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.

SIGNS OF SURVIVAL by Renee Hartman with Joshua M Greene

Signs of Survival by Renee Hartman and Joshua M Greene 122 pages Meet Renee and Herta, two sisters who faced the unimaginable -- together. This is their true story. As Jews living in 1940s Czechoslovakia, Renee, Herta, and their parents were in immediate danger when the Holocaust came to their door. As the only hearing person in her family, Renee had to alert her parents and sister whenever the sound of Nazi boots approached their home so they could hide. But soon their parents were tragically taken away, and the two sisters went on the run, desperate to find a safe place to hide. Eventually they, too, would be captured and taken to the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. Communicating in sign language and relying on each other for strength in the midst of illness, death, and starvation, Renee and Herta would have to fight to survive the darkest of times. This gripping memoir, told in a vivid "oral history" format, is a testament to the power of sisterhood and love, and now more than ever a reminder of how important it is to honor the past, and keep telling our own stories. I love to read about the Holocaust. I didn't realize this was a true story when I began to read it. This is a juvenile book, and is a very quick read. I read it in one evening. It was very fact based and not much story or suspense involved. I also am very interested in sign language, but not much was addressed in the book. Overall, I would not reccommend to others, except 4-5 graders.