How fast do you read?

Source: Staples eReader Department

This is an awesome way to quickly find out how quick you are at reading. My first go put me at 494, but you better believe I'll give it another try! 

Potterwookiee: The Creature From My Closet, by Obert Skye

Liking cooking, books, and girls(!) is a deadly combination for a Middle School boy, Rob. A Potterwookiee can only make things worse. Of course, a Potterwookiee is a combination of Harry Potter and Chewbacca that has emerged from Rob's closet with the intention of ruining or improving his life...it has yet to be seen. The sketches throughout the book portray the Potterwookiee as looking like a miniature big foot with a scarf and glasses.

Potterwookiee turns out to help more than hurt as Rob navigates entering a cooking competition, dealing with bullies, and trying to figure out the oddities of the opposite sex. The drawings take up as much of the page as the words, similar to Kinney's style, but this approach along with the issues presented are easy for kids to relate to and make the book go by in no time. 

Infinity Ring: Divide and Conquer (Bk.2), by Carrie Ryan

Vikings attacking Paris! Why didn't I learn about this in school?!? Ryan delivers, yet again, with this thriller relaying the events of November 24/25, 885 when Paris fell to the Vikings, as seen through the eyes of Dak, Sera, and Riq who are time travelers given the task of preserving history. The trio is given various codes to crack in order to know where to be and who to meet in order to complete their mission. However, they weren't counting on Dak being captured and forced to work for the Vikings as Sera and Riq chip in to aid the Parisians in defending their city. 

The large stature and heathen like dress of the Vikings is detailed along with information about the discussions between monks and the invaders that led to the Treaty of Sainte-Ckaur-sur-Epte. A dash of romance is thrown into the mix, as Sera forms a connection with a fellow historian from 885. Wonderfully researched and craftily told to ensure that there is hardly time to blink, Ryan leave's her readers begging for the next historical foray.

Kizzy Ann Stamps, by Jeri Watts

Summer is coming to a close and Kizzy Ann Stamps is getting ready to start a new school year, but there are more difficulties on the horizon for her than getting school supplies and waking up early, she is going to a new school due to integration. Her former teacher, Mrs. Warren, challenged the students to write to their new teacher, Miss Anderson, so Kizzy Ann writes the first letter that leads to many more leading up to the start of school when her new teacher gives her a journal to continue to record her thoughts. 

Another constant in Kizzy Ann's life is her border collie, Shag, who doesn't look at her differently due to a scar on her cheek; a result of a farming accident involving a neighbor boy, Frank Charles. He and his father are nothing but mean to Kizzy Ann, which makes it all the more surprising when Frank Charles begins to follow her around to see her training Shag with the help of Mr. McKenna. The training is in preparation for a sheep herding competition that there is no certainty she will be allowed to enter due to the color of her skin.

The training provides a much needed distraction from the uncertainty among the students, despite having such a wonderful teacher. Kizzy Ann's brother is in High School and is not so lucky. He has to deal with teachers who refuse to teach the students of color, claiming that just because they were forced to take black students doesn't mean they have to teach them. He's also frustrated with being forced, along with the other black boys, to be on the JV team without the chance to make Varsity. 

Watts does a remarkable job of combining historical events with the endearing tale of a girl trying to get her footing in a world that is constantly shifting underfoot and a dog that she can always steady in her love and dedication. 

Benjamin Franklinstein Meets Thomas Deadison, by Matthew McElligott and Larry Tuxbury

In Benjamin Franklinstein Meets Thomas Deadison, by Matthew McElligott and Larry Tuxbury, the story is told of the Modern Order of Prometheus, an elite club that stands apart from the rest. It's members are dead! Actually, the group is made up of preserved great inventors, like Benjamin Franklin and Orville and Wilbur Wright. However, there is one preserved member, Napoleon (aka the Emperor), that is out to do away with them all if Victor, Scott and Ben don't step in.

Victor knows a lot about the order, since his parents were the caretakers until they went missing. To make things even more difficult, Infinity light bulbs have been distributed for free to all of Philadelphia, but in addition to light, the bulbs give off radiation that turns people into zombies. Just what the Emperor needs to take over!

The short chapters and spattering of diagrams and illustrations throughout the book make this a fast read that incorporates a pinch of historical information and gobs of adventure and mystery.