Shipwreck Island by S.A. Bodeen

Sarah is very angry with her father. Her mother has been dead for six years.  It has been just the two of them- -her father and herself-- against the world.  Now he has met and married Yvonna and moved her two sons Nacho and Marco into their luxurious California home from Texas.

“Tears welled up in Sarah’s eyes, and her throat felt thick. She whirled around striding away from their gate. How could he do that? How could he trust a virtual stranger like that? She’d read about these kinds of things happening, people meeting people online, marrying them, then stealing all their money.”

Her father and Yvonna decide to change their plans for a honeymoon to instead include Sarah, Marco, and Nacho.  It will be an exotic trip to Fiji.  They will sail among the islands and get to know each other as a family blended together.

When the ship Moonlight from Ends of the Earth Luxury Cruises turns out to be a ship in need of repair, both Marco and Sarah goad her father and Yvonna to continue with the excursion in the hopes that it will break up their parents’ month old marriage so their own lives can return to normal.

No one counted on a terrible sudden storm and the death of the ship’s captain!

Will the family “blend together” under the stress of this catastrophe? Will they survive Shipwreck Island?

Read Shipwreck Island to find out! There will definitely be a sequel to this book!

Hidden by Helen Frost

When Wren was eight years old, her mother’s car was stolen.  The scary part was that Wren was in the car but managed to remain hidden!

Days passed as Wren struggled to find a way to escape from the man’s home and garage where he was hiding the stolen vehicle. 

Wren didn't realize that people thought she may have been killed by whomever stole the car. No one knew that the perpetrator didn't even know she was in the car!

Fast forward six years. . . and the daughter of the man who stole the car, Darra, is at the same summer camp with Wren. Neither wants to discuss what happened. 

Read Hidden to find out if they can overcome the dramatic event which has linked them together.

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Ally Nickerson has made it to sixth grade but struggles daily with certain aspects of school-- basically reading and writing.

Here is how she describes how she succeeds in school:

                “I’ve always had one important rule in the classroom which is to try to lie low.  If I’m called upon, I’ll say, ‘I don’t’ know,’ even if I do.  I discovered that giving a teacher an answer makes them expect more from me, and then everyone gets disappointed.  If they never get an answer from me, they stop asking.”

Ally’s picked on mercilessly by a girl named Shay and her cohort Jessica.  Shay manages to make Ally feel stupid and dumb.

When a substitute teacher named Mr. Daniels takes over for Ally’s teacher while she is on maternity leave, he finds Ally to be extraordinarily talented in drawing and math.

Here is the advice Mr. Daniels gives Ally:

“Now don’t be so hard on yourself, okay? You know, a wise person once said,  “Everyone is smart in different ways.  But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking it’s stupid.”

Will Ally finally be taught a method to read and write which will work for the way her brain processes the written word?

Read this second book by the author of One for the Murphys to find out.

Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan

This novel is set in Tanzania, Africa in current day.  Habo is thirteen and the narrator of the story.

“Mother and I have always been like the two posts of a door frame, unable to move closer or farther away, and the emptiness that sits between us is the shape of my missing father.”

Habo’s father left the family as soon as he saw his fourth child – a “ghost child”- albino--born in a country where everyone has deep brown skin. Habo’s two other brothers are hostile to him.  Both brothers have to work extra hard in the coffee plantation to earn money for the family’s existence.  Habo’s fair skin and his ultra-sensitive eyes make it difficult for him to do much work outside due to sunburn and the blistering of his fair skin.

When his mother can no longer pay the rent for the farm where they live, the family travels a great distance to seek help from his mother’s sister’s family. In Mwanza where her sister lives, there is little room for extra guests, yet they are allowed to stay there until the mother can make enough money to locate somewhere on their own.

Habo and his family are totally unprepared to learn that it won’t be safe for the family to stay in Mwanza. The problem is quite dire.  Any albino is being hunted down, killed, and the body parts are being sold as good luck pieces. Even albinos who have lived long lives in Mwanza are being butchered in their homes by men much like the poachers of animals who kill endangered animals for their ivory tusks or their horns.

