title summary review - park school of baltimorehe adopted the persona “boy21,“ a benevolent,...

Title Summary Review

Between Shades of Gray

By Ruta Sepetys: In 1941, fifteen-

year-old Lina, her mother, and

brother are pulled from their

Lithuanian home by Soviet guards

and sent to Siberia.

Sepetys’ first novel offers a harrowing and horrifying account of the forcible relocation of countless Lithuanians in the wake of the

Russian invasion of their country in 1939. In the case of 15-year-old Lina, her mother, and her younger brother, this means

deportation to a forced-labor camp in Siberia, where conditions are all too painfully similar to those of Nazi concentration camps.

Lina’s great hope is that somehow her father, who has already been arrested by the Soviet secret police, might find and rescue

them. A gifted artist, she begins secretly creating pictures that can—she hopes—be surreptitiously sent to him in his own prison

camp. Whether or not this will be possible, it is her art that will be her salvation, helping her to retain her identity, her dignity,

and her increasingly tenuous hold on hope for the future. Many others are not so fortunate. Sepetys, the daughter of a Lithuanian

refugee, estimates that the Baltic States lost more than one-third of their populations during the Russian genocide. Though many

continue to deny this happened, Sepetys’ beautifully written and deeply felt novel proves the reality is otherwise. Hers is an

important book that deserves the widest possible readership. *William C. Morris Award Finalist *YALSA Top Ten Fiction Award

(Booklist) Historical Fiction 344 pages UG

Bluefish

By Pat Schmatz: Thirteen-year-old

Travis, living in cramped quarters

with his alcoholic grandfather,

longs for his old life in the

country, and struggles in school to

hide the fact that he cannot read,

but a persistent teacher and a

special girl open his eyes to a new

world.

Travis lives with his alcoholic grandfather and his beloved dog, Rosco. When he and his grandfather move to a new town, the dog

disappears, and Travis is devastated. Worse, he feels like a “bluefish,” his word for stupid. And, indeed, school is a struggle for

him because, as the the reader soon discovers, he has a closely guarded secret. Things begin to change when he meets an

eccentric, extroverted girl who calls herself Velveeta. Though she has secrets of her own, she and Travis become friends and

cautiously, with the help of an understanding teacher, begin to find ways to deal with their troubles and losses. Travis and

Velveeta are sympathetic characters with believable problems. The story is well written and deals realistically with issues that

plague many teens. (Booklist) Fiction 226 pages MG


Bomb: The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous

Weapon

By Steve Sheinkin: This spy thriller

examines the history of the atomic

bomb, discussing the discovery of

the behavior of uranium when

placed next to radioactive material,

the race to build a bomb, and the

impact of the weapon on societies

around the world.

In late December 1938, German chemist Otto Hahn discovered that uranium atoms could be split, and just a few months later the

race to build an atomic bomb was on. The story unfolds in three parts, covering American attempts to build the bomb, how the

Soviets tried to steal American designs and how the Americans tried to keep the Germans from building a bomb. It was the eve of

World War II, and the fate of the world was at stake, "[b]ut how was a theoretical physicist supposed to save the world?" It's a

true spy thriller, ranging from the football stadium at the University of Chicago to the mountains of Norway, from the deserts of

New Mexico to laboratories in East Tennessee, and all along the way spies in the United States were feeding sensitive information

to the KGB. Groups of photographs are sprinkled throughout the volume, offering just enough visual support for the splendid

character development in the writing. It takes a lot of work to make a complicated subject clear and exciting, and from his

prodigious research and storytelling skill, Sheinkin has created a nonfiction story young people will want to read. A superb tale of

an era and an effort that forever changed our world. *Newbery Honor Book *Sibert Medal Winner *YALSA Nonfiction Winner

(Kirkus Starred) Nonfiction 266 pages MG

Boy 21

By Matthew Quick: Finley, an

unnaturally quiet boy is the only

white player on his high school's

varsity basketball team. When his

coach asks him to mentor a

troubled African American student

who has transferred from an elite

private school in California, he

finds that they have a lot in

common in spite of their apparent

differences.

Finley pretends his earliest memory is shooting hoops in the driveway, where it was easy to zone out and forget what happened to

his family. Now a senior, Finley doesn’t talk much. “My mind is a fist and it’s always clenched tight, trying to keep the words in.”

Keeping the silence is important in his neighborhood, where the Irish mob and black gangs clash. Snitches and their families are

ruthlessly punished. He and his girlfriend, Erin, play varsity b-ball and dream of getting away. When Russ moves to the

neighborhood, Finley is worried about the newcomer’s basketball superskills, but Russ has problems, too. After his parents’ murder,

he adopted the persona “Boy21,“ a benevolent, emotionless alien stranded on Earth. Finley’s glum reluctance to help Boy21 grows

into surprising grace and friendship, and when Russ begins to heal, Finley confronts his own tragic past. Finley’s relationships are

sweet, supportive, and authentic. The revelation of what happened in Finley’s childhood is heartbreaking, but the hopeful ending

pays off. An unusual and touching story. (Booklist) Fiction 250 pages UG


BZRK

By Michael Grant: In the near

future, the conjoined Armstrong

twins, under the guise of the

Armstrong Fancy Gifts Corporation,

plot to create their own version of

utopia using nanobots, while a

guerilla group known as BZRK

develops a DNA-based biot that can

stop bots, but at risk of the host's

brain.

With science as soft as pudding (though, really, who cares—pudding is delicious), Grant envisions nanotechnology so advanced

that brains can be rewired, memories manipulated, and senses hacked by robots and gene-spliced creatures the size of dust mites.

A war between two ultra-secretive, competing ideologies—one championing free will, the other promising enforced happiness—is

being fought “down in the meat,” and Grant gleefully exposes the biological ickiness of the body going about its everyday business

in paranoia-inducing scenes of nanobots scuttling across spongy brain matter or plunging probes into optic nerves. At the same

time, he doles it out on the macro level as two teens are enlisted to help stop a maniacal baddie and his team of “twitchers,”

who are planning to infiltrate the heads of the world’s most powerful nations. With simmering pots of near-nonstop action and the

threat of howling madness or brain-melting doom around every corpuscular corner, Grant’s new series is off to a breathless,

bombastic start. (Booklist Starred) Fantasy Fiction 386 pages UG

Chomp

By Carl Hiaasen: The difficult star

of the reality television show,

"Expedition Survival," disappears

on location in the Florida

Everglades, where they were filming

animals from the wildlife refuge

run by Wahoo Crane's family, and

Wahoo and classmate Tuna Gordon

set out to find him.

