An important part of history

A person can be chained both physically and spiritually, as eloquently described in Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson.  Isabel is a 13-year-old slave during the time of the American Revolution.  She and her little sister Ruth are sold to a merciless couple, the Locktons, in New York.  The Locktons are fierce Loyalists, which means they support the British.  A young rebel (that's someone who was on the American side of the war) encourages Isabel to be a spy, because "They'll say things in front of you they won't say in front of the white servants.  'Cause you don't count." After hearing of a plot to kill George Washington, Isabel tells the rebels, but doesn't get her desired reward - a chance at freedom.  The details of day-to-day life, slavery, attitudes, and the war of 1776 were both heart-breaking and mesmerizing.  Look for the sequel, Forge, scheduled to be released in October 2010.

What would you wish for?

You can guess from the cover that Dodger and Me by Jordan Sonnenblick is not your typical story.  You've heard of a genie coming out of a magic lamp, right?  That's more or less what happens in this book, but the genie - actually he prefers the term "bottled American" - happens to be Dodger, a blue chimp with sunglasses and surfer shorts.  Dude!  Willie Ryan is the kids who discovers Dodger and is the only one who can see him.  Willie can easily think of three wishes he'd like granted: get schoolmate Lizzie to quit coming to his baseball games, have his mom stop being so overprotective, and become a star baseball player.  But remember the old saying: "Be careful what you wish for."  There's a message about friendship in the book, but nothing heavy-duty...just a fun read.  

An environmental adventure

Known for his kids' books with an environmental slant, Carl Hiassen's Scat is another winner.  Nick and Marta can't stand their biology teacher, Mrs. Starch.  However, after a fire cuts short the class field trip to Black Vine Swamp, they're still concerned when the nasty woman disappears.  One of their classmates, bad boy Duane "Smoke" Scrod, Jr., is accused of setting the fire, and soon the story involves a rare Florida panther, an unscrupulous oil company with a bonehead president, and an environmentally-minded millionaire.  The plot development was great, and I liked the way the author combined aspects of both adventure and mystery.  Did you know that "scat" has more than one meaning?  Read this, and you'll find out.

Oh. My. Gosh.

I can't remember the last time I was so quickly drawn into a book as when I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins!  This amazing story had my attention from the first page.  North America no longer exists; now there's the country of Panem, which consists of the cruel Capitol and twelve surrounding districts.  Every year the Capitol makes each district send one boy and one girl to the Hunger Games, a battle to the death, which all the citizens of Panem are required to watch on live TV.  When Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place in the Games, she has to battle not only the other 23 "tributes," but also harsh terrain, weather that's gleefully manipulated by the Capitol, and her own uncertain feelings towards Peeta, the other tribute from Katniss' district.  The plot twists, turns, and constantly keeps the reader on edge.  This absolutely riveting book is followed by two more: Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

An unlikely (but wonderful) friendship

Friends sometimes come from the most unlikely places, as described in A Friendship for Today by Patricia C. McKissack. The date is 1954, and the U. S. Supreme Court had just outlawed school segregation.  Rosemary Patterson will soon be starting in a new school, but after her best friend is suddenly diagnosed with polio, Rosemary learns she'll be the only African-American in the sixth grade class.  She's horrified to learn that one of her classmates will be Grace Hamilton, who comes from a poor, white, and very racist family.  When the class queen bee tries to humiliate both Rosemary and Grace, they form an unexpected friendship.  With inspiration from the injured cat Rags and support from a loving mother, Mr. Bob from the grocery store, and a compassionate teacher, Rosemary learns to persevere.

Never thought I'd like a rat

I don't know why I didn't think I'd like this - maybe because I'm not real crazy about rats? - but I had a blast reading Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell.  Emmy Addison seems like a sweet kid, but ever since her parents inherited a bunch of money, they barely pay attention to her, traveling all the time and leaving Emmy in the hands of the creepy nanny, Miss Barmy.  One day Emmy decides to free the class pet, a rat, and soon learns she's able to talk with the obnoxious critter.  Emmy and Rat discover that Miss Barmy had been concocting all sorts of potions that can control the people around Emmy, with hopes of going after Emmy's fortune.  With the help of her friend Joe (who has been shrunk to the size of a Ken doll) and an assortment of rodents with magical powers, they go after the nasty nanny.  Fast-paced and fun.

Batter up!

Mike Lupica is known for writing great baseball books for the middle school crowd, and The Batboy is another winner.  The son of an ex-major league player, Brian is 14 and he just landed his dream job: being a batboy for the Detroit Tigers. He's thrilled when he finds out that Hank Bishop, his all-time baseball hero, is coming to play for the Tigers, after being suspended for steroid use.  Brian doesn't have much of a relationship with his dad - his parents are divorced, his dad is coaching in Japan and never communicates - and he tries to reach out to Hank.  Even though Hank is downright rude, Brian keeps trying, and in the end, they find a way to help each other out.  A solid story with a lot of behind-the-scenes baseball details.

Fast-paced adventure at sea

If you're looking for a page-turner, The Great Wide Sea by M. H. Herlong is a winner.  Fifteen-year-old Ben is shocked when his father, still grieving over the sudden death of Ben's mom, decides to sell the house, buy a boat, and take Ben and his two younger brothers sailing...for a year.  After a nasty, night-time storm in the middle of the Atlantic, the boys wake up and find their father is gone.  They eventually wash up on a deserted island and have to learn to survive on their own.  Ben's range of emotions, from righteous anger at his dad to concern for his brothers, rings true, and his brother's characters are equally believable.  I thought the ending wrapped up a bit too quickly and neatly, but I couldn't put this one down.

Normal never sounded so good

Sometimes the word "normal" sounds boring, but that's all 12-year-old Addie is looking for in Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor.  After her mother ("Mommers") gets divorced, the two of them move to a trailer in a busy part of Schenectady, New York.  Mommers has a good heart, but she's unreliable and sometimes disappears for days at a time.  Addie is amazingly independent and tries to make the best of bad situation by befriending Soula and Elliot from the nearby convenience store, working hard at her flute (a challenge because of her dyslexia), and keeping a close and heart-warming relationship with her ex-stepfather Dwight and two younger half-sisters.  My favorite line was when Soula said a hibiscus tree in the barbershop was like Addie, "willing to bloom in conditions [she] was never meant to encounter."