56) Dead End in Norvelt

Bibliography: Gantos, Jack; Dead End in Norvelt; Farrar Straus Giroux; New York; 2011; 341 pages; ISBN 978-0-374-37993-3.

Plot: Eleven year old Jack Gantos’ plans for an awesome summer are put on hold when he accidentally shoots his father’s Japanese sniper.  However, Jack has played with this rifle before and he knows all about gun safety, so how did a bullet get into the gun?  To get Jack out of the house, his mother loans him out to the neighbor, Mrs. Volker, who suffers from horrible arthritis and needs someone to pen the town obituaries.  Even though his mother thought working for Mrs. Volker will be even more punishment, Jack actually enjoys his job and gets to learn more about his favorite topic, history.  A gang of Hell’s Angels moves into town and before too long, it seems like someone is poisoning the original resident’s of Norvelt.  Surprisingly, this ends up being one of the most memorable summers of Jack’s life.

Review:  This novel is loosely based on true events that happened to Jack Gantos growing up in Norvelt, Pennsylvania.  Even though he is grounded for life, Jack is able to still experience some great changes that are happening in his town.  He is growing up in a town that was founded by Eleanor Roosevelt during the Great Depression.  However, the town is no longer prospering and is slowly being run into the ground.  There are a small few residents that were around when Mrs. Roosevelt first developed the town and are content to see it stay the way it is, including Mrs. Volker.  Mrs. Volker is determined to make sure that Norvelt will remain.  When the original members of the town start dying though it seems that her wishes will not last much longer. 

Jack is a very peculiar kid.  Since there are very few new members of Norvelt, he is one of a very small number of youngsters in the town.  He loves history and spends most of his time being grounded reading history books that his mother gets for free from the school.  He also has an issue with nose bleeds.  Anytime he gets scared or startled it starts flowing like a river down his face.

This is a very interesting novel.  Since it is loosely based on true events, the reader will be interested in guessing what is true and what is fiction.  The mystery part of this novel eluded me.  I kept waiting for more suspense, but I was let down.  I would actually suggest this novel to readers looking for humor.

Genre: Humor/Coming of Age/Historical/Mystery

Interest Level: age 9-12

Related Books: The Teacher’s Funeral by Richard Peck; Grounded by Kate Klise; Okay for Now by Gary D Schmidt.

Awards:

ALA Notable Children's Books - Older Readers Category: 2012

Newbery Medal: 2012

Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award

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

33) Sally's Bones

Bibliography: Cadenhead, MacKenzie; Sally’s Bones; Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; Naperville, IL; 2011; 164 pages; ISBN 978-1-4022-5943-2.

Plot: Sally Simplesmith is not like other girls; she has no friends and she dresses strangely in concert T-shirts and jeans.  When Viola Vanderperfect moves back to town, Sally thinks that this is her chance to finally have one friend, however, Viola has different plans for the pair.  After Viola explains that the two girls will never be friends, Sally turns to her mother’s grave to tell of the story.  At her mother’s grave, Sally is introduced to Bones, a dog made out of only bones.  The dog is just like a normal dog, but is lacking in flesh.  Sally and Bones soon become best friends and Sally is finally happy for the first time since her mother passed away.  When the community’s dog’s starts having their marrowbones disappear, Bones is the first suspect.  It is up to Sally and Bones to show the community that Bones is innocent, but in order to do that, they must find who the true culprit is.

Review:  This book is narrated in the third person.  It gives readers an inside look into the whole community of Merryland.  When Bones is introduced into the book, I immediately thought of a Tim Burton movie.  Any reader that is a fan of Burton’s work will love this book. 

Sally and Bones are a great pair to figure out who actually stole the marrowbones. Since Sally is used to being on the outside looking in, she is able to get a better perspective of the situation.  Bones doesn’t like bones, and thinks it’s an insult when given one, so he is able to sniff out the culprit.  The characters in this book are all very interesting and their names describe them perfectly.  Viola Vanderperfect only wants to be seen as perfect and Chati Chattercathy is a gossip.  This book is humourous and serious at the same time.  What a great read.

