You think YOU have it tough?

Chances are your life is easier than that of Auggie, the main character in Wonder by R. J. Palacio.  Auggie was born with a number of facial deformities, and despite multiple surgeries, he still looks quite a bit different from most people.  Because of the numerous times in the hospital, he's always been taught at home, but now it's time to go to a school for the first time.  Auggie is intelligent, realistic, gentle, and just plain nice. He has a pretty good idea of how people are going to react, and his first-person narrative tells about it in a wonderfully authentic voice.  Some chapters are told by others around him, such as his sisters and friends, so the reader experiences multiple views of how Auggie affects the entire community. He's a very likable character, and even though I was bit nervous about reading this book (wouldn't it be completely depressing?), I was totally drawn in by this story and the kindness that was depicted in a number of ways.  This would be an incredible book for a group discussion.

War from both sides: who's right? who's wrong?

Lots of tough decision for characters to make in Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins.  Chiko is a quiet 15-year-old who dreams of becoming a teacher, when he is taken by force into the jungle to start training for the army of Burma (now Myanmar).  Life is brutal and miserable, but two thoughts keep him going: trying to find out about his father, who was arrested as a traitor, and the hope of once again seeing a girl whom he adores.  After Chiko is severely wounded by a land mine and on the verge of death, he's discovered by Tu Reh, a teenager on the opposing side of the war.  Tu Reh's house was destroyed by Burmese soldiers...what will he do to Chiko?  Half of the book is narrated by Chiko and half by Tu Reh, so the reader gets a fascinating glimpse into two Asian cultures and an idea of what life would be like as a child soldier.

Can he keep his illiteracy a secret?

If you're looking for a thought-provoking title for a middle or high school book club, this it is: Bluefish by Pat Schmatz.  Travis's parents are dead, and he's being raised by his grandfather, a recovering alcoholic. When they move to a tiny house in a small town, Travis not only has the typical new-student issues to deal with, but he has an additional problem - he can't read, and he doesn't want anyone to know.  He's quickly noticed by Velveeta, a funky, outgoing student who's hiding secrets of her own, and Mr. McQueen, a very cool teacher who's figured out Travis's reading difficulty and wants to help. The story alternates between chapters told by a narrator and short blurbs that Velveeta is writing to Calvin, someone (a friend? relative? you'll figure it out) who has recently passed away.  The feelings of the characters are impressively real and poignant and raw...and sometimes funny.  Although the ending is satisfying, by no means does it tie up all the loose ends, so the reader is empowered to imagine what happens next.

Stunning portrayal of autism

I was absolutely mesmerized by Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin.  The story is told from the point of view of Jason, a 12-year-old boy who is autistic.  He struggles with social interactions and making friends, but he's an excellent writer.  Through Storyboard, the online forum where he posts his creative writing, he makes a connection with another writer named Rebecca.  When he learns that he may actually meet her in person at a Storyboard convention, he starts to panic: he's terrified that she'll only "see" his autism and not who he really is.  Reading how one autistic child views the world, his family, and even himself was both fascinating and enlightening, and his self-acceptance at the end of the book (hinted at in the story he's been writing) was beautiful.  An excellent book, especially for anyone affected by or interested in autism.

World War I from a different point of view

Interesting that the book War Horse by Michael Morpurgo is aimed at younger (3rd to 6th grade) readers, but the recently released movie is for viewers who are older.  The book is told from the point of view of Joey, a beautiful red bay horse.  Joey is sold at a young age to a farmer who has little use for him. Fortunately, the farmer's son Albert is a sensitive young boy who takes wonderful care of Joey, and the two become very close.  But they wonder if they'll ever meet again, when World War I breaks out and Albert's father sells Joey to the army.  Soon Joey is in the trenches in France: pulling guns, hauling ambulance wagons, and witnessing the horrors of war.  Soldiers from both sides share their thoughts with Joey; not too surprisingly, these thoughts are quite similar and express the anti-war message the book is designed to deliver.  There are some sad parts, but overall the book is a good choice for fans of horses or historical fiction.  

Magic in the '50s

It's impossible to pick one genre description for The Apothecary by Maile Meloy.  The story includes bits of historical fiction, adventure, mystery, and even fantasy, which makes for an interesting (but sometimes confusing) read.  The time is 1952, and Janie and her family have just moved from the U.S. to London.  Janie becomes friends with Benjamin Burrows, whose father is an apothecary (a British term for pharmacist).  After Benjamin's father is apparently kidnapped, the two friends are not only left with a 700-year-old book of magic potions. but they learn that Mr. Burrows is actually part of an international group of scientists that are trying to contain the destructive power of a bomb being developed by the Soviets.  They also contend with a mysterious garden, a teacher who may be a double agent, and Pip, a friendly and mischievous pickpocket.  If you prefer a logical and consistent plot, you may want to pass this one up, but if you enjoy adventure, check it out.

