For you puzzle lovers!

If you don't like deciphering codes, The Code Busters Club: The Secret of the Skeleton Key by Penny Warner will probably make you nuts.  But if you DO like codes, you might enjoy it!  Cody and her friends (Quinn, Luke, and M. E.) are seventh graders who love communicating in unusual ways: Morse code, Braille, American Sign Language, and all sorts of secret codes. One day Cody and Quinn see two odd people visiting their reclusive neighbor, who's drawing strange signs on his window; soon after, the house burns down and the neighbor is taken to a hospital.  Convinced that the two people have something to do with the fire, the Code Busters Club is determined to find out the connection.  Secret messages are used constantly, but don't worry - the codes (and answers) are given in the back of the book.  There were too many of these messages for me, but maybe it's the right amount for you!  If solving puzzles is your thing, be sure to check out http://www.codebustersclub.com/. 

Brought together by boxing and the radio

If you enjoy stories that are told in alternating voices, look for Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney.  This takes place in the 1930s, and the chapters are narrated by three 12-year-olds: Hibernia is a minister's daughter who longs to be a nightclub singer like her mother, who left years ago; Otis is now at the Mercy Home for Negro Orphans, since his parents were killed in an accident; Willie is an aspiring boxer and has run away to the Mercy Home, after his hands were injured by his abusive father.  Running throughout the story are radio broadcasts of famous boxer Joe Louis's matches, which have a different impact on each child.  The voices of the three youngsters are wonderful, and the reader feels the pain, pride, and hope of each one as they overcome pretty tough situations in their lives while maintaining their dignity and a sense of humor.  This would be great to read in a book club!

If dolls were alive...

I couldn't help but think of the movie Toy Story when I read The Doll People by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin. Remember how Buzz and Woody appeared to be lifeless around humans but led quite busy lives once the people were gone?  Same thing for Annabelle Doll and the rest of her family, who all live in a wonderful, old dollhouse in Kate's room.  When Kate's younger sister gets a dollhouse of her own, the Funcraft family moves in, and soon Annabelle and Tiffany Funcraft are BFFs.  When Annabelle discovers the journal of her Auntie Sarah, who disappeared 45 years ago, the two friends decide to go on a risky mission to try to find her.   This is an enchanting, lighthearted fantasy, and the illustrations by Brian Selznick (author and illustrator of The Invention of Hugo Cabret) add a fun touch.

Life on this island isn't quite what you'd imagine

I didn't know what to expect when I saw the title of this book, Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko.  Al Capone the gangster and laundry?? Well, yes.  The year is 1935, and Moose and his family have just moved to Alcatraz Island, where Al Capone is serving time.  Moose's dad took a job there so they could be close to San Francisco and a special school for Moose's sister Natalie, who's autistic.  Moose ends up meeting several other kids who live on the island, including Piper, the warden's cute but very scheming daughter (and the source of the Al Capone and laundry connection).  As Moose gets used to his unusual living arrangements, the story includes interesting facts about Alcatraz, Piper's crazy ideas for making money, and Moose's devotion to his sister.  It may sound like an odd combination of ideas, but it works!  A funny, touching, and fascinating story.

Who exactly IS Lemony Snicket?

I don't typically pick up biographies, but I couldn't resist when I saw Lemony Snicket (David Handler) by Dennis Abrams. Many of you probably know that Lemony Snicket is the author of A Series of Unfortunate Events, 13 novels about the sad, amazingly funny and awful lives of the three Baudelaire orphans. But you may not know that the author's real name is David Handler. Not too surprisingly, he's a pretty interesting guy, with interests ranging from humor to poetry to playing the accordion. That said, I had a hard time getting into the book. It felt like the author was trying to write like Lemony Snicket, whose style is so unique that imitation of it just doesn't work. I also thought there was a pretty weak connection between the text and the pictures. But maybe I'm not a good judge, since I don't read many biographies. What do YOU think?

