Can he keep his illiteracy a secret?

If you're looking for a thought-provoking title for a middle or high school book club, this it is: Bluefish by Pat Schmatz.  Travis's parents are dead, and he's being raised by his grandfather, a recovering alcoholic. When they move to a tiny house in a small town, Travis not only has the typical new-student issues to deal with, but he has an additional problem - he can't read, and he doesn't want anyone to know.  He's quickly noticed by Velveeta, a funky, outgoing student who's hiding secrets of her own, and Mr. McQueen, a very cool teacher who's figured out Travis's reading difficulty and wants to help. The story alternates between chapters told by a narrator and short blurbs that Velveeta is writing to Calvin, someone (a friend? relative? you'll figure it out) who has recently passed away.  The feelings of the characters are impressively real and poignant and raw...and sometimes funny.  Although the ending is satisfying, by no means does it tie up all the loose ends, so the reader is empowered to imagine what happens next.

Stunning portrayal of autism

I was absolutely mesmerized by Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin.  The story is told from the point of view of Jason, a 12-year-old boy who is autistic.  He struggles with social interactions and making friends, but he's an excellent writer.  Through Storyboard, the online forum where he posts his creative writing, he makes a connection with another writer named Rebecca.  When he learns that he may actually meet her in person at a Storyboard convention, he starts to panic: he's terrified that she'll only "see" his autism and not who he really is.  Reading how one autistic child views the world, his family, and even himself was both fascinating and enlightening, and his self-acceptance at the end of the book (hinted at in the story he's been writing) was beautiful.  An excellent book, especially for anyone affected by or interested in autism.

World War I from a different point of view

Interesting that the book War Horse by Michael Morpurgo is aimed at younger (3rd to 6th grade) readers, but the recently released movie is for viewers who are older.  The book is told from the point of view of Joey, a beautiful red bay horse.  Joey is sold at a young age to a farmer who has little use for him. Fortunately, the farmer's son Albert is a sensitive young boy who takes wonderful care of Joey, and the two become very close.  But they wonder if they'll ever meet again, when World War I breaks out and Albert's father sells Joey to the army.  Soon Joey is in the trenches in France: pulling guns, hauling ambulance wagons, and witnessing the horrors of war.  Soldiers from both sides share their thoughts with Joey; not too surprisingly, these thoughts are quite similar and express the anti-war message the book is designed to deliver.  There are some sad parts, but overall the book is a good choice for fans of horses or historical fiction.  

Magic in the '50s

It's impossible to pick one genre description for The Apothecary by Maile Meloy.  The story includes bits of historical fiction, adventure, mystery, and even fantasy, which makes for an interesting (but sometimes confusing) read.  The time is 1952, and Janie and her family have just moved from the U.S. to London.  Janie becomes friends with Benjamin Burrows, whose father is an apothecary (a British term for pharmacist).  After Benjamin's father is apparently kidnapped, the two friends are not only left with a 700-year-old book of magic potions. but they learn that Mr. Burrows is actually part of an international group of scientists that are trying to contain the destructive power of a bomb being developed by the Soviets.  They also contend with a mysterious garden, a teacher who may be a double agent, and Pip, a friendly and mischievous pickpocket.  If you prefer a logical and consistent plot, you may want to pass this one up, but if you enjoy adventure, check it out.

Fascinating - and unsettling - piece of history

Even if you're not usually a fan of historical fiction, there's a good chance you'll be captivated by Jefferson's Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.  The book tells about Beverly, Harriet, Maddy, and Eston, the children of Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings.  In some ways, the children got special treatment, but - and this is huge - they were still slaves, and even though everyone at their home at Monticello knew who their father was, they were never supposed to mention it.  Told through the eyes of some of the sons, the story includes the determination of Sally to see her children set free when they turn 21, the horrors of slavery, and the contradictions of Jefferson - how could he have written the Constitution - "all men are created equal" - and still own slaves?  Powerful, spellbinding, and heart-breaking.

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.

"Words have always swirled around me like snowflakes"

I have to admit I was a little nervous to read Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, because I knew it was about a girl with cerebral palsy and I was afraid the book would be too sad.  Yes, it has some sad parts, but what an incredible book!  Melody is in fifth grade and tells the story of what it's like to have a body that is severely limited and a mind that is brilliant.  For most of her life, she's had no way to communicate; nobody knows how smart she is, and she's had to spend the school day in a special ed classroom, watching mind-numbing cartoons and listening to nursery rhymes.  She eventually gets a computer-based communication board that she can operate with her thumbs.  Her world opens up - to an extent - and she makes her school's Quiz Bowl team, only to be ostracized and bullied by some of the other team members.  Despite the tension, can the team make it to the national competition in Washington, D.C.?  This would be great for a book club discussion or for anyone affected by or interested in kids with disabilities.

Absolutely original fantasy

I was blown away by the creativity of Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor.  Sunny lives in Nigeria; although she has West African features, she's an albino - her pale skin and hair get her teased and bullied a lot.  She eventually makes friends with Orlu, Chichi, and Sasha and learns that all of them are Leopard People, witches with magical abilities.  Soon she learns how to become invisible, call forth her spirit face, and even work beginner's juju spells.  The four friends are surprised (and afraid) to learn that the elders have selected them to destroy Black Hat Otokoto, a menacing serial killer who's going after the local children.  Each of the foursome has a distinct personality (Chichi is sassy, Sasha's got an attitude), and it's cool to watch them discover and master their powers - they actually earn money "by gaining knowledge and wisdom."  But above all, the imagery in this book is amazing, from the funky train and magic of juju knives to ghosthoppers and the terrifying, evil spirit of Ekwensu.  Come visit the world of Leopard Knocks!

Teeny tiny adventure

I'm ready to go back to the Art Institute of Chicago before after reading The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone.  Ruthie and Jack are on a field trip to the Art Institute when they see the exhibit called the Thorne Rooms - 68 miniature rooms that show different times in U.S. and European history.  They discover a magical key that can shrink them down to a height of five inches, just the right size for exploring the rooms.  They're surprised to find out that they aren't the first people to do this, and they're even more shocked to discover that they can actually enter the periods of time that the rooms represent.  Details of the rooms are fascinating, and it's fun to read how Ruthie and Jack solve problems that come up when they're so small.  Fans of Chasing Vermeer or From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler will appreciate this teeny tiny adventure.

Grounded for the summer!

Okay - after a week of insanely hot weather and power outages, I'm back in the swing of things with Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos.  Somewhat of an autobiography, the story tells about 12-year-old Jack, who's grounded for the summer of 1962 after goofing around with his dad's old Japanese rifle and shooting it off by mistake.  About the only way out of the house is to help Miss Volker, an elderly woman with arthritic hands, by writing down her eloquently spoken obituaries for the unusually high number of old woman in Norvelt who are passing away. Although a lot of the story is funny, be warned that there's some gore: Jack is prone to impressive and frequent nosebleeds, and one of his friends teaches him about some of the finer aspects of dealing with dead bodies at her father's funeral home.  Between Girl Scout cookies, Hell's Angels, a fake (or maybe not) bomb shelter, and the mystery of the dying residents, there's a lot going on in this book that won the 2012 Newbery.