SPOILER ALERT: You may want to read the first book in this series, Cold Cereal, before spoiling your “breakfast” by reading what’s below.

A wizard, a leprechaun, a giant lisping rabbit, a movie star, a mechanical owl, a bigfoot, a pixie, and four mostly normal children are on the run from the fairy Nimue, who — under the friendly guise of the Goodco Cereal Company — has kidnapped the Queen of England and plans to turn children across the world into a brainwashed army to do her bidding. The fugitives are searching for the real location of the mythical Avalon, where they believe the key to defeating Nimue — and returning Scott and Polly’s mother to safety — lies. It’s a magical, slapstick, absurdist race to save the world that Scott, Polly, the wizard Merle Lynn, and their compatriots can’t afford to lose.

Why I picked it up: The True Meaning of Smekday is a work of genius, so I’m always willing to pick up anything Adam Rex writes.

Why I finished it: Clearly this is the second in a trilogy (or perhaps even a Hitchhiker’s-esque quintilogy), so I needed to keep up with all the shifting plot points. Also, Rex’s wit is fast-paced and snort-worthy. Here’s what Scott said to Merle after he explained the truth behind the sword in the stone:

“‘You could have made anyone King of England. You could have made yourself.”

“Yeah, but I don’t like hats.’”

I’d give it to: High school freshman Chris, a guy with a flair for the dramatic and a soft spot for the underdog. He’d get a kick out of the recording-studio hijinks of the goblins who impersonate Scott and Polly’s dad, a George Clooney-esque movie star.

In the village of Never Better, Jeremy Johnson Johnson hears voices. Caught in the Zwischenraum — the space between — the ghost of Jacob Grimm speaks to the boy. He keeps watch over Jeremy, hoping to protect him from the Finder of Occasions, a figure of dark depravity who brings misfortune to the villagers.

Abandoned by his mother and living with his reclusive father in their Two-Book Bookstore, Jeremy is shy and isolated until the infectious Ginger Boultinghouse coaxes him out of seclusion. Then a harmless prank goes awry, and a series of events unfolds with the makings of a Grimms’ fairy tale. Pursued by a menacing dwarf, championed by a jolly baker, with a feisty heroine at his side, Jeremy tries to navigate the ill-fated twists of his circumstances as the Finder of Occasions closes in.

Why I picked it up: From the very first lines, the voice of Jacob Grimm is delightful. It combines the old-fashioned charm of a nineteenth century fuddy-duddy and the ominous voice of a morbid storyteller, giving this modern adventure the texture and rhythm of a classic.

Why I finished it: In the lightest moments, the tension humming in the background became almost inaudible. The world was a hopeful place. Then, just when I let my guard down, things got DARK, and I remembered just what kind of story I was dealing with.

I’d give it to: Julie, who will be drawn in by the way a handful of well-crafted lines will make her care deeply about the most peripheral characters — mothers who’ve lost their children, a young man with a small mind and a big heart, a sickly nephew, and a heartbroken sheriff.

If you’re having bad dreams, write a letter and put it under your pillow. The Sleepwalkers will travel to your dream and help.

As the book progresses, the older team members (two sheep, and is that an oryx?) use magic to create their replacements from different objects. A bear, a monkey, and a bird join the friendly dog in helping kids sort out their nightmares as the older members return to the waking world.

Why I picked it up: The bear in a wrestling mask on the cover was leaping right at me. Plus there’s a cheering monkey on his back.

Why I finished it: It’s a very good-natured graphic novel, but there’s a bit of an edge. At one point the team goes into a truly nightmarish darkness. After they begin to glow because of dream energy (they look very spooky), they grab the dreaming child and rush him back to the light as a tentacled beast tries to attack.

I’d give it to: Dee, from my writing group, who would like the last member of the group, Sophia, a bird made from an old quill. Her transformation is somewhat incomplete (her head is still a nib), so when she wants to talk she writes words on whatever surface is handy. Brilliant.

This is a research project in the form of short poems that examine the cuddly, stinky, messy, and drooling aspects of animals the nameless girl narrator considers for a pet.

Why I picked it up: At the library kids always want books about a single kind of pet like a hamster or rabbit, but those books don’t usually tell the downside of pet ownership. This book seemed honest. 

Why I finished it: The poems are witty and to the point, especially the one about the possibility of a hippopotamus as a pet. (“The chances of getting a hippo: zippo.“) I also liked how the illustrations clearly showed the narrator writing a query, using test subjects, and taking field notes. There just aren’t enough picture books that teach the scientific method.

I’d give it to: Karen. While I’m sure her kids won’t be getting a pony or a tiger, I know she’ll enjoy the list of the narrator’s disappointing discoveries: there is no chocolate in a chocolate lab, boxers don’t wear gloves, and golden retrievers do not bring you gold.