A wonderful smile...FINALLY

I didn't know until I was finished that Smile by Raina Telgemeier is based on something that really happened to the author. Poor Raina had an accident as a 12-year-old that caused her to lose her two front teeth. She goes through years of surgery, braces, false teeth, and pain on her way to a beautiful smile. Doesn't quite sound like the basis of a graphic novel, does it? But it works! The story is told with humor, even as Raina is going through typical middle school situations of crushes, betrayal of frenemies, and changing family dynamics. The characters are simply drawn, but the emotions are definitely there, and you'll cheer for Raina as she finds a new group of friends. A great story that shows readers no matter how tough your situation, it will eventually get better....just maybe not in the way you think.

Have you ever wished you could fly?

If so, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson will definitely get your attention. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel are six kids living on their own. Why? They started out living in cages in an evil laboratory called the School. They're part of an experiment - they're 98% human and 2% bird! So yes, they have wings and can fly. Sounds pretty cool, except for the fact that the nasty scientists want them back and are chasing them down with the Erasers, wicked mutants of humans and wolves. The adventure starts when the Erasers manage to kidnap Angel and the rest of the gang has to figure out how to get her back. And Max was told she has to save the world - no biggie, right? And what's up with the violent, bizarre headaches and the Voice in her head? There is SO much going on this book...no surprise that it's the first in the Maximum Ride series.

"How do you stand up for truth?"

If you like getting to the bottom of a story and finding out the truth, check out Peeled by Joan Bauer. Hildy reports for The Core, her high school newspaper. Creepy stuff is happening around the old Ludlow house, but Hildy and her friends suspect that the town's local newspaper is really blowing things out of proportion to spook the residents of her small apple-growing community. It seems like there's no way to get the truth out of the mayor and the local paper's editor, but with a lot of hard work and help from the school newpaper advisor and a local cafe owner, Hildy and her classmates discover the real story, which could damage many of the townspeople's livelihoods and turn the town into a tacky tourist trap. Excellent pace, great characters, and for you budding journalists - terrific reporting advice.

The movie is here!!

I just HAD to re-read The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, since the movie is coming out today. Hugo is an orphan living in a Paris train station in the 1930s. His late father had discovered an automaton: a human-like figure that looks like it's ready to write something. Now Hugo has the automaton, and he's trying to repair it with parts that he steals from a toymaker's booth. He meets the toymaker's god-daughter, who has a special key that fits the automaton...but why? What can the connection possibly be? The illustrations in this book make the reading of it a very different experience, as though the reader is being drawn into an old-fashioned movie. And of course, that's part of the plot, when we discover that the toymaker is actually a famous man from the filmmaking industry. The book was the Caldecott Medal winner in 2008, and it truly is a wonderful book to read...and re-read.

For the Huckleberry Finn in you

Yep, you might think of Mark Twain when you read The Glorious Adventures of the Sunshine Queen by Geraldine McCaughrean. It's the 1890s, and Cissy is living in tiny, boring Olive Town, Oklahoma. In order to avoid the diphtheria outbreak, she and two of her friends, Kookie and Tibbie, leave town with the school teacher. They meet up with the Bright Lights Theater Company, an oddball assortment of characters living aboard a rundown paddle wheel boat, the Sunshine Queen. The troupe puts on shows as it travels down the Missouri River, and they usually have great success...and then some kind of trouble, so they have to skedaddle down the river again. Villains, heroes, gamblers, actors, and swindlers are all part of the over-the-top adventures. After a slow start, the story moves at a good pace, but have a dictionary handy: the writing is quite clever, but some of the words (panache, hoicked) might be confusing.

