The fight for civil rights

The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon is a gripping exploration of the Civil Rights Movement in 1968. Sam is 14 and he's always obeyed his father, an eloquent civil rights leader who's committed to a path of nonviolence. Sam witnesses police brutality toward a friend of his, and then he learns that his older brother Stick is a member of the Black Panthers, whose beliefs are opposite of what he's been learning at home. Coupled with the news of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Sam wants to do something, but he's torn by the two vastly different approaches to action and the growing conflict within his own family. This was a hard book for me to read for many reasons: the uncalled for violence, the desperation of people trying to do the right thing, the horror at how many were treated. However, this is an important piece of history to know about, and the book would be a good tie-in with the new Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Aftereffects of 9/11

With the 10th anniversary of the horrible events of 9/11 coming up, Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos was a very timely book to read. Narrated by 14-year-old Nadira Hossain, the story follows the life of her family, Muslims and illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, after 9/11. Hoping to receive political asylum in Canada, the Hossains are turned away, and then the father is arrested and kept in detention because of his expired visa. Nadira's mother stays near him in a shelter, while Nadira and her sister Aisha travel back to New York to live with their aunt and uncle. Aisha is getting ready for college - brilliant and on the road to success - but the stress of her family's situation causes her to fall apart, and it's up to Nadira to keep her family together. A very powerful look at some of the unintended consequences of our country's previous anti-terrorist policies.

Desperate to cross

La Linea by Ann Jaramillo will give you an idea of how desperate some people are to get into the U.S. Years ago, Miguel and Elena's parents left them in Mexico for California. On Miguel's 15th birthday, he receives a note from his father, with enough money for Miguel to make the illegal crossing across la linea himself. However, his carefully laid plans are shattered when he finds that Elena has followed him. After most of their money is stolen and they're on their own, their only option is to hop the mata gente, a northbound freight train known as the "people killer" because of the extreme danger involved. Although the story line resembles that of Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs, La Linea is much grittier, telling more about the realities of crossing: the effects of dehydration, the violence of soldiers, the betrayal and corruption. I had a little bit of trouble with the amount of Spanish words in the text, but I was able to figure out enough to understand what was going on. A frightening, real-life adventure.

Do you know your fairy tales?

If you like series, here's the start of another: The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley. Sabrina and Daphne are orphans (a common situation in children's books), and they're sent to live with their Granny Relda, whom they never even knew was alive. They learn that they're descended from the Brothers Grimm - yes, the famous storytellers - and the town Granny lives in is populated by fairy tale characters. When Granny gets kidnapped by a giant, the girls try to rescue her, of course, meeting such characters as the slimy Mayor Charming and the questionable Jack of beanstalk fame. Lots of action and clever characterization, but if you aren't familiar with fairy tales, legends, and folk tales, you won't appreciate a lot of the author's cleverness.

Where would you find your locus magicalicus?

Okay, I had a hard time putting down The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas! If you like the whole wizard/apprentice/magic thing, this is the book for you. Conn is a pickpocket, and one day he steals the locus magicalicus of Nevery, a very powerful wizard in the town of Wellmet. Touching the locus should've killed Conn, but it since it didn't, a surprised Nevery takes in Conn, first as a servant and later as an apprentice. Conn is soon looking for his own locus, while trying to help Nevery figure out why the magic in Wellmet seems to be dwindling away. Of course there's the "bad guy" element, and late in the book, you'll probably wonder how in the world Conn will get out of the situation he's in. The ending is satisfying, but there's enough of a teaser for you to figure out there must be part of a series...and it is.

Coming of age on an Oregon ranch

Two seemingly unrelated settings - the Iraq War and a sheep ranch in Oregon - come together in Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry. Sixth-grader Ignatius (nicknamed "Brother") is the youngest of five boys. His dad gets deployed to Iraq, and since his mom lives in Europe and all of the other boys are either away at school or in the service, it's up to Brother to run the ranch with his elderly grandparents. The story is told in Brother's voice, and it chronicles a year of his hard work and struggles as he tries to keep everything in good shape for his father's return. It was interesting to see how thoughts of war came into his life, from the play conversation his chess pieces have to the boys vs. girls action at recess, and description of events on the ranch (birthing a calf, fighting a wildfire) kept my attention, too. My favorite part was when Brother decided want he wants to be when he grows up - not what I expected, but totally fitting.

Airlifted. Guilty?

For a different point of view of the aftermath of war, I highly recommend All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg. Seventh grader Matt Pin is the son of a Vietnamese mother and an American soldier. Two years ago Matt was airlifted out of Vietnam and adopted by a loving family in the U.S. Told in first person free verse, the reader learns that Matt is still haunted by his memories of the war, and he believes he's responsible for the horrific injuries suffered by his little brother. His new parents, Vietnam vet piano teacher, and baseball coaches all provide the unconditional support and love he needs to heal, to cope with the prejudice against him at school, and to understand that his birth mother had him airlifted because she loved him. A quick read that's powerful and moving.

Fun for your inner geek

Okay, this was just plain fun! The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook by Eleanor Davis is what good graphic novels are all about - illustrations that depict ideas way better than words could. Julian Calendar is "outwardly: a nerd. But inwardly...an ultra nerd." He doesn't think he'll ever fit in at his new school, until he learns that bad girl Greta Hughes and sports jock Ben Garza are secret scientists, too. (I keep going back and looking at the drawing of their hideout - amazing, amazing details.) They form the Secret Science Alliance, but then Evil Dr. Stringer rips off their invention notebook. He plans to use some of the kids' ideas to steal something valuable from the local museum....can they stop him in time? With crazy inventions from the Kablovsky copter to the Stinkometer and lots of action, I bet you'll enjoy this one (and even get a painless dose of science on the side).

An unlikely (but pretty cool) friendship

If you've enjoyed books like Chasing Vermeer (by Blue Balliett), you're also going to like Masterpiece by Elise Broach. James lives in a New York apartment, which is also inhabited by Marvin - a beetle - and his family. James is pretty much ignored by his parents, but Marvin takes a liking to him. When James gets a pen-and-ink set for his 11th birthday, Marvin decides to use it to create a teeny drawing as a birthday present. James loves it, and of course, all the humans think he did it. After a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the little drawing is compared to those of Albrecht Durer, and soon James and Marvin are involved in solving an art heist of some of Durer's works. The mystery's a good one, the life of the beetle family is fun to read, and the way the friendship and communication between the two develop is well written. The pen-and-ink illustrations add a great touch - can you find Marvin?