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 Most Powerful Magic in the World...got lost

Story elements frequently (and cleverly) overlap in Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver.  Liesl, locked in the attic by her rotten stepmother, is surprised to be visited by Po, a ghost, and Bundle, Po's ghost-pet.  Po and Bundle are from the Other Side, where ghosts hang out until they go Beyond.  Po has a message from Liesl's recently deceased father - he wants Liesl to bury his ashes under a particular willow tree.  Liesl escapes from the attic and is trying to grant her father's wish, but...there's a bit of a mix-up involving two similar boxes, one containing the ashes and the other containing the Most Powerful Magic in the World, recently prepared for the evil Lady Premier.  A lot will seem familiar in a fairy-tale kind of way - an evil stepmother; an orphan; a big, likable, bumbling servant -  but there's a lot of creativity, too, and a gentleness in the way the story deals with Liesl loss and healing.  Soft, black and white illustrations add a nice touch.

A safe home at last?

Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech was comforting, amusing, and touching.  Dallas and Florida are 13-year-old twins and orphans.  They've had a rough life, being shuffled between absolutely awful foster homes and the equally terrible Boxton Creek Home for Children, run by the Trepids.  It was no surprise that the twins didn't expect anything good at their new (temporary, of course) home with elderly Sairy and Tiller, but the couple's gentle care and the beautiful, rolling countryside of Ruby Holler start to win the children over.  As Florida and Tiller prepare for a boat trip and Dallas and Sairy get ready for a bird-watching expedition, they don't know that nasty Mr. Trepid and the mysterious "Z" have something planned that could ruin their futures....

Adventure in medieval England

You may have bad days, but they probably aren't as bad as those for the main character in Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi.  Life in 14th-century England is tough enough, but now "Asta's son" is an orphan with no other family and no money.  After learning from the local priest that his name is actually Crispin, the situation gets worse: the priest is murdered, Crispin is falsely accused of the crime, and the evil village steward (John Aycliffe) states that Crispin can be killed on sight. After fleeing, Crispin meets "Bear," a giant of a man who travels around juggling, and the two become traveling companions.  While in the town of Great Wexley, Aycliffe and his men capture Bear in an attempt to trap Crispin.  Will Crispin risk his life to save Bear?  Why is Aycliffe so determined to kill Crispin?  This is a page-turning adventure combined with a fascinating look at life in the Middle Ages.

Listen to your heart

Confused about who you really are?  The same was true for the main character in Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan.  It's the early 1900s, and Rachel lives in British East Africa with her parents.  After an influenza epidemic kills both of them, she falls under the "care" of the Pritchards, a money-grabbing couple whose daughter Valerie also died of the flu. They convince Rachel to impersonate Valerie and visit Valerie's ill grandfather in England.  Afraid that she'll end up in an orphanage and that the truth of Valerie's death would be the end of Grandfather Pritchard, Rachel goes along with the plan.  But what she doesn't expect is to actually become fond of the elderly gentleman, who's definitely wiser than the Pritchards suspect.  Not only are the descriptions of life in both Africa and England wonderful, but the way in which Rachel eventually tells the real story and figures out how to get back to Africa leads to a very satisfying ending.

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!

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.

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?

Is this what our future will be like?

Lots to think about both during and after the reading of Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry.  Kira is a young girl with a deformed leg.  As the book opens, she has become an orphan and fears she will be cast out of her village.  However, the Council of Guardians sees that she has a very special talent for embroidery, and they decide that Kira's new job will be to care for the robe of the Singer, who wears it once a year during the village's Gathering.  While living at the Council's Edifice, Kira becomes friends with Thomas, an orphan with an amazing woodcarving talent who works on the Singer's staff.  Kira's new life at first seems ideal - a wonderful place to stay, plentiful food, and meaningful work.  But bit by bit (and I loved this about the book), I got an uneasy feeling that all was not well.  Whose voice does Thomas hear crying at night?  Do the "beasts" that supposedly killed Kira's father really exist?  What is in store for Kira's future?  I usually like stories that have everything wrapped up neat and tidy by the end, but I make an exception for this book, which would be fantastic for a book club to discuss.

Ride 'em, cowgirl!

Hold on to your hat, and get ready for an adventure - the action doesn't stop in The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis. After being orphaned, sisters Sallie and Maude March live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with stern Aunt Ruthie, but when she gets killed by a gunslinger's stray bullet, they're orphaned again. The girls disguise themselves as boys, take a couple of horses, and head to Independence, Missouri to try to find their only remaining relative, Uncle Arlen. Along the way, they always seem to be at the wrong place at the wrong time (like bank robberies), and soon the papers are full of articles on "Mad" Maude March and the crimes she (supposedly) committed. Sallie makes a pretty amusing narrator and it was fun to read about life on the prairie, but I didn't think the story line was always convincing - the appearances of Marion seemed to be too coincidental after a while, and the girls' attitude when Willie got killed was too indifferent. I liked the strong female characters, though, and I bet this would be a fun book to read aloud.