I dare you NOT to read this

Hopefully you'll get the irony in Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald. What lengths would you go to NOT to read all the way through middle school? (I guess that's a trick question, since you're reading this, right?) Charlie Joe thought he had it figured out: he could pay one of his buddies with ice cream sandwiches to read Charlie Joe's assignments and then give him a quickie summary. And it worked!...for a while, and then he got caught. But now the big "Position Paper" is coming up, so Charlie Joe has to come up with a new plan. He'll let you in on his ideas, the school cliques and crushes, and typical middle school thinking; sprinkled throughout the book are Charlie Joe's Tips, such as "It's easy to convince others that you do in fact read, even if do in fact don't. (Use the word therefore a lot.)" I dare you NOT to read this, and I double dare you NOT to laugh. :)

What does "family" mean?

Many of the older girls in the middle school have read Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen, so I decided to check it out. Ruby is 17, and after her alcoholic mother deserts her, she's sent to live with her sister Cora, whom she hasn't seen in ten years. Ruby's life was poor and rough, and she has a hard time getting used to the nice home and fancy school that she's moving to. She's also been so self-reliant for so long that she's determined not to have to depend on anyone. The characters in the story are great: Nate, the way cute neighbor boy with dark secrets of his own; Jamie, Cora's likable husband and founder of a popular social networking site (think Facebook); Harriet, the hyper owner of a jewelry store at the mall who hires Ruby to help out. The author's books tend to be formulaic, but sometimes that's alright. If you like to read about a strong girl making her way through a tough situation - and it's okay for a little romance to be thrown in - you should check this one out, too.

My 20th Caudill!

This was the final 2012 Rebecca Caudill nominee for me to read, and it was a great way to finish. Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass is a story is told from the standpoint of three very different people: Ally is happy living at a campground which her parents have been running for years, all the while waiting for a huge event - a total solar eclipse. Bree is your basic material girl, and she's extremely unhappy when she finds out that her family will be moving to that same campground and taking it over. Jack is a loner and has just flunked science, but if he goes with his science teacher's tour group to a campground (the same one, of course) for two weeks, he can get out of summer school. The three voices are distinct and authentic, the teens' problems are real, and the description of the eclipse near the end of the story was absolutely breath-taking. I loved the way the three stories came together...I bet you do, too.

Why is the land so important?

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor won the Newbery Medal in 1977, and it was a well-deserved honor. The story takes place in the Deep South in the 1930s. For Cassie's African-American family, that was a time of poverty and brutal racism, but also strong family ties and a sense of honor. The author describes in a painfully touching way how Cassie comes to understand the reasons she and her brothers are treated so differently from the neighboring white children. And now there are night riders and burnings and humiliation. Why is tall, towering Mr. Morrision really staying with Cassie's family? Why is the land so important to Papa? This is a powerful, moving story about racial prejudice and those who withstood it with pride and dignity.

A quinceañera for a tomboy?

The cover says it all for Sweet 15 by Emily Adler and Alex Echevarria. Destiny is 14 and is quite happy being a tomboy and skateboarding with her buddy Omar. But her 15th birthday is coming up, and her Puerto Rican parents are all set on providing with her a big, fancy quinceañera. Destiny knows her family can't afford it, and her feminist older sister is totally opposed to the idea. Her friends try to help, but Stephanie is African-American, Erin is Jewish, and both are well off, so they don't quite get Destiny's problem. And what to do about Omar, who might be starting to like her in more than a friendly way, and Nicholas the cute new guy? The story moves quickly, the conversations are funny, and the family and friend dynamics are believable, as Destiny figures out how to speak up for herself.

"You don't aim a butterfly - you release it"

I really grew fond of the main character in The Girl Who Threw Butterflies by Mick Cochrane. Molly is in 8th grade and had always been close to her father; he loved baseball and taught her a lot, including how to throw a knuckleball, a pitch that floats through the air like a butterfly. He died in a car crash six months ago, and Molly is still working through her grief. As a way of following her heart and honoring her father, she decides to go out for the boys' baseball team. Not unexpectedly, she meets some resistance, but with help from her crazy friend Celia; Lonnie, a catcher with an artistic soul; and two understanding coaches; she makes the team. Molly's memories of her father, her interactions with her mom, and her way of dealing with the good and bad in her life are all expressed very realistically, and the sports action on the mound adds a nice touch.

