A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

This is the real Grimm story of Hansel and Gretel like you've never seen them before.  Within the story there are beheadings, a dragon, a trip to Hell and back, and many other twists and turns.  The book is gruesome and sad and dark.  It is also funny (thanks to the narrator) and ironic.  Breadcrumbs and candy houses play a very small part in the true story of Hansel and Gretel.  As the narrator says, "make the little ones go away" if you are going to read this.

Treasure Hunters by James Patterson

Bick and his brothers and sisters have problems!  Their parents have disappeared under mysteries circumstances leaving the kids at sea.  Luckily, they have been treasure hunting with their parents for years and know the ins and outs of the business.  In order to stay together and keep the authorities away, they decide the follow through with their parents next planned dive, but things aren't that simple.  Other treasure hunters are following them, trying to steal their parents plans and secrets from the locked room on the boat, the kids are trying to find out what really happened to their parents, and someone is trying to kill them.  Using the clues their parents left behind, the kids must find the treasure and its rightful owner to unlock the mystery of their parents whereabouts.  Filled with kidnappings, surfers, arms dealers and submarines- this is a book any kid could get into!

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt

The true blue scouts happen to be a pair of raccoon brothers who are charged with keeping an eye on things in the Sugar Man Swamp.  The swamp has been filled with mysteries and legends for generations.  Pirates found a hiding place here, the ellusive ivory-billed woodpecker lives here, and it is home to the sweetest sugarcane on earth.  Chap and the scouts know how special their home is but the famous alligator wrestler, Jaegar Stitch and her investor Sonny Boy Beaucoup want to turn the Sugar Man Swamp into "The Gator World Wrestling Arena and Theme Park".  Find out if Chap can come up with a "boatload" of cash to save the swamp, or are the true blue scouts going to have to wake up the Sugar Man?

*to me- a slow read- not sure if kids could get into it

A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff

Baking a perfect cake is not always easy, but Cady can make the cake of your dreams, even if you don't know what that cake is.  In a world where everyone has a special TALENT, strange and unusual things happen.  Children can hide in plain sight, people can knit effortlessly, some can tie all kinds of knots, and some even have a TALENT for stealing other people's TALENTS.  Cady is trying to find her perfect forever family, with the help of Miss Mallory.  When she ends up at the Lost Luggage Emporium, her "perfect" life isn't what she expected.  She doesn't understand the man who has adopted her, she has a building filled with strange neighbors and she's worried about the upcoming baking contest.  A charming story with an eclectic cast of characters.  Is Cady in the right forever home?  Will her friends figure out their TALENTS?  Will she win the baking contest? Find out in Lisa Graff's A Tangle of Knots
*Another book I thought was charming but not sure if kids would appreciate.

Flashbacks

So here's my power point on flashback.  It includes some great Youtube clips from Ratatouille and The Lion King.

http://www.slideshare.net/karinfinnegan5/flashback-32579740

I had the students write the word flashback on a plain piece of paper then they had to hold it up when the flashbacks occurred.  I also read Langston's Train Ride by Robert Burleigh, as it is full on flashbacks (even flashbacks within flashbacks)  Then the students had to highlight flashbacks in a couple of short stories I provided.

The Lost Boy by Greg Ruth

Nate has just moved into a new home in a new neighborhood.  When he discovers an old tape reel under the floorboards in his room, he is drawn into a strange world which is starting to move beyond the woods in his bau.  With the help of Tabitha, one of the local children, he uncovers buglings, killer trees, talking dolls and unsolved mysteries.  Will he ever find out what happened to Walt, the boy who made the recordings then dissappeared?  Will he be able to stop the evil in the woods?  Find out in The Lost Boy by Greg Ruth.

(I was a little worried because I did not love this book.  The pictures were fantastic but the story made me feel a little like "been there, done that".  After reading other reviews though, I found I was not alone.)