A difficult but inspiring journey

Based on the true experiences of the author's great-aunt, Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse is an amazing glimpse at the strength of a child. Written as a series of letters to her cousin back home in Russia, 12-year-old Rifka details her journey to America. It was difficult enough just to get as far as Belgium, but when it's discovered that Rifka has ringworm, she has to stay behind while the rest of her family gets on the steamship. She eventually gets to leave and survives a deadly ocean crossing, only to be quarantined at Ellis Island because of the baldness caused by the ringworm - the immigration authorities think she will never get a husband and they will end up supporting her. But Rifka's survival instinct is strong, and she's both intelligent and resourceful, and all turns out well. A wonderful story of courage and perseverance.

" 'Tis the fairy Lady of Shalott"

You'll have to guess what's a coincidence and what isn't in Avalon High by Meg Cabot. Ellie's in a new high school because she's moved yet again - her parents are professors of medieval history, and they're both taking sabbaticals (temporary leaves from their jobs) in Annapolis. Ellie has heard about the legend of King Arthur all her life, and she's even named after one of the legend's characters, Lady Elaine of Astolat, aka the Lady of Shalott. Maybe the name of her new school is getting to her (Avalon is a place in the legend), but it seems pretty spooky the way her life, as well as those of the perfect guy Will, his friend Lance, golden girl Jennifer, and Will's creepy stepbrother Marco mirror the lives of Elaine, King Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, and Mordred. Throw in romance, lies, betrayals, and a teacher who thinks they've all been reincarnated, and you'll have a good story...that leaves you wondering!

Fluffy, but fun

Female fans of the Wimpy Kid series will probably also enjoy Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russell.  The first in the Dork Diaries series, the pages appear to be diary entries, with drawings that are funny and manga-like and a font that looks like handwriting.  Nikki is a new student at Westchester Country Day School, and she's trying to fit in.  Her life is fairly typical for a girl in middle school: an embarrassing family (her dad is an exterminator), a snotty CCP (Cute, Cool & Popular) group at school, a crush on the hunk in biology class, and friends (Chloe and Zoey) who come through in a pinch.  Readers are bound to identify with many of the situations Nikki encounters, from mean girl MacKenzie Hollister to the dreaded lunchroom.  Good for lighthearted entertainment.

Torn between two cultures

I could hardly put down The Queen of Water by Laura Resau and Maria Virginia Farinango, a novel based on the true story of the latter.  Virginia was born into the poor indigenas class of Ecuador.  When she is seven years old, she's sent to be the maid for a couple from the mestizos, or ruling class.  Even though she's promised pay, visits home, and an education, she receives none of this.  Fortunately, she's vivisima - very clever - and teaches herself to read and take advantage of the couple's prosperity.  But through the years, even though the wife beats her and the husband starts to behave inappropriately towards her, she's enjoying relative luxury.  What will she do when presented an opportunity to go home?  The ever-changing conflicts Virginia feels, trying to figure out who she is and where she fits in, are achingly described.  Older middle school students, especially those who might be parts of more than one culture, will easily be drawn into this incredible story.    

"Telling the truth don't come easy to me"

I finally decided that The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick was a good book, even though it wasn't what I expected.  Homer and his brother Harold are orphans being raised by their nasty uncle, Squinton Leach.  After Squinton illegally sells Harold to the Union Army, Homer runs away from home to save Harold from having to fight in the Civil War.  He encounters slave hunters, the Underground Railroad, scoundrels, a traveling medicine show, and more as his adventures take him closer and closer to his brother and the enemy lines. Homer's outrageous lies often add a touch of humor to the story, but his bravery, cleverness, and determination are impressive, too.  The author provides an authentic sense of the times, including the unfairness of slavery and the realities of war.  An excellent read for fans of historical fiction.

What does it mean to be human?

If you're a sci fi fan, check out the award-winning The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer.  Matt Alacran is a clone of El Patron, the ruler of Opium, a country between the United States and Aztlan (formerly Mexico), where workers called "eejits" - humans whose brains have been clamped - work endlessly in the poppy fields.  After being raised by the mother-like Celia in relative poverty, Matt ends on up El Patron's luxurious estate. Even thought El Patron lavishes all sorts of attention on Matt, he's despised by almost everyone else because he's a clone and not even considered to be human.  Usually clones' brains are more or less destroyed at birth, and eventually Matt learns why he's been allowed to grow and flourish - he's going to be harvested for body parts to keep El Patron (already over 140 years old) alive.  How can he escape?  Although the ending is a bit rushed, the rest of the book is a thought-provoking idea of the future.

A place between life and death

As I was grabbing audiobooks for my recent road trip, I didn't realize that Everwild, written by Neal Shusterman and narrated by Nick Podehl, was a the second book of a trilogy, and it took me a while to figure out what was going on.  Everlost is a land between life and death, a place for Afterlights, children who have died but aren't quite ready to finish the journey.  There's a complex cast in Everlost: Mary Hightower (the Sky Witch), who has creepy plans to keep the children there forever, and those who oppose her - her brother (and former monster) Mikey McGill, Nick the Chocolate Ogre (what?), and Allie the Outcast, who's a skinjacker - an Afterlight who can enter the body of a living person.  If you can go with the flow of the story and enjoy it, you'll read (or hear) adventure, humor, and a touch of romance, but it would be better to read Everlost first.  The third book of the trilogy, Everfound, is scheduled to be released in May 2011.

A long one, but definitely worth it

I was on a long road trip recently, and I'm really glad I took along the audiobook Incarceron, written by Catherine Fisher and narrated by Kim Mai Guest.  Two parallel stories take place in very different worlds: Finn can't remember how he became trapped in Incarceron, an unimaginably immense, technologically advanced, "living" prison.  Claudia is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, and although she lives a life of luxury, she's trapped in a different way - living in a carefully crafted seventeenth-century Era and preparing for an arranged marriage with the nasty Prince of the Realm.  The stories slowly come together when Finn and Claudia find identical crystal keys and learn how to use them to communicate; Finn is desperate to escape to the Outside, and Claudia, convinced he's the true Prince but troubled by her father's secrets, wants to help.  The description of the physical settings and character development are phenomenal, the pace is excellent, and when you find out where Incarceron really is, you'll be blown away!  Now I need to go get the sequel, Sapphique.