Very interesting premise behind Kick by Walter Dean Myers and Ross Workman. Myers is a well-known YA author; Workman is one of his teen-aged fans. They took turns writing the chapters - Workman writes as 13-year-old Kevin, who gets in trouble when he's caught driving (and wrecking) a car with his friend Christy as a passenger. Myers writes as Sergeant Brown, a police officer who can tell there's more to Kevin and Christy's story than he's hearing. There's a sub-plot about Kevin's soccer team heading into a championship; the action of the games is an interesting counterpoint to the rest of the story. Although the revelation of Christy's problem is somewhat anti-climactic, the developing relationship between Kevin and the Sergeant is great. A terrific collaboration!

Creepy...in a good way

If you like stories that are kind of spooky, I definitely recommend The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn (an excellent writer of ghost stories). Diana and her brother Georgie live on their own in the woods near the empty, creepy Willis mansion. They can't leave the grounds, and they aren't allowed to be seen by anyone because of..."the rules." Caretakers for the house have come and gone over the years, but now somebody new is there - a man and his daughter Lissa, who's about Diana's age. Diana decides to break "the rules" and become friends with Lissa, but this decision becomes dangerous when Lissa tempts Diana into the mansion and accidentally releases the nasty ghost of the woman who used to live there. And what IS it about Diana and her brother? How do they live on their own? Why aren't they ever hungry? This creepy story moves at a good pace, has characters you really care for, and finishes with a great ending. What more could you want?

Could he be the youngest to climb Mt. Everest?

Here's another one that's hard to put down - Peak by Roland Smith. Peak Marcello is 14 and loves to climb, but when he gets caught scaling a skyscraper, he's really in trouble. The judge is more than happy when Josh, Peak's estranged dad and a famous mountain climber himself, offers to take Peak back to Asia with him. Soon Peak learns that Josh's intentions weren't very father-like: his expedition company is hurting financially, but if Josh can put Peak on the top of Mt. Everest - he'd be the youngest climber ever - Josh's company could make a ton of money. Peak's not thrilled about being used that way, but for a once-in-a-lifetime chance like Mt. Everest, he goes along with the idea. The realities of the mountain and base camp, the life of the Sherpas who help, the harshness of the weather, and the dangers that are truly life-threatening make this a fantastic, page-turning survival story. Will Peak make it to the top?

Four people's lives flow together

The beginning of Greetings from Nowhere by Barbara O'Connor was sort of sad, so it was hard for me to keep reading, but I'm glad I did. Elderly Aggie Duncan can't keep her tiny, run-down Sleepy Time Motel going, so she regretfully decides to put it up for sale. Within a few days, the motel has some guests: Willow (whose mom deserted her) and her dad, who wants to buy the motel; Loretta and her parents, who are trying to learn more about Loretta's birth mother; and Kirby and his mother, who are on their way to the latest reform school for Kirby when their car breaks down. As we get to know the characters, they slowly develop friendships and help each other out in ways big and small. By the end of the book, the four stories come together in a very satisfactory way - everything isn't 100% great, but that's real life and that's okay.

My first Cirque du Freak!

Once again, I was wrong - and that's okay! I honestly didn't think I'd like Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan, but it moved quickly and definitely kept my attention. This is the first book of a trilogy written as a prequel to the Cirque du Freak series, and it tells the story of how Larten Crepsley became a vampire. Sounding like something out of a Dickens novel, Larten had a pretty rotten childhood, complete with working in a nasty factory under a brutal boss. After Larten is on the run (I won't tell you why), he's hiding in a cemetery crypt when he meets Seba, a 500-year-old vampire who asks Larten to be his assistant. The story covers several years, during which Larten meets up with the bizarre Cirque du Freak and eventually becomes "blooded" as a vampire. Is it better to read the prequel and then the regular series, or the other way around? My middle school readers would have the best answer to that....

