistance--a secretive group of commoners who are determined to undermine the ruling class of magicians.

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The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1) by Jonathan Stroud
Reading level: Ages 9-12

Nathaniel is a boy magician-in-training, sold to the government by his birth parents at the age of five and sent to live as an apprentice to a master. Powerful magicians rule Britain, and its empire, and Nathaniel is told his is the "ultimate sacrifice" for a "noble destiny." If leaving his parents and erasing his past life isn't tough enough, Nathaniel's master, Arthur Underwood, is a cold, condescending, and cruel middle-ranking magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The boy's only saving grace is the master's wife, Martha Underwood, who shows him genuine affection that he rewards with fierce devotion.

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Travel Team by Mike Lupica

Reading level: Ages 9-12

Twelve-year-old Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court--but don't tell him that. Because no one plays with more heart or court sense. But none of that matters when he is cut from his local travel team, the very same team his father led to national prominence as a boy.

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Little Vampire Goes to School by Joann Sfar
Reading level: Ages 9-12

Little Vampire has decided that despite his ability to fly, freedom to turn himself into a rat, a wolf, or a bat--even his unquestioned right to "bite little girls till they bleed, without ever getting into trouble"--that what he really wants to do is go to school. The kind with teachers, other kids, and math homework. Unfortunately for Little Vampire, teachers and other kids donâ??t hang out at school in the dead of night, but math homework abounds, and when Little Vampire starts completing a little boyâ??s assignments for him, the two get to be friends.

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The People of Sparks by JEANNE DUPRAU
Reading level: Ages 9-12

When teenagers Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow lead their people up out of the Earth, fleeing their dying underground city of Ember, everything is new and a little frightening to the refugees--the sun and the moon, birds, trees, fireâ?¦and the people of Ember are strange to the 322 citizens of Sparks, one of the few towns on Earth to survive the time of The Disaster.

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Molly Moon Stops the World (Molly Moon Books (Hardcvoer))
by Georgia Byng
Reading level: Ages 9-12

The irrepressibly plucky Molly Moon returns for a sequel and discovers a super-power more amazing than hypnosis in this even-better follow-up to Georgia Byng's best-selling debut, Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism.

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