And Then Boom by Lisa Fipps

 

And Then Boom!  By Lisa Fipps  244 pages

Joe Oak is used to living on unsteady ground. His mom can't be depended on as she never stays around long once she gets “the itch,” and now he and his beloved grandmother find themselves without a home. Fortunately, Joe has an outlet in his journals and drawings and takes comfort from the lessons of comic books -- superheroes have a lot of “and then, boom” moments, where everything threatens to go bust but somehow they land on their feet. And that seems to happen a lot to Joe too, as in this crisis his friend Nick helps them find a home in his trailer park. But things fall apart again when Joe is suddenly left to fend for himself. He doesn't tell anyone he's on his own, as he fears foster care and has hope his mom will come back. But time is running out -- bills are piling up, the electricity's been shut off, and the school year's about to end, meaning no more free meals. The struggle to feed himself gets intense, and Joe finds himself dumpster diving for meals. He's never felt so alone -- until an emaciated little dog and her two tiny pups cross his path. And fate has even more in store for Joe, because an actual tornado is about to hit home -- and just when it seems all is lost, his life turns in a direction that he never could have predicted.

Written in verse so I finished this in one day.  Very sad story about a boy who is abandoned by his mother and ends up living on his own trying to survive. 

The Cursed Moon by Angela Cervantes

 

The Cursed Moon   by Angela Cervantes  211 pages

Rafael Fuentes isn't easily scared. He loves writing ghost stories, reading scary books, and entertaining his friends with terrifying tales he creates on the spot. Rafa has come up against enough real-life scary situations that fictional hauntings seem like no big deal. Rafa's incarcerated mom is being released from jail soon, and will be coming to live with him, his sister, and their grandparents. For the first time in a while, Rafa feels a pit of fear growing in his stomach. To take his mind off his mom's return, Rafa spends an evening crafting the scariest ghost story he's ever told. As an eerie blood moon hangs in the sky, Rafa tells a group of friends about The Caretaker. The Caretaker is an evil ghost who lures unsuspecting kids into the neighborhood pond ... and they don't ever come out. Rafa is really proud of his latest creation, until strange things start to happen around him. With a sinking feeling, Rafa realizes the Caretaker is real. Rafa has brought the ghost to life -- and only he can stop him.

Not my favorite Juvenile Fiction book.  I am not a fan of spooky books.  It does delve into the situation of a mom in jail and giving her another chance, but the ghosts were too much for me 😊

Jawbreaker by Christina Wyman

 

Jawbreaker  by Christina Wyman  305 pages

Max Plink's life is complicated. Her parents aren't getting along. The school bullies are relentless, and her own sister is the cruelest of them. Worst of all, her mouth is a mess. With a mismatched puzzle of a jaw, Max has a Class II malocclusion, otherwise known as a severe overbite. She already has braces, which means she lives on Advil and soft foods after each orthodontist appointment. But now Max has to wear painful (and totally awkward) orthodontic headgear nicknamed "the jawbreaker." Could things get any worse? Yes. The journalism competition Max wants to enter has a video component. But being on camera means showing her face not just to her junior high classmates, but possibly the whole city. Going viral is the last thing Max needs, but winning this competition is what she wants most. Turns out, following her dreams is complicated, too.

This is a Mark Twain nominee.  It really hit home because I had to wear headgear when I was a teenager, but not out in public.  I also related to parents fighting all the time.  It was so sad that one of her bullies was her sister though.  I really think kids will like this book if they just give it time.  It is a long book for some kids to get through.

Extra Normal by Kate Alice Marshall

 

Extra Normal   by Kate Alice Marshall  232 pages

Charlie Greer is nothing special -- at least not compared to her adopted siblings. Her younger sister is a ghost. Her brother Mateo is a werewolf. Gideon is the product of seriously sketchy experiments that gave him telekinetic powers. Even her parents work for the Division of Extranormal Investigations tracking down all things supernatural, alien, and otherwise unusual. Charlie's mom says her superpower is maturity -- which doesn't really count. But what Charlie lacks in powers she makes up for by keeping the household running. Now, with her parents off on their first vacation in years, it's up to her to take care of her siblings and make sure nothing disrupts the trip. But then the new neighbors arrive. The Weavers are a nice, normal couple. Too nice and too normal. And for some reason, they don't seem to want Charlie to see inside their house. She's certain they're hiding something. Charlie has to uncover what's going on with the Weavers and stop their plans -- without letting Mom and Dad find out anything is wrong.

