The Eternal Sea

Frazier, Angie. (2011). The eternal sea. New York: Scholastic.  Camille Rowen, 17, bears a weighty responsibility on her shoulders. Having chosen to use an enchanted stone known as Umandu, to bring back to life Oscar, the man she loves, she is haunted by the knowledge that she chose his life over her father's. All of these events and more were described in the previous book, Everlasting. Readers would be advised to check that one out first in order to prevent disorientation as they read The Eternal Sea. But Oscar is determined to head to Egypt in search of the companion stone--and he plans to do without Camille. Determined to figure out what has prompted the changes in Oscar that seem to have left him cold and distant, Camille manages to follow him. Randall Jackson, the man Camille's father selected as her fiance, also meets up with them, and the two try to outdo one another in claiming her affections. Improbably, Camille finds that she is attracted to both men and is unable to choose between them. As she sleeps each night, she doesn't dream of her suitors, though, but of the Forelands and of an icy region where she is attacked by a female wolf. Determined, earthy, and brave, Camille never stops in her determination to reach those lands and save Oscar's soul.

The author has created a decidedly frightening underworld with a sea in which dead folks float about and reach out to grab living humans for their warmth. There are enough puzzles, hieroglyphics, chases, and exotic locales to please lovers of adventure stories. Reader interest is heightened by the difficulty in distinguishing between the good and the bad guys as well as by Camille's romantic vacillation. Give the author plaudits, though, for creating a heroine who doesn't simply pine for love and rely on others to save her, but rather plots her own course.

Favorite Lines:

"The color of the sky wasn't the same the next day. The bleached horizon and the impossibly blue dome had a yellow tinge to it, as if draped with a muslin sheet. Maggie didn't need her napkin and plate hat, and the apples of Camille's cheeks no longer ached from squinting" (p. 265).

Cleopatra's Moon

Shecter, Vicky Alvear. (2011). Cleopatra's moon. New York: Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic. The story of Queen Cleopatra of Egypt has been told and retold many times, but this story, told from the point of view of her daughter, Cleopatra Selene, offers a unique and interesting perspective on the saga.

Want to Go Private?

Littman, Sarah Darer. (2011). Want to go private? New York: Scholastic. Starting high school is often a frightening experience for anyone, but Abby Johnston knows that at least she can count on the friendship of her BFF, Faith. But the two freshmen have only one class together, and Faith is more interested in expanding her circle of friends and getting involved in school activities than Abby is, which results in an ever-increasing distance between the two. Abby turns inward, and becomes deeply involved in an online relationship with Luke who seems to have so much in common with her and to empathize with her feelings about high school. They spend more and more time in private chat rooms, and the allure of this online relationship is so much more attractive for Abby than real life high school where one of the alpha males never remembers her name even while managing to copy her homework. Even though her science lab partner is obviously interested in her, Abby has become too dependent on Luke to pay much attention to him. When she doesn't hear from him for a period of time, she becomes depressed and obsessed with trying to find out why he has stopped their online chats. Although it isn't obvious to Abby, who is sure that they love each other despite their age difference--Luke says he's 27--Luke knows exactly how to manipulate her into taking pictures of sexually provocative poses. As the days pass, Abby spends hours online, neglecting her homework and going without sleep. When a particular low math test score prompts parental punishment, Abby and Luke decide to meet. Abby runs away from home, leaving her friends, parents, and the police to locate her before it's too late. Naturally, Abby is devastated when she learns the truth about Luke, and she must deal with the ugly gossip when she returns to school.

What is particularly chilling about this cautionary tale is the ease with which Luke was able to break down all of Abby's barriers and say all the right things to keep her interested in him. Even though her moodiness, poor grades, and increasing isolation as she spends so much time online are signs that something is wrong, no one recognizes those signs until it is too late to help. Being smart and informed may not be enough for vulnerable teens who need protection from sexual predators who prey on their innocence.  The author provides additional resources for Internet safety in the backmatter. This is an important book to share with teen readers.

Favorite Lines:

“I feel bathed in warmth, like someone’s wrapped me in a snuggly fleece blanket” (p. 91).

“While Luke is watching, like a hawk watching a mouse it’s going to eat for dinner” (p. 103).

“Her words shatter me like a plate-glass window” (p. 259).

The Rites & Wrongs of Janice Wills

Pearson, Joanna. (2011). The rites & wrongs of Janice Wills. New York: Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic. Despite her feelings about the local beauty/talent pageant, Junior Janice Wills decides to enter the contest as part of her anthropological study of adolescents. Janice considers herself unattractive, awkward, and socially inept, and simply doesn't understand the social whirl and pecking order that exists around her. She has friends, but they aren't in the most popular set. In order to understand the behavior of the teens around her--and maybe to find a way to fit in or as a defense mechanism--Janice observes and records her observations about the various groups in her high school, Melva, North Carolina. She creates categories for her classmates such as The Smart Pretty, The Dumb Pretty, The Softball Husky, Hipster Hippie, Formerly Homeschooled, and Beautiful Rich Girl, and describes them in most uncomplimentary ways. I'd have loved to have more development for the members of each of these groups, but she focuses primarily on one group. The book includes Anthropological Observations at the start of each chapter as well as some field notes inside the chapters. Many of those comments are sarcastic and dead-on.

My enjoyment of the book decreased, though, once Janice decides that she will enter the Miss Melva Livermush pageant--a female rite of passage in the town--in order to observe and write about it from an insider's point of view. She doesn't really do so, and seems to actually be giving her best effort to succeed in the pageant. I grew tired of the description of rehearsals of how to walk, putting on makeup and doing the hair, and donning the gowns for the competition, and I wasn't particularly interested in the talent portion of the competition. I longed for the snarkier Janice, and while Janice is probably happier and better adjusted after her pageant experience, things seemed to be wrapped up too neatly for my tastes in the end. Still, any author that can conceive of a term and practice such as"slirting" (basically, flirting with guys who have no chance with you and then acting all surprised when they are attracted, kind of a combination of slumming and flirting) is one to watch in the future.

Favorite Lines:

“I had met Margot the first day of middle school. There, in the lonely, teeming cafeteria, she had smiled and cleared a space for my tray on the lunch table when I, a shipwrecked sailor on the social seas, asked quietly if I could pull up a chair” (p. 9).

“I thought of Ruth Benedict approaching the Pueblo people n New Mexico for the first time. I thought of Margaret Mead and the Dobu in New Guinea. I took a breath and prepared myself: Janice Wills, field anthropologist, about to enter the world of a true Melva High School bash” (p. 93).

My Big Mouth

Hannan, Peter. (2011). My big mouth. New York: Scholastic. Ninth grader Davis Delaware moves to a new school with only a few months left in the academic year. This is a chance for a fresh start. He and his father are still mourning the loss of his mother who died earlier, and in some respects, Davis is relieved to leave behind his old school where he accidentally peed on a girl while heading down the slide, prompting him much teasing and earning him the honor of having a sign posted on his back that reads "Urine Trouble." Maybe he can find a way to blend in and escape notice in his new school. He gains a bit of attention when his lyrics are read aloud in English class, and he becomes known as a budding poet. But when Molly, one of the school's popular ninth graders, catches his eye, he invites her to join a band he is starting with Edwin, a geeky motormouth, things start looking up. Anyone can form a band and play instruments, but not everyone can write song lyrics, after all. The Amazing Dweebs may not make beautiful music together, but they have lots of fun, and Davis and Molly seem to have some chemistry going between them. However, Molly is the girlfriend of the school bully Gerald (the Butcher) Boggs, and Gerald is a jealous boyfriend who is relentless in his torturing of Davis. Everything works out, but there are some surprises along the way, and it turns out that Gerald and Davis have more in common than their affection for Molly. Middle grade readers who enjoyed Diary of a Wimpy Kid in the past will gravitate to this one and enjoy the cartoons of Davis's enemies as well as revenge-fueled and somewhat mean-spirited song lyrics. Just as the first Wimpy Kid had a cheese touch that was to be avoided at all costs, so does this one have a canal filled with all sorts of horrible gunk.

