Edge-of-your-seat books for older readers

Nationally syndicated, Kendal Rautzhan writes and lectures on children's literature. She can be reached via e-mail: kendal@sunlink.net.

February 21, 2009 Last Updated: February 21, 2009 01:03 PM Community

The easiest way to get older kids to read is to provide them with books that they can't put down.

After all, nobody likes to read something that is just so-so, or worse, something that is down-right boring.

Fortunately, today's reviewed books are so expertly written, so engaging, and so fast-paced, there is nothing boring or so-so about them.

They are, without a doubt, real page-turners for older readers, and that's exciting – for the child and for you!

The following book is available at many public libraries."Night of the Howling Dogs" by Graham Salisbury, Wendy Lamb Books, 2007, 191 pages, $16.99 hardcover; read aloud: age 9 to 10 and older; read yourself: age 10 to 11 and older.On the Big Island of Hawaii in 1975, 11 boy scouts and their leaders are camping on a remote beach below the island's ancient volcano.It begins as an exciting adventure for Dylan and his fellow Boy Scouts as they make the long trek across and down the ancient lava flow to the secluded beach below, but trouble is about to explode around everyone.Dylan senses something isn't right, and is particularly spooked by the sound of wild dogs howling at night.Shortly thereafter, terror strikes and no one is spared the horror. Over the next several hours the small group is tested to their limits and discover the real meaning of leadership, friendship, and the human will to survive.Based on true events that occurred in 1975, this extraordinary, well-written story will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Library: Prospect Community Library, 357 Main St., ProspectLibrary Director: Jeanne SarneseChildren's Librarian: Jill HambleyChoices this week: "Clementine" by Sara Pennypacker; "First the Egg" by Laura Seeger; "Treasured Horses" series by various authors

The following books are available at favorite bookstores."Skeleton Creek" by Patrick Carman, Scholastic, 2009, 186 pages, $14.99 hardcover; read aloud: age 10 and older; read yourself: age 10 to 11 and older.A monstrous machine in the woods called the Dredge is where teenagers Ryan and Sarah investigate to find answers to mysterious happenings in their small town of Skeleton Creek.A terrible accident at the Dredge leaves Ryan hospitalized, later housebound, and forbidden by his parents to have any further contact with his best friend Sarah.No one in Skeleton Creek wants to discuss the Dredge, the town name, or anything associated with it, and Ryan and Sarah are determined to find out why.Ryan recreates all he and Sarah have learned in a journal that he secretly shares with Sarah online.Sarah continues her investigations at the Dredge and elsewhere, chronicling her findings by recording them on video and sending the videos to Ryan online. The closer Ryan and Sarah come to uncovering the truth, the greater the danger.This multimedia ghost story combines the written story with over an hour of videos that can be accessed via a special Web site with links and passwords provided in the book.Both a book and a movie, this ingenious, compelling, and fast-paced, "Skeleton Creek" takes the "interactive" book to new heights. This first installment in the "Skeleton Creek" trilogy will, without a doubt, have readers impatiently waiting for the second installment, to be released this fall."SCAT" by Carl Hiaasen, Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, 371 pages, $16.99 hardcover; read aloud: age 10 and older; read yourself: age 10 to 11 and older.During a field trip to the Black Vine Swamp, a fire forces the students to cut their filed trip short.When they return to school, they realize their no-nonsense biology teacher isn't with them.At first the students are relieved; no one liked Mrs. Bunny Starch anyway.But when the principal tells the students that Mrs. Starch has been called away on a family emergency, Nick and Marta don't believe it. They are pretty certain Mrs. Starch doesn't have a family of any kind.Things start to add up, and Nick and Marta wonder if juvenile delinquent Smoke had something to do with the fire.As they try to find out about Smoke and what has happened to Mrs. Starch, they find themselves in the midst of a wild set of characters and circumstances, all revolving around saving Black Vine Swamp and the creatures that make their home there.Brimming with adventure, mystery, and humor, SCAT is a real page-turner that delivers in every regard.