Couldn't be more different

I loved the varied voices in Faith, Hope, and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Ivy June and Catherine are seventh graders from different schools, and they're getting ready to participate in an exchange program in which they'll take turns living with the other girl's family and attending the other school. What makes this interesting is that Ivy June's family is poor; they live in the mountains, and their rundown house doesn't even have indoor plumbing or telephone service. Catherine, on the other hand, lives an upper-middle-class life in Lexington and attends a private school. Each girl has ideas and prejudices about the other's life, but as they spend time together, they discover the good and bad of both worlds. Chapters alternate between three points of view: the narrator and journal entries by Ivy June and Catherine. As they each face a family crisis toward the end of the book, you'll appreciate the girls' authentic words and feelings as their growing friendship helps them pull through.

Starting over in America

At the end of the story, you'll understand the multiple meanings of the title, Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch. Rose Nolan and her family are emigrating from Ireland to the U.S. in 1911 with the hopes of starting a new life. However, at Ellis Island her baby brother is diagnosed with an eye infection; most of her family returns to Ireland, while Rose and younger sister stay in New York. Rose eventually rents a room from a elderly Jewish man and his daughter, who helps Rose get a job at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Rose starts to make friends and enjoy her job, despite the less-than-ideal working conditions, but soon she and the other workers are fighting for their lives in the infamous fire at the factory, one of the worst industrial accidents in U.S. history. I liked the author's ability to convey the Irish-ness of Rose and her sister; a great book for fans of historical fiction.

Dystopian thriller for fans of The Hunger Games

I bet you'll think of The Hunger Games if you read Divergent by Veronica Roth. In a future Chicago (check out the skyline on the cover), everyone is divided into five factions: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite, each of which values a certain character trait. On your 16th birthday you undergo an aptitude test, and then you're given the choice of switching from your birth faction to another one. And that's what Beatrice (Tris) does - she leaves the safe but boring selflessness of her Abnegation family for the wild, fearless Dauntless. A big part of the book is about her initiation and the intense physical and mental tests and simulations she and the other initiates have to go through - not all of them will make it. And in a sub-plot that's minor up until the end, Tris learns that the Erudite are planning a war to take over the Abnegation faction, and they have a plan to get the Dauntless to do their dirty work. Be warned that the violence is more graphic than The Hunger Games, but the tone of the book and sense of fast-paced survival is quite similar.

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?

Gaining trust, bit by bit

It's hard to describe Wild Things by Clay Carmichael, but it's definitely worth reading. After the sudden death of her mother, Zoe goes to live with her uncle, Henry Royster. He was a surgeon and is now a metal sculptor - a crusty, rough around the edges, but heart of gold kind of guy, living in the backwoods of North Carolina. Zoe has had a difficult upbringing, basically raising herself, and she doesn't expect to like Henry or have him care for her. The story alternates between Zoe's narrative and that of a feral cat, which provides some interesting background that Zoe's not aware of. So what are the "wild things" referred to in the title? Depending on your point of view, the author could mean Zoe, the cat, a mysterious boy living in the nearby woods, or even Henry's sculptures. What do you think?

Have you ever had a pen pal?

Pen pals are kids (usually) who live far apart and write to each other. Sounds old-fashioned, but you'll see some of the advantages of written letters over email in Extra Credit by Andrew Clements. Abby's not doing well in 6th grade, but she'll get some extra credit by writing to Sadeed Bayat in Afghanistan. However, his village doesn't think it's appropriate for boys and girls to write to each other, so his younger sister dictates the letters while Sadeed makes sure the English is correct. But he can't resist writing to Abby in secret, too. What happens if he gets caught? Both characters are described very realistically, and reading about all the differences in the cultures was pretty cool. (For example, Abby thinks the flat cornfields of Illinois are really boring; Sadeed views them as food for an entire village.) Think about this book next time you hear about Afghanistan in the news.