In the small home of his aunt, they arrange a hiding place for Habo behind stacks of corn. Here he spends his days while the rest go out to work or school. Only his youngest nephew is at home with him. When one of the animal poachers finds Habo, Habo knows he must flee or be the next albino killed. His is a hallowing tale of escape and then of the redeeming of his life in a totally new city.

What will Habo’s family do now to survive? How will they protect him? Read Golden Boy to find out.

Saving Bone by Shelley Stoehr

I loved, loved, loved the special relationship of the two main characters in Saving Bone!

Izzy (short for Isobel) and Seven (really Steven, but his father left off the “t” on his official birth certificate) are true best friends.

When Seven shows Izzy that a dog in their neighborhood is being abused by its owner, they hatch a plan to rescue the dog they affectionately call Bone.

There are reasons that Seven is so intent on rescuing the defenseless dog Bone. His home life has left him powerless and fueled his anger to undo any injustice he sees.

Read this charming book about friendship.

Just how far will Izzy and Seven’s friendship be tested?

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

I really enjoyed this well-written book.  However, I am only recommending this title to mature readers.

The narrator, Cadence Sinclair Eastman, has suffered a major trauma which affects her ability to remember clearly the events of her fifteenth summer. The memory loss makes her an inconsistent narrator. As a reader, one cannot truly guarantee that events occurred as Cadence recalls them.

Cadence’s extended family (her mother’s two sister and families) spends summers on their privately owned island off the coast of Massachusetts. Beechwood Island has four huge houses (one for each of the Sinclair daughters and one for their father & mother.) Cadence has spent each summer of her life at Beechwood.

Her two cousins, Johnny and Mirren, are her best friends. The three have always been affectionately known as just “the cousins,” but the year they were eight, Gat Patil came to the island with Cadence’s Aunt Carrie. After that the four were known as the liars.

Gat was different from the line of Sinclairs. His skin bore the color of Indian dissent. Cadence’s granddad and grandma did not accept him.

Cadence’s affection for this boy who is different is evident, “Gat was my love, my first and only. How could I let him go?”

The trauma that occurs shatters the entire Sinclair line, but especially Cadence.

Read, We Were Liars to find out what could possibly have gone so wrong on such an idyllic summer island.

Crossover by Kwame Alexander

A novel in FREE VERSE

Josh Bell is an ace on the basketball court- -the star of the team! Despite this achievement his nickname is Filthly McNasty.  He earned this name by being so untidy with the way he didn’t organize or clean his room, but the name stuck and his fans and parents love to scream it at his games when he scores.

 

Josh is also a rapper and his story is told in “quarters” as if he is playing a basketball game.  His father is his greatest coach and supporter.  An athlete in his own right, Josh wishes his dad would let him wear his champion ring that he won back in his day…but the answer is “No.”

Josh’s story told through verse is really the story of his twin brother Jordan, also a basketball star, his mom, a doctor, and his Chuck Bell, known fondly as “DaMan” during his heyday as well as his dazzling crossover on the court.

The book’s title The Crossover has a duel meaning in the book.

Sports enthusiasts who enjoy the game of basketball should really enjoy this novel in free verse.

 

 

One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

You think you have it bad as a teenager? What if you were raised by a single, selfish mother in Las Vegas who always picked the wrong type of guys and then marries them!

Carley Connor’s life hits a real low when her mother’s new husband, Dennis, beats her up and then attacks Carley’s mom.  A long hospital stay and rehabilitation for her mom means that Carley must be placed in foster care.

The Murphys are like no one Carley has ever known.  Mrs. Murphy is too good to be true.  She actually listens to Carley!  Michael, Eric, and Adam are the sweetest boys, but the oldest son Daniel really has a chip on his shoulder.  Mrs. Murphy is a Red Sox fanatic!  Carley finds herself wondering, “Can I really find a place in such a family?”

If you enjoy reading realistic fiction, this book is a perfect choice for you.

