H.I.V.E. book one by Mark Walden

H.I.V.E. book one by Mark Walden is a great book about a boy named Otto Malpense. He is a very unusual boy, taking over control of the orphanage where he was left when he was a baby. All is well, until the Prime Minister puts budget cuts, and his orphanage is forced to shut down. He decides to ruin the Prime Minister, using a mind-control device. However, the Higher Institute for Villainous Education or H.I.V.E. finds out. They recruit him and then his adventures really start.

Michael Vey: The prisoner of cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans

Michael Vey is an ordinary kid. With a very un-ordinary secret. He can output electricity. A lot of electricity. he has only told his friends: Ostin and Taylor. Taylor also has a secret. She can 'reboot' people, making them forget what they were doing. They are going about trying to find out why they are what they are, when Michael's mother is kidnapped. They have to team up with two bullies in order to try to find and get his mother back. I would tell more, but I don't want to spoil the entire book. Try reading it for yourself!

Playing with Fire by Bruce Hale

Max Segredo is a slightly unusual orphan. He has been to three foster homes and been kicked out of all of them. He then goes to a very special orphanage, a school for spies! He then goes on his first mission, which ends disastrously. His next missions get intercepted by the nefarious LOTUS, a rival spy organization. I would tell more, but this is just too good of a book to spoil! Segredo manages to incorporate humor into a genre that is usually just spywork, which is fine, but I personally prefer a bit of humor. 

Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar

Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar, the author of "Holes," is a great book filled with interesting dialogue of a inquiry of a scientist after he creates a new fuel: bio-fuel. This bio-fuel is made of microbes that split every 36 minutes. These microbes cannot survive in oxygen. However, mutations are bound to appear while reproducing that fast. This book is about what happens when one of these mutated microbes is accidentally released into a forest near a relatively isolated town in Heath Cliff, Pennsylvania. Then a private school student named Tamaya and her friend, Marshall, go into the woods to find a shortcut home.

This book is slightly creepy, with a bit of mild biological fright. Tamaya gets some fuzzy mud on her hand. The hand later starts to get a rash and starts flaking off skin colored dust, which supports the theme. The answer to "why" the dust is flaking off is very creepy and sort of a spoiler, but it also helps the theme. I would tell more, but I don't want to spoil the ending! This is a good book that is relatively new, however it ends in a mild cliffhanger, and Sachar does not seem to plan it to be a series at the moment.

Tombquest by Michael Northrop

Tombquest book one: Book of the Dead by Michael Northrop is a great read, starting with Alex, a terminally sick boy with constant chest pain almost dying. His mother saves him using the Book of the Dead, a collection of spells made by the Egyptian pharaohs to help guide the souls into the afterlife-and back into their bodies.

With mummies coming to life, New York being overrun by scorpions, and the Death walkers returning, Alex and his friend Ren must try to save the world. Along the way they meet Todtman, a member of a secret organization called the Keepers who make sure that the forces of evil don't rise again.

Northrop manages to add elements of realism to his story, putting references to real old Egyptian legends and myths such as the book of the dead itself, or the Death walkers. Interestingly enough death walkers (or psychopomps in Greek mythology) are mentioned in many different religions throughout the world as guides for souls after they have departed.

The Dungeoneers by John David Anderson

The Dungeoneers by John David Anderson is a great book beginning with a boy in a small town pickpocketing. He gets caught, but not by a cop. He gets caught by a rouge who offers to take him to a illustrious academy for the training of bands of heroes to raid dungeons in pursuit of treasure. At the academy he meets a mage, a warrior, and a cleric that join up with him to become a dungeon raiding band. They take on poison dripping scorpions, goblin hordes, spikes from the ceiling, and enchanted locks in this interesting tale. The first in a series that promises to be great, The Dungeoneers is a delightful read that is guaranteed to make you want more! This book is one of the books that makes you want more until the end. David Anderson, author of Minions and Sidekicked, does a masterful job of working in many funny characters, suspense, and adventure.

Witherwood Reform School by Obert Skye is about two children named Tobias and Charlotte Eggers, who are dropped off at the gates of a creepy school by their amnesiac father, Ralph Eggers. Once at the school, they decide to go inside, which is where their adventures really start happening. In the school there is creepy singing, horrible creatures, and a mysterious, mind controlling headmaster. This is a great book if you enjoy dry humor and general spookiness.