An enchanting quest

I was fascinated by the Chinese folk tales interwoven throughout Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin! Minli lives a poor, hard life in the shadow of Fruitless Mountain. She feels bad for her parents and hopes to change her family's fortune by getting advice from the Old Man of the Moon, who lives on Never-Ending Mountain. She gets help from a goldfish, who sets her off in the right direction, and Dragon, who desparately wants to know why he can't fly. The plot and the folk tales go together seamlessly, and occasional full-page illustrations, influenced by the rich blues, greens, and reds of traditional Chinese art, are stunning. And when Minli learns the importance of family, friends, and what's truly needed for happiness, the reader will breathe a sigh of content. Beautiful.

Chilling and mesmerizing

Wow. Once I started reading Unwind by Neal Shusterman, I could hardly put it down. The main idea is creepy, the pace is almost non-stop, and the way some of the characters changed (some for the better, some for the worse) was both believable and fascinating. The time is in the future; parents can choose to have their children ages 13 to 18 unwound - although "technically" they're alive, all of their body parts are harvested and given to others. This story follows Connor and Risa, as they desparately try to avoid the harvest camp, and Lev, the 10th child born to a family whose religion considers him to be a tithe - being unwound is his sacred duty. The action starts immediately, and the twists and turns made me feel like I was on a roller coaster. Some of the ideas might be a little too intense for younger readers, but this would be amazing for older students to read and discuss - so many questions come up! When does life begin? When does it end? I was thinking of this book long after I finished it.

Surviving Katrina - bittersweet and beautiful

I can guarantee you'll be touched by the characters in Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Lanesha is a spunky, resourceful 12-year-old who lives in the poor Ninth Ward of New Orleans with Mama Ya-Ya, an elderly midwife who has raised her since Lanesha's mother died in childbirth. Hurricane Katrina is on its way, and Mama Ya-Ya can sense that there's something even worse to survive than the hurricane itself. They make it through the storm - they have no money or transportation to evacuate - but then the flooding comes, and that's when things get really bad. The relationship between Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya is absolutely warm and pure, and the book's touch of magical realism (Lanesha has the "sight" and can see ghosts, including that of her mother) adds a beautiful angle. Even though I already knew about Katrina and its aftermath, the suspenseful writing totally drew me in. An awesome survival story.

One of the strangest I've ever read...

Yes, I had read the plot line of The Neddiad by Daniel Pinkwater, but I still wasn't quite prepared for the sheer goofiness of it! As Neddie Wentworthstein and his family go from Chicago to Los Angeles by train, he meets Melvin the shaman, who gives him a small stone turtle and tells him to keep it safe (we don't yet know why); gets separated from his family in Flagstaff, Arizona; and meets Seamus Finn, his dad (a famous movie star), and Billy the ghost. Confused yet? Well, they all end up in L.A., and soon Neddie is dealing with bad guy Sandor Eucalyptus, who wants to steal the turtle. You don't discover the importance of the turtle until very late in the book, and by then you're reading about policemen from outer space, prehistoric creatures, and a huge circus. And the ending is totally unexpected. If you want a straight-forward plot, don't read this one, but if you can just go with the flow and accept all the strangeness, it's a pretty funny (but highly weird) story.

Making a sacrifice for her country

I've really got to get over my hesitance to read historical fiction; Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith is another great one! Ida Mae Jones lives on a farm in the South at the start of World War II. Her late father taught her to fly so she could help with dusting the crops, and when she hears of a new group called the WASP - Women Airforce Service Pilots - she's convinced this is the best way for her to help the war effort. Unfortunately, a black person isn't allowed to be a WASP, and she uses her light skin tone to "pass" as a white girl. Ida Mae goes through the danger and excitement of basic training, but she has to sacrifice her true identity to maintain the silver wings she worked so hard to earn. She is stymied when she gets the opportunity to work for a white man she has fallen in love with: "I can fly and be with Walt or be with my family and never fly again. It's not fair." Readers will cheer for Ida Mae and wonder what she does after the book ends.