I read this because it was a Mark Twain nominee for grades 4-6.  It was not one I thought I would enjoy because I don't like reading about the supernatural but this turned out to be really interesting and a mystery.  I think the 4th-6th graders will love the subject.

FARTHER THAN THE MOON by Lindsay Lackey

   

Farther than the Moon   by Lindsay Lackey  328 pages

All thirteen-year-old Houston Stewart has ever wanted is to become an astronaut. His dreams feel like they're finally coming true when he's accepted to the highly-competitive Junior Astronaut Recruitment Program -- if only he could bring his little brother, Robbie, with him. Ever since their dad left, Houston and Robbie have been inseparable. It's hard to tell where Houston's love of space ends and where Robbie's begins. But Robbie's cerebral palsy and epilepsy mean he needs medical attention at home, so Houston must take this giant leap for the two of them all on his own. At camp, Houston is quickly drawn into the orbit of new friends, cosmic adventures, and a long-lost grandfather. But as Houston struggles to meet the program's rigorous demands, he’s forced to reckon with the truth that Robbie may never be able to visit space like the brothers have always hoped. But Houston is determined to honor Robbie’s dream, even if it seems like an impossible mission. So, like a good astronaut, he dares to make a new plan -- one that shoots for the stars.

What a great book for children who love outer space.  This author did a lot of research to make this book believable.  She went as far as to include a real life astronaut in the story.  The story includes a child with cerebral palsy as well as an autistic child.  Very well written.

Nothing Else But Miracles by Kate Albus

 

Nothing Else But Miracles   by Kate Albus

Twelve-year-old Dory Byrne lives with her brothers on New York City's Lower East Side, waiting impatiently through the darkest hours of World War II for her Pop to come home from fighting Hitler. Legally speaking, Dory's brother, Fish, isn't old enough to be in charge of Dory and her younger brother, Pike, but the neighborhood knows the score and, like Pop always says, "the neighborhood will give you what you need." There's the lady from the bakery, who saves them leftover crullers. The kind landlord who checks in on them. And every Thursday night, the Byrnes enjoy a free bowl of seafood stew at Mr. Caputo's restaurant. Which is where Dory learns about the hand-pulled elevator that is the only way to get to Caputo's upper floors. The elevator that's so creaky and ancient, nobody's been in it for decades. Until now. The Byrne's landlord dies unexpectedly, and the new one is anything but kind. When he catches on about Pop being gone, he turns the Byrnes in, hoping they'll be shipped off to an orphanage. Dory and her brothers need a hideout, and suddenly the elevator and the abandoned hotel it leads to provide just the solution they need.

This is a Mark Twain Nominee for grades 4-6.  I really don't think children that age will understand all the things this story explains.  It takes place in World War II times but many of the things they describe would only be understood by older readers.  The story was a sweet story of family and working together to survive, and all the hard times they endure. 

Lasagna Means I Love You by Kate O'Shaughnessy

 

Lasagna Means I Love You   by Kate O'Shaughnessy  

360 pages

Nan was all the family Mo ever needed. But suddenly she's gone, and Mo finds herself in foster care after her uncle decides she's not worth sticking around for. Nan left her a notebook and advised her to get a hobby, like ferret racing or palm reading. But how could a hobby fix anything in her newly topsy-turvy life? Then Mo finds a handmade cookbook filled with someone else's family recipes. Even though Nan never cooked, Mo can't tear her eyes away. Not so much from the recipes, but the stories attached to them. Though, when she makes herself a pot of soup, it is every bit as comforting as the recipe notes said. Soon Mo finds herself asking everyone she meets for their family recipes. Teaching herself to make them. Collecting the stories behind them. Building a website to share them. And, okay, secretly hoping that a long-lost relative will find her and give her a family recipe all her own. But when everything starts to unravel again, Mo realizes that if she wants a family recipe -- or a real family -- she's going to have to make it up herself. 

A Mark Twain Nominee for grades 4-6.  This was a sad book with a very happy ending.  Sad because a young girl who has lived with her Grandma since her mother passed away, is now an orphan and no one wants her, even the Foster family that says they will adopt her.  But in the end she finds a family and also finds out that she doesn't need someone else to make her feel special.  She learns a new hobby and makes new friends along the way.

