Disclaimer

Alice Grace Ripley lives in a dream world, her nose stuck in a book. But happily-ever-after life she's planned on suddenly falls apart when her boyfriend, Gordon, breaks up with her, accusing her of living in a world of fiction instead of the real world. Then to top it off, Alice loses her beloved job at the library because of cutbacks due to the Great Depression.

Fleeing small-town gossip, Alice heads to the mountains of eastern Kentucky to deliver five boxes of donated books to the library in the tiny coal-mining village of Acorn. Dropped off by her relatives, Alice volunteers to stay for two weeks to help the librarian, Leslie McDougal.

But the librarian turns out to be far different than she anticipated—not to mention the four lady librarians who travel to the remote homes to deliver the much-desired books. While Alice is trapped in Acorn against her will, she soon finds that real-life adventure and myster—and especially romance—are far better than her...<

Dworn knew that if his machine failed him in battle he would die. For men fought each other viciously, with no bond of brotherhood, in this— World Of The Drone<

SUMMARY: As a freelance writer, Jack Naile was used to getting an occasional letter from one of his readers, but when one of those readers sent him a clipping from a magazine, it would not only change his life, but could alter the course of history as well. The clipping had a photo, taken in Nevada in 1903, of a street scene, including a story with a sign, "Jack Naile--General Merchandise."Intrigued, Jack phoned the Nevada town's historian and asked for more information. When the historian sent him a photo of the 19th century Jack Naile, what had seemed like an interesting coincidence immediately became much more bizarre. The four people in the photo, dressed in the style of the time, were unmistakably Jack, his wife, their grown son and teenage daughter. Jack decided he would have to take a trip to that town to investigate further. And if he and his family were somehow going to travel back in time, he was going to be prepared--and be well-armed.<

EDITORIAL REVIEW: Mulder and Scully are on a tense search for a black labrador named Vader. The dog may hold the key to untold advances in medicine, but the scientist investigating the case has gone into biological meltdown with uncontrollable murderous impulses.<

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up–A catastrophic flood has covered the world, leaving most of human civilization underwater. Life on the mainland is so hard that survivors compete to have their young sons taken away to an offshore island. It is rumored that on this island, used as a base for divers who scavenge underwater warehouses, the chosen boys must work for their keep but are safe and well fed. However, when Baz's father manages to win him passage with a valuable bribe, Baz finds that island conditions are much worse than he expected. He and the other boys live in a single filthy room. They are worked to the point of exhaustion, barely fed, and sometimes tortured. Preacher John, the island's leader and a self-appointed prophet, begins to use his Sunday sermons to suggest that God demands human sacrifice to make the flood waters recede. The boys' lives may be in danger, and they slowly begin to formulate a plan to turn the tables on their oppressors. A last-minute plot twist, though heavily foreshadowed, isn't quite worked through. But readers looking for grit, suspense, and a good underdog story will find much here to enjoy._Hayden Bass, Seattle Public Library, WA_
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Following a cataclysmic flood, the few people left on the mainland struggle to survive. Parents offer gifts to get their sons to Ecks' Island; this seems to be their only chance for a future. Only a few are chosen, and Baz and Ray are the last. When they reach the island, what they find is not a bright future but a nightmare. They learn that the unofficial name of the island, X-Isle, is true on several levels: hard labor, hunger, fear, distrust, and submission are the norm. Baz and Ray become catalysts for change—they encourage cooperation, ingenuity, and trust among the boys as they seek ways to overthrow the fanatic Preacher John and his cruel sons. Futuristic in its setting, this is a thrilling story of survival, with twists and turns enough to keep readers engaged and waiting for a sequel. First published in the UK in 2009, Augarde's story joins other similarly themed fantasies, including Marcus Sedgwick's Floodland (2001) and Julie Bertagna's Exodus (2008). Grades 7-10. --J. B. Petty