You will be cheering Carley on--hoping her past experiences with her inadequate mother won’t prevent her from learning what a true family’s love feels like.

Mindblind by Jennifer Roy

Nathaniel Clark is brilliant. At eleven he graduated college! His scores on the SAT were perfect.  His ability to solve complex mathematic problems is beyond most people’s comprehension.  Nat’s latest dilemma is what graduate school he should apply to and what course of study he should undertake.

There are other issues in Nathaniel’s life, however. He has a condition known as Asperger’s- -his ability to understand and express his emotions makes him socially inept.

Nat’s condition has caused his parents to react in very different ways.  His mother is his rock, while his father’s treatment of him seems abusive.  The parents divorce.

If you have ever wondered what it would be like to see the world through someone’s eyes who is a high-functioning autistic person with Asperger’s, this book will clearly fit the bill!

Wonderstruck by Bruce Selznick

If you read and enjoyed The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, you most certainly will also enjoy Wonderstruck!

Selznick has created a new genre of fiction--part fictional storytelling--part graphic novel.

Plagued by repeated dreams of wolves chasing him on a cold winter’s night, Ben lives just 83 steps away from the house he used to live in with his mother.  After her tragic death, Ben is being raised by his mother’s sister and her family in their cabin on Gunflint Lake in Minnesota.  Ben’s story is told in a traditional written format using text.

Rose is the central character of the graphic novel.  She lives in Hoboken, New Jersey, fifty years before Ben’s birth.  Her story is told through detailed illustrations.  Born deaf, she rebels against her parents and runs away to New York City where her brother Walter lives.  She is desperate to become educated and overcome her extreme isolation.

In a very cleverly written plot, the two characters meet.  What they have in common will surprise the reader!

Enjoy this beautifully told story.

 

The Survivors by Will Weaver

The Survivors by Will Weaver is a sequel to The Memory Boy. My major dilemma as a reader of this realistic fiction piece was that Will Weaver wrote it in 2012 yet set the story in 2008. The entire premise of the story rests upon a world forever changed due to an environmental disaster—volcanic eruption-- that has caused the climate to change. As readers deeply enter into a story, we have to be able to suspend our disbelief and enter into the world created for us in the book. My personal problem was how to enter into the story when I lived through 2008 and this environmental disaster never took place.

Given that problem with the setting of the novel, I can’t give it a stellar rating. Here is what I can say about the title.

It is about a family from Minneapolis, Minnesota who find themselves thrust back to living off the grid in a shack previously owned by a Mr. Kurz. Since the family can’t live in their plush suburban home due to the lack of electricity, heat, food sources, etc., they are forced to survive through nature by hunting and trapping. Miles, the teenage son, is the source of knowledge for the family. He has Mr. Kurz’s journals that tell how to live off the land. He met Mr. Kurz when he volunteered in a nursing home. Sarah, Miles’ younger sister, clearly has the most attitude adjustment to make in regards to their predicament. Their parents, Nat and Artie, clearly find it difficult to make the changes that will help them all survive the bitter winter.

I think students might enjoy the book more than I did as they will probably not be as bothered by the flaw of setting this novel in 2008 when everyone knows no volcanic disaster occurred.

 

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Endearing is how I would describe this realistic chick lit title The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen.

 Emaline lives with her dad (who adopted her when she was three), her mom Emily and two stepsisters—Margo and Amber-- in a small coastal community which comes alive during the summers as a vacation location for many. Since Emaline’s family is in the realty business, she is working during the summer following her senior year in high school as one of the go to people for anything that goes wrong in the many properties that her family’s realty company manages.

Emaline and her boyfriend of three years—Luke—have an easy going relationship that is about to see some changes as the summer season begins.

Ivy, a documentary filmmaker from New York and her intern Theo, rent Sand Dollars, one of the most exclusive properties that is managed by Emaline’s family’s business. There in the small berg called Colby, they hope to interview and film the reclusive artist named Clyde Conway. Their job proves most difficult as Clyde wants to maintain his low profile in Colby.