When Sea Becomes Sky by Gillian McDunn

 

When Sea Becomes Sky  by Gillian McDunn  214 pages

Every summer, Bex and Davey spend their days exploring their beloved salt marsh. But this year a record-breaking drought leads to a surprising discovery in their favorite corner of the marsh: a mysterious underwater statue. Where did it come from? Who could have put it there? Could this be the summer adventure they've been waiting for? But the answers don't come easy -- and when Bex and Davey learn of a development plan that will destroy their special spot, they'll need to act quickly. Unfortunately, sometimes progress happens whether you're ready or not. What will it mean if they can no longer spend their summers where otters frolic and dragonflies buzz, in their place to be siblings together? As Bex and Davey attempt to save the statue and their beloved marsh, they come to see that the truth is not as simple as it seems... and ultimately discovering so much more about life, permanence, love, and loss than they ever expected.

I read this because it is a Mark Twain Award Nominee.  From the beginning I knew the secret, but it is revealed about 2/3 of the way through the book.  I thought it was well written and the author even explains at the end of the book why she chose to write it this way.  I wonder how 4-6 graders will relate to her "talking" to her brother.  Cute summer story with a little grief. 

The Girl in the Lake by India Hill Brown

 

The Girl in the Lake  by India Hill Brown  209 pages

Celeste knows she should be excited to spend two weeks at her grandparents' lake house with her brother, Owen, and their cousins Capri and Daisy, but she's not. After failing her swimming lessons, she is done with the water--and she knows the trip is just a way to get her in the lake. Her grandparents are strong believers in their family knowing how to swim, especially having grown up during a time of segregation at public pools. They want Celeste to have the opportunities they never did. Celeste insists on spending her visit on dry land. But soon strange things start happening when she's alone: the sound of footsteps overhead late at night. A flickering light in the attic window. And then Celeste's cousins start accusing her of playing cruel pranks on them when she's been nowhere near them! Things at the old house keep getting scarier until, one evening, Celeste looks in the steamy mirror after a shower and sees her face, but twisted, different. Who is the girl in the mirror? And what does she want?

I am not a fan of scary stories and the only reason I read this one is that it is a Mark Twain Nominee.  It wasn't too scary, but still not a favorite.  I do think kids aged 8-12 will enjoy it because it has a ghost in it, but it also teaches a lesson about overcoming your fears.  This book also teaches about civil rights and why some people say "Black people can't swim".  Even though it was a ghost story I did enjoy the main story about the family. 

The Two Wrong Halves of Ruby Taylor by Amanda Panitch

 The Two Wrong Halves of Ruby Taylor  by Amanda Panitch  314 pages

Of her two granddaughters, Grandma Yvette clearly prefers Ruby Taylor's perfect--and perfectly Jewish--cousin, Sarah. They do everything together, including baking cookies and having secret sleepovers that Ruby isn't invited to. Twelve-year-old Ruby suspects Grandma Yvette doesn't think she's Jewish enough. The Jewish religion is matrilineal, which means it's passed down from mother to child, and unlike Sarah's mother, Ruby's mother isn't Jewish. So when Sarah starts acting out--trading in her skirts and cardigans for ripped jeans and stained T-shirts, getting in trouble at school--Ruby can't help being somewhat pleased. Then Sarah suddenly takes things too far, and Ruby is convinced her cousin is possessed by a dybbuk, an evil spirit... that Ruby may or may not have accidentally released from Grandma Yvette's basement. Ruby is determined to save her cousin, but a dybbuk can only be expelled by a "pious Jew." If Ruby isn't Jewish enough for her own grandmother, how can she possibly be Jewish enough to fight a dybbuk?

This is a Mark Twain nominee book.  It is a mix between realistic fiction with details of the Jewish religion and fantasy with ghosts and evil spirits.  I love reading about religions. This one was a little weird for me, because I really don't like fantasy.  It was definitely written for pre-teen girls, because it has their personalities all over it. 

Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd

Hummingbird  by Natalie Lloyd  348 pages

Twelve-year-old homeschooled Olive is tired of being seen as "fragile" just because she has osteogenesis imperfecta (otherwise known as brittle bone disease) so she's thrilled when she finally convinces her parents to let her attend Macklemore Elementary. Olive can't wait to go to a traditional school and make the friends she's always longed for, until a disastrous first day dashes her hopes of ever fitting in. Then Olive hears whispers about a magical, wish-granting hummingbird that supposedly lives near Macklemore. It'll be the solution to all her problems! If she can find the bird and prove herself worthy, the creature will make her most desperate, secret wish come true. When it becomes clear that she can't solve the mystery on her own, Olive teams up with some unlikely allies who help her learn the truth about the bird. And on the way, she just might learn that our fragile places lead us to the most wonderful magic of all . . .

This is a juvenile fiction book, but very well written.  I loved the descriptive words that the author uses.  The audio version was fabulous with the author reading it in her Tennessee drawl.  I could picture the characters so well.  The whole story is about how a disabled girl is trying to fit in at middle school.  This is hard for any student, but especially one in a wheelchair.  Olive takes the world head on and doesn't seem afraid of anything except breaking her bones.  The ending was such a sweet surprise.  I recommend this to kids and adults alike. 
 

Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd

 Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd (368 pages)

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old homeschooled Olive is tired of being seen as “fragile” just because she has osteogenesis imperfecta (otherwise known as brittle bone disease) so she’s thrilled when she finally convinces her parents to let her attend Macklemore Elementary. Olive can’t wait to go to a traditional school and make the friends she’s always longed for, until a disastrous first day dashes her hopes of ever fitting in.

Then Olive hears whispers about a magical, wish-granting hummingbird that supposedly lives near Macklemore. It’ll be the solution to all her problems! If she can find the bird and prove herself worthy, the creature will make her most desperate, secret wish come true.

When it becomes clear that she can’t solve the mystery on her own, Olive teams up with some unlikely allies who help her learn the truth about the bird. And on the way, she just might learn that our fragile places lead us to the most wonderful magic of all . . .

Opinion: This is a Mark Twain Award Nominee. I enjoyed this chapter book a lot. It made me smile and cry multiple times. I do wish I could've seen how the Hummingbird impacted the characters a few weeks or months down the line after its arrival. But I really appreciate how all of the characters were written. Even characters that sometimes oppose Olive are humanized which is nice. 

The Night Ride by J. Anderson Coats

The Night Ride by J. Anderson Coats 216 pages Mark Twain nominee, juvenile fiction book. I really wasn't interested in reading this book, until I met the author and then I had to give it a try. The setting was not the time period I expected, old English time. The story was hard for me to get into, but turned out to be a good story overall. The Black Stallion meets Tamora Pierce in this adventure-filled middle-grade novel about a young stable girl who discovers a secret that endangers her beloved horse and threatens her future. Sonnia loves horses more than anything. She works at her family's struggling pony ride business but dreams of the beautiful steeds in the royal stables, especially Ricochet, who she's been slowly saving money to buy - even though she knows people from her impoverished neighborhood are rarely so lucky. Then Ricochet is moved to the racetrack across town, and Sonnia lands a job there. Now, she can see Ricochet every day and earn enough money to buy him in no time - all while helping her family with her new wages! She even joins the junior racing cadre to train to become a jockey. But then she uncovers their secret pastime: competing in the Night Ride, a dangerous and highly illegal race in the darkest hours before dawn. Every race puts the horses at risk. Sonnia wants to protect the horses she's grown to care for, but she's only a kid from the poor side of town - considered expendable, just like the horses. If she just keeps her head down, soon she can buy Ricochet and get him out of there - and keep supporting her family. But would she be able to live with herself?

City Spies by James Ponti

City Spies by James Ponti 378 pages Sara Martinez is a hacker. She recently broke into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers. However, instead of being hailed as a hero, Sara finds herself facing years in a juvenile detention facility and banned from using computers for the same stretch of time. Enter Mother, a British spy who not only gets Sara released from jail but also offers her a chance to make a home for herself within a secret MI6 agency. Operating out of a base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world. When they're not attending the local boarding school, they're honing their unique skills, such as sleight of hand, breaking and entering, observation, and explosives. All of these allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults can't. Before she knows what she's doing, Sara is heading to Paris for an international youth summit, hacking into a rival school's computer to prevent them from winning a million euros, dangling thirty feet off the side of a building, and trying to stop a villain...all while navigating the complex dynamics of her new team. No one said saving the world was easy... This is a Mark Twain nominee. I was not as impressed with this book as the other nominees. It has a good story but very difficult to follow. I really didn't like the idea of filling chilren's minds with being a hacker and it being legal or being a thief and it being legal. Some children may enjoy it, but it just wasn't my kind of book.