Lots of kids think they live in a zoo; Wahoo Cray actually does. Wahoo's dad, Mickey, was the best wild-animal wrangler in south

Florida until an iguana, frozen solid in a flash freeze, fell from a tree and conked him on the head. Now, Mickey has migraines

and double vision, and the family's in such dire financial straits that Wahoo's mother has taken a temporary job. When offered

good money for the use of Mickey's tame animals, there's no saying no to the production company of Expedition Survival!, a

"reality" show starring Derek Badger. The Crays, however, draw the line at harming any animal; and Derek doesn't think the

scenes are "real" enough. The production company hires Mickey and Wahoo as guides on an Everglades location shoot, which is

complicated in true Hiaasen fashion by an abused, runaway girl from Wahoo's class, a toothy encounter with a jazzed-out snake, a

disastrously unsuccessful live-bat brunch...and a vanishing star. Hiaasen's novel features a shy, deep-feeling protagonist who's also a

pragmatist and plenty of nature info and age-appropriate cultural commentary. Humorous adventure tales just don't get any more

wacked...or fun to read than this. (Kirkus Starred) Adventure Fiction 290 pages MG


Code Name Verity

By Elizabeth Wein: In 1943, a

British fighter plane crashes in Nazi-

occupied France and the survivor

tells a tale of friendship, war,

espionage, and great courage as

she relates what she must to

survive while keeping secret all

that she can.

Wein’s exceptional -- downright sizzling -- abilities as a writer of historical adventure fiction are spectacularly evident in this taut,

captivating story of two young women, spy and pilot, during World War II. Wein gives us the story in two consecutive parts --

the first an account by Queenie (a.k.a. Lady Julia Beaufort-Stuart), a spy captured by the SS during a mission in Nazi-occupied

France. Queenie has bargained Linden to write what she knows about the British war effort in order to postpone her inevitable

execution. She charms her captors (and readers) as she writes her report and, mostly, tells the story of her best friend Maddie, the

pilot who dropped her over France, then crashed. Unbeknownst to Queenie, Maddie survived the crash; part two is Maddie’s

"accident report" and account of her efforts to save Queenie. Wein gives us multiple doubletakes and surprises as she ratchets up

the tension in Maddie’s story, revealing Queenie’s joyously clever duplicity and the indefatigable courage of both young women. This

novel positively soars, in part no doubt because the descriptions of flying derive from Wein’s own experience as a pilot. But it’s

outstanding in all its features -- its warm, ebullient characterization; its engagement with historical facts; its ingenious plot and

dramatic suspense; and its intelligent, vivid writing. *Printz Award Honor Book *YALSA Top Ten Fiction Award (Horn Book) Mystery,

Historical Fiction 343 pages UG

The Diviners

By Libba Bray: Evie O'Neill has

been exiled from her boring old

hometown and shipped off to the

bustling streets of New York City.

Soon enough, Evie is running with

glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish

pickpockets. The only catch is Evie

has to live with her Uncle Will,

curator of The Museum of American

Folklore, Superstition, and the

Occult--also known as "The Museum

of the Creepy Crawlies."

Bray’s lavish supernatural thriller plunks a macabre series of occult murders into 1920s New York. Newly arrived in Manhattan,

seventeen-year-old Evie O’Neill doesn’t plan to fade into the woodwork. As she tells friends back home in Ohio, “I’m going to be

written up in all the papers and get invited to the Fitzgeralds’ flat for cocktails.” The first half of this prediction comes true, but

not in the way she expects. Evie’s Uncle Will runs the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult, a.k.a. the

“Museum of Creepy Crawlies.” Early on, Miss Addie, Will’s eccentric elderly neighbor, recognizes that Evie is a diviner, someone

with a special connection to the spirit world. Eventually Evie’s more-or-less secret power to access people’s memories by touching

one of their possessions allows her to help Will track Naughty John, a truly eerie ritual killer who happens to have died fifty years

earlier. Bray switches perspectives among a variety of characters, some of whom also have supernatural abilities: a Harlem numbers

runner and poet; a world-weary Ziegfeld Follies dancer; the rakish con artist who fleeces Evie and then falls for her. Wisecracking

Evie is a likable heroine, and all signs point to intriguing complications and more malevolent spirits on the rise in succeeding

books. *YALSA Top Ten Fiction Award (Horn Book Starred) Fiction 578 pages UG


Dodger

By Terry Pratchett: In an

alternative London ruled by a

young Queen Victoria, Dodger, a

resourceful, homeless boy,

unwittingly prevents Sweeney Todd

from committing murder.

This superb novel from Pratchett is not only a fine Dickensian novel- Dickens himself figures prominently. It follows a sewer-

scouring "tosher" and thief named Dodger, "a skinny young man who moved with the speed of a snake," who, like a knight in

soiled armor, leaps out of a drain one night to protect a young woman who is being severely beaten. Two of London's most

famous figures, Charles Dickens and social reformer Henry Mayhew, appear on the scene a moment later. A complex plot gradually

unravels involving the identity of the mystery girl, known only as Simplicity, and the reasons someone powerful wants her dead.

Making guest appearances are such luminaries as Benjamin Disraeli, Queen Victoria, and Angela Burdett-Coutts, the richest woman

in the world at the time. Full of eccentric characters and carefully detailed London scenes, the tale embodies both Dickens's love

for the common man and a fierce desire for social justice. *Printz Award Honor Book (Publishers Weekly) Fiction 360 pages UG

A Dog Called Homeless

By Sarah Lean: Fifth-grader Cally

Louise Fisher stops talking, partly

because her father and brother

never speak of her mother who

died a year earlier, but visions of

her mother, friendships with a

homeless man and a disabled boy,

and a huge dog ensure that she

still communicates.

Cally Fisher hasn't spoken for 31 days. As she explains in the prologue, "Talking doesn't always make things happen, however

much you want it to." She knows that talking won't bring her mother back to life or keep her dad from selling their home in

exchange for a small apartment so what's the point in saying anything. But when her mother appears one day wearing a bright

red raincoat and the only other soul that sees her is a big scraggly dog, the girl knows she must find a way to convince her

father that the dog is the only thing connecting them to her mother. But her father's growing depression continues to separate the

family and Cally struggles to keep her mother from becoming a distant memory. When she meets Sam, who lives downstairs, the

friendship that forms between the boy who can’t see and the silent girl manages to reunite a family, and each character benefits

from the bond. Truly a lesson in the power of love and loss, this story shows that learning how to listen is more important than

what's being said. *Schneider Book Award Honor (School Library Journal) Fiction 202 pages MG


The Drowned Cities

By Paolo Bacigalupi: In a dark,

future America that has devolved

into unending civil wars, orphans

Mahlia and Mouse barely escape

the war-torn lands of the Drowned

Cities, but their fragile safety is

soon threatened and Mahlia will

have to risk everything if she is to

save Mouse, as he once saved her.

