The Devil's Footsteps by E.E. Richardson

This book was recommended by several students, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Bryan's brother disappeared five years earlier while they were in the woods. His brother stepped on some stones, The Devil's Footsteps, while saying a rhyme and was never seen again. Bryan figures out that the Dark Man has been taking children for many years, but he doesn't understand why the adults don't seem to notice or care. The Dark Man uses the fears of children against themselves, so how can they battle their own thoughts? Bryan joins up with Stephen, whose sister disappeared a year ago, and Jake, who recently moved to the town. Together, they must face their fears and figure out some way to stop the Dark Man from killing more children.

The beginning of the book seemed pretty simple and unimaginative, but I was wrong. What started out as a story like the bogeyman turned into a much larger tale of evil. The boys needed to uncover a secret hidden beneath the town, a terrible tragedy the town had forgotten. I thought the conflict was creative and offered a unique challenge, and the plot built up to a nice climax. The solution seemed pretty simple, but Bryan had a hard time overcoming his own fears and needed to make a very difficult decision in the end.

The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn

This book was recommended by a number of students over the past few years, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Kayla is turning seventeen, and it's expected that she'll get the bar code tattoo on her wrist like most other people. However, she suspects there's more to the tattoos than just for identification purposes. Her father commits suicide and blames it on the tattoo. Her best friend's parents lose their jobs and money, apparently because of the tattoos. Kayla joins several other young people who support the Decode movement of a national senator, but there may be a spy among them. Kayla eventually finds herself wanted by the government and is forced to run for her life.

This book reminds me a great deal of the Uglies, Pretties, and Specials series written by Scott Westerfield. The government is out to control the citizens, and a group of young people decide to rebel. This book kept me wondering about the hidden secret behind the tattoos and included some action, especially once Kayla was on the run. It's also a book that makes readers think about society and government power. Citizens today wonder about personal privacy, and this book takes it to the extreme.

The Bar Code Rebellion by Suzanne Weyn

This is the sequel to The Bar Code Tattoo, and I gave it a rating of five out of five. The supporters of the Decode movement travel to Washington to force the president to repeal the bar code tattoo law, but the rally doesn't end well. Kayla escapes the ambush with the help of a truck driver from book one. The truck driver delivers bootleg tattoos around the country, and Kayla travels along with her. They see many signs and commercial ads with Kayla apparently saying the tattoos are great, and she's happy that she changed her mind about them. However, Kayla still doesn't have a tattoo on her wrist. There's a new secret about the tattoo that's even worse than the secret revealed in the first book, and Global 1 is determined to capture Kayla. Perhaps the fact that Kayla is meeting other people who look just like her is a clue. Global 1's master plan goes far beyond simple cloning. It's a secret that will change the world as we know it.

This book had a bit more action than The Bar Code Tattoo. The thing I enjoyed most was the way it made the reader look at society. It's all about government control and the ethical use of scientific discoveries. For example, if we could find a way to make everyone live forever, should we? I liked the addition of new characters mixed with the old ones. I also liked reading about this author's version of the future, although the new secret sounds like something someone in the world might actually believe but should never be used. Jack came up with a pretty cool way of traveling that's never been seen before, and Global 1 created some amazing ideas about the integration of nanotechnology, computers, and biology.

Martin the Warrior by Brian Jacques

This book was the second I read in the Redwall series, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. In the first book, Redwall, Martin has been dead for quite a while, but he is spoken of as a hero of the castle and takes on an almost god-like status. Martin the Warrior explains his life. Martin loses his father's sword to an evil ruler. He escapes and vows to free all of the slaves and get his sword back. The plot follows the escapees as they try to find reinforcements to help rescue the other captives. Martin's group is captured and attacked by other forces along the way. In the meantime, the evil ruler is combating some problems within his own fortress caused by a former partner and rebels.


I enjoy the mystery and adventure in the book, although some people might want a bit more action. Some of my students have complained that they can't understand some of the characters, especially the moles. The author writes the dialogue the way they speak, and it can be a challenge. My suggestion, don't worry about the moles' individual words; you can usually figure out what they're trying to say from the context. The plot skips back and forth between three settings, so that may confuse some readers also. One setting is in the evil fortress, and the other two settings follow the escapees after they are separated.

Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett

This book is interesting, but maybe bizarre for some readers, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Johnny enjoys video games, and he's currently playing "Only You Can Save the Earth." While playing, a message appears on his screen that appears to be coming from the captain of the enemy spaceships. Johnny finds himself between reality and a dream world as he discovers that the aliens in the game are "really" being killed by his fighter. The aliens call him "The Chosen One" and beg him for protection from other players. The alien fleet can be saved if they can reach "The Border". Johnny must convince himself that he's not crazy and then must decide if he should help the aliens. After all, it's only a game, right?

I like the creativity of the conflict, although I would never recommend it for an award. Readers who enjoy alien novels should like this book, and it's a fairly quick-read. Some parts confused me a bit as Johnny tried to figure out if he was dreaming, playing a video game, or it was reality. If you don't like science fiction or aliens, move on to something else.

Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder

This book was recommended to me, and I gave it a rating of three out of five. It was interesting, but it just didn't grab me. Four children, ages six to twelve, live in the country and spend the summer hanging out together. However, they discover a wall in the middle of a cornfield that performs magic. They eventually realize that the wall's magic power is that it can transport them to other places that also have walls. The four children take turns making wishes that take them to other places in the world, past or future, which creates some adventures. A couple of the characters they meet along the way are Merlin and the son of Blackbeard the pirate.

Some readers may love this book, but there was something missing for me. Finding a magic wall in the middle of a cornfield was pretty random, and the early adventures weren't very intriguing. I must admit that I enjoyed the plot more as I read farther into the book. I found it more entertaining once they met Blackbeard's son and, later in the book, Bernice. Emma, the six-year old girl, was a curious character. She often gave the older children logical advice, like she belonged in the Mysterious Benedict Society. It was probably the author's intent, but I found it strange for the group to be using a first grader as their advisor.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

I reread this Newbery-winning novel for the blog, and I gave it a rating of five out of five. Mrs. Frisby's son, Timothy, is seriously ill and can't be moved for several weeks. However, the farmer is going to be plowing up the field in five days, so her home will be destroyed. She is advised to seek the help of the rats found under the rosebush, but she has little hope that they'll even listen to her. She discovers that these rats have amazing talents, and she also finds out many secrets about her deceased husband's life. The suspense rises as the rats race to move Mrs. Frisby's house before plowing day arrives without being eaten by the farmer's cat, Dragon. All the while, the rats must be on the lookout for the scientists from NIMH.



It's been a number of years since I read this book for the first time, and I still enjoy it. I think the thing I like most about the plot is that everything in the it is possible if the science experiments performed on the rats were as effective as described. It's not full of fantasy and magic like the movie version of the book. In addition to literature, I have a love for science and math, and the characters use those skills to solve their problems.