Will Ivy and Theo succeed in shooting their documentary? Will the people of Colby accept them? Will Emaline’s and Luke’s relationship survive the summer before they set off for college? Will the arrival of Emaline’s biological father and her stepbrother Benji cause Emaline to grow and change in unexpected ways?

Read this realistic summer chick lit title to find out!

 

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielsen

When I first looked at the book cover for this novel, I thought to myself, “This is going to be a fun, carefree book to read. It is probably about super heroes because there is a muscular looking cartoon character on the front.”

Surprisingly, I found this book to be quite a serious look at what happens to a family after one of its sons kills a fellow student who has relentlessly bullied him for years at his high school and then turns the gun on himself leading to his own suicide. I recommend this title to mature readers only.

Henry K. Larsen and his father have moved across Canada after Jesse killed Scott and then himself. They hope to start their lives fresh. Henry’s mother has had a nervous breakdown following the tragedy which has ravaged their family. She has been hospitalized near where the IT took place. (IT is how Henry refers to the tragedy.) Henry has been instructed by his grief counselor to keep a journal—thus the title of the book—The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen.

Despite Henry’s resistance to keep the journal, he eventually expands on his entries. This is how the reader comes to know the angst that he and his whole family are suffering.

The funny, muscular cartoon character on the book jacket is due to Henry’s family’s fascination with the wrestling world on television.

Readers who want to understand the deep emotional toll and what happens to the remaining family members after a horrific school shooting death and subsequent suicide will gain much by reading this title.

Almost Home by Joan Bauer

This is a very dear story about a strong girl who loves her new puppy as much as she loves writing poetry.

“I need a real house and a normal family,” says  Sugar Mae Cole. She has had a tough life.  Her mother Reba and she are living in Missouri in the house her mother and her grandfather owned.  “King Cole” her grandfather has passed on.

Sugar’s mother falls behind in her bills.  She can’t pay their mortgage.  Before they know it, they’re put out on the street.  Homeless!

Sugar’s father, Mr. Leeland, is a constant drain on Reba.  He promises her the world and delivers on absolutely nothing.  He is a gambler, totally untrustworthy.  Yet he continues to be able to hoodwink Sugar’s mother.

When a promised job in Chicago falls through and Reba and Sugar have nowhere to go, Reba suffers a mental breakdown.

At age twelve, Sugar finds herself in the lead role of her family.

How will they survive in the homeless shelter?  Will the help Reba receives in the hospital be able to bring her back from the brink of losing her mind?  Will the puppy, named Shush, be allowed in the foster home?  How will Sugar Mae find her way back home? Read this touching book to find out!

Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt

Doug Swieteck is the youngest son in a family of three boys. His older brother Lucas is serving in Vietnam. Chris is two years older than Doug and is merciless in his torment of Doug. Doug’s father is verbally and emotionally abusive- a very selfish, emotionally needy father. Luckily, Doug’s mother is loving and supportive.
When Doug’s family is forced to move out of New York City to a small town, Marysville, when Doug’s dad loses his job, Doug detests everything about his new circumstances. Everybody knows everyone else’s business in Marysville!

Doug meets Lil Spicer. Her dad owns the local grocery and is in need of a delivery boy on Saturday mornings.

Will Doug be able to adjust to his new school? Can he survive the treatment by his physical education teacher recently back from Vietnam? Will Doug find other adults who can help him navigate school and life in Marysville?

Despite the treatment of Doug by his father, this is a heartwarming story which both girls and boys should enjoy.

 

Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Jack isn’t like most eleven-year olds.  His mom has “spinning” episodes when her mind spins out of control because she fails to take her medication properly.  She has one of these “episodes” when Jack and she are on vacation at Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, Maine.  Jack wakes up in his small Hubba tent to find his mother has left him alone at the campsite.  When he gets his wits about him, he phones her cell phone and leaves a message, “Where are you?”  His mom never responds to his call.

Jack fends for himself--desperate to keep this abandonment from an authority figure.  He fears his mom will be arrested and he will be permanently removed from her care.  He has no one else who can take him in as his mom has told Jack his grandmother can’t be trusted.

