Blue Balliett is the author of many unique mystery stories set in Chicago, all involving valuable objects such as paintings from the Art Institute, sculpture, a historic home, ancient letters, or historic boxes that are missing. Now she has taken the main characters from each of these books and put them together in Pieces and Players, to solve a new mysterious theft again set in Chicago, The five are Tommy, Petra, Calder, Zoomy and Early, thirteen year olds with different talents. Together they are charged with finding out where are 13 masterpieces stolen from a small museum in one night and who took them. The kids are given special access to the museum and information only the police have. Read and pick up the clues with these sleuths. Grade 4-5.
The Island of Dr. Libris is the new book by Chris Grabenstein, author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (the winner of Patton's March Madness contest). This time it is an amazing island, not a library, at the center of the story. Billy and his mother have rented a cabin on the shores of Lake Katrine from the mysterious Dr. Libris. The cabin has no television but does have a locked library full of classic books which Billy is able to unlock by solving a puzzle left by Dr. Libris. Suddenly as Billy reads a book he hears the characters talking and finds them alive on the island, a short row away from the cabin. With his new neighbor Walter, Billy investigates, reads more, meets more characters, and finds the interaction of characters from different stories can be hilarious but also dangerous! And all the while Dr. Libris is watching Billy! Find out how Billy and Walter survive and what Dr. Libris is really up to. Grade 3-5.
