That's what 16 year old Colt is about to find out in the first C.H.A.O.S. novel, Invasion (Thomas Nelson, 2010), by Jon S. Lewis.

Summer vacation in Washington DC, but the building Colt's dad has stopped in front of doesn't look like a tourist place. Nor does it look like a camp. Inside he'll find out all kinds of secrets about his world, but then not be able to remember them or even whom he met. Later while surfing at home in San Diego he gets attacked by a sea monster, but who's going to believe that? It sounds like something out of a nightmare. Unfortunately, Cole's going to experience worse in the days to come.

I enjoyed the humor in the book, and the relationship between the kids. It felt a bit comic bookish itself, so should appeal to comic book fans. As it should since the author has written comic books as well. Check out the series website.

Note: This is definitely not your stereotypical "Christian" book; in fact, there's no preaching at all!

Jon S. Lewis is also the cowriter of the Grey Griffins Clockwork Chronicles. Go to the site and listen to Jon and Derek Benz talk about the books and their relationship.

I'd love to give this book to a boy who likes comic books. If you have a son, nephew, grandson, who'd enjoy the book, comment on this post with your email address, and I'll draw from the comments and contact one lucky person to win this book. (If you don't see the comment option, click on the post title.)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Invisible i - The Amanda Project (HarperTeen, 2009) by Melissa Kantor is an intriguing book with a plus--it has a website, www.theamandaproject.com, where fans can interact. And, I'm happy to say, the book has a sequel in the works.

Here's a brief introduction to the story:
9th grader Callie has problems at home and keeps thinking about how Amanda knows what those problems are. When she gets called into the office, she expects to see her dad. Instead the principal has two other students, Nia Rivera and Hal Bennett, and he accuses the three of them of helping Amanda vandalize his car. They barely know each other. But they all know Amanda and now she is missing.

Check out the author's fun website at www.melissakantor.com. There you can read the first chapter of this book, sign up for Melissa's newsletter, read about her other books, friend her on facebook and more.

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LATE ADDITIONS

CONTEST

The generous Melissa Kantor has offered some goodies for my first ever contest. You could win a bookmark and Amanda Project button and best of all an Invisible i book! In fact, I'll take pick three winners.

How to enter:
1) If you don't see the comment option, click on the title of this entry and you'll be taken to another page, where at the bottom you should see "leave a comment." Sign in.

After you click on sign in, you may want to choose open ID and enter yahoo.com or google.com to sign in with your email. Others you can use to sign in are: LiveJournal, Flickr, Myspace, Blogger, Wordpress.com, Mixi, AOL, or Orange. Sorry movable type is not easier for commenting!

2) Briefly tell me about a time you met someone you didn't think you'd be friends with, yet you became friends. (Just like in the book!)
3) Check back on May 1st to see if you won. (Or you can include your email address and I'll contact you if you are the winner.)
4) Deadline April 30th at 9:00 am Central Time. (That's one week!)

Judging:
I'll pick my favorite stories. If I have difficulty deciding between entries, I'll go by entry date and time.

GOING ABROAD

The Amanda Project has been sold to 9 countries! Is that cool, or what?! Read about it here!