Lasky, Kathryn. Chasing Orion. Candlewick Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0763639822. Ages 10-14.

In the summer of 1952, polio has spread throughout Indiana, causing a widespread panic. With pools closed and camps cancelled, Georgie is stuck at home all summer in a new neighborhood with nothing to do. That is, until she discovers that her next-door neighbor is a beautiful young teenage girl stuck in an iron lung. Fascinated by Phyllis’s eighty-seven cubic centimeters of air, Georgie vows to help Phyllis and works to bring her and her brother Emmett together. But Georgie realizes that Phyllis has other plans in store for Emmett, and soon Georgie must save Emmett from Phyllis's deception before it is too late.

In this coming-of-age story, Georgie is facing life in a new part of town, having to go to a new school and make all new friends. In addition, most of the things she loves to do that enable her to make friends are forbidden now due to the polio outbreak. Her only human contacts besides her family are Evelyn (the quirky girl she meets at the library) and Phyllis. Georgie first becomes entranced by the romanticism of Phyllis’s life in the iron lung, but her childlike innocence eventually enables her to see through all the lies and deception. There she finds a family who is determined to hang on to what little of their daughter they have left, and a daughter who wants so desperately to be freed from her iron prison, even if it means death. While Georgie’s situation is unique, the feelings she experiences are ones that tweens can relate to—trying to fit in, finding a purpose, living vicariously through older siblings, and wanting what she cannot have.

Scott, Michael. The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. Delacorte Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0385733571. Ages 10-14.

Josh never expected so much excitement and adventure when he took a job at Nick Fleming’s bookshop. One minute he’s searching for a book on the shelves, and the next minute he discovers his boss is the famed Alchemyst Nicholas Flamel. Soon he and his twin sister Sophie are caught up in a whirlwind of magic, creatures and immortal beings, and follow Flamel on a dangerous path to rescue his wife from the clutches of the evil John Dee, as well as discover their true magical potential.

Columbus, Chris. (Director). (2010). Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief [Motion picture]. United States: Fox2000 Pictures. Ages 11-14.

Percy Jackson has always felt different—his ADHD and dyslexia keep him from ever feeling like anything but a failure. But after being attacked by a Fury looking for Zeus’s lightning bolt, he discovers that he is the son of Poseidon—a demi-god. Sent to Camp Half Blood to train, Percy soon embarks on a great adventure with Grover (his satyr protector) and Annabeth (daughter of Athena) to find the lightning bolt and stop the gods from waging an all-out war. Based on the first book in Rick Riordan’s bestselling series.

Marsh, Katherine. The Night Tourist. Hyperion Books for Children, 2007. ISBN 978-1423106890. Ages 9-14.

After getting hit by a car Jack Perdu starts seeing things, so his father sends him to a special doctor in New York City. There he meets Euri, a ghost girl his age who leads him down below Grand Central Station into the New York Underworld. Having left the city eight years before after his mother died, Jack realizes that this is the chance for him to see his mother again. So they travel through the ghostly world together, their mission unearthing both the truth about Euri’s intentions and the truth about Jack’s mother.

Riordan, Rick. The Red Pyramid. Hyperion Books, 2010. ISBN 978-1423113386. Ages 9-12.

Siblings Carter and Sadie Kane have grown up apart since their mother died six years earlier. But when their Egyptian archaeologist father sacrifices himself to bring the ancient gods back into power, they are forced to work together to defeat the evil god Set who has imprisoned their father and seeks to destroy the world. Along the way, Carter and Sadie develop allies and defeat enemies with the help of the gods Horus and Isis who have taken host within them. So begins an adventurous race from New York to Phoenix, AZ where two siblings must sacrifice everything they hold dear for the greater good. And as an even greater, unseen enemy stirs, Carter and Sadie come face to face with a sacrifice neither was prepared to make.

The first book in the Kane Chronicles, The Red Pyramid does for Egyptology what Percy Jackson and the Olympians did for Greek mythology. Chock full of history and mythology, Riordan entices young minds with a what-if scenario where ancient Egypt collides with modern day society—where magic is real and the fate of the world lies in the hands of young children. His juxtaposition of Carter, an awkward, dark-skinned 14-year-old, with Sadie, a bitter and abandoned, fair-haired 12-year-old, makes their ultimate journey of becoming a team that more rich and rewarding. Because at the heart of the story are two children who have lost their parents, and turn to one another for support and friendship when all seems lost. That alone would feel like the end of the world, but our heroes find the strength within themselves and one another to do what is right, and not what is easy. This series should speak to tweens much like Riordan’s previous works, offering strong characters who are easy to root for, and more importantly relate to.