Seriously sinister

Okay, if creepy, crawly bugs give you bad dreams, don't even THINK about reading The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand!  Victoria is 12 years old; she's a perfectionist and likes everything to be exactly right and just so.  She doesn't have any friends except Lawrence, who's really more of her "project," as she constantly tries to correct him into being a better person.  They live in Belleville, which is a little too eerie in both it's perfect-ness and the way it doesn't seem to notice the local orphanage.  Then Lawrence disappears, Victoria's parents start getting weird, and these BUGS keep crawling out of everywhere (even with occasional bug illustrations right in the middle of the page you're reading), so Victoria checks out the orphanage.  She finds Lawrence - which is good - and a nasty gardener, a shape-shifting house, and the reason scary Mrs. Cavendish is keeping the kids there - which isn't good.  And did I mention bugs?  Yuk. If you're brave enough, get out your bug spray and find out if Victoria can learn what friendship is truly all about.

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!

Yoda rules!

Right after I went to my public library and checked out The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger, I learned that it had been nominated for the 2013 Rebecca Caudill Award.  Excellent idea! Dwight is your basic middle school oddball - pretty much a loser, except that he has an origami Yoda finger puppet that somehow manages to give excellent advice to Dwight's classmates.  Each chapter is written by a different person about their Yoda experiences, followed by comments from Harvey, who doesn't quite believe in "Paperwad Yoda," and Tommy, who wants to know if he should follow Yoda's advice concerning a particular girl.  Chapters are short and very funny, the goofy little drawings in the margins are great, and yes, there are actual directions for making your own Yoda in the back.  A perfect books for middle schoolers!

Happy Birthday! Again. And again, and again...

Most people enjoy having a birthday, but what would you think if you lived that same day over and over again?  That's what happens in 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass.  Best friends Amanda and Leo were born on the exact same day, and they had celebrated every single birthday together, until something happened at their 10th birthday that drove them apart.  After having a disastrous 11th birthday party (separate from Leo), Amanda woke up the "next" day...and it was her 11th birthday all over again!  She finds out the same thing is happening to Leo.  Do they have to keep repeating the day until they get it right?  Will salvaging their friendship be enough?  And does the mysterious elderly woman, Angelina D'Angelo, have something to do with the situation?  This is a fun book, and at the beginning of every chapter, you'll wonder if the SpongeBob balloon is still there...

For the new middle schooler!

Hopefully your school year won't start out like this one, but if it does, take heart - you're not alone.  How to Survive Middle School by Donna Gephart is pretty funny, but it has serious parts, too.  Eleven-year-old David Greenberg, inspired by comedian Jon Stewart, makes hysterical (and very good) videos that he uploads to YouTube.  Problems begin when his best friend Elliott abandons him, bully Tommy starts picking on him, and he just can't stop missing his mom, who moved away.  Fortunately, he gains a new friend, Sophie, and her efforts to get the word out on how awesome David's videos are propel him to stardom!  If you like the "Wimpy Kid" books, read this one, too, and find out why there's a hamster on the cover....

Laugh out loud funny!

I know so many kids who have read Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney that I decided it was about time I checked it out. Kids - you're brilliant. I haven't laughed at a book this much in ages! Greg Heffley is in his first year of middle school, and he describes it perfectly ("You've got kids like me who haven't hit their growth spurt yet mixed in with these gorillas who need to shave twice a day"), with goofy friends, annoying siblings, and clueless parents. The illustrations on every page are priceless, and Greg's thoughts and actions are both authentic and supremely funny. This is the first book in the Wimpy Kid series, and I bet the rest are just as funny. Be on the look-out: the fifth book is scheduled to be released in November!

Calling all horse lovers

If you like horses, this is the book for you! There seem to be two parallel stories going on in The Georges and the Jewels by Jane Smiley. Abby is a 7th grader growing up on a California horse ranch in the 1960s. Her father calls all of their male horses "George" and all the females "Jewel," so Abby won't get too attached to any of them before they're sold. Abby does tons of work with the horses, from feeding and grooming to riding and training. The author alternates between this theme and life at school, which features plenty of stress from the Big Four - Linda, Mary A., Mary N., and Joan - and changing friendships with Gloria and Stella. I kept thinking there was going to be a significant link between these two stories, but that never seemed to be developed. Another part of the book, when Abby was asked to help train a horse for Melinda, a shy and very wealthy young girl, had a lot of potential, but it also fell flat. If you like lots of detail about horse raising (each chapter starts with a few beautiful pen and ink drawings of horse equipment), give this book a shot. Otherwise, you may want to take a pass.

How do you spell embarrassed? D-A-D

It's tough enough being thirteen and having divorced parents. But when you find out you're going to go live with your dad (okay) in Chicago (still okay) for a few months (less okay) and he's now impersonating Elvis (way NOT okay), life gets a little crazy. That's just what happens to Josh in this hilarious Rebecca Caudill nominee All Shook Up by Shelley Pearsall. Josh thinks he can make it through a few months of seventh grade in a new location, as long as nobody finds out about his dad, but then learns - oh, no!! - his dad has been invited to perform at his school. Josh comes up with a plan to prevent the performance, but the situation progresses from bad to worse. With help from Ivory, a free-spirited classmate; Viv, Ivory's mom (and girlfriend of Josh's dad); and Gladys, an elderly neighbor who thinks Josh's dad really IS Elvis, Josh learns how to accept the hunk-a, hunk-a burning embarrassment who's trying his best to be a good father.

Sisters...sisters...

Okay, so you might not know the song that begins with those words, but it's a perfect way to describe Peace, Love & Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle. It's the beginning of the school year, and older sister Carly is a high school sophomore. Her younger sister Anna is now a freshman, and Carly thinks it's going to be great seeing Anna at her school. Only...it's not. Anna's really sweet, but over the past summer, she started getting super curvy. Guys are drooling over her, and the relationship between the sisters begins to change. Add to the mix their lives in an affluent neighborhood and exclusive high school, Carly's crush on the wrong boy when the right one is right under her nose, and a shifting landscape of friendships, and you get an authentic, funny, and touching look at sisterhood.