Bacigalupi returns to a dark, war-torn dystopian future in which severe climatic change and years of political upheaval have left

the United States a bloodied and ravaged landscape. Bands of child soldiers roam from village to village. Against the backdrop of

this blood-soaked chaos, two unlikely allies, a crippled teenage "war maggot" and a half-man/half-beast genetically altered killing

machine, risk their lives and their freedom to save a boy forced into servitude by rebel soldiers. Mahlia and Tool venture deeper

and deeper into the Drowned Cities, each fueled by unwavering loyalty. As they do, readers are given glimpses of proof that love

and humanity can shine through even the most unimaginable darkness. Arguably, the novel's greatest success lies in the creation of

a world that is so real, the grit and decay of war and ruin will lay thick on the minds of readers long after the final page. The

narrative, however, is equally well crafted. Told in the third person, the novel alternates between Mahalia and Tool's stories,

allowing both characters the time and space to imprint themselves on readers' hearts. Breathtaking. (Kirkus Starred) Fiction 437

pages UG

Enchanted

By Althea Kontis: When Sunday

Woodcutter, the youngest sibling to

sisters named for the other six

days of the week, kisses an

enchanted frog, he transforms back

into Rumbold, the crown prince of

Arilland--a man Sunday's family

despises.

Readers will discover a fabulous fairy-tale mashup that deserves hordes of avid readers. Sunday Woodcutter is the seventh daughter

of a seventh daughter, living in the shadow of the memory of her eldest brother, Jack Junior, who disappeared on a cursed quest

of his own. Sunday's siblings each have their own fates and secrets. It is Sunday, however, who becomes fast friends with a talking

frog, and it is Sunday's kiss that frees him--except she doesn't know. Kontis has deeply and vividly woven just about every fairy

character tale readers might half-remember into the fabric of her story. She does this so seamlessly, and with such energy and

good humor, that readers might miss a few references, caught up instead in Sunday's cheer and vivacity, or in Grumble-the-

Frog/Rumbold-the-Prince's intense romantic nature. Absolutely delectable in the wizardly grace of its storytelling. *YALSA Top Ten

Fiction Award (Kirkus Starred) Fantasy Fiction 308 pages MG


Every Day

By David Levithan: Every morning

A wakes in a different person's

body, in a different person's life,

learning over the years to never

get too attached, until he wakes

up in the body of Justin and falls

in love with Justin's girlfriend,

Rhiannon.

Imagine waking up in a different body every day. A is a 16-year-old genderless being who drifts from body to body each day,

living the life of a new human host of the same age and similar geographic radius for 24 hours. One morning, A wakes up a girl

with a splitting hangover; another day A wakes up as a teenage boy so overweight he can barely fit into his car. Straight boys,

gay girls, teens of different races, body shapes, sizes and genders make up the catalog of A's outward appearances, but ultimately

A's spirit--or soul--remains the same. One downside of A's life is that A doesn't have a family, nor is A able to make friends. A

tries to interfere as little as possible with the lives of the teenagers until the day A meets and falls head over heels in love with

Rhiannon. A pursues Rhiannon each day in whatever form s/he wakes up in, and Rhiannon learns to recognize A--not by

appearance, but by the way A looks at her across the room. Levithan's self-conscious, analytical style marries perfectly with the

plot. His musings on love, longing and human nature knit seamlessly with A's journey. An awe-inspiring, thought-provoking

reminder that love reaches beyond physical appearances or gender. *YALSA Top Ten Fiction Award (Kirkus Starred) Fiction 324

pages UG

Fire in the Streets

By Kekla Magoon: In the aftermath

of Dr. King's assassination in 1968,

Chicago fourteen-year-old Maxie

longs to join the Black Panthers,

whether or not her brother

Raheem, ex-boyfriend Sam, or her

friends like it, and is soon caught

up in the violence of anti-war and

civil rights demonstrations.

This companion novel to The Rock and the River is narrated by fourteen-year-old Maxie. Maxie lives for the Black Panthers. She’s

willing to pay her dues performing mundane chores in the office, but she pines for the day she can accept responsibilities typically

reserved for older members. In 1968, Chicago hosted the Democratic National Convention with its attendant riots, and the Panthers

(with Maxie and her friends in tow) are right in the thick of things. As the events of the summer segue into the fall, Maxie seeks

to renew her romance with Sam, but their relationship is complicated by other factors. He’s still grieving for his slain older

brother, while she’s dealing with problems at home. Her mother’s lost her job and has taken in yet another boyfriend; her older

brother, Raheem, can barely make ends meet. When the Panthers learn that there is a traitor in their midst, Maxie is sure that

finding the mole is her ticket to the party’s inner circle. Maxie’s voice is the big draw here, providing readers with a ground-level

view of an important historical moment but also of the nascent sociopolitical zeal of adolescence. (Horn Book) Historical Fiction

321 pages MG


Four Secrets

By Margaret Willey: Through

journal entries required by their

social worker at a juvenile

detention center, middle-schoolers

Katie, Nate, and Renata relate how

they came to kidnap their

tormentor, Chase, a star athlete

from the town's most prominent

family.

Four secrets? This mystery twists like kudzu, creeping ever closer to truths that, as readers, we both need to know and are afraid

to find out. Katie, Nate, and Renata are three junior high school friends locked up after being found guilty of kidnapping the class

bully, Chase. Their stories are told in nonsequential, piecemeal fashion via journals for their social worker, Greta Shield. Katie has

two diaries, one for Mrs. Shield and a secret one filled with screenplay-style dialogue; Renata communicates only in skewed,

nightmarish drawings; and Nate tells his story as if it were a Tolkienesque fantasy. Gradually, Greta Shield emerges as the

protagonist, obsessed with digging up the truth. If Chase wasn’t really kidnapped, then why are all four kids sticking to their

stories? Rich in unique voices, Willey’s story masterfully teases out information until the final pages—and the ultimate revelations

are well worth the torture. (Booklist Starred) 227 pages Fiction MG

The Good Braider

By Terry Farish: A story of loss,

courage and hope as a teenage girl

escapes war-torn Sudan to face the

challenges of a new life in America.

The Good Braider follows Viola on a journey from her home in ravaged Sudan to Cairo and finally to the folds of a Sudanese

community in Maine. Viola's story, told in free verse, is read with a constant lurking sense of both dread and hope. In the opening

scene she gazes at the curve of the back of a boy walking the street in front of her, only to view his senseless execution moments

later. This tension never completely dissipates, though it takes on different forms throughout her story; by the end it is replaced

not by the fear of execution or of the lecherous soldier who forces her to trade herself for her family's safety, but by the tension

of walking the line between her mother's cultural expectations and the realities of her new country. Yet while Farish so lyrically

and poignantly captures Viola's wrenching experience leaving her home, navigating the waiting game of refugee life, and

acculturating into the United States, she's equally successful in teasing out sweet moments of friendship and universal teenage

experiences. Viola's memorable, affecting voice will go far to help students step outside of their own experience and walk a mile in

another's shoes. (School Library Journal) Fiction in Verse 221 pages UG


Guantanamo Boy

By Anna Perera: Khalid, a fifteen-

year-old Muslim boy from England,

is kidnapped while on holiday with

his family in Pakistan and struggles

to understand when he is taken to

Guantanamo Bay and held without

charge.

