"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.

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 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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.