Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

Alex Sawyer, juvenile offender,  has been captured, convicted and sent to Furnace, the world’s most secure youth penitentiary.  Furnace is located a mile beneath the earth’s surface; a place of pure evil guarded by giants in black suits and where deformed beasts roam the tunnels at night. The days in Furnace, though not as terrifying as the nights, are spent in hard labor and avoiding the ruling violent gangs.  Alex discovers that many of the youthful offenders were framed for their crimes and the only way to survive is to escape from Furnace.  So Alex hatches a plan.  This book does not disappoint!

Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

Book One of the Ranger’s Apprentice series, The Ruins of Gorlan, finds Will excited about the prospect of improving his station in life. Will  is a ward of Baron Arald, the Lord of Redmont.  He arrived as a baby in a basket with a note which stated, “His mother died in childbirth.  His father died a hero.  Please care for him.  His name is Will.”  On Choosing Day, Will and the three other wards, hope to select their jobs with the Castle Redmont. Will desires to join battle school and become a knight. Sadly, he is rejected from battle school but his stealth and ability to blend into the surrounding are noticed by the Ranger Halt.  Will is selected to become Halt’s apprenctice and train to be a member of the Ranger Corp.

Meanwhile, the evil Morgarath is amassing a platoon of Wargals and deadly Kalkara which he found in the Mountains of Rain and Night. Morgarath readies his army for revenge on the kingdom.

At some point in this tale the two shall cross paths and the adventure will draw you in.

The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman

As a fan of fairy tales and libraries,  I couldn’t help but be drawn to this book.  Mr. Mauskopf, Elizabeth’s social studies teacher, recommends her for a job at the New York Circulating Material Repository after reading her research report on the Brothers Grimm. The Repository is similar to a museum with artifacts but the patrons may check out these items like a library.  Elizabeth has a successful interview and passes her strange sorting exam to be hired as a page at the Repository.  Soon she discovers that mysterious things are happening in the Repository, and much of the mystery is connected to the Grimm Collection, magical objects, like the seven-league boots, right out of the fairy tales.  Elizabeth and the other pages, Marc, Anjali and Aaron, get swept up in the fantasy and mystery as these objects begin to disappear from the Repository and they set out to discover what is going on.