21) I, Emma Freke

Bibliography: Atkinson, Elizabeth; I, Emma Freke; Carolrhoda Books; Minneapolis; 2010; 233 pages; ISBN 978-0-7613-5604-2.

Plot: Emma Freke is a social outcast.  She had friends when she was younger, but one summer she grew taller than all of her classmates and her hair turned bright red.  She has become a recluse due to everyone at school making fun of her and thinking that she is a freak.  Emma has never met her father and her mother would rather run around dating men than be a mother to Emma.  Emma feels like she doesn’t fit in anywhere.  When Emma tells her mother this, her mother shows her an invitation to a reunion of her father’s side of the family.  At the family reunion, Emma comes out of her shell and meets her place in the world.

Review:  Emma Freke is a different type of character.  She is smart and strong willed.  Even though she believes that her name is her identity, she is willing to find solace in anything.  I found myself empathizing with Emma.  She is close to six feet tall in the sixth grade.  The only place she fits in is in her mother’s bead shop, where she basically runs the business.  She has met her father, and her mother has always avoided the topic when Emma asks. 

Emma’s only friend is Penelope, an adopted child of two older women.  Penelope is the complete opposite of Emma.  She is outgoing and friendly and open to anything.  Emma always wonders how Penelope can be so open and friendly.  At times she gets embarrassed of Penelope’s openness.  Penelope is the perfect friend for Emma.

When Emma goes to her family reunion she finally finds her place in the world.  She finds people that look just like her.  She learns to be open and stand up for herself.  She also learns that they pronounce the last name Frecky instead of Freak.  By learning this new pronunciation, Emma realizes that a name is only a name and doesn’t define a person’s character.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction/Coming of Age

Interest Level: age 9-12

Related Books: Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes; Little Divas by Philana Marie Boles; My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath

Awards:

Moonbeam Award: Gold Medal for Pre-teen Fiction

Bank Street College of Education’s Best Children’s Books of 2011

Author Information: http://elizabethatkinson.com/?page_id=1010

20) Mallory's Guide to Boys, Brothers, Dads, and Dogs

Bibliography: .Friedman, Laurie; Mallory’s Guide to Boys, Brothers, Dads, and Dogs; Darby Creek; Minneapolis; 2011; 159 pages; ISBN 978-0-7613-5250-1.

Plot: Mallory has a problem.  She likes a boy, but that boy doesn’t know who she is and he is also older than her.  It doesn’t take long for her obsession with her crush, JT, to monopolize her mind.  This causes even more trouble for Mallory.  Pretty soon she’s failing math and has to have a parent teacher conference.  She gets grounded and then finds herself in even more trouble.  Mallory must learn how to manage her school work, her crush, her brother, her dad and her brother’s dog. 

Review:  This is a great book for grade school girls.  So many times young girls get caught up in having a crush on a boy, and then that crush monopolizes their mind.  Many tween girls will see themselves in Mallory’s character.  They will be able to relate to the issues that arise in Mallory’s life.  This book is number fifteen in the series.  Since tweens enjoy series, this is a great one to suggest to new readers.  Mallory is a great narrator and tweens will love her antics, as well as, learn a great lesson for the future.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction/Coming of Age

Interest Level: age 9-12

Related Books: Starting with Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor; Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson; Say What? By Margaret Peterson Haddix

Characters: 

Mallory – the protagonist

JT – Mallory’s crush

Max – Mallory’s brother

Maryann – Mallory’s best friend

Cheeseburger – the cat

Chomp – the dog

Author Information: http://www.mallorymcdonald.com/

19) The Secret of the Old Clock

Bibliography: Keene, Carolyn; The Secret of the Old Clock; Grosset & Dunlap Publishers; New York; 1987; 210 pages; ISBN 978-1-440-67364-1.

Plot: Nancy Drew is an 18-year-old girl living in River Heights.  One day she sees a moving van run into a little girl and drive away.  She helps the little girl to her home and is greeted by the elderly Turner sisters.  They are down on their luck and explain to Nancy that they had hoped to receive some assistance from the death of a dear relative.  Unfortunately, the last will states that all of the relative’s, Josiah Crowley, estate go to the Topham family, even though Crowley reassured the sisters that they would be taken care of when Crowley was gone.  The Turner sisters believe that there has to be another last will that hasn’t been found yet.  Nancy becomes intrigued by the family’s story and sets out to find Crowley’s later will.