Is torture ever justified? Can a confession given under torture be considered the truth? What if the suspect is only 15? Set six

months after 9/11, this unforgettable novel is told through the story of teenage Khalid, born near Manchester, England, into a

secular Muslim family. Close with his mates on the soccer field and excited about a girl in his class, Khalid grabs every spare

minute at home to play war games online with his Pakistani cousin, Tariq, whom Khalid has never met. Then, on his first family

trip to Pakistan, Khalid is suddenly arrested in the street, named an enemy combatant, beaten, and questioned, first in Pakistan,

then Afghanistan, and then Guantanamo Bay, where he is deprived of sleep, shackled, and water-boarded until he confesses to

everything in order to stop the pain and get back home. Tariq is also a prisoner. Did he confess and betray Khalid? Were they

victims of bounty hunters? (Booklist Starred) Fiction 339 pages UG

How to Save a Life

By Sara Zarr: Told from their own

viewpoints, Jill, in grief over the

loss of her father, and Mandy are

thrown together when Jill's mother

agrees to adopt Mandy's unborn

child but nothing turns out as they

had anticipated.

Still reeling from the death of her father, Jill resents her mother's plan to adopt a new baby. When soon-to-be birth mother

Mandy arrives, she brings with her more than any of them imagined. Struggling with the loss of her like-minded father, guilt over

her failings as a daughter and her heart, which she fears is permanently sealed, Jill is determined to dislike Mandy. Her

resentment, fueled by inconsistencies in the young mother's story, drives her to find an investigator. When a startling phone call

exposes Mandy's darkest secrets, Jill finds herself more confused than ever. Mandy, who knows firsthand what it is like to grow up

unwanted and unloved, is determined to find a better life for her baby. But what if, in the meantime, she can find a better life

for herself? Told from the perspectives of both Jill and Mandy in alternating chapters, this moving story explores love, loss and

whether a family can be more than the sum of its parts. Jill's cynicism is the perfect counterpart to Mandy's hopeful naivety.

Likewise, Mandy's vulnerability highlights Jill's tough independence. Woven together from two simple threads, the resulting tapestry

is as beautiful as it is real. A story that will resonate beyond its final page. *YALSA Top Ten Fiction Award (Kirkus Starred) Fiction

341 pages UG


In Darkness

By Nick Lake: In the aftermath of

the Haitian earthquake, Shorty, a

poor, fifteen-year-old gang member

from the slums of Site Soleil, is

trapped in the rubble of a hospital

and as he grows weaker, he has

visions and memories of his life of

violence, his lost twin sister, and of

Toussaint L'Ouverture, who

liberated Haiti from French rule in

1804.

"I am the voice in the dark, calling out for your help." Amid the devastation of the recent Haiti earthquake, in a collapsed

hospital, lies a teenage boy, waiting, hoping -- possibly in vain -- to be rescued. As he waits, his mind turns not only to the

events in his own life that have led him to this point but also, in alternating sections, to the life of Haiti's great revolutionary,

Touissant L'Ouverture -- and the parallels between Haiti in the past and Haiti in the present are not lost on the reader. The boy

lives in one of the bleakest slums, and his life has been defined by violence, crime, and corruption: his father murdered, his sister

kidnapped, his own innocence compromised by gang activity -- and all of it sanctioned by the corrupt relationship between the

government and the gangs. There is a mystical thread that connects this boy not only to Aristide but to L'Ouverture, whose

presence seems to visit the boy in his ordeal. The boy draws strength from the inspiring but heartbreaking story of this noble

revolutionary leader, providing the impetus to re-evaluate his own life. The leisurely pacing allows Lake to develop his unforgettable

characters, harrowing settings, and lay the foundation for his timely and relevant themes. *Printz Award Winner (Horn Book)

Historical Fiction 341 pages UG

Inside Out and Back

Again

By Thanhha Lai: Through a series

of poems, a young girl chronicles

the life-changing year of 1975,

when she, her mother, and her

brothers leave Vietnam and resettle

in Alabama.

After her father has been missing in action for nine years during the Vietnam War, 10-year-old Hà flees with her mother and

three older brothers. Traveling first by boat, the family reaches a tent city in Guam, moves on to Florida, and is finally connected

with sponsors in Alabama, where Hà finds refuge but also cruel rejection, especially from mean classmates. Based on Lai’s personal

experience, this first novel captures a child-refugee’s struggle with rare honesty. Written in accessible, short free-verse poems, Hà’s

immediate narrative describes her mistakes—both humorous and heartbreaking—with grammar, customs, and dress, and readers

will be moved by Hà’s sorrow as they recognize the anguish of being the outcast who spends lunchtime hiding in the bathroom.

Eventually, Hà does get back at the sneering kids who bully her at school, and she finds help adjusting to her new life from a

kind teacher who lost a son in Vietnam. The elemental details of Hà’s struggle dramatize a foreigner’s experience of alienation. And

even as she begins to shape a new life, there is no easy comfort. *Newbery Honor Book *National Book Award (Booklist) Verse

Fiction 262 pages MG


Jump into the Sky

By Shelly Pearsall: In 1945, Levi

is sent to find the father he has

not seen in three years, going from

Chicago, to segregated North

Carolina, and finally to Pendleton,

Oregon, where he learns that his

father's unit, the all-Black 555th

paratrooper battalion finally has a

mission.

With a style reminiscent of Christopher Paul Curtis, Pearsall takes us along as 13-year-old Levi Battle searches for his father and

struggles to find his place in the world. It's 1945 and he is sent to live with his father who is stationed in North Carolina. After

finding out that his father has shipped out on a secret mission, Levi and a young soldier travel to Oregon to join up with the

battalion. Much to Levi's surprise, his father is a well-respected officer in an elite, but little recognized, battalion of black

paratroopers. As father and son work on their strained relationship, a real threat calls the soldiers out to defend the Oregon

countryside. This well-researched novel brings to light some relatively obscure aspects of World War II. Coupled with rich

supporting characters and the folksy and humorous style in which it is told, this is a sure winner. (Library Media Connection)

Historical Fiction 344 pages MG

Liar & Spy

By Rebecca Stead: Seventh-grader

Georges adjusts to moving from a

house to an apartment, his father's

efforts to start a new business, his

mother's extra shifts as a nurse,

being picked on at school, and

Safer, a boy who wants his help

spying on another resident of their

building.