Favorite Lines:

“The rest of the day was more of the same. Lunch: blah. History: ancient blah. Spanish: el blah, la blah, los blahs” (p. 25).

“The sadness was like a bully that got right up in your face” (p. 62).

Pretty Bad Things

Skuse, C. J. (2011). Pretty bad things. New York: Chicken House/Scholastic. Paisley and Beau Argent had their first brush with fame when their mother died, and the six-year-olds were found alive after wandering in the woods for three days. The media christened them the "Wonder Twins," and their story touched the hearts and pockets of many viewers. Ten years later, after a series of talk show appearances staged by their grandmother, Beau continues to fend off bullies at his school who see his bookish nature as equating weakness, and Paisley has run through a series of private schools. The story alternates between the voices of Beau and Paisley, which provides insight into their very different personalities. When Beau happens upon letters from their father, who was incarcerated for a crime and supposedly never contacted his children, Paisley manages to get expelled once again, and returns home to get Beau and some cash. Determined to find their father, whose last address was in Las Vegas, they steal their grandmother's car, and check in to a cheap hotel. Although the haunt the casino area, they fail to find more than a glimpse of the man. Paisley decides to conduct a series of robberies of stores that sell doughnuts, ice cream, candy, and popcorn. At each crime site they leave stickers proclaiming their love for their father. Since they are mounting a two-person crime wave, they rightly assume that the story will hit the airwaves, which is exactly what happens. The twins' activities strike a nerve in many other teens and even adults who regard their behavior as appropriately anarchic and puposeful since they're trying to find their dad. Websites devoted to their story spring up, and Internet users proclaim their undying devoting to Beau. Readers will surely ponder the fleetingness of fame and our seemingly relentless obsessions with people who have no claim to fame other than being famous or being related to someone famous.

Eventually, just when things are looking good for the two, their grandmother shows up and spoils the family reunion. She is painted with a dark brush and given no attributes that elicit any sympathy whatsoever. It is at that point that my enjoyment of the story broke down since she was just so thoroughly wicked and single-minded. When Beau suddenly takes charge, I found it somewhat unbelievable since he had followed the take-charge Paisley all the way. All in all, it's interesting to ponder exactly who or what the pretty bad things alluded to in the title were--Beau and Paisley, the crimes they committed in Vegas, or the abuses they suffered at the hands of their mother and grandmother?

Despite the uneven quality of the book, there is enough here that is fresh and interesting to attract teen readers.

Favorite Lines:

“Naked gold mannequins and snakeskin purses in the windows of Nieman Marcus and Bloomingdales told me I shouldn’t even darken their doorsteps, while Nathan’s Famous and KFC were ready to welcome me with open arteries” (p. 134).

“Beau’s face darkened like a little cloud had appeared above his head” (p. 144).

Ashes, Ashes

Treggiari, Jo. (2011). Ashes, ashes. New York: Scholastic. Sixteen-year-old Lucy is in survival mode on her own in Central Park. It's the end of the world as Lucy knew it, the consequence of floods five years earlier that resulted from changing climate and weather patterns. The floods changed coastlines and submerged many major cities. Then, smallpox and the plague kill off almost the entire population. Lucy's entire family dies, but Lucy is one of the few survivors. Afraid of staying in her New Jersey home alone and wary of the Sweepers and other government agents who seem intent on rounding up the survivors, Lucy has been spending each day looking for food and maintaining her camp. She happens to meet Aidan, another survivor who lives in a commune outside the city, as she is running from a pack of dogs who seem to be tracking her. Their paths don't cross again until a tsunami covers her camp, and she gets out of the area just in the nick of time. Once she arrives at Aidan's camp, she becomes a part of the agrarian society that has been carefully nurtured by an elderly woman, the camp's leader. Each person is expected to work in order to eat, and they plant and harvest tomatoes, beans, and other vegetables, and bake bread. But Lucy is not able to rest for long since the Searchers come to the camp again and again. When she decides to rescue some of the commune's children, she is betrayed, and discovers exactly what it is that makes her so special and the object of all this tracking by men and beasts.

I liked a lot of this dystopian story, particularly the beginning, when Lucy is working so hard just to make it through a day and has forgotten the delights--and difficulties--of social intercourse. I also enjoyed her time in Aidan's camp, but things went downhill fast when she embarks on her journey to the hospital and meets the doctor who is so intent on using her as a lab rat. Dr. Lessing is painted as some kind of mad scientist, and her behavior raises all sorts of ethical issues.

Favorite Lines: 

“And the world mapped in her geography books had changed with a frightening rapidity; continents shifting shape, coastlines altered. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Venice, Thailand, Spain, her beloved Coney Island, Japan, had all but vanished beneath the waves” (p. 2-3).

“The little kids who’d been at the end of her bench were gone. She imagined them bundled in their blankets under tent cover, a tumble of bodies like drowsy puppies” (p. 187).



Wideness & Wonder

Rubin, Susan Goldman. (2011). Wideness & wonder: The life and art of Georgia O'Keeffe. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. Lavishly illustrated with 46 photographs or artworks by the highly original Georgia O'Keeffe, this beautifully written biography will have readers longing to know more about the woman at its center. Rubin uses 17 chapters to describe Georgia's early years, her educational background, and her struggles as an artist. Although she doesn't spend a lot of time examining the life of the artist as a young girl, she chooses to focus on her groundbreaking artwork and her strong connections to the Arizona desert. The author also does not shy away from describing her various romantic relationships and her marriage to photographer Alfred Stieglitz whose photos of her reveal his fascination with her face, her hands, and her form. Although they loved each other, Rubin describes some of the difficulties in the relationship; for instance, Georgia yearned to have a child, and Stieglitz was uninterested in that, claiming that motherhood will distract her from her art. I loved how much detail Rubin provides about the inspirations for O'Keeffe's paintings, the subjects of which ranged from large skyscrapers to flowers to desert scapes to bleached bones to a door in a wall. The book abounds with wonderful anecdotes such as how she just happened to stick a rose into the eye hole of a horse skull in order to answer the door. Ah, inspiration comes in many forms!

The paintings of O'Keeffe have long fascinated me because of how she recognized the beauty in the desert's bleak landscape and used color in such an extraordinary way. This book served to remind me of how original this painter truly was. I also appreciated Rubin's frequent explanation that O'Keeffe craved solitude at times and needed to be alone to work.

Abandon

Cabot, Meg. (2011). Abandon. New York: Point/Scholastic. I absolutely loved the idea of retelling or reimagining the myth of Persephone who must spend part of her days in Hades and part of her days on Earth to appease Mother Nature's wrath at her having been kidnapped and stolen away. However, this title is somewhat disappointing and uneven in its delivery. The author gives her story a modern setting with 17-year-old Pierce Oliviera having moved to the Florida keys with her mother who grew up there. Her father is a wealthy CEO involved with the oil industry. Their relationship was set asunder when Pierce's mother blames her father for the accident that resulted in Pierce's drowning in the family pool. When Pierce drowned, she found herself in Hades and ended up with its ruler who she comes to know as John Hayden. Pierce, 15 at the time, is overwhelmed at the underworld's surroundings and flings hot tea into John's face. The next thing she knows she is alive, having undergone a near-death experience, for which will be what everyone blames her future bizarre behavior. John appears in her life a few more times, just when she seems to be in big trouble.

Pierce's story shifts back and forth in time from present day to her earlier, high school years. The shift actually adds interest to the story, but I found myself unable to understand some of her actions or her personality, and I never quite understood the connections between Pierce and John. It was not so difficult to understand how he would be frustrated at fighting off the Furies who kept punishing him for letting her go but rather hard to accept that keeping someone against her will the first time and kidnapping her the second time could somehow equate love or a healthy relationship. Maybe some of these concerns will be addressed in the next two titles of this planned trilogy, but even so, Pierce seems decidedly on the edge, and not necessarily in a good way. Perhaps also there will be more explanation of the bizarre social order and coffin building that are customary at her new high school. Although I was tempted to do so, I did not abandon this romance. Nevertheless, I have some concerns about this book being a possible model for how to court someone.

Favorite Lines:

"When he saw what I was doing, it was like seeing someone throw back the storm shutters on a house that had been closed up for hurricane season" (p. 38).

