High adventure in Paris

Levin, Mark (2011). The Family Hitchcock (Gr. 4-6)

Maddy Hitchcock wants nothing more than a summer of pool-side tanning.  Her father, however, insists that the entire family join their annual vacation.  This year, they’re swapping houses with a family Paris–and what could possibly go wrong?

Everything, naturally.  Spies, international agents, top-secret science, and the opera all figure into this action-packed adventure.

Simply Stellar

Cottrell Boyce, Frank (2010). Cosmic (Gr. 4-6)

Liam is a big kid, and maybe he should have known better than to pose as an adult and send his friend into outer space on a super-secret rocket ship.   But, really, is it his fault that everyone thinks he’s 30 instead of 12 years old?

By the time we meet Liam, he and several other people are lost, drifting aimlessly through space in a rocket on a mission gone wrong.  Will Liam get back to Earth?  Will he see his parents again?  Has he had his fill of acting like an adult?

Frank Cottrell Boyce is the writer who brought us Millions and Framed, and Cosmic is just as wild, outlandish, funny, and somehow believable as his other books.  Read it if you like adventures, outer space, or despairing because adults are boring and/or have all the fun.