Life is lousy for Brooklyn seventh-grader Georges. His architect father has been laid off so they’ve had to move, and he never sees

his mother now that she’s doing double shifts as an intensive-care nurse. School is no respite, what with former best friend having

ditched him to sit at the cool lunch table and with bully Dallas’s endless torments. And so when he meets homeschooler Safer,

who lives in his new building and offers to train him as a spy, Georges figures, why not? Their target is one Mr. X, who lives on

the fourth floor and, according to Safer, has been behaving in some very worrisome ways. Wild parrots, Scrabble tiles, SweeTarts,

the Science Unit of Destiny, and America’s Funniest Home Videos all factor into this smart, slightly noirish tale. Stead’s spare and

elegant prose, compassionate insight into the lives of young people, wry sense of humor, deft plotting, and ability to present

complex ideas in an accessible and intriguing way make this much more than a mystery-with-a-twist. (Horn Book) Mystery Fiction

180 pages MG


Matched

By Allie Condie: Cassia has always

had complete trust in the Society

to make decisions for her, but

when she is being paired with her

ideal mate, a second face flashes

on the screen, and Cassia begins to

doubt the Society's infallibility as

she tries to decide who she truly

loves.

“Do not go gentle into that good night.” Cassia’s feelings of security disintegrate after her grandfather hands her a slip of paper

just before his scheduled death at age 80. Not only does she now possess an illegal poem, but she also has a lingering interest in

the boy who fleetingly appeared on her viewscreen, the one who wasn’t her match, the man she will eventually marry. What’s

worse, she knows him—his name is Ky, and he is an orphan from the Outer Provinces. How could she love him as much as

Xander, her match and best friend since childhood? The stunning clarity and attention to detail in Condie’s Big Brother–like world

is a feat. Some readers might find the Society to be a close cousin of Lois Lowry’s dystopian future in The Giver, with carefully

chosen work placements, constant monitoring, and pills for regulating emotional extremes. However, the author just as easily tears

this world apart while deftly exploring the individual cost of societal perfection and the sacrifices inherent in freedom of choice.

(Booklist) Fantasy Fiction 369 pages UG

Moonbird: A Year on the Wind

with the Great Survivor B95

By Phillip M. Hoose: Chronicles a

year in the life of rufa red knot

B95, also called Moonbird,

following him through his migration

pattern and discussing the

environmental problems that caused

the rufa population to collapse by

nearly eighty percent.

Hoose explores the tragedy of extinction through a single bird species, but there is hope for survival in this story, and that hope

is pinned on understanding the remarkable longevity of a single bird. B95 is a 4-ounce, robin-sized shorebird, a red knot of the

subspecies rufa. Each February he joins a flock that lifts off from Tierra del Fuego and heads for breeding grounds in the Canadian

Arctic, 9,000 miles away. Late in the summer, he begins the return journey. Scientists call him Moonbird because, in the course of

his astoundingly long lifetime of nearly 20 years, he has flown the distance to the moon and halfway back. B95 can fly for days

without eating or sleeping but eventually must land to refuel and rest. Recent changes, however, at refueling stations along his

migratory circuit, most caused by human activity, have reduced the available food. Since 1995, when B95 was captured and

banded, the rufa population has collapsed by nearly 80 percent. Scientists want to know why this one bird survives year after year

when so many others do not. In a compelling, vividly detailed narrative, Hoose takes readers around the hemisphere, showing them

the obstacles rufa red knots face, introducing a global team of scientists and conservationists, and offering insights about what can

be done to save them before it's too late. Meticulously researched and told with inspiring prose and stirring images, this is a

gripping, triumphant story of science and survival. *YALSA Nonfiction Finalist *Sibert Honor Book (Kirkus Starred) Nonfiction 148

pages MG


My Name is Mina

By David Almond: Prequel to

Skellig. Creative, intelligent Mina

keeps a journal in her own

disorderly way that reveals how her

mind is growing into something

extraordinary, especially after she

begins homeschooling under the

direction of her widowed mother.

This is the story of Mina, the girl next door who, in Skellig, helped Michael cope with the man he found in his garage eating dead

flies and growing wings. Who was Mina before Michael arrived? Form as well as language bring Mina alive. Her journal introduces

us to this authoritative, imaginative, irascible child, and her entries appear in her childlike penmanship; the print is big and bold

when she finds a word she loves (“METEMPSYCHOSIS!”), and she uses concrete poetry as she plays with language and thoughts. And

what thoughts! Mina is homeschooled, because, well, because she’s Mina, and she needs expanses of time to think about myths and

mathematics. She dreams of her dead father and wonders, wonders, wonders about birds. It is the birds that will lead readers into

Skellig—that, and glimpses of Michael and his family moving next door. This book stands very much alone, but the sense of

wonder that pervades the smallest details of everyday life remains familiar. (Booklist Starred) Fiction 300 pages MG

Never Fall Down

By Patricia McCormick: This is a

work of fiction based on a true

story. When soldiers arrive in his

hometown in Cambodia, Arn Chorn

Pond is separated from his family

and sent to a labor camp, where

he works in the rice paddies until

he volunteers to learn to play an

instrument--a decision that both

saves his life and lands him in

battle.

McCormick tackles a horrifying subject with grace while unsentimentally portraying the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge and

Cambodia's killing fields. This novel is based on a real person, Arn Chorn Pond, who was 11 years old at the time of the country's

Communist revolution. Arn's narration balances a palpable and constant sense of fear, starvation, and humiliation with his will to

survive. Doing so involves great moral compromises, bravery, and a capacity for love and friendship despite the nightmarish

circumstances. McCormick divides the narrative into five periods: life before the revolution; in the camps, where Arn learns to play

the music; his induction into the Khmer Rouge; his time in a refugee camp; and, finally, his transition to America. On how to

survive, Arn observes, "You show you care, you die. You show fear, you die. You show nothing, maybe you live." While never

shying from the ugliness and brutality of this genocide, McCormick crafts a powerful tribute to the human spirit. *YALSA Top Ten

Fiction Award (Publishers Weekly) Fiction 216 pages UG


No Crystal Stair

By Vaunda Micheaux Nelson: Tells

the story of Lewis Michaux who

built a bookstore in Harlem despite

widespread opposition.

Lewis Michaux provided a venue for his fellow African-Americans to have access to their own history and philosophy at a time

when the very idea was revolutionary. Michaux's family despaired of him, as he engaged in petty crime and was obviously headed

in the wrong direction. He began to read, however, and discovered a connection to the writings of Marcus Garvey and others, and

he determined that knowledge of black thinkers and writers was the way to freedom and dignity. With an inventory of five books,

he started his National Memorial African Bookstore as "the home of proper propaganda" and built it into a Harlem landmark,

where he encouraged his neighbors to read, discuss and learn, whether or not they could afford to buy. His clients included

Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Langston Hughes and Nikki Giovanni. Nelson, Michaux's great-niece, makes use of an exhaustive

collection of interviews, articles, books, transcripts and FBI files, filling in the gaps with "informed speculation." Brief entries

arranged in mostly chronological order read seamlessly so that fact and fiction meld in a cohesive whole. A stirring and thought-

provoking account of an unsung figure in 20th-century American history. *Coretta Scott King Honor Book (Kirkus Starred) Biography

with added Fiction 188 pages MG

October Mourning: a Song for Matthew Shepard

By Lesléa Newman: On October 6,

1998, 21-year-old Matthew

Shepard, a gay student at the

University of Wyoming, was

savagely beaten and left to die.

