Three lives weaving together

The main characters in The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby definitely need to work together if they're each going to get their wish.  Giuseppe is an orphan who scrounges a living by playing the violin; he wants to escape his wicked master and go back to Italy.  Frederick is an apprentice clockmaker; if he can figure out how to complete the project he's secretly working on, he'll be able to be employed on his own. And Hannah, a lowly maid in a glamorous hotel, wants to find a hidden treasure so she can support her family.  Although I wasn't crazy about the ending - there's a fantasy element thrown in that I wish weren't there - I enjoyed the characters, and the author's description of the sights, sounds, and smells of the various settings really pulled me into the story.

"They'd never suspect the secret I was hiding"

If you're looking for a good book for the beach, try Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker. After her mom leaves her (again), Stella is sent to live with her Great Aunt Louise, who tends to a cottage colony on a beach in Cape Cod.  Foster child Angela is living there, too, and even though she and Stella are about the same age, they do NOT get along.  When Louise suddenly dies, the girls are afraid they'll be thrown back into the foster care world; they secretly bury Louise and decide to team up and manage the cottages, surviving on the vacationers' left-over food and tips.  The story is told in Stella's voice, and her descriptions - from families tumbling out of their cars to begin vacation to her on-again, off-again friendship with Angela  - are spot on.  But how long can the girls keep their secret?

See your future in Facebook?

I was immediately hooked on the main idea in The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler.  The time is 1996, when many families were buying their first home computer and receiving American Online (AOL) CD-ROMs in the mail for free time on the Internet.  After Emma logs on to AOL, something strange pops up - "Facebook."  Of course, Facebook hadn't been invented yet, and when Emma sees a picture of herself, obviously much older and with a different last name, she figures out she's looking at her future in 15 years and it's not a happy life.  Her friend Josh finds his future Facebook page, too, and he's ecstatic to learn that he's wealthy and married to the hottest girl at their high school.  Every time they check Facebook, something is a little different; Emma and Josh learn that changes they make now, even small ones, impact their future.  The reader will easily figure out the direction of the book (are Emma and Josh just friends...or more?), but watching the ripple effect of their actions is pretty cool.  A great book for high school kids and older, more mature middle schoolers.

Don't mess with Rachel's brother

Despite the title, Rachel Spinelli Punched Me in the Face by Paul Acampora is a funny, gentle book.  After Zachary's mom leaves him and his dad, they move and start life over in the little town of Falls, Connecticut.  He immediately makes friends with his neighbor Rachel.  She has a knack for getting frequent detentions - usually from defending her brother Teddy, who has some type of disability (maybe autism?) and who the reader will view as a lovable trumpet-playing prodigy.  The book's small-town feel is often demonstrated from scenes at the local ice cream shop, owned by an amusing Polish-American couple; the diner, owned by Rachel and Teddy's dad (their mom died long ago); and the park, which the kids are helping to clean up.  By the end, Rachel's not quite as angry and over-protective, and Zachary is coping better with his mother's desertion. Some serious issues, but with a nice, light touch.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

She wants to be my friend...what's the catch?

I really liked the strength of the main character, Kate, in Hot Girl by Dream Jordan.  Kate is fourteen, and after getting moved from one foster home to another, her life is finally settling down - she gets along pretty well with her foster parents, her grades are good, and she's got a great friend, Felicia.  After Felicia goes on a trip for the summer, Kate's on her own.  She's not sure why she's befriended by super stylish fly-girl Naleejah, but Kate's not complaining when the make-over Naleejah gives her catches the eye of Charles, Kate's long-time crush.  Something is up, though, and if Kate can't keep her actions under control, she's liable to lose the stability her current foster home is finally offering.  What is she willing to risk?  The voices, thoughts, and conflicts in this book are wonderfully authentic and the character development is great.  A super book, especially for older middle school to high school girls.

Don't try this at home

If you have a problem, I wouldn't recommend you deal with it like Alex did in Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick.  But the way he dealt with the consequences of his actions was pretty cool.  Upset about his parents' separation, Alex gets drunk, takes his mom's car, and crashes into a garden gnome.  He's basically a good kid, and the judge sentences him to 100 hours of community service at a nursing home.  He gets paired up with Sol Lewis, a cranky old guy who's fond of playing practical jokes.  At first, Sol is basically a pain, but he and Alex end up bonding over their shared passion of guitar playing.  Sol eventually gives Alex guitar lessons, advice on girls (very funny), and insight into Sol's past.  There's a neat little tweak at the end of the book - you may figure it out ahead of time. Alternating between silly and serious, this will especially be appealing to readers who liked Sonnenblick's Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie.  

I've heard of a bride-zilla...but a quince-zilla?

Nothing heavy here, but that doesn't mean Fifteen Candles by Veronica Chambers isn't a delight!  Alicia has got it made. Wealthy family, easy life, awesome house, lives in Miami.  She's volunteered to help her co-worker Sarita plan her quinceañera - the very special fifteenth birthday party of a young Latina woman.  Alicia enlists the help of her best friends Carmen, Jamie, and Gaz, and together they form Amigas Inc.  The planning starts off great, but as the big day approaches, there are problems right and left.  It's fairly predictable that all will end well, but the glimpse of what goes into a quinceañera was fun and fascinating.  If you like fashion and pop culture, you'll especially have fun with this book, and you might also enjoy the sequel: Lights, Camera, Quince!

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.

Would you survive on a deserted island?

I know of so many classes that have read The Cay by Theodore Taylor that I decided it was time for me to read it, too, and I'm glad I did.  Taking place during World War II, young Philip is on a freighter that is hit by a torpedo.  When he comes to, he's on a raft in the middle of nowhere with Timothy, an elderly black man, and his feline companion, Stew Cat. They eventually land on a small, deserted island; Philip's head injury leads to blindness, and he must depend on the knowledge and kindness of Timothy to survive.  Will they make it through the approaching hurricane?  Will they ever be rescued?  A lot of action and food for thought are packed into this relatively small book.