Kaelyn’s quiet life on an island in British Columbia is turned upside down when a virus spreads through the small community, making people act drunk, giving them hallucinations, and then killing them. As she turns to her family and small circle of friends for help and support, they die, sometimes from the virus, sometimes at the hands of the gang searching the island for food and gas.

Why I picked it up: I love a good survival story, like Ashfall by Mike Mullin, or Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer, where the characters face a global event and must find the strength to face the worst possible situations.

Why I finished it: I admit to not liking Kaelyn at first, but she grew on me as she matured in the story, going from a self-pitying, lonely young woman to someone strong enough to reach out and try to help the people she’s with.

I’d give it to: Mary, who would appreciate both the thoughtful approach to the science of biology and viruses, and the way members of the community act in the face of danger — some help care for the infected, others seek a cure, and a few turning to violence.

American female pilot Rose Justice is forced down over enemy territory during WWII. After being captured she is transported to a concentration camp, Ravensbruck. She must learn to live in horrifying conditions, but the ladies she is interned with have it even worse. They are colloquially known as “rabbits” and are subjected to medical tests by German doctors trying to improve treatments for wounded German soldiers. Some are burned, others have limbs amputated, and a few are shot in the stomach. They are then treated (or not) to see what happens and which treatments are most effective.

Rose bonds with the women she suffers and starves with. She memorizes their names and histories because it is unlikely they will survive the war, and Rose is determined that if she does their stories will be told.

Why I picked it up: I read Wein’s Code Name Verity and found it to be well researched and well written. Once I understood this is a parallel novel with a few shared characters, I had to read it.

Why I finished it: Not only did it bring the plight of the female rabbits to the fore in a historically accurate fashion, but it showed the psychological toll of surviving the ordeal and then having to relive it at the Nuremberg Trials. Also, I liked that Wein rolled out the plot through various literary devices, like letters, first person narrative, newspaper articles, files, and the like, which enhanced my reading experience.

I’d give it to: Trina, because she read Night by Elie Wiesel for class and found it very moving, and she would like a fictional but historically accurate look into the horrors of WWII.

When Cousin Irv arrives on Earth for a visit, he’s a bit of a jerk: he complains, breathes loudly, and eats everything in the kitchen. But Teddy’s mom tells him that he needs to get along with their distant cousin.

Why I picked it up: The odd, eye-catching purple and white cover told me this picture book was going to be a little different.

Why I finished it: Things turn around when Teddy is forced to take Cousin Irv to school. Everyone really wants to meet him. The teacher gets mad when he starts using his electromagnetic ray to vaporize things in the classroom, so Cousin Irv vaporizes her. It wins the award for most unexpected moment in a kids book, and I bought that afterwards Teddy started to like his cousin.

I’d give it to: Kate, because the drawings are simple and the colors are never all the way in the lines, just like hers.

Ed Viesturs, the first American climber to summit all fourteen of the world’s 8,000 meter peaks, discusses the history of mountaineering on Everest. The first, poorly-equipped climbers attempted the mountain with gear that was laughable by today’s standards. George Mallory and Andrew Irvine’s famous 1924 “did-they-or-didn’t-they” summit attempt is described in detail (their gear was found 800 feet from the top), and Viesturs explains why he believes they did not summit. He also shares his personal experiences on Everest. Viesturs is a very strong, well respected climber in tune with the popular ethos of not using supplemental oxygen, and working with the mountain instead of trying to overpower it with brute force. He has spent over two years of his life on Everest, summiting on seven of his eleven attempts.

Why I picked it up: I had read Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, as well as Anatoli Boukreev’s The Climb to try to figure out who was to blame for the 1996 Everest disaster when eight climbers and guides died during a storm. Krakauer and Boukreev both talked about the super-strong Viesturs who climbed up into the kill-zone again and again to search for climbers to rescue.

Why I finished it: The success of large groups of weak climbers summiting Everest in the 1990’s led to lines of people waiting at the base of the Hillary Step, a rock formation requiring a particularly difficult climbing maneuver just below the summit. Because of this “highway to the summit,” Viesturs grew concerned about climbers’ treatment of the mountain, both in terms of littering and respecting the history of alpine climbing. Nevertheless, it is not all pure climbing for Viesturs. He has also had to scrabble for sponsorship money to finance his climbs as it can cost $60,000 for an individual to make the trip, and much more to pay for an expedition.

I also found his description of packing the thousands of pounds of gear and food necessary to climb Everest fascinating, as well as the process of building camps at different heights to acclimatize the body to altitude. An assault on Everest takes at least two months, with five different camps on the trail to the summit, some of which the climbers must stay in for days to acclimate to the altitude.

I’d give it to: My friend Pen because he once worked as a guide for RMI (Rainier Mountaineering, Inc.) on Mt. Rainier in Washington State, where Viesturs also worked. He is still a dedicated climber, and he just blogged about summiting Rainier for the twenty-seventh time. He would love to read the wisdom of a man who shares his dedication to the outdoors.