The latest read for the Tween Book Club was Happenstance Found, the first book in the Books of Umber series . Happenstance, a young boy, wakes up in a dark cave to unfamiliar sounds and sensations, confused with no memory of who he is. He soon encounters Lord Umber, who is most fascinated by the boy's bright green eyes, and seems very comfortable with the fantastic world that surrounds them. He gives the boy a name, Happenstance, or Hap for short. Umber and his companions take Hap under their wing, and together they discover that the boy has some very interesting and unusual powers. But what are they for? And why did he end up in the world he did? Who is the supernatural assassin that is following them? And why does he want Hap?

This is the first in the Books of Umber series, from P.W. Catanese. Dragon Games and The End of Time round out the series.

Again, the group had many different opinions. Over half of the group did not finish reading the book - some of them ran out of steam, although they said the book was okay. Others found it boring and difficult to understand. The ones who did finish the book loved it - and there was some agreement that the storyline picked up in the second half.

Here are some of their own words:

• Has some boring parts, but kind of funny too.
• A very interesting installment - a very engaging story.
• Very intriguing and funny - I loved how in the end Umber showed Hap a computer. It sort of collaborated Now and the Past.
• I don't know what the book is talking about. It might be interesting after chapter 10, but this kind of beginning will not really hook the reader.
• I liked this book because I could manage to make a movie of it in my head.
• I didn't finish the book because I don't really like this genre of books, and I can't really keep up with the book.
• If you like books where you don't know what's going on half the time, this is for you!
• It was boring because the start was slow. I got confused. I don't like this book. Next time I would prefer Hunger Games or Catching Fire.
• I thought the book was really boring at the beginning but then if you read alot you find it was very, very good!

The average rating from the Tween Book Club: 3.8 [out of 5]

Other review sources:

Good Reads: 4 [out of 5]

Amazon: 5 [out of 5]

The Tween Book Club met last week to discuss When You Reach Me. The book follows Miranda, a twelve-year old girl as she begins finding anonymous notes hidden in her belongings asking her to do unusual things. The author of the notes seems to know everything about Miranda - and even something important about her future. Other characters in the book include Miranda's mom, who is practicing relentlessly for her spot on the gameshow The $20,000 Pyramid, her friends Colin and AnneMarie who work at the sandwich shop with Miranda over lunch hours, and the "laughing man" who lives on the corner of Miranda's street and sleeps with his head underneath the mailbox. The story unfolds as Miranda determines to uncover who is sending the mysterious notes and why.

There was some fairly different opinions on this book. Some found it confusing, some found it amusing. There were quite a few "a-ha" moments right at Book Club, which explains the different reactions to the story. Several of the tweens were confused by the "twist" at the end of the story - while others saw what happened right away.

Overall, the members thought the book was an interesting blend between realistic "coming of age" fiction and fantasy. When You Reach Me won the Newberry Medal in 2010. It also made several notable lists including The New York Times, Publisher's Weekly, and Booklist.

The tweens rated the book: 3.8 [out of 5]

Other review sources:

Good Reads: 4 [out of 5]

Amazon: 4.5 [out of 5]