Fascinating - and unsettling - piece of history

Even if you're not usually a fan of historical fiction, there's a good chance you'll be captivated by Jefferson's Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.  The book tells about Beverly, Harriet, Maddy, and Eston, the children of Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings.  In some ways, the children got special treatment, but - and this is huge - they were still slaves, and even though everyone at their home at Monticello knew who their father was, they were never supposed to mention it.  Told through the eyes of some of the sons, the story includes the determination of Sally to see her children set free when they turn 21, the horrors of slavery, and the contradictions of Jefferson - how could he have written the Constitution - "all men are created equal" - and still own slaves?  Powerful, spellbinding, and heart-breaking.

The Most Powerful Magic in the World...got lost

Story elements frequently (and cleverly) overlap in Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver.  Liesl, locked in the attic by her rotten stepmother, is surprised to be visited by Po, a ghost, and Bundle, Po's ghost-pet.  Po and Bundle are from the Other Side, where ghosts hang out until they go Beyond.  Po has a message from Liesl's recently deceased father - he wants Liesl to bury his ashes under a particular willow tree.  Liesl escapes from the attic and is trying to grant her father's wish, but...there's a bit of a mix-up involving two similar boxes, one containing the ashes and the other containing the Most Powerful Magic in the World, recently prepared for the evil Lady Premier.  A lot will seem familiar in a fairy-tale kind of way - an evil stepmother; an orphan; a big, likable, bumbling servant -  but there's a lot of creativity, too, and a gentleness in the way the story deals with Liesl loss and healing.  Soft, black and white illustrations add a nice touch.

"Words have always swirled around me like snowflakes"

I have to admit I was a little nervous to read Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, because I knew it was about a girl with cerebral palsy and I was afraid the book would be too sad.  Yes, it has some sad parts, but what an incredible book!  Melody is in fifth grade and tells the story of what it's like to have a body that is severely limited and a mind that is brilliant.  For most of her life, she's had no way to communicate; nobody knows how smart she is, and she's had to spend the school day in a special ed classroom, watching mind-numbing cartoons and listening to nursery rhymes.  She eventually gets a computer-based communication board that she can operate with her thumbs.  Her world opens up - to an extent - and she makes her school's Quiz Bowl team, only to be ostracized and bullied by some of the other team members.  Despite the tension, can the team make it to the national competition in Washington, D.C.?  This would be great for a book club discussion or for anyone affected by or interested in kids with disabilities.

Absolutely original fantasy

I was blown away by the creativity of Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor.  Sunny lives in Nigeria; although she has West African features, she's an albino - her pale skin and hair get her teased and bullied a lot.  She eventually makes friends with Orlu, Chichi, and Sasha and learns that all of them are Leopard People, witches with magical abilities.  Soon she learns how to become invisible, call forth her spirit face, and even work beginner's juju spells.  The four friends are surprised (and afraid) to learn that the elders have selected them to destroy Black Hat Otokoto, a menacing serial killer who's going after the local children.  Each of the foursome has a distinct personality (Chichi is sassy, Sasha's got an attitude), and it's cool to watch them discover and master their powers - they actually earn money "by gaining knowledge and wisdom."  But above all, the imagery in this book is amazing, from the funky train and magic of juju knives to ghosthoppers and the terrifying, evil spirit of Ekwensu.  Come visit the world of Leopard Knocks!

Teeny tiny adventure

I'm ready to go back to the Art Institute of Chicago before after reading The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone.  Ruthie and Jack are on a field trip to the Art Institute when they see the exhibit called the Thorne Rooms - 68 miniature rooms that show different times in U.S. and European history.  They discover a magical key that can shrink them down to a height of five inches, just the right size for exploring the rooms.  They're surprised to find out that they aren't the first people to do this, and they're even more shocked to discover that they can actually enter the periods of time that the rooms represent.  Details of the rooms are fascinating, and it's fun to read how Ruthie and Jack solve problems that come up when they're so small.  Fans of Chasing Vermeer or From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler will appreciate this teeny tiny adventure.

Grounded for the summer!

Okay - after a week of insanely hot weather and power outages, I'm back in the swing of things with Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos.  Somewhat of an autobiography, the story tells about 12-year-old Jack, who's grounded for the summer of 1962 after goofing around with his dad's old Japanese rifle and shooting it off by mistake.  About the only way out of the house is to help Miss Volker, an elderly woman with arthritic hands, by writing down her eloquently spoken obituaries for the unusually high number of old woman in Norvelt who are passing away. Although a lot of the story is funny, be warned that there's some gore: Jack is prone to impressive and frequent nosebleeds, and one of his friends teaches him about some of the finer aspects of dealing with dead bodies at her father's funeral home.  Between Girl Scout cookies, Hell's Angels, a fake (or maybe not) bomb shelter, and the mystery of the dying residents, there's a lot going on in this book that won the 2012 Newbery.

Any misfits out there?