This collection of poetry honors

Shepard's memory.

In 1998 Gay Awareness Week was beginning at the University of Wyoming, and the keynote speaker was Lesléa Newman,

discussing her book Heather Has Two Mommies . Shaken by the events of Matthew Shepard’s death, the author addressed the large

audience that gathered and remained haunted by Matthew’s murder. October Mourning, a novel in verse, is her deeply felt

response to the events of that tragic day. Using her poetic imagination, the author creates fictitious monologues from various

points of view, including the fence Matthew was tied to, the stars that watched over him, the deer that kept him company, and

Matthew himself. More than a decade later, this stunning cycle of sixty-eight poems serves as an illumination for readers too young

to remember, and as a powerful, enduring tribute to Matthew Shepard’s life. *Stonewall Honor Book Poetry 111 pages UG


The One and Only Ivan

By Katherine Applegate: When Ivan,

a gorilla who has lived for years in

a down-and-out circus-themed mall,

meets Ruby, a baby elephant that

has been added to the mall, he

decides that he must find her a

better life.

"I am Ivan. I am a gorilla. / It's not as easy as it looks." In short chapters, Applegate has captured the voice of Ivan, a captive

gorilla who lives at the "Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade." When a new baby elephant, Ruby, arrives, Ivan promises the old

elephant, Stella, that he will take care of her. He comes to realize that their years of captivity in such a restrictive environment

are not what Ruby deserves. He hatches a daring plan that involves his own original artwork, a stray dog, the daughter of the

custodian, and a zoo thousands of miles away. The choice to tell this story in the first person and to personify the gorilla with an

entire range of human thoughts, feelings, and emotions poses important questions to the reader, not only about what it means to

be human but also about what it means to be a living creature, and what kind of kinship we all share. An author's note describes

the true incident that inspired this story and includes more information about the real Ivan. *Newbery Medal Winner (Horn Book)

Fiction 305 pages MG

One Shot at Forever: a Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and

a Magical Baseball Season

By Chris Ballard: Tells the story of

a small-town baseball team from

Illinois in 1971.

It’s a familiar story: the magic season, the underdog overcoming all odds. The 1971 Macon, Illinois, high-school baseball team and

its misfit coach went all the way to the state finals, knocking off powerhouse teams with enrollments larger than their entire

central Illinois town. Coach L. C. Sweet, a free-spirited English teacher, had been a pretty good amateur ballplayer. His resemblance

to Frank Zappa and his unconventional ways—holding practice only if the kids felt like it, letting them sew peace symbols on

their caps, tolerating them “belting out ‘Yellow Submarine’ at the top of their lungs” as they arrived for away games—didn’t sit

well with the community. But the boys won. And when they beat formidable Lane Tech from Chicago to reach the state finals,

even the naysayers couldn’t argue with Sweet being named Coach of the Year. Ballard writes very well and avoids the usual pitfalls

of the “inspirational” story, the cloying platitudes and rah-rah nonsense. These kids were simply good ballplayers coached by a guy

with an open mind, a lot of common sense, and a zest for fun. *Alex Award Winner (Booklist) Nonfiction 254 pages AD


Parrotfish

By Ellen Wittlinger: Grady, a

transgendered high school student,

yearns for acceptance by his

classmates and family as he

struggles to adjust to his new

identity.

"What I am is a person who's capable of loving other people. That's all that matters." This is the unwavering thrust of

Wittlinger's novel, narrated by Grady (born Angela), a transgendered teenage boy who is determined to show his true self to the

world. Supporters include nerdy Sebastian, gorgeous Kita, and Grady's upset but protective mother, whose ability to be loving and

supportive despite her confusion and unhappiness makes her the most complex member of the ensemble. The plot enriches a

thought-provoking discussion of gender roles and gender identity. Grady is ultimately both recognizable and likable -- an awkward,

slightly insecure, occasionally eloquent kid devoted to family and friends, just trying to figure out where he fits in the world. (Horn

Book) Fiction 294 pages UG

Planet Middle School

By Nikki Grimes: A series of poems

describes all the baffling changes at

home and at school in twelve-year-

old Joylin's life.

Joylin, 12, has always been comfortable in her own skin. Then strange things start to happen. She begins to notice boys; her

forever friend and b-ball buddy, Jake, begins to treat her differently on the court; and Joylin and her best girlfriend, Kaylee,

develop different interests. Joylin feels like an "alien" who finds herself in "Planet Middle School" by mistake, "searching for that

spaceship/that's gonna take me home." She tries to morph from a tomboy in baggy jeans and an old T-shirt into someone more

feminine, trying lipstick, heels, and a skirt, each with disastrous results. That she emerges from these oh-so-embarrassing episodes

effectively provides reassurance and hope. Joylin's voice is revealed in spare, well-paced verse. Young and adult characters are

plausible, likable, and supportive of one another. The story is by turns touching and laugh-out-loud funny, and readers will

appreciate the time they spend with Joylin, her family, and her friends as they live, grow, and learn as individuals and together.

(School Library Journal) Fiction in Verse 154 pages MG


The Revolution of Evelyn

Serrano

By Sonia Manzano: It is 1969 in

Spanish Harlem, and fourteen-year-

old Evelyn Serrano is trying hard

to break free from her conservative

Puerto Rican surroundings, but

when her activist grandmother

comes to stay and the

neighborhood protests start, things

get a lot more complicated--and

dangerous.

Set in 1969, Manzano's first novel offers a realistically mercurial protagonist struggling with her identity in Spanish Harlem.

Fourteen-year-old Rosa Mara Evelyn del Carmen Serrano is frustrated with life in El Barrio. Tired of working for her mother and

stepfather in their bodega, she takes a job at a five-and-dime and hopes to trudge through the rest of the summer. Everything

changes when her abuela arrives, taking over Evelyn's bedroom and bearing secrets of the family's involvement in Puerto Rico's

tumultuous history. When a group called the Young Lords begins working to bring positive changes to the neighborhood, some

residents are resistant, including Evelyn's mother. Led by her grandmother's example, Evelyn begins to take an interest in the

efforts of the activist group. As the months pass, the three generations of women begin to see one another's perspectives, and

Evelyn realizes the importance of her Puerto Rican heritage. Like most real-world teens, she changes subtly, rather than through

one earth-shattering epiphany. The author effectively captures this shifting perception in the dialogue and Evelyn's first-person

narration. Secondary characters of surprising dimension round out the plot and add to the novel's cultural authenticity, as do the

Spanish and Spanglish words and phrases sprinkled throughout the text so seamlessly that a glossary would be moot. A stunning

debut. *Pura Belpre Honor Book (Kirkus Starred) Fiction 205 pages MG

Seraphina

By Rachel Hartman: In a world

where dragons and humans coexist

in an uneasy truce and dragons

can assume human form, Seraphina

grapples with her own identity

amid magical secrets and royal

scandals, while she struggles to

accept and develop her

extraordinary musical talents.

