"Gr 4-6-Eleven-year-old Kia Krumpet is a young inventor who dreams of going to a school where her STEM dreams will flourish. In the year 2071, middle schoolers from around the country are chosen to compete in an invention contest called the Piedmont Challenge where the top prize is a spot at the prestigious Piedmont Inventors Prep School (PIPS). Here, Kia's aspirations of being a great inventor will hopefully come true. She has a lot to live up to as her grandmother was the winner of the very first Piedmont Challenge. After a grueling initial test, Kia is chosen, along with four other students from her school, to compete against students from 49 other states for the chance to win. Even though the five students in Kia's group (affectionately called "The Crimson Five") come from different backgrounds and have various ideas for the winning project, they must band together to prove that they have what it takes to succeed. Young readers who are interested in STEM will find themselves reflected in these characters. An open-ended resolution leaves room for a sequel.
"VERDICT A strong secondary purchase for those looking to add fiction with a STEM focus to their middle grade collections.-Christopher Lassen, BookOps: The New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library"
Excerpt: "I recommend this book to anyone who is a hiker, or who has a physical goal they want to reach, whether it's running a race, climbing a mountain, or winning a championship because you learn so much about the qualities needed to accomplish a daunting task."
(11/26) Included in an "Appalachian Trail Gifts" list from NJ Hiking.
Excerpt: "Jeff's book is unique because it not only documents his personal journey on the AT but also captures the real challenges and joy of trekking for a cause. It ain't sunshine all the time to push through boundaries to accomplish a goal your heart truly is set to achieve. In this edition, I appreciated Jeff's outline in the end of concrete steps to take in order to make one's social cause a success for those of us who wish to make hiking a tool to make a difference."
Excerpt: "This book, like virtually everything Kreeft writes, is a pleasure to read. His prose has an alluring quality. Like an extended display of Italian cannoli and gelato, it commands one's attention, and after sampling a bit you must have more."
Excerpt: "[A] story about hope, about love and about the essential decency of people . . . hugely satisfying . . . the literary quality of Keith Rosson's writing is truly remarkable and, at times, quite breathtakingly beautiful."
Excerpt: "Agent Sully ... is a kick ass heroine, a kind of adult Harry Potter meets Katniss Everdene and is the tour de force that drives this novel along.... The writing is fast paced, imaginative with an underlying intelligence that gives credence to the infrastructure of the magical aspects of crime and policing."ssdfsdf
Excerpt: "G.D. Penman has created an amazingly intricate world with well thought out characters.... I loved getting to know the characters and the world that is so similar yet so different from my own world. Based on the ending, I'm really hoping for a sequel! I want to know more about the history of this world and what will become of it in the future. This is definitely a book I would recommend to people who want a new magical take on the world."