Misfit or not, you'll cheer for the title character in I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson. Emma lives with her free-spirited mom Donatella and her grandfather on the East Coast.  Although Emma is 12, she's almost six feet tall; her height, as well as her red hair and unusual name (sounds a lot like "am a freak"), make her quite an outcast, with only one true friend. Emma has never known her father, and when she gets invited to a Freke family reunion at a campground in Wisconsin, she's excited to have the chance to meet that unknown side of her family.  When she gets there, she's thrilled - not only do they pronounce their name "Frecky" (not "Freak"), but they accept her!  They like her! They look and act like her! Well...maybe not exactly.  With a lot of humor, eccentric personalities, and thoughtfulness, the author provides wonderful characters and a terrific read, especially for the summer.  

Not a camp you'd want to visit

Sometimes I have a hard time judging what middle school readers would think of a book, and that was the case with 90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis. Although the writing style won't be for everyone, the plot is pretty interesting.  Julian and his brothers are living a good life in Cuba in 1961.  But the country is in turmoil, and the boys are among 14,000 children evacuated to the U.S. as part of Operation Pedro Pan. The brothers live in a refugee camp in Miami, where surviving the actions of the camp bullies is a daily struggle.  The threat of being sent to an orphanage and never seeing their parents again is very real; when Julian's brothers are sent away, he's on his own.  Julian is a clever, resourceful kid - can he figure out how to reunite his family?  Based on the author's childhood experiences, this is a part of Cuban and U.S. history that isn't well known - but should be.

For aspiring chefs!

Close to Famous by Joan Bauer is one of those books that I didn't want to end.  When the Elvis-impersonating boyfriend of Foster McKee's mom becomes abusive, Foster and her mom make a quick exit from Memphis and end up in Culpepper, West Virginia.  Yes, it's one of those small towns with quirky characters, and they're great to read about: the kindly couple that lets the McKees stay in their trailer; Macon, the boy who wants to make documentary films (but doesn't even have a camera); and famous movie actress Charleena Hendley, who's just looking for a little privacy.  Foster's dream is to make cupcakes on her own cooking show; she's not able to read recipes, but she's awesome at remembering what she learns from the show of her chef idol, and soon her cupcakes are making their way into the hearts (and stomachs) of the Culpepper residents.  The stories and hopes of the characters are woven together so well, you'll wish you could visit Culpepper, meet everyone, and try one of Foster's specialities.

What if you could fly?

That would be pretty cool, right?  Maybe...or maybe not, according to The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester.  Piper McCloud lives on a farm in Lowland County.  Her parents have usually kept her apart from the other kids, because they worry what would happen if anyone else knew she could fly.  After Piper is allowed a rare appearance in a local baseball game and makes an amazing play, her secret is out.  But wait - in rushes a helicopter and black sedans (what the heck??), whisking her away to a special school where she'll be safe.  The school is an incredible underground facility where she meets other children who have unique talents, such as shrinking/growing, conjuring up weather systems, and phenomenal strength.  Then Piper and the others find out this is actually a very bad place for them to be, because - well, I won't give it away. The pace of the book is uneven (slow start, slow ending, ups and downs in the middle), and a lot of the characterization is pretty one-dimensional, but you still might enjoy reading about kids with super powers and wondering...which super power would you want to have?

A special set of twins

I didn't want The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee T. Frazier to end!  In this absolute gem of a story, Minni and Keira are twins, but it's not obvious - Minni looks a lot like their white father, and Keira takes after their black mother.  They live in a mostly-white, artsy community in the state of Washington.  Minni doesn't realize how Keira often feels out of place until the girls have a summer visit to North Carolina to visit their domineering grandmother and participate in the Miss Black Pearl Preteen Program.  Now it's Minni's turn to feel like a fish out of water, with her pale skin, red hair, and blue eyes. While some girls in the program give her grief for her appearance, her grandmother obviously favors her compared to Keira.  The twins' feelings, questions, and concerns are very authentic, and although the issues of race relations and identity are serious, there are some warm and humorous parts to the story as well.  This book would be perfect for either a middle school girls' book club or a mother/daughter book club.

And you'll be wonderstruck, too

Fans of The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick also need to pick up Selznick's newer book, Wonderstruck.  Don't let the size scare you: there are a lot of pages because he tells one story in words and one in pictures.  Ben lives in Gunflint, Minnesota; it's 1977, and his mother recently died.  He never knew his father but believes he's in New York City, and Ben runs away to find him.  The parallel story is about Rose, a deaf girl living near New York City in 1927. She also runs away into the city in search of a movie star, who you learn is the mother that has abandoned her.  The author did an amazing amount of research to prepare the book (I was lucky enough to hear him talk!), and he does an incredible job of weaving the stories back and forth in a way that makes sense.  As you would expect, the stories and pictures come together in the end in a wonderful way.  This is definitely a book to enjoy multiple times.