"When he finally let go of me, I felt as if my skin might actually be giving off the same shimmery reflection as the pool water" (p. 263).

The Vampire Stalker

Van Diepen, Allison. (2011). The vampire stalker. Point/Scholastic. High school junior Amy Hawthorne is in love with Alexander Banks, a fictional vampire hunter from a series whose popularity rivals that of Harry Potter or the Twilight series. Rabid fans of the series wait in line at bookstores to get their hands on the second book in the series by Elizabeth Howard. Set in 1920s Chicago, the stories Amy relishes center around an Otherworld Chicago where vampire Vigo Skaar has settled, wreaking havoc on the city and preventing technological advances. Alexander Banks is the never-say-die hero who has dedicated his life to killing Vigo. If only the guys who attend her high school were more like the dashing Alexander, then Amy knows she could find someone to love. Unexpectedly, as she walks home from a school dance, she meets someone who looks like and claims to be Alexander. When he shows her scars that could only belong to Alexander, she realizes that somehow he has crossed into her Chicago from his Chicago--and Vigo is somewhere on the city's streets as well. Suddenly, Amy is living in her fantasy world rather than simply writing fan fiction about its characters.

Not surprisingly, Amy and Alexander become close, and she teaches him about the modern world while he continues to try to track down Vigo. But time is running out for them all since the portal through which they crossed from one world into another is about to close. While the personality changes in Amy seem somewhat unbelievable, and there is so much crossing of the portal from Chicago of the past to Chicago of the present that things are likely to become a bit crowded, this is a delightful send-up of authors of these sorts of books, popular book series, fan fiction, fanatic fans, vampires, popular culture, and the club scene. Some of the lines left me chortling in self-recognition. The astonishment expressed by the vampire series' author once she realizes that the world she thought she created actually exists is palpable.

Favorite Lines:

"The thought of being jealous of a character in a book was silly, but I couldn't help it" (p. 4).

"When a person knows they've hurt you, they have trouble looking you in the eye" (p. 205).

The Lovely Shoes

Shreve, Susan. (2011). The lovely shoes. New York: Scholastic. Ninth grader Franny Hall becomes painfully conscious of her limp and her left foot once she enters high school. Suddenly, the little-noticed deformity seems as though it's the only thing that matters, and Franny starts limiting herself and shunning any activity that might bring her notice. After a disastrous Valentine's Day Dance at school in which the tissue padding her smaller shoe somehow slips out and ends up the floor while Franny is dancing with her crush, she takes to her bedroom and refuses to come out. She feels betrayed by her mother who has always encouraged her to take risks and to attend the dance. She also feels betrayed by her cousin Eleanor who ends up with the guy she has wanted. After sulking in her room, writing stories, and sending messages to her younger brother, Franny decides to come out. Her stylish mother decides to write to Italian designer Salvatore Ferragamo to see if he can design attractive shoes for Franny. Touched by her humiliating experience at the dance, he agrees, and Franny and her mother fly to Florence, Italy. The trip changes Franny, and she falls in love with the Italian culture and its citizens. When she returns, she has the promise of new shoes from Ferragamo, but more important, she senses the other possibilities that lie ahead if she's only brave enough and determined enough to reach out for them. No longer does she need to behave as the others around her do, but she is free to make her own choices and her own way.

Based in part on the author's own experiences with polio as a child, this story will inspire teens trying to find their own places in the world without giving up too much of themselves. While the changes that occur in Franny seem a bit too quick, based on such a brief sojourn in another country, they are, nevertheless, noteworthy since change often begins when we see ourselves through the eyes of others or can look at ourselves through a mirror clearly.

Favorite Lines:
"High school seemed like a war zone in which a girl like Franny could be in particular danger" (p. 14).

"Just the sound of their cheerful, chattering voices washed a wave of sadness across her afternoon" (p. 123).

Beauty Queens

Bray, Libba. (2011). Beauty queens. New York: Scholastic.
A plane carrying a group of contestants for the Miss Teen Dream pageant crashes near a deserted island. Only thirteen of the contestants survive, but they are determined to hang on until someone finds and rescues them. At first led by Miss Texas, Taylor Rene Krystal Hawkins, the contestants behave as though rescue is just a couple of days away, and then continue to practice for the pageant and maintain their beauty regime. However, Miss New Hampshire, Adina Greenberg, who entered the contest in order to write an expose, has other ideas, and she enlists the survivors in collecting food, finding a water source, and exploring parts of the island. Before anyone can say the word "empowerment," that's exactly what starts to happen to the lucky thirteen.

Their story of survival is interwoven with individual application forms for the pageant as well as commercials for The Corporation, which sells all those beauty products that everyone just has to have in order to be more attractive. There are footnotes sprinkled throughout the book too, which adds another level of enjoyment to the title. Several of the young women have secrets that come to light as they bond on the island. The island itself is hiding a secret as well, and once Miss Texas stumbles on that secret, she will never be the same. In this mash-up of our fascination, er, obsession, with celebrities, beauty pageants, reality shows, and with nods to Mean Girls and Lord of the Flies, the author takes aim at popular culture in her own satirical style.

While I must confess that I enjoyed the book before the arrival of the pirates--themselves also a part of a reality television show--more than after they arrive and certainly more than when evil dictator MoMo or beauty pageant guru Ladybird are introduced as part of the plot. That over-the-top aspect disappointed me as well as the rather long ending scene which spells out the girls' future while they're all dancing in celebration. The subplot did nothing for me, actually detracting from my enjoyment of watching the teen dreams fend for themselves and become friends rather than rivals.

Bray has the gift of making her readers laugh at her lines while actually laughing at themselves and their own antics, beliefs, suppositions or even buying habits. This one is not for the faint-hearted or insecure, for sure.  The cover is awesome too!

Favorite Lines:

“Hi. I’m Heather Heather, and I’m famous but I can’t remember what I’m famous for. It doesn’t matter, because now I’m famous for my crazy-awesome figure—made possible by Breast in Show, the plastic surgery center where you can build your perfect body” (p. 211).

The Painted Boy

DeLint, Charles. (2010). The painted boy. New York: Viking. For reasons he doesn't quite understand, James (Jay) Li travels to a desert Arizona town, leaving behind his family in Chicago. His grandmother, who is head of the Dragon Clan, has worked on his physical and emotional training and kept him from having friends in preparation for this trip that will help him fulfill his destiny. An amiable teen with the ability to communicate with animals and other members of the nearby animal clans, Jay also bears a huge dragon tattoo that covers his back and appeared when he was eleven. Although he knows some of the expectations that have been placed on his shoulders, he is unsure exactly how he will meet those expectations. Jay quickly realizes that the town is in trouble, chiefly due to the gangbangers who deal drugs and tout a violent lifestyle. They are led by the feared El Tigre who brokers a truce with Jay. Jay agrees since he has had no experience in calling forth his dragon nature. But the unnecessary death of the drummer of Malo Malo, a local band whose members are friends of a woman who has befriended him awakens the dragon nature, shocking Jay and all those around him. Unless Jay can find a way to tame that nature and use it carefully, he will be punished by other members of the Dragon Clan.

Despite its desert setting, the author takes readers into a place where animal spirits are active and offer advice that may help or hinder someone on a quest. This is engaging urban fantasy that will keep fans turning the pages as quickly as they possibly can. The evolution of the characters, especially Jay, seemed natural and carefully delineated although the villains remained fairly one-dimensional and static throughout the tale.

Favorite Lines: "No, this world was real. It was just a different kind of real" (p. 198).

Bird in a Box

Pinkney, Andrea Davis. (2011). Bird in a box. New York: Little, Brown. Although there are three 12-year-olds at the center of this story,  there is also an important adult who brings them all together without realizing it. In some respects, his story is as important as the children's, and they have quite a lot in common with their hero, boxer Joe Louis. Otis, Willie, and Hibernia are alike in a lot of ways although it might not seem so at first. Although their circumstances may differ, they are all dealing with loss while holding on to dreams they have shared with no one else, and they are fighters. Their lives eventually intersect over the course of this book as they form bonds among themselves but also with those around them, expanding the concept of what family means.  As they follow the career of Louis as he tries to claim the heavyweight boxing crown, his wins and losses almost seem to mirror their own, and if Joe can become the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion against all odds, why, maybe their dreams can come true as well.

