A true gem

What an absolutely enchanting book! Diamond Willow by Helen Frost is told in first person; twelve-year-old Willow's narration is in diamond-shaped verse, each one containing a secondary message in bold type. Willow lives in remote Alaska. She helps her father care for their sled dogs and is finally allowed to mush the dogs to her Grandma and Grandpa's by herself. On the way home she has an accident that blinds her favorite dog, Roxy. After learning that her parents plan on putting Roxy to sleep, Willow enlists the friend of her friend Kaylie to rush Roxy back to her grandparents', but a blinding blizzard leaves them stranded in the forest overnight. Unbeknownst to the girls, the spirits of their ancestors, in the form of various animals, provide protection and guidance. A surprising family secret is revealed about two-thirds of the way through the book, and the voices of the animal ancestors become even more meaningful. The touches of magical realism are simply delightful.

On a more serious note

With a title as goofy as Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, written by Jordan Sonnenblick, I figured this book would provide a light-hearted read. Yes, some parts were pretty funny, but others were deadly serious. Steven is an eighth-grader concerned with typical middle school issues: his impressive drumming talent, a mild obsession with beautiful Renee, and his annoying little brother Jeffrey. Then Jeffrey is diagnosed with leukemia, and the roller-coaster begins. Their mother quits her job to deal with doctors, hospitals, and endless cancer tests and treatments; their father worries about finances and becomes withdrawn; Steven takes refuge with his drums and the All-City High School Band which he was talented enough to join. His emotions are realistically described, ranging from elation after a conversation with Renee to fury at feeling neglected by his parents, from being "in the zone" with his drumming to worry for Jeffrey. Get the tissues - you'll want to laugh and cry with this book.

No lie...this was mesmerizing

I absolutely couldn't put down this his sophisticated story, best for readers in 8th grade and up. What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell takes place at the end of World War II. Fifteen-year-old Evie, her stepdad Joe, and her movie-star-beautiful mother Beverly go to Palm Beach, Florida, supposedly on a vacation. It's the off-season - an unusual time to visit. While there, Evie meets charming and handsome Peter, an army buddy of Joe's, and falls in love with him. But all is not as it seems, and (spoiler alert!) after Joe, Beverly, and Peter go on a boating trip, Peter ends up dead, while Joe and Beverly become murder suspects. Blundell's writing was incredibly evocative of the post-war 1940s, from the slang and clothing to racism and the relations between different socioeconomic groups. Winner of the 2008 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.

From the mountains of North Carolina

Twelve-year-old Dovey is the likable, plain-spoken narrator in Dovey Coe by Frances O'Roark Dowell. This fast-paced story takes place in the 1920s in small and poor Indian Creek, North Carolina. Dovey's beautiful older sister Caroline dreams of going away to a teacher's college, but that idea doesn't sit well with Parnell Caraway, son of the richest man in town. Parnell want to marry Caroline, but Dovey lets us know he's "the meanest, vainest, greediest man who ever lived. Seventeen years old and rotten to the core." After being publicly rejected by Caroline, Parnell gets revenge by locking up one of the dogs of Amos, Dovey and Caroline's brother who is deaf. When Dovey goes to retrieve the dog, things go wrong - Dovey gets knocked out, Parnell has been killed, and Dovey is falsely accused of his murder. The mountain dialect used in this book is authentic (although some readers may struggle with it a bit), the setting is described in a wonderful way, and ending is definitely a satisfying one.

A book for book lovers

Since school is out, I thought I'd tackle a longer book, and this one was definitely worth the effort. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke is a wonderful story, but it's especially enjoyable if the reader loves not just books, but the whole reading experience. The main character is Meggie; she loves to read, and her father Mo is a book-binder. A mysterious stranger named Dustfinger appears; first, he gives Mo a warning, but then he betrays Mo and takes him to the village of the incredibly evil Capricorn. Meggie learns that nine years ago, while Mo was reading out loud to Meggie's mother, he read some characters out of a book and brought them to life, while sending Meggie's mother into the same book. Capricorn, one of these characters, now wants Mo to read someone (or is it something?) else out of the book...the terrifying "Shadow." Each chapter begins with a quote from another book that gives an idea of what to expect. These were great, but my favorite quote was from Inkheart itself. Meggie learns that she may have the same gift as her father, and she was getting ready to read aloud something of great importance: "Every letter, she thought, every single letter matters! Let the words echo, ring out, whisper and rustle and roll like thunder."

A Newbery treasure

Quite deserving of the Newbery Award it won, Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis is a wonderful blend of humor, tenderness, and historical fiction. The story is set in 1936 in Flint, Michigan. Bud is a 10-year-old running away from the orphanage and the latest (horrible) foster home. He doesn't know anything about his father, but he has a clue: a flyer, left by his mother, of Herman E. Calloway and his band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression!!!!!! Convinced that Calloway is his father, Bud sets out to find him, taking his beat-up suitcase of treasured belongings and keeping in mind Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself. I loved the description of the Great Depression, Bud's perception of life (he remembers Momma reading Twenty Thousand Leaks Under the Sea), and the way the band members embrace Bud's entrance into their lives. This would be a great book for sharing as a read-aloud.

Found a great one!

The action, adventure, and time travel in Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix had me hooked from the start! A plane mysteriously appears at an airport, and the only passengers are thirty-six babies...not an adult - even a pilot - in sight. Thirteen years later, two 13-year-old friends, Jonah and Chip start receiving threatening messages like, "Beware! They're coming back to get you." Jonah thinks it has something to do with the fact that he's adopted, and soon Chip learns that he's adopted as well. The boys learn that the FBI was involved with their adoptions, and together with Jonah's sister, Katherine, the three find out about lists of "Survivors" and "Witnesses," see two people appear or disappear, and end up in a time travel trap in a cliffhanger ending. This fast-paced and thought-provoking book is the first in the Missing series; Sent is on the shelves, and Sabotaged will be published in August 2010.

Can you keep a secret?

Well, this really isn't a secret - this book was a blast! A wacky combination of humor, mystery, and adventure, The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch reminded me of the Lemony Snicket books I used to read with my kids. Cass and her friend Max-Ernst discover two things left behind by a supposedly dead magician: a notebook (with missing pages, of course) and the "Symphony of Smells," a box containing vials of different scents. Soon they discover that the creepy Dr. L. and his equally creepy partner Ms. Mauvais want the notebook, too, because they think it contains the secret to...what? Immortality? And what does synesthesia - a confusion of the senses - have to do with it all? If you like action, riddles, and The Series of Unfortunate Events, put THIS book on your reading list.

History and mystery...

I liked this book for so many reasons that I'm not sure where to start! The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler takes place in 18th-century Japan. Seikei is a tea merchant's son, but he dreams of becoming a samurai. When a priceless ruby is stolen, Seikei is the only person to have seen the thief, and the famous samurai magistrate Judge Ooka asks for Seikei's help in solving the mystery. The description of the Japanese culture of the times is outstanding; the contrast between Judge Ooka's slow, methodical approach to the crime and Seikei's urge to just nab the criminal (you'll have a good idea who it is) was fun to follow; and the ending was both exciting and unexpected. Fans of both adventure and mystery will enjoy the action in this story of a boy who shows the courage and honor of a samurai.

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.