Not your typical ghostly adventure

Enjoy graphic novels? Even if you're new to the format, I'd recommend Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel - it's getting great reviews! Frank Gallows works for the Supernatural Immigration Task Force, and it's his job to round up stray ghosts and zap them back to the afterlife. But he messes up, and Garth Hale, a boy with an incurable disease, gets sent, too. After Garth is befriended by a skelton horse (nicknamed "Skinny") and meets Cecil (his grandpa's ghost), they all set out to save Ghostopolis from its evil ruler. At the same time, Frank and his ex-girlfriend, who's now a ghost, blast into the afterlife to try to save Garth. Lots of craziness, adventure, and humor make it fun; the characters' growth make it worthwhile. Take the time to savor the illustrations...the details make them awesome.

Do you believe in fairy tales?

For a new twist on some classic fairy tales, you may well enjoy The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman. Elizabeth just got a part-time job as a page at the New York Circulating Material Repository. Instead of loaning out books, they loan historical objects, such as chocolate sets, wigs, and globes. But best of all is the Grimm Collection - magical items from various Grimm fairy tales, from winged sandals to Snow White's mirror. When Elizabeth learns that some of the items have disappeared, she and her fellow pages set out on a dangerous quest to find the thief. The writing is clever and charming, and includes bits of adventure, mystique, and a even a touch of romance. Perfect summer read!

Adventure - and prejudice - on the high seas

For a fascinating look at life on a whaling boat and overcoming prejudice, I highly recommend Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus. This exciting adventure is based on the life of Manjiro Nakahama, the first Japanese person known to come to the U.S. In the mid-1800s, Manjiro was only 14 when he and four other fishermen were caught in a storm and stranded on a desert island. They were rescued, but much to their dismay, their saviors were Americans - well known to be "barbarians." While his countrymen keep their distance, Manjiro is curious about the whaling ship and its odd collection of people with so many different colors of skin, hair, and eyes. Although happy that the captain befriends him and eventually takes him to America, Manjiro still longs to be out on the water and back in Japan. Will he ever get there? Illustrated with actual drawings by the real Manjiro, this is a page-turner that also provides an interesting look at early racism between the U.S. and Japan.

Overcoming the odds

Imagine your favorite thing to do. What if you had an accident, and you probably couldn't to that favorite thing any more? How hard would you work at it? For an inspiring story, read One-Handed Catch by M. J. Auch. Norm is in sixth grade and he just lost his hand in a freak accident at his father's butcher shop. How is he ever going to figure out how to do the simple things in life, like tie his shoes, let alone get back to playing baseball? Pushed by his no-nonsense mom, inspired by real-life major league (and one-armed) player Pete Gray, and helped by his friend Leon, Norm does an amazing job of adapting to his new situation. Based on a real-life incident in the life of the author's husband, this is about a clever kid who perseveres and even shows some humor after life throws him a screwball.

A quick alternative to Twilight

I can't remember who recommended Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber, but I'm glad she did! Raven is 16 and quite the outcast - black lipstick, black nails, combat boots, and only one friend. She'd actually like to be a vampire when she grows up, and that isn't likely to happen in her boring town of "Dullsville." But when the local haunted mansion gets a new family, complete with the creepy butler and pale, hunky Alexander Sterling, things start looking up. The story involves both the Goth life and typical situations at school, and throughout it all, the reader wonders along with Raven...is Alexander really the vampire that will make Raven's dream come true? A more light-hearted alternative to Twilight, fans of this book will apprecate the rest in the Vampire Kisses series, too.