Pinkney makes readers feel as though they are sitting in the same room with Otis, Willie, and Hibernia, ears pressed up against the radio, listening as their Joe makes his stand. I loved how influential this iconic athlete was, and how the men, women, and children who followed him drew inspiration from his courage and determination so that his large victory gave rise to their own smaller ones. What a beautiful story filled with heaping doses of unexpected cruelty sweetened by tender moments!

Your Friend in Fashion, Abby Shapiro

Axelrod, Amy. (2011). Your friend in fashion, Abby Shapiro. New York: Holiday House. There are just two things 11-year-old Abby wants in 1959: a bra to fit her growing body and a Barbie doll. Since her mother refuses to pay for either one, Abby decides to earn the money for herself. She already spends her free time sketching clothing designs for her best friend's Barbie and an imagined makeover for her teacher, making it natural that she decides to share her designs with someone a little more famous, someone with an eye for fashion. Consequently, the precocious youngster writes Jacqueline Kennedy, the wife of one of the two Massachusetts Senators. Her letters are chatty and describe her excitement about fashion, her worries about her extended family, her home and school, and her curiosity about Jackie's childhood, and they also contain designs for dresses that she imagines Jackie wearing. But Jackie never replies although Abby keeps coming up with designs. During this time, her extended family experiences several changes, brought about by the tension between her parents and by her aunt's bossy nature. As Abby comes to age, she realizes that the adults in her life love her despite the secrets they have kept and the mistakes they have made.

There are so many things happening in this book, which would be a nice companion to Deborah Wiles's Countdown. The author captures a slice of Americana when JFK decided to run for President, as the Civil Rights Movement was just getting started, while the space race was heating up, and when every girl longed to have a Barbie. If I have a criticism of this book, it would be that the author tries to include too many social issues and political events as the book's backdrop without providing motivation for how the characters are involved in those events. There are loose ends about some important characters left hanging while other loose ends are tied up all too neatly and conveniently. Still, this book provides plenty of laugh out loud moments such as the scene in which Abby and her best friend Anna Marie are trying to make over a Barbie to look like Jackie or when Abby tries to purchase her first foundation garment by herself. I loved the chatty, personal nature of the letters Abby writes to Jackie, filled as they are with a child's confidence that this busy adult will find the time to reply. The inclusion of paper dolls created by the author as a young girl add to the book's authentic nature.

Favorite Lines:

“This is so easy. I take a few facts that are true and mix them with a few that aren’t true. My story comes out as smooth as can be. My bowl of lies has no clumps on the bottom like the rubbery ones in Mummy’s Jello-O” (p. 132).

“Mummy leaves the dining room in a huff and goes downstairs. She’s angry about everything. It’s not just about my father anymore. It’s like she’s got a big, roaring bonfire inside her belly and another log gets tossed on the pile each time you annoy her or if she reads something in the newspaper about civil rights” (p. 152).

Possum Summer

Blom, Jen K. (2011). Possum summer. Illus. by Omar Rayyan. New York: Holiday House. Let me just confess right here that I am a sucker for animal stories. Although I am often left unmoved by sad movies, the deaths of animals affect me strongly. Consequently, I've been known to cry over Big Red, Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows, Marley, and Dewey, all memorable dogs, cats or books with dogs that moved me to tears and left me sobbing, unable to finish the book until I got myself or my emotions under control. Add to that list this wonderful offering about a girl, a cattle dog, and a possum. Left to her own devices on the family's Oklahoma farm while her mother works and her father serves in Iraq, P stumbles upon a baby possum, orphaned when her father's cattle dog Blackie killed its mother. She decides to raise it with the help of her friend Mart. This necessitates her confiscating one of her sister's bras and rigging it into a pouch where the baby possum can hide under her shirt while she attends school.

Desperate for some sort of connection, P goes against her father's wishes by trying to train Blackie and make him into a pet rather than a working dog. In his eyes, pets are frivolous, and P knows he will never allow her to keep the possum she names Ike after her grandfather. While her father recovers from his war wounds and keeps the family at a distance, writing terse letters rather than making phone calls, P does her best to keep everything on the farm humming. She checks on the cattle, tends the hens, and weeds the garden. As time grows near for her father's homecoming, she knows she must free Ike. But that's easier said than done since the two have bonded, and Ike finds his way back to P every time.
But P's carelessness causes a tragedy that she will never forget, and she can't bear to lose Ike as well.

The author has created a strong, independent character in P, an 11-year-old determined to do things her way but also to earn the respect of her father, goals that sometimes seem in conflict. I would have liked to have known more about her mother and her father who are almost absent in the story. The other characters are all secondary to P and Ike, and I missed them both when the story ended.

Favorite Lines:

"My little possum stirred, raising his nose to sniff in Mart's direction. I was pretty sure the reason Mart's eyes widened was because he was secretly falling in love with my new baby. He took a step back, and I wondered if I was right or not" (p. 15).

Hurricane Dancers

Engle, Margarita. (2011). Hurricane dancers: The first Caribbean pirate shipwreck. New York: Henry Holt. This free verse novel tells the tale of a pirate, his slave, and a hostage. As she has done so successfully in her previous work, Engle brings history to life and gives voice to her characters as she describes their desperation, their hatred, and their passions. In this story she tells about the early period of exploration during the sixteenth century when a pirate captain named Bernardino de Talavero runs a cruel slave ship and uses one of his slaves, Quebrado, to translate for him when he deals with the Islanders. Quebrado can barely remember a time when he was free since he has been traded from one pirate ship to another for years. His name comes from his cultural heritage and the awareness that he is half islander and half outsider, given that his mother spoke the Taíno Indian language and his father spoke Spanish. When the winds of a hurricane cause the pirate ship to sink, the sea reminds the humans of its great power and its utter lack of regard toward who its victims are. While most of the crew do not survive, Quebrado does, managing to make his way to safety. His rescuers treat him well, and in an ironic twist of fate, it is Quebrado who decides the fate of those who treated him so cruelly. This is a swashbuckling adventure tale, but it is also one that explores freedom, forgiveness, and love.

Engle continues to bring little known historical moments to light and to life as she carefully crafts exactly the story she wants to tell.

Dark Goddess: A Devil's Kiss Novel

Chadda, Sarwat. (2011). Dark goddess: A devil's kiss novel. New York: Hyperion. It's just another day in the neighborhood for 15-year-old Billi SanGreal--just a little werewolf fighting and saving of a girl desperately wanted by the Polenitsy. They're a group of werewolf warrior women--yes, fierce ones--who believe the girl Billi has rescued just might be the Spring Child that their Baba Yaga needs to restore herself. In this depiction of Baba Yaga, she is seen as something of an Earth Mother with strong bonds to the condition of Earth, so strong that she has been recovering from the havoc wreaked by a meteor. Legend has it that Baba Yaga will be able to regain her strength through the sacrifice of the Spring Child. But if she becomes strong again, she is likely to wipe out the entire human race. After all, humans haven't done a very good job of taking care of their home. It's up to Billi and the Knights Templar to save the day if they can. As they race through London and on to Russia where much of the action takes place, Billi is keenly aware of how little time remains before the sacrifice will take place. This second installment in the Devil's Kiss series is packed with action, a determined heroine, and the descendant of one of the Russian tzars as well as mention of Rasputin.  I was particularly impressed with the way the author wove a tapestry of the paranormal, legends, and lore alongside a keen awareness of the green movement and the perils of the nuclear age with more than a touch of feminism. Although Billi accepts help when she needs it, she also enjoys kicking butt herself when it comes to fighting on the side of good.  This one, like the first title in this series, left me wanting more.

Favorite Lines:

"Chernobyl had been the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history. Back in the 1980s, a nuclear reactor had exploded and launched a huge radioactive cloud over most of south Russia and Ukraine. Tens of thousans of people had been evacuated overnight, taking only what they could carry. They'd never returned. It seemed like ancient history, but the town itself looked as though it could have been emptied yesterday. The cars, the buildings, the parks, and gardens all remained. Not demolished, as they would have been in a war--just empty. Only the humans had left" (p. 328).