Review:  Nancy is taken on a whirlwind adventure as she tries to find the later will of Josiah Crowley.  She becomes very involved in Crowley’s family and friends and develops great friendships.  I’m not sure if it’s the number of decades between myself and when this story was written, but I was not a big fan of the novel.  I felt that too much time was placed upon Nancy’s dress and her new convertible.  The story went rather fast, and it seemed a bit predictable.  This would be a good book to refer to an early reader that is looking for a mystery.

Genre: Mystery

Interest Level: age 9-12

Related Books: Shadows on Society Hill by Evelyn Coleman; The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer; Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief by Wendelin Van Draanen.

Awards: 

The book has sold approximately 2.7 million copies.

According to Publishers Weekly, the novel is ranked 53^rd on the list of all-time best selling hardcover children’s books.

18) The Future of Us

Bibliography: Asher, Jay & Mackler, Carolyn; The Future of Us; Razorbill; New York; 2011; 356 pages; ISBN 978-1595144911.

Plot: It’s 1996 and Emma has just received her first computer from her father.  Her neighbor, Josh, gives her a free AOL CD his family received in the mail.  After Emma signs up for AOL, things turn a bit weird.  Emma is sent to a page called Facebook, and the profile is of her fifteen years in the future.  While exploring this new website, Emma learns things about her future, such as her husband, her career, and her friends. Soon Emma and Josh set out to try to set into motion what they see on their future Facebook pages, but it doesn’t take long for them to realize even the smallest thing can change their whole future. 

Review:  This book brought back so many memories for me.  I would have been the same age as Josh during this novel.  The authors stayed true to the time.  I can remember how into Looney Tunes everyone was during the 90s.  So many people walked around with stickers or drawings of the characters on their binders and notebooks.  I also remember the countries obsession with Seinfeld.  My parents would have thrown a fit if I had messed up their recording.  This book was so much fun to read just to remember all of these things from my high school days.

I really liked the main characters.  Emma was uptight and totally what most high school girls are like at that age.  They want to be able to end up with the hottest guy in school, even though most have never even talked to him.  I liked how unlike many high school girls, Emma took matters into her own hands and tried to make a relationship out of her crush.  Even though she changed who she was to make herself more attractive to him, she did what most girls that age would do.  At that age all that matters is being seen and she wanted to be seen.  High school girls change so much throughout their time in high school, that I wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed for Emma.  I actually understood what she was going through.  It’s tough trying to find your place in the world.

Josh was also a great character.  He was a great foil for Emma.  While he also tried to take things into his own hands, he realized who he really was.  He truly loved Emma and nothing was going to change that.

This was a great book, and I hope that many read it just to see that even though the technology has changed, the characters remain the same.  Everyone in high school is trying to find themselves, and this book shows that even though it may be hard, no one is doing it alone.

Genre: Science Fiction/Coming of Age

Interest Level: age 12 and up

Related Books: Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski; Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver; The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty

Characters: 

Emma & Josh – the protagonists

Kellen – Emma’s best friend

Tyson – Josh’s best friend

Author Information: http://jayasher.blogspot.com/p/author-info.html & http://carolynmackler.com/Carolyn-Mackler-Story.asp

17) Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos

Bibliography: LaFevers, R.L; Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos; Houghton Mifflin Company; Boston; 2007; 344 pages; ISBN 978-0-618-785638-4.

Plot: Theodosia is a rather peculiar eleven year old girl.  Her parents run the Museum of Legends and Antiquities in London.  Her mother frequently spends her time in Egypt excavating the pyramids of some of the greatest pharaohs to find ancient artifacts for the museum.  Theodosia is able to feel the curses imparted upon the artifacts, and works to remove them.  When her mother brings back the Heart of Egypt, Theo is in for one of the largest jobs of her life.  The curse on the artifact brings chaos to London, and it is up to Theo to return the artifact to the pyramid.

Review:  The novel is told from Theodosia’s point of view and she is very creative and interesting character.  Even though she should be in school, she has talked her parents into letting her quit school to hang around the museum.  Her brother Henry dislikes the museum and willing returns to school at the start of every term.  When Theo’s mother returns after an exceptionally long trip to Egypt, she is very happy to see her mother, but worries about all of the new curses that will be brought into the museum.  Her brother Henry returns to London for winter break and starts to help Theodosia after they discover the Heart of Egypt has gone missing from the museum.  Theodosia is soon able to regain possession of the Heart of Egypt and is chosen by The Brotherhood of Chosen Keepers to return the Heart to Egypt.   Theodosia has to stow away on a ship and face the members of the Serpents of Chaos to return the Heart of Egypt. 