But how does an 11 year-old without any money survive by himself so far from home?  Will he resort to stealing food?  Lying?  Will anyone help him?  And just where has his mother spun away to this time?

Small as an Elephant is a truly delightful, dear story of a young boy struggling to protect his mother yet fending for himself.

Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson

Laurel has a beautiful name. It means “stays green forever.”  The plant laurel will be green even in the middle of winter- -giving hope for the spring.

Laurel’s family in Pass Christian, Mississippi suffered a tremendous loss when her mother and her grandmother died in a hurricane.

Now it is just Laurel, her dedicated father and her much younger brother Jesse Jr. When Laurel and her family move to Galilee, Laurel meets Kaylee and T-Boom.  Laurel and Kaylee are both cheerleaders--full of life as 15 year olds.  T-Boom is the captain of the basketball team.  When he introduces Laurel to “Moon” (Meth), she is instantly transported to a state of mind where she doesn’t’ have to deal with her family’s losses.  Her drug use spirals out of control.

Will her father’s efforts to save her, keep Laure off Moon? Will his prayers and the church’s efforts reach her in time to save her life?

Read this sensitive portrayal of drug addiction--Beneath a Meth Moon-- gone awry to find out.

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

Georges (pronounced as if the “s” is silent at the end of his name) has had to move with his mom and dad from a house to an apartment in Brooklyn.  His dad has lost his job and decided to start his own company.  Georges’ mom is a nurse.

At the apartment building he meets a rather strange family.  Candy (aged 10), Safer (Georges’ age) and Pigeon--an older boy and their much laid back “bohemian” parents who have home schooled the kids.

Safer befriends Georges.  He has a “spy club.”  He teaches Georges about making observations of people, the tracking of people’s daily habits, etc. to scope out potential problem people in their building. Georges stops playing along with Safer’s ideas when he suggests breaking into and entering the mysterious Mr. X’s apartment when he is away.

Georges has problems at school. Two relentless bullies, Dallas and Carter,  are making his life at school miserable. His standard response to them is to not respond; he just takes it. This is not the best way to deal with bullies.

Will Georges’ new friend Safer succeed in finding out about the mysterious Mr. X?  Will Georges’ parents have to intervene to end the incessant bullying at school?

Read Liar and Spy to find out.

 

The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Chingis and his younger brother Nergui appear one day in the classroom of Mrs. Spendlove in the town of Bootle, England. They aren’t from around Bootle or nearby Liverpool. Rather they are from Mongolia.

No one knows what to make of either of the brothers. Chingis insists on keeping his much younger brother with him in the 6^th grade class to “protect him from the demon.” This is so strange sounding to the other students and the teacher that no one can understand it.

Julie is just a normal English student wishing a boy named Shocky would take notice of her and longing to be invited to her friend Mimi’s house after school. She is inquisitive enough to do research about Mongolia so she can better understand these odd cultural differences apparent by the brothers.

Chingis, however, has other demands of Julie. He takes her photo and writes below it these words: Good Guide. Since Mongols are nomads, the brothers will need a guide to help them learn the ways of the school and sports, etc. They have chosen Julie!

Julie rises to the occasion, but her new position causes her to question everything about these strange brothers.

This is an absolutely delightful, quick read. The story is written in a very endearing manner.

Students who like this title will also enjoy reading Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai.

 

The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

 

Warning- although this book, The Yellow Birds, was marketed as being suitable for a YA audience, I feel a warning about graphic language and graphic war-time injuries are necessary.

The book begins with Private Bartle’s transition to his life in Richmond, Virginia after his return from the Iraq war. The story is eventually told how Private Bartle promises Murphy’s mother that he will look out for 18-year-old Murph in Iraq. 

Toward the end of the book, Murph’s bizarre behavior under the stress and trials of war lead to his capture.  Private Bartle agonizes over the consequences of the capture and the whereabouts of his friend.

Mature readers who like to read about what it is really like in war time will enjoy this title.