Devil's Kiss

Chadda, Sarwat. (2009). Devil's kiss. New York: Hyperion.  Billi SanGreal has always known she isn't like the other youngsters in her town. She has no time to socialize or shop at the mall. Instead, she spends her time training as a warrior. Her father, Arthur, is one of the leaders of a band charged with waging a battle against all that is considered unholy--vampires, werewolves, and that sort of thing. The Knights Templar, to whom Billi owes allegiance, rely on their weapons, hours of punishing physical training that leaves them bruised, and the fact that they are on the side of right to aid them in their constant battle.

Billi rarely receives affection from her father, and she isn't sure what the point of all this fighting really is. Sometimes, the battles seem pointless to her, and she'd rather succumb to more earthy pleasures such as choosing between her childhood friend Kay (with his psychic abilities) or Mike (with his charm and ability to understand her the way no one else can do). In the end Billi makes difficult choices.

The fast pace of this book and its interesting heroine kept me turning the pages as fast as possible and left me sad to leave Billi's world. This title provided food for the mind and for the heart and left me pondering a lot of possibilities raised by the author.

Favorite Line:

"He was tall with raptor's eyes, slanted and amber almost, half hidden under unkempt black hair" (p. 73).

Morpheus Road: The Black

MacHale, D. J. (2011). Morpheus Road:The Black. New York: Aladdin/Simon & Schuster. Best friends Marsh and Cooper have a falling out over something silly, and Cooper heads to his family's cabin on the lake. While he is there, staring at the stars in the dark, he dies after a boat plows into his small craft. Coop doesn't go straight to Heaven or Hell, though, but somehow exists in a world that hovers on the edge of both, and he is able to live in what is known as "the black" where dead folks spend time atoning for the mistakes they made when they were on Earth. Coop meets his grandfather and a troubled girl with a fiery past as he tries to find his way through this new world. He also can return to the world of the living although communicating with them is not so easy. Somewhat oddly enough, what follows is a fast-paced battle against evil and a most-unsympathetic villain who has been waiting for a chance to seize control of the world. Is Coop the only one that stands in his way? Male readers will relish the fighting scenes and bloody battles, complete with soldiers from many of the wars that have been fought since the beginning of time. Because this book is told from Coop's point of view, it will be helpful to read the first title, Morpheus Road: The White before starting this one.

Although in the beginning I was not particularly enamored with Coop due to his cavalier attitude toward others and his arrogance about himself, I can see how this sort of character would appeal to many readers who might find themselves living vicariously through his adventures and antics. I grew tired of all the fighting scenes and dishonesty on the part of Damon near the end of the book. I wanted to see more depth to him as well as many of the other characters, who seemed rather one-dimensional.
Favorite Lines:

"I'm not naive to think that just because you're an adult you can do no wrong. The older you get the more you realize that the people you idolized as a kid are as human as everybody else. But finding out that the wonderful wizard with all the answers is nothing more than a befuddled man hiding behind a curtain isn't easy to accept" (p. 294).

Beyonders: A World Without Heroes

Mull, Brandon. (2011). Beyonders: A world without heroes. New York: Aladdin/Simon & Schuster.

Eighth grader Jason Walker inexplicably falls into a pool where the zoo's hippo rests and somehow leaves his Colorado home for the parallel world of Lyrian. While all he wants is to go back home, he is nevertheless touched by the plight of the citizens of his new residence. Although they have rebelled mightily in the past against a wicked wizard named Maldor, the wizard remains firmly in control, and resistance has dwindled due to hopelessness and the wizard's cunningness in enlisting others to his own cause. Jason meets up with Galloran, one of the men who came close to defeating Maldor, and Rachel, who came to Lyrian while vacationing with her parents in the West. Galloran informs the two reluctant partners that there is one way to remove Maldor from his control of the kingdom: Collect the syllables of a word that will render him powerless. Jason already has one syllable, and the rest of the book consists of a series of adventures relating to the collection of all of them. Along the way, Jason and Rachel, called "beyonders" because they are not from Lyrian but from some unknown world, encounter an interesting set of villains and make a friend or two. Things move quite quickly in the book, and characters appear and disappear quite quickly, sometimes too quickly for readers to come to care about them. Middle grade readers who enjoy this sort of fantasy will love the description of the places these unlikely heroes go and the odd creatures they encounter. The huge frogs to be found in a swamp near the end of their journey are especially marvelously horrifying. This is the first title in a three-book series.

Favorite Lines:

"Accept as little hospitality from your hosts as you can. Beware gifts from Maldor. He gives gifts to people much as fisherman offer worms to trout" (p. 358).

"Steaming slabs of prime rib, legs of lamb, cuts of ham, heaps of fowl, fillets of fish, rows of sausage, morsels on skewers, and platters of tender shellfish all vied for his attention" (p. 367).

Skeleton Creek: The Raven

Carman, Patrick. (2011). Skeleton Creek: The raven. New York: Scholastic. The curious and persistent duo, Ryan McCray and Sarah Fincher, are at it again, trying to solve a mystery that might lead them to places they shouldn't be going. This title picks up where Book Three left off with Sarah finishing up her summer film workshop in California and heading back east where her family lives. Ryan, of course, is still in Oregon where he encounters an odd hooded man chopping a tree with a huge axe while he is fishing with his father. As was the case in the earlier book, there are clues that he shares with Sarah that have her essentially taking a haunted house tour across America, this time through a different portion of the country. She heads to Cheyenne, Wyoming; the Spooksville, Triangle where Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma meet; Savannah, Georgia; and then to Baltimore, Maryland, all the while trying to figure out what the message and clues mean and who has left them. When the clues and the artifacts finally come together, the ending is satisfying since there have been literary hints left all along the way. Enterprising readers will enjoy returning to the book and the passwords again and again to spot the clues. As always, it's great fun to shift from the book to the related website eight different times in order to view the video clips posted online and then back to the book again.

This series is sure to awaken a love for reading in middle graders because of the spooky video clips and fast-paced journal jottings.

Favorite Lines:
"Storms in the mountains often pass through quickly on their way to somewhere else, as if they're late for a poker game and they've only stopped by long enough to put out your fire" (p. 16).

"I'm starting to wonder if I have trust issues" (p. 216).

Deadly

Chibbaro, Julie. (2011). Deadly. New York: Atheneum/Simon & Schuster. Medical mysteries intrigue many of us, and this one has much to offer even though most of the mystery is solved during the first half of the book. Prudence Galewski, 16, leaves her vocational school in order to take a job working in the Department of Health and Sanitation in New York City. Her mother is a midwife and has taken her along during some of her deliveries, and her father, who went missing during his military service, had provided her with books and support for her curious mind. Her older brother Ben died as the result of gangrene after a street accident, and Prudence wonders if the family could have helped him if they had known how to do so. Consequently, Prudence has grown up with a keen desire to help her community and an inclination for the medical field despite the fact that few women became doctors in 1906 and 1907 when the story is set. Prudence loves her job and also feels an attraction to her new boss Mr. Soper. He immediately involves her in field work, where she takes notes as they interview individuals in different households who have fallen ill as the result of typhus. After compiling the data, they look for patterns, and eventually focus on an Irish cook, Mary Malone. But Mary herself is not sick; in fact, she even nursed some of those who were sick. Intent on obtaining samples of her blood and feces, Soper engages in some unethical practices and eventually brings Mary to the hospital for testing. The tests show that while she herself is not ill, she is a carrier for typhus, and can't be allowed to cook for others. What happens to her as the result of the investigation and a subsequent hearing provides much food for thought.

Additionally, the author provides a vivid picture of the living conditions of the poor, still struggling even after the publication of Jacob Riis's photoessay on New York City's tenements.  Prudence is allowed to evolve, stumble, and regain her steps even while her own mother finds new possibilities for happiness. While there are loose ends as the book concludes, overall, this is a satisfying read filled with many powerful passages.

