Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

I've been wanting to read this book since it came out, and I finally got a chance!

Alcatraz is prone to breaking things. Not like you and I would think--big things. In the first few pages, he breaks the stove and sets his foster mother's kitchen on fire! That kind of breaking things.

Then he gets a strange package filled with sand. An old man shows up, claiming to be his grandfather. Alcatraz doesn't believe him...not until another man appears with a gun and tries to shoot him and his grandfather.

Alcatraz soon learns he lives in a world controlled almost entirely by Librarians. The lands they control are called Hushland (like the United States). The Librarians control everything, including information. His ability to break things is actually his Talent--and a powerful one. He'll need it to break into the Librarian's headquarters (the Library) and steal back the sands they stole. He just needs a plan and a little help.

There is action and humor here. The author or narrator intervenes a lot with comments or sidebars as the book goes on, but it doesn't get too distracting.

STORM: The Infinity Code by E. L. Young

Will's father died and his mom left him with Natalia so she could grieve. Will's started at a school for gifted children, but his true passion lies with inventions. While testing out a new invention, Gaia, one of the girls from school, sees. She reports back to Andrew, a friend and creator of STORM, a secret organization created to save the world, as only 11-year olds can.

The Caspian, one of their members, disappears. In an effort to find him, they stumble upon his formulas to create something called The Infinity Code--a black hole.

Worried why Caspian is messing around with this code, Will, Gaia, and Andrew follow him from England to Russia and find themselves in a much bigger plot and in more trouble than they bargained for.

This is the first book in the STORM series. There is action, science, and camaraderie throughout the book, although this book focuses more on Will than anyone else. The 11-year olds are smarter and sometimes more mature than their years, although sometimes their age shines through.