Austenland by Shannon Hale

Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane’s fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined.

Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen—or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It’s all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

I enjoyed this book immensely! It has a good plot, romance, humor, everything! I'm not exactly a fan of Jane Austen (I've never read any of her books, but I have seen the movies.. does that count? :) but I really liked this book anyway. I would suggest that you go out and buy it right now! Parents: It's a PG rated book... Slight inappropriate content and language. I would say for ages 12 and up.

Peace out,

Robin

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

I think Artemis Fowl is probably one of the best book series ever written! I'll say it's for kids 10 and up because if you were younger you might not understand some of the plot line. Also, at the bottom of each page of the book there is part of a long secret message that you have to decipher on your own!

Synopsis

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is the most ingenious criminal mastermind in history. With two trusty sidekicks in tow, he hatches a cunning plot to divest the fairy-folk of their pot of gold. Of course, he isn't foolish enough to believe in all that "gold at the end of the rainbow" nonsense. Rather, he knows that the only way to separate the little people from their stash is to kidnap one of them and wait for the ransom to arrive. But when the time comes to put his plan into action, he doesn't count on the appearance of the extra-small, pointy-eared Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaisance) Unit--and her senior officer, Commander Root, a man (sorry, elf) who will stop at nothing to get her back.

Treasure in the Royal Tower by Carolyn Keene

This is an awesome Nancy Drew book! It's not one of the original Carolyn Keene stories but it still is a great mystery. There is also a PC computer game, with the same title made by the company "Herinteractive"

Synopsis

Nancy Drew takes a vacation in Wisconsin when the library of the place she is vacationing at is vandalized. Nancy, along with her friends George Fayne and Bess Marvin, must survive an unknown assailant while discovering the secret passageway's inside of an old castle.

The "Sammy Keyes" Series by Wendelin Van Draanen

Sammy Keyes is a 12 year old detective/spy who lives in a Senior Highrise with her Grandma, while her mother is in Hollywood pursuing her acting career. In all the books in the series Sammy encounters many charming characters and solves awesome mysteries. I would recommend this series for girls ages 11+.

Synopsis for The Hotel Thief (The first book in the series)

Sammy Keyes is perusing the neighborhood through binoculars when she spots something fishy at the hotel across the street from the Senior Highrise. She's sure she's just seen a robbery, now she just has to prove it. The Hotel Thief is the first book in the exciting series of middle-grade mysteries starring the smart and spunky seventh-grade ace detective.