In Hartman's splendid prose debut, humans and dragons--who can take human form but not human feeling--have lived in uneasy

peace for 40 years. The dragons could destroy the humans, but they are too fascinated by them. As musician Seraphina describes

it, humans are like cockroaches to dragons, but interesting. As the anniversary of the treaty approaches, things fall apart: The

crown prince has been murdered, anti-dragon sentiment is rising, and in the midst of it all, an awkward, gifted, observant girl

unexpectedly becomes central to everything. By turns pedantic, lonely, scared, drily funny and fierce, Seraphina brings readers into

her world and imparts details from the vast (a religion of saints, one of whom is heretical) to the minute (her music, in

beautifully rendered detail). The wealth of detail never overwhelms, relayed as it is amid Seraphina's personal journey; half-human

and half-dragon, she is anathema to all and lives in fear. But her growing friendship with the princess and the princess' betrothed,

plus her unusual understanding of both humans and dragons, all lead to a poignant and powerful acceptance of herself. Dragon

books are common enough, but this one is head and talons above the rest. *William C. Morris Award Winner *YALSA Top Ten

Fiction Award (Kirkus Starred) Fantasy Fiction 499 pages MG


Somebody, Please Tell

Me Who I Am

By Harry Mazer: Wounded in Iraq

while his Army unit is on convoy

and treated for many months for

traumatic brain injury, the first

person Ben remembers from his

earlier life is his brother who has

autism.

Ben has the talent to be a star on Broadway after high school, but instead “Broadway” just becomes his nickname with his

buddies in Iraq. Ben’s e-mails to his longtime girlfriend Ariela portray a young man much changed from the one she and Ben’s

best friend, Niko, remember. When a blast sends Ben home with a traumatic brain injury, Ariela and Niko deal with Ben’s

condition differently. Screwball Niko becomes an introspective and constant companion to Ben’s mom and brother. Ariela, away at

school, buries herself in new relationships while keeping Ben in her heart. Ben emerges from a coma struggling to remember

anything about his past self, including how to speak, construct meaning, and recognize loved ones. Although the reader may

despair at the tragic turn of a young man so full of promise, the ending offers a glimpse of light at the end of what will be a

long, dark tunnel. *Schneider Book Award Winner (Booklist) Fiction 148 pages UG

Splendors and Glooms

By Laura Amy Schlitz: When Clara

vanishes after the puppeteer Grisini

and two orphaned assistants were

at her twelfth birthday party,

suspicion of kidnapping chases the

trio away from London and soon

the two orphans are caught in a

trap set by Grisini's ancient rival, a

witch with a deadly inheritance to

shed before it is too late.

A brooding, Dickensian novel with a touch of fantasy and a glimmer of hope, Schlitz’s latest opens in London in 1860, when lonely

Clara, the only remaining child in a doctor’s grief-stricken household, attempts to celebrate her twelfth birthday. Grisini the puppet

master is engaged to perform, along with the two orphaned children, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall, who serve as his assistants. Clara

bridges the class divide to befriend the children. After kidnapping Clara for ransom, cruel Grisini disappears, leaving Lizzie Rose and

Parsefall struggling to survive on their own. They make their way to the country house of a bewitched woman whose magical

amulet gives her amazing powers while draining away her humanity. There they learn certain grisly secrets involving their cruel

master, Clara’s fate, and the wealthy witch, who seeks to control them all. The magic of the storytelling here lies in the subtle

depiction of menacing evil. After working its way insidiously through the characters’ lives, it is defeated by the children, who grow

in strength and understanding throughout the novel. Vividly portrayed and complex, the characters are well-defined individuals

whose separate strands of story are colorful and compelling. Schlitz weaves them into an intricate tapestry that is as mysterious

and timeless as a fairy tale. *Newbery Honor Book (Booklist Starred) Fiction 384 pages MG


Starry River of the Sky

By Grace Lin: An innkeeper's boy

discovers that a visitor's stories

hold the key to returning the

moon to the Starry River of the

Sky.

When a troubled runaway arrives in an isolated Chinese village where the moon has disappeared, he initiates a quest to find the

missing orb and resolve his past. Escaping from home in a merchant's cart, Rendi's abandoned in the Village of Clear Sky, where

the innkeeper hires him as chore boy. Bad-tempered and insolent, Rendi hates Clear Sky, but he has no way of leaving the sad

village where every night the sky moans and the moon has vanished. The innkeeper's bossy daughter irritates Rendi. He wonders

about the innkeeper's son who's disappeared and about peculiar old Mr. Shan, who confuses toads with rabbits. When mysterious

Madame Chang arrives at the inn, her storytelling transports Rendi. She challenges him to contribute his own stories, in which he

gradually reveals his identity as son of a wealthy magistrate. Realizing there's a connection between Madame Chang's stories and

the missing moon, Rendi assumes the hero's mantle, transforming himself from a selfish, self-focused boy into a thoughtful young

man who learns the meaning of home, harmony and forgiveness. Lin artfully wraps her hero's story in alternating layers of Chinese

folklore, providing rich cultural context. Detailed, jewel-toned illustrations and spot art reminiscent of Chinese painting highlight key

scenes and themes and serve as the focus of an overall exquisite design. (Kirkus Starred) Fiction 288 pages MG

Steve Jobs: The Man

who Thought Different

By Karen Blumenthal: Chronicles

the life and accomplishments of

Apple mogul Steve Jobs, discussing

his ideas, and describing how he

has influenced life in the twenty-

first century.

