"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.