I really enjoyed this book and the adventure that Theodosia takes readers on.  Setting the story in historical London, helps with the ideas of different societies fighting over an ancient artifact.  The story starts slowly, but speeds up about half way through.  As great as the story is, the action happens to quickly and the ending comes too soon.  I do think that once a tween is hooked on Theodosia’s character, they will be quick to pick up the other books in the series.

Genre: Historical/Adventure

Interest Level: age 10-14

Related Books: The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson; The Bones of the Holy by Jennifer Allison; The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Characters: 

Theodosia – the protagonist

Henry – Theo’s brother

Sticky Will – an orphaned pick pocket that comes to the aid of Henry and Theo

Theodosia’s Parents – Her father runs the museum, while her mother explores Egypt for artifacts

Wigmere – The head of the Brotherhood

Awards:

A Junior Library Guild Selection

A Booksense Summer Pick

Michigan Library Association 2007 Mitten Award Honor Title

Author Information: http://www.rllafevers.com/About.html

16) Earwig and the Witch

Bibliography: Jones, Diana Wynne; Earwig and the Witch; Greenwillow Books; New York; 2012; 115 pages; ISBN 978-0-06-207511-6.

Plot: Earwig is an orphan living at St. Morwald’s Home for Children.  She is perfectly content being an orphan.  She has been able to manipulate the staff and the other children at St. Morwald have to do as she pleases.  She always gets just want she wants at St. Morald’s.  On a day when the orphanage opens up to show prospective foster parents the children available to them, Earwig is selected by Bella Yaga to come live in her home.  When Earwig gets to her new home, she learns that Bella Yaga is a witch and she expects Earwig to be her slave.  Earwig must overcome Bella Yaga to make herself the head of the household, just as she had been at St. Morwald’s.

Review:  This is a great book.  If you have a reluctant reader or an early reader looking for a good book on witches, this is just the book to suggest.  The book reads very fast and will grasp readers from the first few pages.  The story is told from a third person narrative and does a wonderful job of including all of the characters into the story.  After Earwig learns that Bella Yaga is a witch, she expresses that she hopes Bella Yaga will teach her witchcraft as well.  However, Bella Yaga only wants Earwig to be her slave.  Bella Yaga expects Earwig to crush bones and pick weeds for her spells.  When Earwig realizes that Bella Yaga is never going to teach her witchcraft Thomas, the cat, comes to Earwig’s aid and helps her learn how to concoct spells.  Together, Earwig and Thomas learn the right spells to put Bella Yaga in her place.  Readers will love the illustrations, along with the story. 

Genre: Fantasy/Witchcraft

Interest Level: age 9 to 12

Related Books: Which Witch? By Eva Ibbotson; Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones; The Robe of Skulls by Vivian French

Characters: 

Earwig – the protagonist

Thomas – the black cat that helps Earwig

Bella Yaga – the witch that takes Earwig from St. Morwald’s

Mandrake – the man that lives with Bella Yaga

Awards:

DWJ has been awarded the British Fantasy Society’s Karl Edward Wagner award for her significant impact on fantasy.  She has also been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Fantasy Society.

Author Information: http://www.dianawynnejones.com/dwjflash.htm

15) Tuesdays at the Castle

Bibliography: George, Jessica Day; Tuesdays at the Castle; Bloomsbury; New York; 2011; 240 pages; ISBN 978-1-5999-06-447.

Plot: When Glower Castle gets bored, it adds rooms and this usually happens on Tuesdays.  Princess Celie is trying to create an atlas of the castle and is very good at doing so.  The castle also decides on the Kings of Sleyne, including her father and his successor, her brother, Rolf.   On a journey back from Sleyne, the King and Queen are ambushed and declared dead.  It is up to Rolf to take over as King, but the castle hasn’t shown the siblings that the King is actually dead.  The siblings must work together, to take back the castle, after the Council shows signs of treason.  Tuesdays at the Castle is a fast-paced read for any lover of adventure.

Review:  I picked this book out of the list of downloadable books through my library.  I liked the cover and thought it looked like a cute book.  I was hooked by the end of the first chapter.  Any lovers of medieval fantasy will love the story of Celie and her siblings.  Celie is a great protagonist.  She is clever and brave.  Even though she is the youngest sibling, the other siblings know to listen to her when it comes to the castle.  Without her help, the siblings could have ended up in a much different fate.  The castle is a like another sibling, with Celie able to speak to the castle and ask for its help.  The story line moves fast and the book sort of just ends with questions not completely answered.  I was left wanting to learn more about the members of the family.  Hopefully, this will not be the only story of Princess Celie and the great Glower Castle.