Blumenthal, a former business reporter, uses a speech Jobs made to a graduating class at Stanford as an inviting hook to draw

readers in. He told his audience stories about the most important incidents in his life, beginning with his adoption, and how the

dots of his life connected in mysterious ways. His adoptive father was skilled with his hands and a perfectionist, a trait Jobs

carried on, sometimes to extremes. The worst moments in Jobs’ life, like being fired from Apple, the company he built, led him to

bigger and better moments, and an eventual return to Apple, where he would give the world iPods, iPhones, and iPads. His final

story was about his cancer, and his message was to “follow your heart and intuition.” Through original interviews, a smart use of

source material, and a wonderfully easy-going style, Blumenthal gives a full portrait of Jobs, with his many well-documented flaws,

his original and far-sighted aesthetic, and his willingness to push himself and others to achieve the best—as he perceived it. This

is a smart book about a smart subject by a smart writer. *YALSA Nonfiction Finalist (Booklist Starred) Nonfiction 310 pages MG


Three Times Lucky

By Sheila Turnage: Washed ashore

as a baby in tiny Tupelo Landing,

North Carolina, Mo LoBeau, now

eleven, and her best friend Dale

turn detective when the amnesiac

Colonel, owner of a cafe and co-

parent of Mo with his cook, Miss

Lana, seems implicated in a

murder.

Quick-thinking and precocious Mo LoBeau is hilarious in this modern-day mystery set in a small North Carolina town. The 11-year-

old discovers the true meaning of family as she searches for her "upstream mother." As a baby, Mo was found washed ashore

during a hurricane and has led a quiet life with the Colonel, a cafe owner with a hidden past, and Miss Lana, the fun and colorful

cafe hostess. Then one day, this idyllic town is turned upside down by a murder investigation. The twists and turns in the plot will

keep readers on their toes, and the humorous interactions between Mo and her quirky neighbors will keep them coming back for

more. While the story is amusing and mysterious, the author also skillfully touches on tough issues. The mood of the book stays

light and keeps youngsters rooting for Mo in all of her adventurous endeavors, yet elicits empathy for the secondary characters as

they endure and conquer challenging circumstances. *Newbery Honor Book (School Library Journal) Fiction 312 pages MG

Tiger Lily

By Jodi Lynn Anderson: Fifteen-year-

old Tiger Lily receives special

protections from the spiritual forces

of Neverland, but then she meets

her tribe's most dangerous enemy--

Peter Pan--and falls in love with

him.

It's no paradise. White-sand beaches and spectacular sunsets come with mud, mosquitoes and croc-infested swamps. But guided by

fragile, insect-size faerie Tink, readers are drawn into this richly re-imagined Neverland. Adopted daughter of shaman Tik Tok, Tiger

Lily is proud and competitive, kept at a wary distance by her peers except for gentle Pine Sap, whose unconditional love she

appreciates but doesn't return. Athletic Tiger Lily, nonathletic Pine Sap and Tik Tok, whose self-identity doesn't match his gender,

share a bond that's shaken after Tiger Lily rescues an English shipwreck survivor, then falls in love with Peter, following him into

an emotional wilderness as intoxicating and dangerous as Neverland itself. Tink's love and helplessness (faeries read thoughts but

cannot speak) become a source of tension and metaphor in this post-colonial fable that covers a lot of ground: wilderness and

civilization, gender and power, time and change. Working with the darker threads of Barrie's bittersweet classic, Anderson weaves

an enchanting tale. (Kirkus Starred) Fiction 292 pages UG


Titanic: Voices from the

Disaster

By Deborah Hopkinson: Draws on

stories from survivors and archival

photographs to describe the history

of the "Titanic" from its launch to

its sinking.

Hopkinson puts a human face on the Titanic's sinking in this riveting nonfiction chronicle of the ship's collision with an iceberg

and the tragic aftermath. She threads together the stories of many passengers and crew members, focusing on a handful of

survivors that includes an Argentine-born stewardess, a rambunctious nine-year-old British boy, a science teacher from England, and

an American teenager traveling with his parents. The author quotes these four and others freely, their voices forming a deeply

intimate account of the tragedy. Hopkinson packs her thoroughly researched story with a wealth of information about the ship

itself, and her portraits of the shipmates are fully realized and often heartbreaking. Chapters detailing the sinking, the scramble for

lifeboats, and the harrowing wait for the Carpathia's arrival are fast-paced and riveting. Photos of the ship, the (purported)

iceberg, telegrams sent to and from the Titanic, and of the survivors' rescue add significant context and amplify the immediacy of

the drama. *YALSA Nonfiction Finalist and *Sibert Honor Book (Publishers Weekly) Nonfiction 289 pages MG

Under the Mesquite

By Guadalupe Garcia McCall:

Throughout her high school years,

as her mother battles cancer,

Lupita takes on more responsibility

for her house and seven younger

siblings, while finding refuge in

acting and writing poetry.

A resilient Mexican-American girl copes with familial obligation and loss in this free-verse novel. Drawing from her own teen years

for inspiration, McCall highlights life in the borderlands: "En los Estados Unidos / I trained my tongue / and twisted syllables / to

form words / that sounded hollow, / like the rain at midnight / dripping into tin pails / through the thatched roof / of our

abuelita's house." Lupita's first-person tale captures pivotal moments of her high-school years in the border town of Eagle Pass,

Texas, with glimpses back at her first six years in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico. During her freshman year, Lupita discovers

that her mother has cancer. While her mother fights the disease and her father struggles to support the family financially, Lupita

sometimes becomes the de facto parental unit for her seven younger siblings. As she worries about food and money, Lupita

experiences troubles and triumphs of a teenage girl; her drama teacher, Mr. Cortez, helps her find an outlet for her talent and her

pain. Meanwhile, family members continue to draw strength and support from each other on both sides of the border. With

poignant imagery and well-placed Spanish, the author effectively captures the complex lives of teenagers. A promising, deeply felt

debut. *YALSA Top Ten Fiction Award (Kirkus Starred) Fiction in Verse 224 pages MG


Wonder

By R.J. Palacio: Auggie Pullman,

who was born with extreme facial

abnormalities and was not expected

to survive, goes from being home-

schooled to entering fifth grade at

a private middle school in

Manhattan, which entails enduring

the taunts and fear of his

classmates as he struggles to be

seen as just another student.

Due to a rare genetic disorder, Auggie Pullman's head is malformed, his facial features are misshapen, and he has scars from

corrective surgery. After much discussion and waffling, he and his parents decide it's time for him to go to a regular school for

the fifth grade instead of being homeschooled. All his life Auggie has seen the shocked expressions and heard the whispers his

appearance generates, and he has his coping strategies. He knows that except for how he looks, he's a normal kid. What he

experiences is typical middle school-the good and the bad. Meanwhile, his beautiful sister is starting high school and having her

own problems. She's finding that friendships change and, though it makes her feel guilty, she likes not being labeled as Auggie's

sister. Multiple people tell this story, including Auggie, two of his new school friends, his sister, and his sister's former best friend.

Palacio has an exceptional knack for writing realistic conversation and describing the thoughts and emotions of the characters.

Everyone grows and develops as the story progresses, especially the middle school students. This is a fast read and would be a

great discussion starter about love, support, and judging people on their appearance. A well-written, thought-provoking book.-

(School Library Journal) Fiction 315 pages MG

title summary review - park school of baltimorehe adopted the persona “boy21,“ a benevolent,...

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