Prudence is drawn more deeply into her dreams of possibly becoming a doctor once she has been befriended by a female doctor involved with the case. As she assists in solving the medical mystery, she also feels sympathy for the woman who will end up being called Typhoid Mary and her treatment by the medical profession and the press. The author raises issues of discrimination and medical ethics while also highlighting gender and class distinctions during the time period covered in the book. An Author's Note explains some of the liberties the author took with the amount of time it took to solve the mystery as well as her motivation for telling this story.

Favorite Lines:
Here, I can confess that I see sickness like a violent weed growing everywhere, in the rubbish bins that puff out ash clouds, in the dirty puddles that ooze in the streets, in the breath of the gin ladies who hang about the sidewalk, in the dead cats, the hungry mice that gnaw at the walls, when I go walking in the park and see packs of stray dogs making garbage of the city" (p. 7).

"I felt like a seesaw, tumbling down into thoughts, then working hard to pull back out again. Out into the sunlight, the fresh air, the voices of people and the sounds of moving traffic" (p. 284).

Falling for Hamlet

Ray, M. (2011). Falling for Hamlet. New York: Poppy/Little, Brown and Company. Oh, this title is such great fun! Written by an English teacher aware of the need for Shakespeare to be performed instead of being dissected ad nauseam and the universality of the themes in his plays, this version of Hamlet examines the emotions and actions of Ophelia with Hamlet becoming a secondary character. There are literacy licenses taken, and although much of the story stays the same in this contemporary version, Ophelia survives and lives to tell her tale. The author cleverly weaves in the exact words spoken by the Shakespearean characters in this version that will certainly appeal to modern readers. Through text messages, a guest visit on a talk show, transcripts of interviews with the Denmark Department of Investigations as well as newspaper clippings, the life and times of the glamorous Ophelia are described as she relates how her romantic involvement with Hamlet began and how it ended. There is a breathless quality to all this that will attract teens in the throes of their first romance. Ophelia is the daughter of the king of Denmark's trusted advisor and the on-again, off-again girlfriend of the country's prince. Her identity seems to have been lost as her relationship with Hamlet becomes more intense, and the two are followed by photographers and reporters everywhere they go. It's hard to relax and be yourself when even your classmates may try to snap shots of you that can be sold to the press, and Ophelia describes the relentless attention quite well as well as owning up to mistakes made when she relaxed and lost her inhibitions a bit too publicly. It's hard to know what version of the truth to trust when every moment spend with your significant other is reported in great detail, sometimes with slants and twists that distort the truth. Although Ophelia seems at some points to be little more than arm candy to Hamlet, there are moments when she is playful, irrepressible, and independent and signs that she will be able to reclaim her identity and forge her way through life using her talents and strengths. These are real adults and adolescents coping with loss and the hot lights of notoriety and a palace where there are no secrets.

Favorite Lines:      

"All I was doing was disappointing peope. But I couldn't fix the situation, since I didn't know what was going on. I couldn't share my problems with anyone because, even if I did have any information, which I didn't, I didn't really trust anyone" (p. 144).

"My old self heard Horatio's words and agreed: Hamlet had once been wonderful. My new self wanted to reach into the air and tear the kind words apart. Hamlet would be remembered as a charming prince who lost his way under the pressures of grief and conspiracy. I would remember him as the murderer of my very soul. Hamlet. Hamlet. The sharp end of his name curled my lips" (p. 340-341).

Kat, Incorrigible

Burgis, S. (2011). Kat, incorrigible. New York: Atheneum. Twelve-year-old Kat simply doesn't know what has gotten into her family, especially her older sisters. Their strict stepmother has arranged for Elissa to be married off to a wealthy--extremely wealthy--older man who has a blot on his past. Her other sister Angeline has become all too secretive and won't include Kat in anything. Her brother Charles has gambled away the family's fortune, and his debts must be paid in some way, which is why Elissa must make a good financial match. Things might turn out fine for the family if Kat will just stay out of the way. But Kat is hardly one to leave matters in the hands of others, and her investigation of Angeline's room reveals that she has been dabbling in magic. It turns out that Kat has inherited her mother's affinity for magic, and a gold compact of her mother's takes her to a different place whenever she opens it.

There is great mischief afoot as Kat learns to harness magic while causing havoc around her. With her unquenchable spirit and determination to set things right, she persists in her plans to do things her way. No matter the peril to herself or the inconvenience to others, she is determined to save her sister from the marriage to a man she doesn't love while helping her other sister find true love. This title kept me smiling until the appearance of a highwayman intent on taking the riches of the house guests in the Yorkshire estate where the Stephenson family is visiting. Eventually, things turn into a comedy of errors when there turn out to be two highwaymen.

Favorite Lines:
"I was twelve years of age when I chopped off my hair, dressed as a boy, and set off to save my family from impending ruin. I made it almost to the end of my front garden" (p. 1).

Now Is the Time for Running

Williams, M. (2011). Now is the time for running. New York: Little, Brown, and Company. This hard-hitting and heart-wrenching story describes the brutality of a government run amok in Zimbabwe. Deo, 15, and his older brother Innocent enjoy the pleasures of life in their village and pass the time with soccer. Deo loves playing the sport while Innocent loves to cheer his brother on. Although Deo is the younger brother, he must watch out for Innocent since the older brother has fits and sometimes becomes angry when the batteries on his radio die. But as the book opens, soldiers representing the government come to the village. As punishment for the results of a recent election and to root out dissidents, they confiscate all the villagers' food. Deo's mother has contacted a church in America which has sent a supply truck filled with nutritious items, which are also confiscated. The soldiers then systematically shoot every single villager. Only by luck do Deo and Innocent escape the bloodbath. With them go a leather pouch that becomes a soccer ball when stuffed with plastic and a Bix-box containing Innocent's treasured objects. The brothers head to town for help, but there is unrest in town as well. A kindly family friend provides money and transportation, and they make their way to the border of South Africa. From there, they manage to hire someone to help them cross a river where just as much danger lies on the river's shores as in the river, and race across a nature preserve to the country's border. the journey is harrowing, and the brothers are in danger for much of the way. After they have settled into a safe routine on a tomato farm, another worker persuades them that there is a better life in the city. But the city's promises turn out to be false, and they stumble upon some men and women who have taken refuge inside a bridge. When the town's attitude toward the ever-growing number of refugees turns hostile, tragedy ensues when the brothers are separated. Deo spirals into a depression that lasts several months and during which he passes the time and erases his memories by sniffing glue and living on the street. A soccer coach happens to see him kicking a soccer ball that falls from his truck invites him to try out for a street soccer team he is assembling. Deo must decide whether to take the hope being offered to him. An Author's Note and information on the actual xenophobia at the heart of the book and Homeless World Cup that inspired the story add to its poignancy.
Favorite Lines:
"I have no time for this stupid talk. The stars will fall from the sky before the soldiers give us food" (p. 22).

"I don't feel the hands trying to stop me from going to Innocent, but somehow I reach the body of my brother, facedown on the ground, covered with rubble" (p. 169).

Rip Tide

Falls, Kat. (2011). Rip Tide. New York: Scholastic. In this action-filled follow-up to the earlier Dark Life, Ty and his friend Gemma find a colony in which all members have died, drown or frozen. Just as they return home to inform the authorities, Ty's parents are kidnapped, and no one seems to be doing anything to rescue them. Ty decides to take matters in his own hand, and the two friends head to Rip Tide, a place where only the hardiest of souls dares to go. Men fight against one another on a sliding platform that tips them into the sea where lamprey eels hook onto their skin and can't be easily removed. This crazy, edgy place seems to hold the only possible clues to the whereabouts of Ty's parents and to the desertion of the township. But Ty is hard-pressed to find allies in his quest, and is stymied by politics, greed, and even Gemma's outlaw brother.

This series continues to impress me with its originality and the author's take on a future that means some of us will have to adjust to living in the deep. She has created all sorts of vicious creatures, both human and nonhuman, to rachet up the suspense and gruesomeness while also laying the groundwork for a budding romance.