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Interest Level: age 9 to 12

Related Books: The Castle of Lyr by Lloyd Alexander; Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris; The Silver Crown by Robert C. O’Brien

Characters: 

Celie – The protagonist
Lilah – The older sister
Rolf – The successor to the throne
The Castle
Prince Lulath – a visitor to the castle from Grath and an ally to the family
Prince Khelsh – trying to take over the castle, the antagonist

Author Information: http://www.jessicadaygeorge.com/

14) The Catastrophic History of You and Me

Bibliography: Rothenberg; Jess; The Catastrophic History of You and Me; Dial Books; New York; 2012; 380 pages; ISBN 978-0-8037-3720-4.

Plot: At the age of fifteen, Brie Eagan dies of a broken heart.  She has always had a small heart murmur, but when her first love tells her he doesn’t love her, Brie’s heart breaks in two.  Brie must deal with her death and suffers through the five stages; denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, and acceptance.  In death she meets a young boy who also died around the same age.  The two of them form a friendship and he helps her understand what she is able to do as a spirit.  As Brie works through the stages of death, she learns that the world she left behind has turned upside down, and the world that she has entered is full of surprises.

Review:  This is Rothenberg’s first novel, and I feel like she did an amazing job.  She created a narrator that has depth and many readers will grow to love.  Brie explains all of the feelings she is going through in a way that many readers who have dealt with death will understand.  Brie’s friend Patrick is another character that readers will love.  He is open and honest and the only person that Brie trusts after death.  He is with her through thick and thin and tries to help her reach the final stage of grief as quickly or slowly as she needs. As Brie works through the stages, readers will be shocked at what she uncovers.  The plot runs slowly at times, but so does grief.  I think that Rothenberg slowed the pace down to show readers just how awful losing a loved one can be on people.  Rothenberg did a great job of telling Brie’s story, and I can’t wait to see what else she comes up with in the future.

Probably my favorite part of this book is the chapter titles.  Rothenberg has titled each chapter with song lyrics.  Some examples are "Don't you (forget about me);" "What becomes of the broken hearted?"  It's such a creative way to combine one tweens favorite things (music) and reading.

Genre: Fantasy

Interest Level: age 12 and up

Related Books: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Characters:
Brie Eagan – Narrator
Jacob Fisher – Brie’s first love, and the boy who breaks her heart
Patrick – Her friend and confidant in the afterlife.
Sadie, Tess, and Emma – Brie’s best friends

Author Information: www.jessrothenberg.com

13) Zita the Spacegirl

Bibliography: Hatke, Ben; Zita the Spacegirl; First Second; New York; 2010; 192 pages; ISBN 978-1-59643-446-2.

Plot: On their way home from school, Zita and her friend Joseph find an interesting device in a meteor hole.  As the friends are examining the device, a mechanical octopus comes out of the sky and takes Joseph to an unknown destination.  Zita decides to push the button on the device to find her friend.  Zita is transported to another planet, where the inhabitants believe the end of the planet is only days away.  Zita sets out to find Joseph and return to Earth.  With the help of new friends, Zita explores the new planet and must make her way through the Rusted Wastelands to save her friend from doom.

Review:  This is a great adventure story.  Zita is a great character to keep the story moving.  The graphics in the novel are fantastic.  It seems that many graphic novels keep the graphics minimal these days, but Zita is very detailed and interesting.  When reading this book, I was reminded of The Wizard of Oz.  Zita makes friends with cast-off  members of the planet.  Fans of The Wizard will love this novel. 

Genre: Graphic Novel/Science Fiction/Adventure

Interest Level: age 9-12

Related Books: Jellaby; Sardine in Outer Space; Flight Explorer

Awards:
ALA Notable Children's Books - Middle Readers Category: 2012
Amelia Bloomer Lists - Middle Graders Fiction: 2012

Author Information: http://zitaspacegirl.com/about/

12) Howliday Inn

Bibliography: Howe, James; Howliday Inn; Atheneum Books for Young Readers; New York; 1982; 195 pages; ISBN 978-0-689-30846-8.

Plot: Harold’s owners are going on vacation.  Since Harold gets car sick, he and his family’s cat, Chester, are going to stay at the Chateau Bow-Wow.  Chester is suspicious of the boarding house immediately.  The Chateau is currently housing some strange animals, including Howard and Heather, who howl all night long, Louise who can’t remember anyone’s name, Lyle is a cat who has completely lost his marbles, and a few others.  After the first night at the Chateau, Louise goes missing.  Chester sets out to find out what happened, but it is only a matter of time before he is missing also.  Harold must figure out the mystery alone, before all of the animals are gone.