"My career as a swindler and a charlatan"

Oooh, I like clever books like Fortune's Folly by Deva Fagan.  Fortunata's father is a shoemaker, but ever since his wife died, he's been making the ugliest shoes imaginable and selling very few.  Fortunata tries to support them by learning the tricks of telling fortunes; by looking for just the right clues (a scar, a type of fabric) she's able to suggest things that are likely to come true.  She is soon required to predict the future for the shy, stuttering Prince Leonato, who's searching for a princess to become his wife.  She comes up with an idea that's fairly far-fetched, and then learns that the fortune must come true, or her father will be put to death.  Readers will notice subtle references to multiple fairy tales (such as Rapunzel and Cinderella), and even though the ending isn't difficult to predict, the pathway to the end takes some unexpected turns.  Part adventure and part romance...this is a fun one!

Will Fadi ever find his sister?

Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai has a misleading title: the only "shooting" is done by a camera, and it happens in the U.S., not Kabul (in Afghanistan).  That said, this is an thoughtful book with a wealth of social issues to ponder or discuss.  After Fadi's father is threatened by the Taliban, the family flees Kabul in the middle of the night.  However, in all the chaos while trying to get on the escape truck, Fadi's younger sister Mariam lets go of his hand, and she is tragically left behind.  The family settles near San Francisco, where Fadi tries to adapt to his new middle school.  He's good at photography, and he sets his mind on winning a photography contest - the big prize is a flight to India, which is relatively close to the town where Mariam was last seen.  Can he win the contest and help reunite his family?  Although the ending is too abrupt, the story includes a rich description of Fadi's close family life and Afghan American culture; the glossary of unfamiliar words is a nice touch.

Duck and cover!

I've never seen the format used in Countdown by Deborah Wiles, but it's really interesting.  It's a "documentary novel": a novel that's interspersed with all sorts of visual content - newspaper articles, song lyrics, advertisements, photographs, quotes, maps - and it does an amazing job of pulling the reader into the time frame of the book, which is the early 1960s. Franny and her family live near Andrews Air Force Base, where her dad is a pilot.  On one level, she's dealing with everyday stuff - a younger brother who's way too perfect, a cute boy who lives nearby, a best friend who doesn't seem to be a friend any more - but on another level, she's living through the events leading up to the Cuban  Missile Crisis, with "duck and cover" drills at school in case of a bomb, and a war veteran uncle who wants to build a bomb shelter in their yard.  Additional resources (books and web sites) are listed after the story, and history fans will be glad to hear this is the first of a trilogy  - the second book is scheduled to be released in 2013.

A cat, a blue jay, and a red-eyed tree frog

An odd combination of animals, but they're the amusing main characters in The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson.  Aldwyn, a scrappy alley cat, is on the run after stealing some fish, and he ducks into a store that's filled with animals.  A pet store?  Not quite - these are magical animals that are sold as "familiars" to wizards-in-training.  Before Aldwyn knows it, he's scooped up by Jack and heading for quite a bit of adventure.  Jack's two fellow apprentices have familiars of their own, of course: Skylar, an uppity blue jay, and Gilbert, a very funny (and clueless) tree frog.  When the three magicians are kidnapped, it's up to their familiars to save them....except that Aldwyn hasn't exactly told the others that he has no magical ability whatsoever.  Lots of action and plenty of humor - I wasn't surprised to learn that movie options have already been picked up.

The show is a go!

I was a bit confused at the beginning of Zebrafish, written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds - I think I tend to read graphic novels too quickly and not think about the pictures long enough.  So I started over and slowed down, and it was much better.  (That's a not-subtle hint for those who are new to graphic novels!) Vita is an aspiring musician and decides to form a rock band; however, she's less than thrilled with those who show up to audition: Plinko and Jay play air guitar, Tanya is an environmentalist, and Walt is an artist.  None except Vita have any true musical ability, but the group comes up with a cool idea for making a music video.  When Tanya misses a bunch of their meetings, Vita starts to get a little upset...until she learns that Tanya is going to the hospital to be treated for leukemia.  Now the band has a mission: raise money to buy equipment for leukemia research. Not only is that a neat story line, but some of the proceeds from the sale of the book go to Children's Hospital Boston.  Inspiring!

A picture's worth a thousand words

The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce is an interesting story told in an unusual way.  Julie is in sixth grade when two Mongolian boys in fur coats arrive in her classroom: Chingis is a bit mouthy to the teacher and demands that his silent younger brother Nergui stay with him to be protected from a demon.  Julie is fascinated by these boys who are so different, and when they decide that she is their Good Guide, she's thrilled and does her best to learn about their culture and help them adapt. Interspersed throughout the story are Polaroid pictures which Chingis uses to explain his homeland, but Julie eventually learns that the boys are illegal immigrants fearful of being deported, and the pictures aren't quite what they appear to be.  The book is both touching and humorous; it would be terrific for a book club or group discussion.

A safe home at last?

Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech was comforting, amusing, and touching.  Dallas and Florida are 13-year-old twins and orphans.  They've had a rough life, being shuffled between absolutely awful foster homes and the equally terrible Boxton Creek Home for Children, run by the Trepids.  It was no surprise that the twins didn't expect anything good at their new (temporary, of course) home with elderly Sairy and Tiller, but the couple's gentle care and the beautiful, rolling countryside of Ruby Holler start to win the children over.  As Florida and Tiller prepare for a boat trip and Dallas and Sairy get ready for a bird-watching expedition, they don't know that nasty Mr. Trepid and the mysterious "Z" have something planned that could ruin their futures....

Silly, but sweet

Never judge a book by its title, right?  I thought Olivia Kidney by Ellen Potter would be a completely fun and silly story, but there was some real heart to it, too. Olivia and her father have moved again to yet another apartment building.  She's tired of being the new, lonely kid, but this building is starting to get interesting, with Sidi and her talking lizards, an apartment made of glass, and the eccentric Madame Brenda.  And Olivia's happy to be making friends with Branwell, who remembers her from school - but there's something a bit odd about him, and Olivia really can't remember ever seeing him in class.  Sometimes the story reads like a fantasy, and sometimes it seems more like a girl who's simply using her imagination to work through her loneliness.  Either way, it's magical and delightful.

A dump site, a key, and a mystery

Lots to think about in Trash by Andy Mulligan. Raphael, Gardo, and Rat are three boys who live in a dump site. Not near, but IN.  All day, they (and hundreds... thousands?) of other kids sort through the endless mountains of trash, trying to find something to sell, trying to survive.  One day they find a leather bag that contains a key, some money, and a wallet.  They decide to keep it, even though the police are offering a reward, and soon they're trying to solve a mystery involving a murder, a strange code, a graveyard, and a corrupt politician.  The story is told in alternating voices of the three boys and occasionally a couple of other characters.  The description of their lives is haunting, because it seems like it could be so real and relentless (being nabbed by the police would be terrifying), and the plot is fast-paced and intriguing.  You'll be thinking of the boys and their situation long after you finish the book.

Pork Chop, Jelly, Slow Poke.....what?

You'll find laughs and some pretty interesting nicknames in Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm. The year is 1935; Turtle's mom has just taken a housekeeping job that doesn't allow children, so Turtle is packed off to live with relatives whom she's never met in Key West.  Life's quite a bit different in this rundown little town, from the scorpions that occasionally show up in shoes to the nicknames (her cousins are Buddy, Beans, and Kermit) to the Diaper Gang - boys who've taken the unlikely job of caring for the neighborhood babies in exchange for candy. Turtle's a clever and funny story teller, and she gives a great sense of what life was like in Florida during the time period.  When she and the Diaper Gang have the chance to follow a treasure map, you'll wish them all the best!

A different look at the Holocaust

I always learn something when reading historical fiction, and Black Radishes by Susan Lynn Meyer was no exception.  Based on the childhood lives of the author's father and aunt during World War II, the story takes place in France.  Gustave and his parents are Jewish and living in Paris, but growing discrimination causes them to flee to a small village, where they think they'll be safe.  However, Germany continues their invasion, and soon the line between occupied and unoccupied France is very, very close.  As the pace of the book picks up, so do the sophistication of Gustave's concerns; early in the story, he has to decide which toy to take when they leave Paris, but later in the book he's faced with a life-or-death decision while helping to sneak relatives across the demarcation line.  (The title refers to the black radishes which Gustave and his father hope to use to bribe some of the German guards.)  A captivating read.

Not exactly the Brady Bunch

I've been checking out some of the 2013 Rebecca Caudill nominees, and I sure like this one: Bounce by Natasha Friend.  Evyn is 13, and it feels like her life is being turned upside-down when her widowed father announces to Evyn and her geeky brother that he's getting married. And they're moving in with his soon-to-be wife.  AND she's got six kids.  Aauugh!  Soon you're hearing about the sweater twins (who always fight), Cleanser Boy (actually named Ajax), and the mean It Girls (like Andrea - On-DREY-a) at Evyn's snooty new private school.  Evyn has a wonderfully funny and very authentic way of describing her life, but it's touching, too - she often has discussions with Stella, her deceased mother, who offers advice and suggests that Evyn let things "bounce" off of her.  A terrific book, especially for those dealing with the ups and downs of a blended family.

Will she find her voice?

I always like books written by Pam Munoz Ryan, and Becoming Naomi Leon was no exception.  Naomi and her brother Owen are being raised in the Avocado Acres Trailer Rancho by Gram, their loving guardian since their mother abandoned them years ago.  It's a happy life until their mom (now going by the new name of Skyla) unexpectedly shows up with her nasty boyfriend Clive; they're planning on taking Naomi (but not Owen) with them to Las Vegas to be a babysitter for Clive' daughter.  Skyla's obviously got a lot of problems, but she may legally be allowed to take Naomi.  Gram takes the kids - and the trailer - down to Mexico in search of the children's father, hoping he can help.  Naomi's feelings and effort to speak up for herself, her Mexican heritage that she learns more about, and the love and strength of those who truly care are richly and warmly described.  Will Naomi finally make her voice heard when she's in front of the judge?