Genre: Mystery/Horror

Interest Level: age 9-12

Related Books: The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn; The Keeper of the Trees by Beverly Brenna; Flitterwig by Edrei Cullen.

Characters: 

Sally – the protagonist

Bones – Sally’s dog

Seymour Simplesmith – Sally’s father

Viola Vanderperfect – Sally’s enemy, the antagonist

Vivien Vanderperfect – Viola’s mother

Author Information: http://www.sallysbones.com/about-me/

22) The Westing Game

Bibliography: Raskin, Ellen; The Westing Game; Dutton Children’s Books; New York; 1978; 182 pages; ISBN 978-0-525-47137-0.

Plot: The Sunset Towers Apartment complex has just opened.  Realtor Barney Northrup introduces each character to the perfect apartment for their family.  When it is determined that the millionaire Sam Westing has died, the tenants of Sunset Towers are asked to attend a reading of the will.  At the reading it is determined that Westing has sixteen heirs.  He breaks the heirs up into eight groups and gives them clues to find who murdered Westing.  He gives each group ten thousand dollars as an incentive to play the game.  Whoever finds the murderer will inherit all of Westing’s two hundred million dollars.

Review:  The novel begins by introducing readers to Barney Northrup and the tenants of Sunset Towers.  It doesn’t take long for the novel to get to the mystery.  Turtle becomes interested in the Westing house after Otis tells her, Theo and Doug that it is rumored that Mr Westing is dead in the house.  Turtle decides to see for herself and goes into the house to see what she can find.  Unfortunately for her, she finds the dead body of Sam Westing lying in his bed.  The next morning Westing’s obituary is in the newspaper, and Otis Amber delivers sixteen letters to the heirs of the Westing fortune.

Even though this is a mystery, the characters of the book keep things lively and entertaining.  It’s interesting to see each character go through the clues and figure out exactly who the killer is.  The situations that occur as each team is working on their clues will keep readers interested. 

The ending threw me for a loop.  I honestly was stumped throughout the entire book.  This is a great read and tweens will enjoy every minute of this novel.

Genre: Mystery/Humor

Interest Level: age 9-12

Related Books: Floors by Patrick Carmen; Holes by Louis Sachar; Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Characters:

Otis Amber – the sixty two year old delivery boy of Sunset Towers.  His partner is Berthe Crow.

Flora Baumbach – a tenant of Sunset Towers, she is an elderly dressmaker.  Her partner is Turtle.

Berthe Erica Crow – the cleaning woman of Sunset Towers.  Her partner is Otis Amber.

D. Denton Deere – he is a medical intern and engaged to marry Angela Wexler.  His partner is Chris Theodorakis.

J.J. Ford – the first female African American judge in Wisconsin.  Her partner is Sandy McSouthers.

Sandy McSouthers – the door man of Sunset Towers. 

Doug Hoo – the son of James Hoo.  He is a star track athlete.  His partner is Theo Theodorakis.

James Hoo – the owner of Shin Hoo’s restaurant in Sunset Towers.  His partner is Grace Windsor Wexler.

Sun Lin Hoo – James’ wife.  She doesn’t speak much English.  Her partner is Jake Wexler.

Sydelle Pulaski – a secretary living in Sunset Towers.  Her partner is Angela Wexler.

Chris Theodorakis – he is confined to a wheelchair after a severe illness.  He likes to watch birds from the windows of Sunset Towers.

Theo Theodorakis – a high school student that likes to play chess and hopes to be a writer someday.

Angela Wexler – Turtle’s sister.  She is planning her wedding to D. Denton Deere.

Grace Windsor Wexler – a mother and a decorator.

Jake Wexler – a podiatrist.

Turtle Wexler – a smart 13 year old girl that is known for her long braid and kicking anyone that dares to touch it.

Awards:

Newberry Medal for 1979

Author Information: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/ellen-raskin

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.

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