EDITORIAL REVIEW: Though already developing a successful career in SF with such heady novels as *Chthon* and *Omnivore*, Piers Anthony did not reach brand-name status until he cooked up some fantasy in 1977. And it was cheerful, humorous fantasy at that, as in his first Xanth series novel, *A Spell for Chameleon*. The book's young hero, Bink, is without magical powers in a world ruled entirely by magic. Worse still, if he doesn't discover his own magical talent soon, he will be forever banished from his homeland. Naturally, it takes an epic quest for Bink to learn what his unique talent truly is--and perhaps to win the girl of his dreams as well. *A Spell for Chameleon* was the very first of Anthony's bestselling (and still ongoing) humorous fantasy series. Noteworthy for their outrageous word puns and bizarre characters, the Xanth books are a light yet often satisfying brew, especially when compared with the author's sometimes nihilistic and ultraviolent hard SF. *--Stanley Wiater*<

SUMMARY: Ordered by King Trent to determine the source of Xanth's magic, Bink and his companions were harried by an unseen enemy determined to thwart them. When even their protector turned against them, Blink still managed to reach his goal and carry out the King's orders...but the king did not expect Blink's next act--to destroy utterly the magic of Xanth!<

SUMMARY: There is trouble in Xanth again. The Gap Dragon had escaped and was ravaging across the land, the forget-spell was causing mass amnesia, three-year old Ivy was headed right for a hungry dragon. Could things get any worse? Probably.... From the Paperback edition.<

Jordan was a ghost in Castle Roogna now. Although once he had been themost valorus of knights--that is, until he was betrayed by two wily magicians and the woman he loves. Now, if he only can remember how he was killed, he'll be able to reassemble his body. And he is getting impatient....<

SUMMARY: Grundy Golem got no respect. So, to prove himself, he volunteered for a quest to find the long-lost dragon, Stanley Steamer. On the way, he somehow manages to free a damsel in distress-- but not without incurring the wrath of the Sea Hag in the process. And when it comes to avenging herself on Grundy, the Sea Hag will never give up....From the Paperback edition.<

SUMMARY: When Esk, a young ogre-nymph-human, began his pilgrimage to the Good Magician Humfrey to rid himself of a seductive demoness, little did he know it would become a mission of mercy. A running river paradise and its harmless inhabitants were perishing in the wrathful wake of a greedy demon horde. Now it is up to Esk and his companions--a beautiful winged centaur named Chex and a brave burrower Called Volney--to search Xanth's treacherous reaches, gathering together a mind-boggling company of creatures to defend the precious Vale of the Vole.<

SUMMARY: In the mind of Xanth's precious shapeshifting Prince Dolph, the perfect was to see the world is to search for the missing sorcerer, Humfrey. Setting off with his faithfuls companion, Marrow, an enchanted skeleton, Dolph will penetrate an island of illusion, escape a goblin kingdom, outwit a husband-hungry mermaid, save marrow from bone-starved harpies, and find romance with a slinky snake princess--all on his way to discovering a magic coin with all the answers!<

SUMMARY: For a bored, young princess of Xanth, there's nothing more exciting than a Quest. Especially when all you do is sit around Castle Roogna. But when Ivy uses the Heaven Cent, it takes her not to the top of Mount Rushmost, where the winged monsters gather, not to the sea where the merfolk swim--but to Mundania, a world much like out own (that is, boring). It is here that she meets a young college student so dull that he doesn't even believe in magic, or princesses, or Xanth!Does he have a lot to learn.The thrilling climax to the trilogy started in Vale of the Vole and continued in Heaven Cent.<

LovelornLoveworn Love LostPerplexed Prince Dolph, Xanth's precocious shapeshifter, should be in love but isn't. Nonetheless, he must chose between two fiancées -- Nada the uninterested and Electra the uninteresting -- or all three of them will suffer the most dire consequences. Luckily a convenient catastrophe has popped up to distract Dolph form his dilemma -- the foal-napping of young Che Centaur by goblins. And the only one who knows where Che is is a nice but remarkably naive elflike gir named Jenny from the World of Two Moons. If anyone can save the missing centaur...she sure can't.