Superheroes - and Daniel - to the rescue!

Powerless by Matthew Cody is a pretty cool blend of genres - a mystery with a supernatural twist.  Daniel is twelve, and his family has just moved to Noble's Green. He soon meets his neighbor Mollie and finds out that she, as well as her friends, all have a variety of superpowers. But for some unknown reason, when each of them turns 13, he or she not only looses the power, but also the memory of ever even having it. Mollie is convinced that Daniel, a regular kid who likes being a detective, can save the rest of them. So how do some old comic books, a meteor strike, an orphanage fire from long ago, and a nearby quarry fit into the puzzle? And who - or what - is The Shroud? Well, dear readers, you're going to have to read this book to discover who the villian really is and whether or not Daniel can save the day!

This is for you, puzzle lovers

If you like to solve puzzles, you might want to check out The Seventh Level by Jody Feldman. The main character is Travis Raines, a likeable seventh grader. He would love to get into the Legend, a secret group at his middle school that plans pretty cool events. When he finds a shiny blue envelope with a strange message in this locker, he can't believe it...does the Legend actually want him? Soon he's solving clues and figuring out puzzle after puzzle, but some of the tasks he's assigned don't really make sense...they have a not-nice undertone to them and they're coming in a different kind of blue envelope. Doesn't sound like the Legend, but who could they be coming from? The pacing is uneven (starts off SLOW) and the plot's a little confusing at times, but this is still a fairly entertaining story, especially if you enjoy solving along with Travis.

How important is your individuality?

Lots to think about when you read Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. The new kid at school goes by the name Stargirl, and she's something else - wears odd clothes, sings "Happy Birthday" while strumming her ukulele, and doesn't really seem to care about others' opinions. After not knowing what to think of her, the students gradually accept her eccentricities and think she's okay. But when she does the unforgiveable - showing compassion to an injured player from an opposing school's basketball team - she is totally shunned. When her friend Leo tries to explain "normal" behavior, she shows up at school with a total make-over: new clothes, look, attitude, and eerily like everyone else. Will the students stop the shunning? Can she keep her true personality buried? And what's more important to Leo, the friendship of Stargirl or the friendship of the others? This excellent story would be great for a book club discussion.

Who knew librarians could be so rotten?

There's no way I could resist a title like Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson! Alcatraz Smedley just turned 13, and for his birthday he received an apparently unremarkable...bag of sand? But the action gets fast and furious when his grandfather shows up and tells him the present was the Sands of Rashid, which the evil Librarians quickly steal to smelt into new lenses of power. Alcatraz learns that all Smedleys have special Talents - how can you not like a kid who's good at breaking things (and his grandfather, who's always late)? - and these talents are put to good use when they infiltrate the library (oh, no!) to track down the bad guys. The story is chaotic and fun; Alcatraz tells it with loads of snarky humor. And if you like it, you're in luck - there are currently three more in the series.

What's in your danger box?

Blue Balliett is known for writing mysteries, and her latest is The Danger Box. Zoomy Chamberlain is an interesting 12-year-old: he's almost legally blind, he's compulsive about making lists, and he's being raised by his grandparents. When his alcoholic father shows up and drops off a box, a battered notebook inside quickly catches Zoomy's attention. After identifying the word "Galapagos," he starts doing some research, and soon Zoomy in convinced the notebook has something to do with Charles Darwin. Teaming up with Lorrol, a girl he meets at the library, the two try to learn more about the notebook and how it might be connected to the newly-arrived (and somewhat creepy) stranger in their small town. Chapters are interspersed with "a free newspaper about a mysterious soul," written by Zoomy and Lorrol; it seemed pretty obvious they were referring to Darwin, and I thought the articles didn't add a lot to the story. Mixed feeling about the book - I was disappointed that there wasn't more of a mystery to solve, but I really liked the characters of Zoomy and Lorrol.