What a science experiment!

Okay, science fans, this one's for you: Brendan Buckley's Sixth-Grade Experiment by Sundee T. Frazier.  It's a light-hearted book, but Brendan is dealing with a lot: starting middle school, being paired with Morgan (a girl with a big crush on him) for a science project on cow poop, and worrying that she's going to mess up his guy friendships.  On top of that, he's got a difficult relationship with his dad, who's always proud of Brendan's skills in martial arts but doesn't seem to care about Brendan's love of (and talent for) science.  Brendan's a likable kid, and the author does a great job of describing his family relationships without over-emphasizing them - Mom and Grandpa Ed are white, Dad and Grandma Gladys are black. Although Brendan's thoughts and words sometimes seem a bit far-fetched (they're verrrrry science-y), the situations seem very realistic and are often pretty funny....especially at the end of the experiment.

There's something creepy about this tattoo

Wow.  If you're looking for a fantastic audiobook for someone in 7th grade or older, get The Black Tattoo, written by Sam Enthoven and read by John Lee.  Not only is the story very cool, but the narrator provides a phenomenal array of voices. Charlie and Jack are best friends in present-day London.  After being recruited into a secret society called The Brotherhood, Charlie ends up with a tattoo on his back...a MOVING tattoo. It turns out that an ancient demon - the Scourge - is possessing Charlie and has some truly nasty plans.  So it's up to Jack and new friend Esme (a girl with apparent super powers) to actually follow Charlie and the Scourge into Hell itself to stop them.  This sounds serious, but there's actually quite a bit of humor, both in the storyline and the way it's read.  This audiobook is long - almost 14 hours - but awesome for your next road trip.

Who's stealing the Oreos?

By looking at the cover, you can tell that Slob by Ellen Potter might have something to do with Oreos.  You'd be right, but there's much more to the story.  Owen is twelve; he's almost a genius, and he's definitely a brilliant inventor.  He's also now the fattest kid in school, and you gradually learn that something happened a couple of years ago that was so awful, he started to overeat as a way to cope.  He lives with his sister Caitlin, who's joined the group GWAB (Girls Who Are Boys) and now wants to be called Jeremy, and his mom.  While dealing with both an incredibly cruel P.E. teacher and Mason Rigg, the school bully, Owen is working on two inventions: one will nab the person who's been stealing the Oreos out of his lunch, and the other, with the help of a TV, will help him see that terrible event from the past.  This is a great example of realistic fiction - some of it is funny, some of it is heartbreaking, but it's all authentic.

Dystopia + romance = wow!

I've read dystopian novels (a lot) and romance (a little), and I was very impressed with that combination in Matched by Ally Condie.  Cassia lives in the Society, which determines everything about her life - what she'll eat, where she'll work, and when she'll die.  Now that she's turned 17, she'll learn who her Match is...the person she'll marry.  She's thrilled to find out she's been matched with Xander, a close friend from childhood.  But when she puts his microcard into her computer, she's stunned when an additional face is flashed before her - her friend Ky.  An Official later confirms that is was only a mistake, but Cassia starts seeing Ky in a different light.  She discovers romance and creativity, and soon she's questioning the idea of blindly following all the rules imposed by Society.  An excellent, thought-provoking story that's continued in the next book, Crossed.

A Boov named J.Lo

The last book I read was subtle science  fiction, but The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex is in-your-face sci fi...and funny, too!  It's a relatively long book and almost too complicated too describe. Gratuity "Tip" Tucci is writing an essay about Smekday, which  honors the day that the alien Boovs took over the Earth and renamed it Smekland in honor of their glorious Captain Smek.  So what should she start with: when she makes friends with a Boov named J.Lo?  The trip she takes with J.Lo and Pig the cat to Happy Mouse Kingdom?  The car they ride in - Slushious - which now floats, thanks to J.Lo?  Or maybe the battle against the obnoxious Gorgs, which clone themselves and travel around by means of...wait for it...teleclone booths?  If you like crazy, silly, laugh-out-loud books, you've got to try this one.

It's science fiction...isn't it?

Yes, it's sci fi, but it's not hard to believe that Dark Life by Kat Falls could really happen.  After the Rising (of the ocean, that is), a good chunk of our continent is under water.  Life on the Topside is getting pretty crowded, so some brave pioneers have formed an undersea territory, which is now their home.  Ty lives there with his family, and you soon learn he's a bit different from your average teenager - he's developed both a "shine" from eating so many bioluminescent fish and a special ability (I won't give it away) that some refer to as a Dark Gift.  He meets Gemma, a Topsider girl who's searching undersea for her brother, and soon they're on the run from the dangerous Seablite Gang, a group of outlaws led by the very scary Shade.  Action! Adventure!  And some very cool descriptions of the bizarre plants and animals that live in the deep.  I'm happy to see there's a sequel...Rip Tide.