Review:  This is a very interesting read.  Most readers will be more familiar with Howe’s Bunnicula series, which tells the story of a vampire bunny.  Harold and Chester are characters in the series, and readers looking for a new title will like to see a familiar face.  The mystery in this novel is definetly aimed at a younger audience.  Recommend this book to younger tweens or fans of the Bunnicula series.  The story is told in first person narrative from Harold’s point of view.  At times he can be preoccupied in his dinner or sleeping.  By the time he starts to work on the case of the disappearing animals, the story is almost over.  Chester is more of the sleuth in this story.

Genre: Mystery/Animal Story

Interest Level: age 8-12

Related Books: Bunnicula; Milo & Otis

Characters:

Harold is a dog and the narrator of this book.
Chester is a cat and is Harold’s housemate.  He is the sleuth of the story.
Jill is the girl left in charge to take care of the animals staying at Chateau Bow-Wow.
Harrison is a helper at the Chateau.
Howard and Heather are the wire-haired dachshunds.  Heather is pregnant.

Author Information: http://www.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3599

11) The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy's Great Idea

Bibliography: Martin, Ann M. (writer) & Telgemeier, Raina (artist); The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy’s Great Idea; Scholastic Graphix; 2006; 186 pages; ISBN 0-439-80241-5.

Plot: Seventh grader, Kristy Thomas, comes up with a great idea for her and her friends in September.  Since she and her best friend Mary-Anne and Claudia, love to baby-sit she thinks they should start a club where parents can call one number and reach four great baby-sitters.  Claudia suggests they include Stacey McGill who has just moved to town from New York.  The four girls meet three days a week in Claudia’s room to discuss past baby-sitting jobs and wait for parents to call to hire them.  Just as the girls are very different, the girls also go through some changes and grow their friendship further.

Review:  Many parents grew up reading The Baby-Sitters Club series.  With the help of Raina Telgemeier, the books have been reborn in graphic novels.  The stories are the same and a great new way to reach the new generation.  The art work is extremely realistic.  Tweens of the new generation will not feel like they are out of date by reading the new graphic novel series

Genre: Graphic Novel/Realistic Fiction

Interest Level: age 9-12

Related Books: Baby-Sitting is a Dangerous Job by W.D. Roberts; Calvin Coconut: The Zippy Fix by G. Salisbury; Kung Fooey by G. Salisbury

Characters:
Kristy Thomas is the narrator and the one who came up with the idea for the club.
Mary-Anne Spier is Kristy's best friend and the secretary of the club.
Claudia Kishi is the vice president of the club and hosts the phone number and meeting space for the club.
Stacey McGill is the new girl in town.  She is the treasurer of the club.

Awards: 

The Baby-Sitters Club is one of the most popular series with more than 175 million books in print.

Author Information: http://www.scholastic.com/annmartin/about/

10) The Giver

Bibliography: Lowry, Lois; The Giver; Houghton Mifflin; New York; 1993; 180 pages; ISBN 0-395-64566-2

Plot: In an unstated futuristic setting, the people are assigned a mate, their children, and eventually their positions in the society.  The novel follows Jonas through his ceremony of twelve, in which members are assigned their jobs in the community.  At the ceremony, Jonas is assigned to become the Receiver of Memory.  Since the society has created a world of sameness, they need someone to hold on to the memories of the past to keep the sameness.  As Jonas trains with the Giver to become the new Receiver of Memory, he learns that in the past people where able to love, hate, and feel pain.  Jonas begins to want to change the way the society works and decides to set out to choose his own destiny.

Review:  Science Fiction is a genre that I usually stay away from.  However, after reading The Giver, I’m wondering why I do.  From the first chapter I was hooked.  The story is told in third person, allowing for a very open reaction to the characters.  Lowry did an awesome job of creating a world that readers will want to learn more about.  The idea of a world where people do not get to experience color or actual feelings sounds like a great idea, until you start to realize what all that entails.  After reading this book I am very intrigued to read the remainder of the series and see what else Lowry has created for this new world.

Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopian

Interest Level: age 12 and up

Related Books: The Hunger Games; Enders Game

Awards: 
Newberry Medal 1994
William Allen White Award 1996
100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000
A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
Winner of the Regina Medal
Booklist Editors' Choice
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Author Information: http://www.loislowry.com/