Haunting Violet

Harvey, A. (2011). Haunting Violet. New York: Walker.
Privy to the inner workings of faked seances and scams designed to bilk wealthy men and women of their fortunes, Violet Willoughby doesn't have much faith in ghosts or those who speak from the hereafter. Ever since she was nine, her mother has insisted that Violet participate in what she calls "the family business." Now at sixteen, she's seen more than her fair share of parlors, trickery, and melodrama. She's grown tired of aiding her manipulative mother and taking advantage of the grief of others, but she sees no way out of her plight. She is also convinced that there are no ghosts and her mother's performances as a medium are designed to swindle the grieving and the gullible. Things change unexpectedly when a ghost contacts Violet while she and her mother visit a country estate to hold a seance. The ghost is persistent, and no matter what Violet does, she refuses to leave her alone until the mystery of her death has been solved. Set in the Victorian England of the 1870s, this thriller will surely have readers guessing and guessing again about the murderer's identity and purpose. The author does a good job in providing details about the class divisions that existed at the time as well as the limited career options available to single females such as Violet and her mother. She also sprinkles in romance as well as Violet is predictably attracted to the one male whose attention won't benefit her financially while pondering the financial benefits of settling for one whose financial future is secure. If the motivations for all the characters aren't as clear as could be expected, the book still provides a delightful romp through ghost-filled ballrooms, flower-filled country estates, and ancestral cemeteries.

Note: Check out the wonderful cover for this book's UK publication.

Favorite Lines:
"The flame was small and feeble but infinitely better than no light at all. And in the little house of death, no one would see it burning" (p. 238).

Forgotten

Patrick, C. (2011). Forgotten. New York: Little, Brown. London Lane, 16, suffers from a most unusual problem. Each morning, as she is sleeping, her brain resets at 4:33 a.m., and everything that she already knows is deleted, forcing her to relearn who her friends are, what her routines are, and what she has already worn to school earlier in the week. Her history is erased every day, and she must rebuild her memory banks. She writes notes to herself each night and then reviews them each morning in order to keep from being totally confused each day. To add to the problem, she is somehow able to see into the future and knows what is going to happen to herself and to her friends. Because she knows that her best friend's affair with a teacher will end in disaster, for instance, she tries to prevent the relationship from getting off the ground. Hard as high school may be to navigate, getting through the school halls and social experiences is made more difficult because London simply doesn't remember anything from the day before.

As sparks fly between London and Luke, a new student at school, despite London's attraction to him, he seems disturbingly familiar. But when she looks into her future, she doesn't see Luke. As the two fall deeper in love, London is haunted by Luke's seeming disappearance from her future and her dreams of her attendance at graveside services where she recognizes some of the faces around her, but can't see who is being buried. These turbulent emotions are heightened when she discovers secrets her mother has been hiding from her about the accident that caused her disability.

Although this title starts off promisingly and held my attention for most of the way, my interest flagged about two thirds of the way in. I could never really buy into the idea that while London had lost her past, she somehow could predict her future, and some of the plot twists seemed too contrived to be believed. The long-suffering Luke seemed to be too good to be true, and I wondered why London's teachers weren't more understanding, given that they had to have been informed about the accident and memory loss. Everything is resolved a bit too neatly for my taste, but still, the whole notion of having to recreate your past is intriguing.

Camo Girl

Magoon, K. (2011). Camo girl. New York: Aladdin. Sixth grader Ella Cartwright still misses her father who died three years ago. She also misses her friend Millie who seems to have deserted her for the more popular folks in their Nevada classroom and only talks to her when no one else is around. Consequently, she spends most of her time with Zachariah (Z) who also has had his share of losses over the past couple of years: his father and their home. Because his mother works at Walmart, he spends his nights sleeping in the retail giant's aisles. Ella has vitiligo, resulting in patches of light and dark brown patches on her face. The school bullies have taken to calling her "Camo Girl," which prompts her to avoid her classmates and to assess herself only according to her outward appearance. When newcomer Bailey James enters the scene, his personality and basketball skills provide him a quick ticket to popularity. Still, he is drawn to Ella, possibly because they are the only two African Americans in the class but possibly because they may have something else in common. As Ella begins spending time with Bailey, Z withdraws further into the fantasy world that he and Ella have created in order to avoid the harsh and painful realities of their lives. But his fantasies lead Z on a potentially dangerous journey, and Ella realizes that her friend needs more help than she can offer. She also discovers that while she and Z have secrets, Bailey has secrets on his own.

The cruelty of middle graders and the effects of loss in this book are offset by the love the women in each of these families have for their children. In all three families, the mothers--and in Ella's case, her grandmother--are doing their best to provide a loving, supportive environment for their offspring. The author also carefully shows how there are many ways to hide the truth from others. While Z creates his own world filled with magic and quests and Ella withdraws into herself, Bailey uses the mask of friendliness and popularity to hide his pain.

Favorite Lines:
“When sad things happen, you build a room in your mind to put them. A safe place to hide the thoughts that make you want to cry. If you try really hard, you can sometimes get the door to lock” (p. 179).

“I haven’t realized how cool I am, how the desert breeze whirling around us has already stolen the heat of the day” (p. 181).

“It’s hard to be the broken one, the different one, the one carrying secrets and holding things that hurt” (p. 183).



The Trouble with May Amelia

Holm, J. L. (2011). The trouble with May Amelia. New York: Atheneum. Picking up where the earlier Our Only May Amelia (2000 Newbery Honor Book) left off, this title follows the further adventures of 12-year-old May Amelia, the only girl in a family of seven brothers. As the story progresses, it becomes clear how much she misses her older brother who had eloped with an Irish girl and her little sister Amy whose death she still mourns. She's just about always in trouble of some kind--and the author often uses capital letters to indicate particularly weighty terms or concepts, such as "It is 1900 and I Am in Trouble Again" (p. 2). May Amelia's voice is distinct in this book just as it was in its predecessor, and it's clear that while she loves her brothers dearly, being the only girl for miles around in Nasel, Washington, has plenty of disadvantages. It seems as though Amelia has the tendency to get in the way, irritate or be an annoyance for some of her family members, particularly her father who usually refers to her as "Girl" and regards females as having little use on the farm. When May Amelia is asked to translate for her Finnish father who doesn't feel comfortable conducting business in English, she is eager to do so in order to help him see that she can contribute in some way. Although times have been tough, the family starts to have hopes that the future will brighten once an investor shows interest in the area as a possible port. A series of mishaps force changes in the family's lives, and May Amelia's equilibrium is upset.  While some individuals rise to heroism during troubled times, others do not; instead, blaming others, something this book shows vividly. Additionally, it is filled with unforgettable characters and events that will touch readers' hearts. This one prompted me to laugh, to cry, to reflect, and to hope while shaking my head in wonder at the marvelous May Amelia as she tries to find her place. This one will be read and read and savored for the beautiful language and story incorporated by Holm.

Favorite Lines:

“It’s spring, and the sky is gray as the slates we use at school" (p. 3).

“Our barn is on fire, and the flames are licking at the sky like greedy fingers trying to catch a cloud”

(p. 46).

Small Acts of Amazing Courage

Whelan, G. (2011). Small acts of amazing courage. New York: Simon & Schuster. It is 1919, and Rosalind James, 15, has spent her whole life in India where her father leads a regiment. He is often away from home, and while he is gone, her mother is in charge of running the household. But she isn't very good with finances or discipline and has allowed Rosalind the freedom to explore the bazaars and culture of their town. It seems that she is drawn to the flavors and habits of India rather than those of her British patriots, most of whose conversations bore her. On one occasion, she even attends a rally led by Ganhi who is trying to rally support for Indian self-determination. When Rosalind learns that a baby has been sold to a man who buys children and deliberately cripples them, she wrecklessly buys the baby herself, setting a chain of events that leads to her father exiling her to England. Off she goes, miserable at the changes in her life but hopeful that at the very least she will obtain a quality education. Her two spinster aunts are as opposite as it is possible for two individuals to be. Aunt Ethyl is the dominant one who controls the purse strings and determines every act taken by Aunt Louise is softer and more nurturing. For whatever reasons, Ethyl prevented Louise's marriage many years ago, and now the two lead a quiet, safe, and boring life. From the start, Rosalind and her aunt butt heads, and she senses a kindred spirit in Louise. When the two of them make plans to attend a lecture by a woman speaking about the need for India's independence after encountering Max Nelson, the son of a British woman who runs an orphanage for Indian children back home, they are inspired but also caught by Ethyl. Various circumstances lead to Rosalind's swift return to India where she can once again savor the flavors of her adopted country. This is a story of independence on several levels: Rosalind's, her aunt Louise's, and India's. It is from small acts of extraordinary courage such as taking control of your own finances that lead to even larger acts of rebellion. The author provides many examples of the difference between how the wealthier British citizens live and the lifestyle of many of the Indian servants. This title offers a glimpse of an important period in world history, and is sure to remind readers of the necessity to stand up for what is right even when it goes against what others maintain is right. Rosalind herself is impressive and inspiring, and her growth and dawning awareness of the inequities around her seem realistic and natural.

