The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo!

Bramucci, Stephen. The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo! 2017. 378p. ISBN 978-1-61963-692-7. Available at FIC BRA on the library shelves.

Eleven-year-old Ronald Zupan’s parents are adventurers who have travelled the world in search of artefacts and other precious items. On their long trips away, they entrust Ronald’s wellbeing to Thomas Halladay, their butler, whom Ronald calls Jeeves because all good butlers should bear that name. They have always promised to be back for his birthday, however, no matter where in the world or how busy they are. But today, on his twelfth birthday, Ronald discovers with stupefaction that his parents are, in fact, not here. Something bad must have befallen them.

When the doorbell rings and men from the FIB, the Foreign Item Battalion, begin securing the premises, Ronald knows something bad has happened for sure, for the FIB works for the Liars’ Club, the most cutthroat and outlandish group of villains ever to exist. Led by Zeetan Z, the worst of the worst, this group must be involved with his parents’ disappearance.

Escaping the Zupan mansion with Jeeves and with Charlie, his pet king cobra, who is fond of biting Jeeves, Ronald makes his way to the only ally he can think of recruiting for a daring-do adventure of rescuing his parents at the last scene where they were spotted, Borneo. He goes to Julianne Sato’s house. She is the sword fighter who defeated him at the last sword tournament, preventing him from acquiring his third annual trophy in a row. She readily agrees to help him rescue his parents, though with the condition that she is a full partner in this adventure and not a sidekick like Jeeves and Charlie.

The four of them soon find themselves on a Zupan plane heading to Borneo, where they will face untold adventures, all with the hope that Ronald’s parents are still alive. Can this merry band manage to evade the obstacles and enemies in their path before it is too late?

The Mark of the Dragonfly

Johnson, Jaleigh. The Mark of the Dragonfly. 2014. 400p. ISBN 9780385376150. Available as an eBook from Overdrive.

Life in Scraptown 16 is hard for Piper, especially since her father left to work in the factories of the Dragonfly Territories and subsequently died. Left alone, young Piper has been eking a living fixing mechanical objects for the other town residents. Every storm that strikes the area brings with it meteor showers. These showers result in odd pieces of technology coming from exotic lands, but they also bring green dust, a deadly substance if exposed to it long enough. It is during one of these storms that Piper finds herself outside instead of the town shelter, looking for her only friend, when she spots a caravan. Soon the caravan is destroyed by meteors.

When the storm abates, Piper explores the caravan and discovers a girl still alive in the wreckage. Her friend having been hurt, Piper returns to town to get help and soon both her friend and the strange girl are brought back. On the girl’s arm is an intricate tattoo, marking her as someone of significance in the Dragonfly Territories. Suddenly Piper’s future looks bright. If she can reunite this girl with her family, surely she will be handsomely compensated!

Piper manages to revive the girl, named Anna. Anna doesn’t remember who she is or where she is from, but she possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the world around her, and she loves to create order out of chaos. Another passenger of the caravan survived, however, and now Master Dolan wants the girl back. Anna doesn’t remember Dolan, but she knows she doesn’t want to go with him. Piper and Anna manage to escape Dolan by boarding the 401, a heavily armored train from the Dragonfly Territories that deliver cargo throughout the continent.

Questioned by Gee, the head security officer aboard the 401, the girls are reluctantly allowed on board due to the tattoo, and the train takes off, eventually heading to the Territories’ capital. Dolan, however, has other plans for Anna and begins chasing the girl across the continent. With a powerful enemy behind them, can Piper, Anna, Gee, and the rest of the 401’s crew protect the train and make it safely to the capital?

A great standalone steampunk novel, The Mark of the Dragonfly is nonstop action and adventure. Fans of Leviathan and Worldshaker need to read this book. Other great steampunk books include Etiquette and Espionage and The Inventor's Secret.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 327p. 665 mins. Available both at FIC TWA the library shelves as an eBook and an audiobook from Overdrive.

Huckleberry Finn enjoys experiencing adventures with Tom Sawyer, because he never knows what to expect. That’s also true of his father, the town drunk who is always looking for easy money. In their prior adventure together, Huck and Tom had earned the significant sum of $6,000 each. Huck’s money has been entrusted with the local judge, and he himself has been placed in the custody of the widow Douglas for the purpose of civilizing him.

Sprung from this dreary existence of Church and learning by Tom, Huck joins his merry gang and spends some time before being captured by his alcoholic father. Taken to a remote cabin until he gets the money for his dad, Huck manages to escape and fakes his own death. He lands on an island in the Mississippi River, only to stumble upon Jim, old slave to widow Douglas. As a runaway slave, Jim can expect punishment or death if he’s caught.

Huck and Jim soon engineer a plan. They will go down the river until the Ohio, then travel northeast until Jim reaches a free state. That morning, though, Huck and Jim notice a boat on the river using dynamite. They are looking for his body! Huck and Jim head down the river, and thus begins a series of adventures that will sorely try Huck and Jim, including escaping hustlers, springing Jim free from prison, bad weather, and memorable encounters as they head down the river.

A classic of American literature, Huck Finn remains controversial for its language use but reflects the era in which it was written. It also proves that despite more than 150 years between the time the book takes place and today, boys will continue to be boys!