Definitely not a Holiday Inn

Your imagination will go on hyperdrive when reading Floors by Patrick Carman.  Merganzer Whippet, a billionaire with a passion for ducks, built the Whippet Hotel, unlike any other place you (or I) have ever been.  Each room is outlandish, from the Pinball Machine (watch out for the flippers) to the Cake Room (reminded me of Willy Wonka) to the Flying Farm (duck!).  But Merganzer disappeared 100 days ago, and the hotel is falling apart.  Leo, who lives at the hotel with his father (the maintenance man), has found a mysterious purple box with a message; whether he's zooming to the roof on the Double Helix or coming down in the crowded duck elevator, it's now up to Leo to save the place he calls home.  Hold onto your hat and get ready for action - this fast-paced adventure is just plain fun.  I bet there's a sequel...

See your future in Facebook?

I was immediately hooked on the main idea in The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler.  The time is 1996, when many families were buying their first home computer and receiving American Online (AOL) CD-ROMs in the mail for free time on the Internet.  After Emma logs on to AOL, something strange pops up - "Facebook."  Of course, Facebook hadn't been invented yet, and when Emma sees a picture of herself, obviously much older and with a different last name, she figures out she's looking at her future in 15 years and it's not a happy life.  Her friend Josh finds his future Facebook page, too, and he's ecstatic to learn that he's wealthy and married to the hottest girl at their high school.  Every time they check Facebook, something is a little different; Emma and Josh learn that changes they make now, even small ones, impact their future.  The reader will easily figure out the direction of the book (are Emma and Josh just friends...or more?), but watching the ripple effect of their actions is pretty cool.  A great book for high school kids and older, more mature middle schoolers.

Deza Malone is back!

If you enjoyed Bud, not Buddy, be sure to read the companion book: The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis.  Deza Malone and her family are living through the Great Depression in Gary, Indiana.  Deza's father (like many others) is out of work, and he goes to Flint, Michigan, to try to find a job.  After Deza's mother loses her job, shes takes Deza and her brother Jimmie on the road, hopping trains and staying in questionable places to reach Flint. While looking for Mr. Malone, they have no choice but to stay in "Hooverville," a shantytown for the homeless.  It's easy to like Deza and admire her strong family ties, so when Mr. Malone is finally found, you'll be both happy and sad.  A humorous, yet realistic look at the hardships of the time.

Adventure in medieval England

You may have bad days, but they probably aren't as bad as those for the main character in Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi.  Life in 14th-century England is tough enough, but now "Asta's son" is an orphan with no other family and no money.  After learning from the local priest that his name is actually Crispin, the situation gets worse: the priest is murdered, Crispin is falsely accused of the crime, and the evil village steward (John Aycliffe) states that Crispin can be killed on sight. After fleeing, Crispin meets "Bear," a giant of a man who travels around juggling, and the two become traveling companions.  While in the town of Great Wexley, Aycliffe and his men capture Bear in an attempt to trap Crispin.  Will Crispin risk his life to save Bear?  Why is Aycliffe so determined to kill Crispin?  This is a page-turning adventure combined with a fascinating look at life in the Middle Ages.

Yoda rules!

Right after I went to my public library and checked out The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger, I learned that it had been nominated for the 2013 Rebecca Caudill Award.  Excellent idea! Dwight is your basic middle school oddball - pretty much a loser, except that he has an origami Yoda finger puppet that somehow manages to give excellent advice to Dwight's classmates.  Each chapter is written by a different person about their Yoda experiences, followed by comments from Harvey, who doesn't quite believe in "Paperwad Yoda," and Tommy, who wants to know if he should follow Yoda's advice concerning a particular girl.  Chapters are short and very funny, the goofy little drawings in the margins are great, and yes, there are actual directions for making your own Yoda in the back.  A perfect books for middle schoolers!

For Twilight fans

No, there aren't any vampires, but I still think fans of Twilight would also like Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer.  Tansy, her mom, and her grandfather (Papa Dan) have just moved to a Papa Dan's hometown in Texas, and they're living in an old, creepy house that is supposedly haunted.  Tansy discovers a beautiful box containing a pocket watch, a crystal, and a poetry journal; she's sure they belonged to Henry, a troubled teen who committed suicide while living in Tansy's house long ago.  Tansy is a photographer, and she soon starts to see strange images through her camera lens - black and white, rather than color, and people that she knows are Henry and Papa Dan, as a youth.  They were friends?  She then finds that with the help of the watch and crystal, she can actually enter the world and time of the two.  Why is she so attracted to Henry?  Why is Papa Dad so upset to be back in his hometown?  And most of all...is Tansy losing her mind? Hmmm......