Favorite Lines:

“He placed them with their bowls at strategic locations in the bazaar, and then late in the day he would gather them up like so many dolls that had lost their stuffing and take them away along with all they had earned for him” (p. 15).



“When I picked up the still-warm, limp body and held it in my hand, I saw that all its bright colors had faded, and I saw how much is lost when something dies” (p. 119).

Joseph's Grace

Moses, S. P. (2011). Joseph's grace. New York: Simon & Schuster. This book continues the story of Joseph Flood first begun in the earlier Joseph. Joseph, a high school junior, is living with his aunt and uncle because his drug-addicted mother is unable to take care of him while his father serves with the military in Iraq. Although she's been in treatment to kick her habit, she keeps returning to the drug scene and an unsavory boyfriend named Bow. Looking for money he claims she owes him, Bow comes to the house where Joseph is staying, and demands payment. He shoots through the door, killing Joseph's beloved cousin Jasmine, who is the light of the family's life. Joseph must balance school, work, sports, and a new relationship while mourning her loss. He and his family also try to help his mother turn her life around. This book has a quite grace and is blessed with an honest appreciation of just how hard it is to put a life together after addiction has caused someone's life to go astray. The author totally nailed the embarrassing scenes in which Joseph is embarrassed by his mother's visits at school, at work, and even during a tennis match, when she comes looking for money to support her habit. It's also clear that Joseph loves her despite her failings. While loss and disappointment permeates the book, the author clearly illustrates that there is a way out of despair and there is hope even during the most difficult times. Although the story will break many hearts, readers will surely root for all the members of Joseph's family to find a happy ending.

Favorite Lines:
"The blood was like a river draining the life out of our family. Jasmine not only died, she took a part of us with her" (p. 18).

"This is the story of my life, I'm thinking as Momma walks out of my life again. She's dragging her suitcaes like a college girl going to her dorm" (p. 52).

Famous

Strasser, T. (2011). Famous. New York: Simon & Schuster. New Yorker Jamie Gordon, 15, loves taking photographs and brings her camera everywhere she goes. That's how she happens to snap a shot of a celebrity mother behaving badly in public. Suddenly, Jamie is becoming famous. Even at her exclusive prep school where many of the parents are well-known, she briefly becomes a minor celebrity. When one of her other celebrity shots becomes a People cover, even more attention comes her way. But fame has a short shelf life, and Jamie quickly learns that no one captures the public's attention for long. She jumps at the chance for an exclusive photo shoot at the Hollywood home of Willow Twine who is trying to burnish her tarnished image after a series of misadventures, including a stint in rehab. Although Jamie is sure that the two are becoming friends, it's clear from the start that Willow is using Jamie just as much as Jamie is using her. As the story moves back and forth in time, culminating in Jamie having to make a decision about what to do with a revealing shot of Willow, it is easy to see that Jamie, too, has become caught up in the world of celebrity and has changed in unflattering ways. Her self-absorption and awe for the famous folks whose shoulders she is now rubbing are palpable, resulting in her forgetting the individuals who really should matter to her.

While the author's decision to use multiple narrators and to tell the story through shifts in time and not in chronological order heightens the story's suspense, it also caused some confusion about exactly when certain things happened. More than once, I had to flip backward in the book to determine how old Jamie was at the time. The inclusion of Jamie's school friend Avy's own desperate search for fame and rapid downward spiral revealed another dark side to fame, but coupled with a stalker intent on "protecting" Willow, made the storyline somewhat clunky and unbelievable. Jamie's own transition is made clear through her text messages and emails to her boyfriend Nasim. By the time the story comes to its inevitable conclusion, it's clear that few can be trusted on the way up--or down--the ladder to fame.

Favorite Lines: "Here's one way to tell private and public schools apart. At lunch in private school we sit in the dining room at round tables covered with tablecloths" (p. 62).

"You were so busy thinking about yourself, yourself, yourself, and your career" (p. 148).

The Secret River

Rawlings, M. K. (2011). The secret river. Illus. by L. & D. Dillon. Published in a slightly longer version in 1955 after the author's death, this story still has relevance in the twenty-first century. Deep in the Florida woods live Calpurnia, her dog Buggy-horse, and her parents. When hard times come, her father finds it hard to make a living since there are no fish to be found. Calpurnia, who writes and recites poetry, goes in search of fish. By falling her nose as she's been advised to do, she happens upon a secret river that is teeming with fish. She respectfully asks the fish if she can take some of them, and they allow her to do so. When it's time to leave, Calpurnia must devise a way to transport all those fish. As night falls, she encounters an owl, a bear, and a panther, all of whom want their share of food. She generously parcels out fish to each one and makes her way home. Readers will recognize fairy tale motifs throughout the story. The acrylic illustrations are gasp-worthy and show the faces hidden in trees as well as the beauty of the Florida woods. Details such as the pink paper roses Calpurnia fashions, braids into her hair, and then uses as bait for the fish add dimension to the already engaging and timeless tale. Even the endpapers consist of fish swimming along in tandem. This one is definitely a must-have for your bookshelves.

Ten Miles Past Normal

Dowell, Frances O'Roark. (2011). Ten miles past normal. New York: Atheneum. Fourteen-year-old Janie Gorman is tired of living on the small farm where her family has lived for the past few years. Although she enjoys milking the goats, somewhat inexplicably named for country singers Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, and Kitty Wells, she doesn't enjoy sometimes tracking in their waste products, especially on the first day of school. The pungent smell insures that Janie leaves a fragrant memory on the bus, something her classmates won't let her live down. At the heart of the matter, all Janie wants is to have a normal high school life. Still, that isn't too likely, given that her mother is a popular back to nature blogger who sometimes writes about her daughter and since she's been assigned a lunch period when none of her friends from middle school are assigned. Sadly, Janie heads to the school library during lunch and befriends another newbie named Verbena. What's a girl to do to be considered normal once her reputation has been established based on one misstep?

Janie has more on her side than she realizes. Her best friend Sarah defends her and gets her involved in curricular and extracurricular projects that she would otherwise have shunned. For instance, when Sarah considers playing the bass in order to get to know their mutual heartthrob better, Janie is the one who decides to follow through, leading to a friendship--and maybe more--with a guy called Monster. Janie also suggests interviewing two neighbors who turn out to have been involved in the Freedom Schools during the Civil Rights Movement. The harder she tries to be like everyone else, the more Janie realizes that there are advantages to being on the fringe, and being true to the person she is becoming may mean standing up for herself in unexpected ways.

Janie's journey to self-acceptance is one with which most teen readers can relate since the truth is right in front of her all along even though it takes her awhile to see it. I longed for more stories from the heroic Mr. Pritchard and Mrs. Brown, and was pleased to see that Janie learned something from their examples as well as from Monster's own self-confidence. Maybe being normal isn't all that it's cracked up to be.


Favorite Lines:

“He has this way of talking after we’ve visited Mr. Pritchard that reminds you he grew up in Rome, Georgia, that my dad is, in fact, a redneck for peace. At other times, while you’d never mistake my dad for, say, a native New Yorker, his southern roots sort of hide under his tweed jackets and professor’s briefcase ”(p. 34).

“When I get off the phone I feel oddly refreshed, like I’ve just returned from a hike in the woods on a cool autumn afternoon” (p. 107).

“Just wait until I tell Sarah that Prince Charming isn’t such a prince after all” (p. 127).