When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson 256 pages Heartbreak and hope exist together in this remarkable graphic novel about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl. Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day. Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings. It's an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times Bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story. This is a Mark Twain nomineed book. I feel like the story could have been told so much better with a chapter book instead of a Graphic Novel. Some stories are told well with graphic novels, but this one was very long and seemed to lag in the middle with the same things happening over and over. The story was a good story of a refugee camp and will give middle school readers an idea of what life was like when you live in a refugee camp.

Coop Knows the Scoop by Taryn Souders

Coop Knows the Scoop by Taryn Souders 299 pages Thirteen-year-olds Cooper Goodman and Justice and Liberty Gordon investigate the eccentric residents of Windy Bottom, Georgia, after the remains of Coop's long-missing grandmother are uncovered and his Gramps is the prime suspect I REALLY enjoyed this juvenile fiction book. It is one of the Mark Twain Nominees this year. A fantastically written mystery book, I couldn't wait to get to the end of the book to see who was guilty. It does have dead bodies and lots of suspects for commiting murder, but I think it is appropriate for older elementary students and middle school students.

War Stories by Gordon Korman

War Stories by Gordon Korman 231 pages Twelve-year-old Trevor Firestone loves playing war-based video games and he idolizes his great-grandfather Jacob who came home from World War II a celebrated hero; now ninety-three-year-old Jacob wants to retrace his journey in memory and reality and return to the small French village that his unit liberated, and Trevor is going with him -- but not everyone in the town wants Jacob to come, and Trevor is going to learn an important lesson: real war is not a video game, and valor and heroism can be very murky concepts. I was not a fan of this book. It is a Mark Twain nominee for 4-6 graders but I feel like it was appropriate for that age. I felt it was too graphic with the violent details for elementary students. It did tell a neat story about the connection between a young boy and his great-grandfather and the boy learns a valuable lesson that video games are not the same as real war.

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat 375 pages All light in Chattana is created by one man--the Governor, who appeared after the Great Fire to bring peace and order to the city. Pong, who was born in Namwon Prison, dreams of the day he will be able to walk among the magical lights. But when Pong escapes from prison, he realizes that the world outside is just as unfair as the one behind bars. As Nok, the prison warden's perfect daughter, hunts Pong through the alleys and canals of Chattana, she too uncovers secrets that make her question the truths she has always held dear. I read this because it is a Mark Twain nominee for next school year. I enjoyed the suspense in the book and liked it even though it is considered science fiction. I do think some of the concepts might be too much for 4th graders. This is also a Newbery Honor Book. I loved the story of family and how you can find family at unique places.

Blended by Sharon Draper

 

Blended by Sharon Draper -308 pages

This YA book was a fantastic book to read after the civil unrest in the past year.  Blended is about a young bi-racial girl who is not really sure where she fits in, but most people treat her like an African American. This book opened my eyes even more to how African Americans are treated in our society.  Surprise ending, but very enjoyable book to read!

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann - 390 pages

In Quill, every child is sorted at the age of thirteen into one of three categories -- Wanteds who will go on to university, Necessaries who will take up training for a job, and Unwanteds who are taken to the Death Farm to be thrown into the lake of burning oil.  Even though Alex's twin Aaron is selected as a Wanted, Alex is deemed an Unwanted.  He's completely shocked to discover that the Death Farm doesn't actually have a burning lake of oil.  Instead it is a gate to the magical world of Artime where the Unwanteds will be trained in various types of art and magic.  There they will be safe as long as nobody from Quill every discovers they are still alive.  But Alex can't stop thinking about his twin Aaron and wishing that he was able to bring him to Artime also.
This is a 2013-2014 Twain nominee book.  It's being described as "Harry Potter" meets "The Hunger Games".  While I enjoyed listening to the book, I do not think it is anywhere as good as either of those series.  It is an intriguing concept with good characterization throughout, but it also seemed a little heavy-handed in its moralizing.  Even though I enjoyed the book, I don't feel compelled to finish out the series.