Delightfully creepy

It's difficult to describe The Wikkeling by Steven Arntson, but it's awesome!  Henrietta lives in a dystopian city called the Addition.  It's way over-protective of its children (the school bus has mandatory lap belts, shoulder belts, and head belts), car horns blare out Honk Ads ("EDIBLE CLEANTASTE CORN SOAP!!"), and almost all the houses are identical, with a patch of green plastic grass out front.  But Henrietta lives in an old house, with a steep roof and an attic.  She discovers a wounded cat up there, and while caring for it, notices windows which  have never been visible from the street.  And when she looks out the windows, she sees the past!  Henrietta takes her two friends up there, and together they try to figure out many things: why does time seem to stand still when they're in the attic?  What is the cause of the headaches only those three get?  How are they linked to the scary yellow figure that only they can see?  I wouldn't call this book scary, but it's definitely creepy in a really, really good way.

Don't mess with Rachel's brother

Despite the title, Rachel Spinelli Punched Me in the Face by Paul Acampora is a funny, gentle book.  After Zachary's mom leaves him and his dad, they move and start life over in the little town of Falls, Connecticut.  He immediately makes friends with his neighbor Rachel.  She has a knack for getting frequent detentions - usually from defending her brother Teddy, who has some type of disability (maybe autism?) and who the reader will view as a lovable trumpet-playing prodigy.  The book's small-town feel is often demonstrated from scenes at the local ice cream shop, owned by an amusing Polish-American couple; the diner, owned by Rachel and Teddy's dad (their mom died long ago); and the park, which the kids are helping to clean up.  By the end, Rachel's not quite as angry and over-protective, and Zachary is coping better with his mother's desertion. Some serious issues, but with a nice, light touch.

"Race didn't used to matter..."

Black, White, Other by Joan Steinau Lester was fascinating and thought-provoking.  Nina is biracial, with a black dad and a white mom.  It didn't used to be a big deal, but now her parents are divorced, and it seems that family and friends are all making racial boundaries.  Where does Nina fit in?  She finds comfort and inspiration in a book her dad is writing about Sarah, Nina's great-great-grandmother who escaped slavery.  When Sarah has a frightening time running away herself, she realizes the difference between running to something - freedom - and running from something.  The author does an amazing job of getting inside a teenager's head with authentic thoughts, fears, and emotions.  Excellent.

Not your typical 11-year-old

The main character in Fiendish Deeds by P. J. Bracegirdle is definitely a little different!  Joy is 11 and she lives with her family in Spooking, "the terrible town on the hideous hill."  Think of words like dark, creepy, abandoned, overgrown...you get the idea.  But Joy loves it.  She and her brother Byron ride the school bus with the few other "Spooky" kids to Darlington, a town of perfect lawns, plenty of plastic, and boring, matching houses.  A contest to bring more people into the area results in a plan to build a water park (with a mermaid theme, much to Joy's horror) over the Spooking bog.  Joy is convinced that there's an endangered species living in the bog; she's determined to stop the project, but someone is determined to stop her.  Perfect for fans of scary stories who don't mind a bit of black humor, the story continues with Unearthly Asylum and Sinister Scenes.

Are you as clever as Sherlock?

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created the well-known Sherlock Holmes as an adult character.  What would Sherlock have been  like as a teenager?  You'll get an idea in Death Cloud by Andrew Lane.  Sherlock is 14 and he's stuck on the estate of his aunt and uncle for a boring summer.  Well...it starts OFF being boring, but soon Sherlock is entrenched in a murder mystery when he and his tutor stumble upon a dead body covered in bizarre red welts.  Add in another similar death, kidnappings, a pretty girl, and an evil plot to bring down the British Empire, and you've got a page-turning adventure! If you like the book, there's another one in the series: Rebel Fire is scheduled to be released in April 2012.

Tiny mice in a not-so-tiny adventure!

Fans of animal fantasy will probably enjoy the sweet and amusing Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck.  Helena and her younger mouse siblings live in the home of the Cranstons, who have decided to sail for Europe and find a husband for their elder daughter.  After stowing away in the luggage, the mice are soon caught up in life aboard ship, where a sophisticated mouse society ranges from Nigel the (mouse) steward to the Mouse-in-Waiting to Princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria.  At the same time, the Cranston daughters are discovering shipboard romance, despite the constant social mistakes of their mother.  It's fun to read about life from a teeny-tiny point of view (like drinking soup out of thimbles!), and the author has a very clever way of turning a phrase.  Pencil illustrations add just the right touch.

Listen to your heart

Confused about who you really are?  The same was true for the main character in Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan.  It's the early 1900s, and Rachel lives in British East Africa with her parents.  After an influenza epidemic kills both of them, she falls under the "care" of the Pritchards, a money-grabbing couple whose daughter Valerie also died of the flu. They convince Rachel to impersonate Valerie and visit Valerie's ill grandfather in England.  Afraid that she'll end up in an orphanage and that the truth of Valerie's death would be the end of Grandfather Pritchard, Rachel goes along with the plan.  But what she doesn't expect is to actually become fond of the elderly gentleman, who's definitely wiser than the Pritchards suspect.  Not only are the descriptions of life in both Africa and England wonderful, but the way in which Rachel eventually tells the real story and figures out how to get back to Africa leads to a very satisfying ending.