Next time I see a firefly...

...I bet I think of this book. The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba by Margarita Engle is as interesting as it is lyrical. Based in Cuba in the 1800s, the story is told in free verse in first person, alternating between Fredrika Bremer, a Swedish feminist visiting Cuba; Cecilia, a slave who misses her home in Africa and serves as Fredrika's translator; Elena, the slave-owner's daughter who lives in a "private world of silk and lace" but has surprisingly little freedom over her own life; and Beni, Cecilia's husband. A metaphor that is invoked repeatedly is that of cocuyos - fireflies. The natives catch them and put them into bottles to make lamps or weave them into their hair, while Fredrika and Cecilia buy the fireflies and set them free. I'd love to share this with a book club, taking turns to read aloud each very brief chapter, and talking about the freedoms and limitations of all the characters.

Know a good lawyer?

Author John Grisham is internationally know for the legal thrillers he's written for adults. I'd love to know what students think of his first book for middle schoolers, Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer. Theodore is 13, and his parents are both lawyers. He loves everything about the legal world and knows a heck of a lot about it, too. He's fascinated by a local murder trial - it seems like the accused man is guilty but will get away with his crime. The dilemma arises when Theo learns of an eyewitness, an illegal immigrant, who can probably get the guy convicted. However, the young man is afraid that if he comes forward he'll be deported. What should Theo do? It's a great premise for a book, but some of the story and dialogue didn't seem authentic to me, and too much was unresolved at the end. There's a fun Theodore Boone web site, but I think Grisham should stick to writing adult books.

Interesting, yet sad

Have you ever read a book and thought you should be liking it better or getting something more out of it? That's what happened with me when I read Red Moon at Sharpsburg by Rosemary Wells. The book received excellent reviews, but I had a hard time getting through it. You might love it, though! India Moody is twelve years old and lives in Virginia, the Confederate side of the Civil War. She balances the grief at watching her father go off to war and the horror at what she witnesses (war injuries and illnesses are never pleasant - even less so in the 1860s) with tutoring she receives from Emory Trimble in biology and chemistry, topics not deemed appropriate for young ladies of her day but for which she has a real love and talent. India grows and matures, assumes more and more responsibility for her family, and has difficult decisions to make when encountering some dead and wounded Yankee soldiers. Much research went into crafting this book, a very authentic telling of experiences during the War Between the States.

Brilliant + evil = really funny

I don't usually laugh out loud when I'm reading, but that wasn't the case as I cruised through I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb. Oliver is in 7th grade; his classmates think he's not too bright and at the bottom end of the popularity scale. They have no idea he's used his incredible brilliance to become the third richest person in the world. Oliver's got contraptions rigged all over school and unseen bodyguards everywhere, and he just has to mutter an order via the transmitter implanted in his jaw for his minions to carry out his every wish. (Doesn't like the couple making out in the hall? "Water sprinkler, sector 7" takes care of it.) But now he wants to win the class election - can he carry it off? Black-and-white photos and snarky footnotes add to the development of Oliver's wonderfully obnoxious character.

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.

Bet your summer isn't like this one

Your "what I did on my summer vacation" essay will probably never tell of an experience like that in One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. The year is 1968, and 11-year-old Delphine has been sent to Oakland, California, with her two younger sisters to spend a month with Celine, the mother she barely remembers. With no sign of a motherly bone in her body, Celine sends the girls to a community center run by the Black Panthers to spend every day, orders them out to pick up Chinese food for every dinner, and clearly tells her daughters, "No one told y'all to come out here." The story is told in the voice of Delphine, who is trying to care for her sisters, learning a new (to her) aspect of the black community, and hoping to gain some sign of affection from her mother. The humor of sisters bugging sisters blended with the serious historical information of a turbulent time make for a great read.

A fantastic book to listen to

I recently took an unexpected road trip by myself, and I thought that listening to an audiobook might help pass the time. Wow, did I luck out! Love, Ruby Lavender, written by Deborah Wiles and read by Judith Ivey, was a huge treat. Ruby lives in Halleluia, Mississippi, and her best friend is her feisty grandmother, Miss Eula. When Eula decides to visit her new grandbaby in Hawaii, Ruby is devastated. The two trade frequent letters, and Ruby describes how she's raising chickens (humorously "liberated" by Ruby and Eula in the opening of the book), making a new friend, Dove, and figuring out how to deal with irritating Melba Jane, whose father died in the same accident as Ruby's grandfather. Ivey's Mississippi accents were just amazing - every time Eula mentioned "Hu-wah-yuh" I felt like I sitting across the porch from her, sipping lemonade. Going on a road trip yourself? This audiobook will make the time fly.

Not your typical fairy tale

Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson is a fascinating story based on a Charles Perrault fairy tale. Set in pre-colonial India, stepsisters Diribani and Tana individually encounter the goddess Naghali-ji. Afterwards, gems and flowers tumble from Diribani's lips when she speaks, but Tana speaks toads, frogs, and snakes. Each of these abilities is a gift, and when the girls are separated, they are determined to discover the purpose behind the goddess's blessings. Although it seems as though Diribani is the luckier of the two, she's not as happy as one might expect. Alternating chapters focus on one stepsister or the other; the sights, sounds, and smells of the different cultural settings and customs that the girls encounter are vividly described. Read along, and in your imagination you can join the journeys, too.

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.