We Are All Made of Molecules

It's just been Stewart and his dad since his mom died almost two years ago.  Stewart is small for his age and super smart, but he's been going to Little Geniuses where he fits right in.  He has his cat Schrodinger, and life is getting back to OK.  But his dad has been dating someone at work, and now they've decided to move in together, so Stewart is leaving his home, his school, nearly everything to move across town. He's decided to make the most of it.

Ashley is at the top of the social ladder.  She got there by being pretty and mean.  She's puts all her effort into looking good and belittling her friends, and almost none into her grades.  She is mortified when her mother's boyfriend and his geeky son move in.  To make matters worse, she hasn't told anyone why her parents got divorced.  What would having a gay father do to her social standing?

Things start out OK for Stewart until gym class.  That's where he meets Jared who is big, mean, popular, and athletic.  Jared seems to have made it his mission in life to squash Stewart like a bug.  Ashley also happens to have a crush on the totally handsome Jared and willing to forgive just about any personality flaw to make a relationship work.

Susin Nielsen's book is by turns funny and heartbreaking.  It's definitely a compelling read, and Stewart's unusual take on the world is endearing and entertaining.  My struggle is with Ashley.  She is not really likable at all.  She's mean to everyone, and it's challenging to feel sympathy for her.

Additionally, Stewart is very innocent for his age, but the book also contains profanity and attempted sexual assault.  It makes it difficult to place.  Grades 8 and up.

Twerp

Julian is not like his friends.  At least that's what everyone keeps telling him, but the way he sees it is different.  His best friend Lonnie is the leader, the one with all the ideas, and the rest of the gang just kind of follows along because his ideas are usually good and because Lonnie's just so persuasive.

No one meant for Danley to get hurt.  They were just kids playing around, but now the suspension is over, and Julian and his friends are back in class.  But Julian's English teacher isn't satisfied.  Mr. Selkirk wants something written, and it has to be long.

This is beginning of Julian's musings on his life, his friends, and their adventures.  Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and sometimes Julian writes the truth whether he can see it or not.

This is the story of the year when Julian finally starts to see things for how they really are, to see the truth about his friendships and about his choices.  To finally see what it means to stand up and be yourself.

I really enjoyed Mark Goldblatt's coming of age story.  Julian is not a character you always like, but I think most of us can identify with those moments when you just go with the flow because that's what's easiest.  Highly recommended!

Students reading this book should be aware that the historical context is important to the details of the story.  You will hear characters using words, phrases, or attitudes to describe people of other races that may surprise your modern mind. Keep the historical context in mind as you read.  How would the characters and story be different if it took place in 2014 instead of 1969?

The Laura Line

Laura Dyson loves three things in life:  fashion and modeling, baseball, and that chunky hunky Troy Bailey!  Kids at school make fun of her because she's a little overweight, Troy barely acknowledges her existence, and she's never told anyone outside of her family about loving baseball.  She doesn't want to give them any more ammunition to use against her--a girl pitching baseball.

Despite this, Laura is pretty happy.  She has her best friend, Sage, for support.  Everything goes wrong when she has to spend two weeks with her grandmother at the farm while her parents are away at their National Guard training.  Heck to the double no!  Laura knows her grandmother will bore her to tears with all her talk about the slave shack and the Laura Line.  She doesn't see why anyone would be proud of that symbol of injustice in her family.  Plus, her grandmother knows nothing about baseball!

But Laura doesn't have a choice, and with Sage making a play for the more popular kids(doesn't she see they're just using her?), and Troy and his dad taking care of her grandmother's yard (sweet mother of chunky hunkies!), and a class field trip to the slave shack (oh, heck to the double no), her life is about to be turned upside down.

Crystal Allen's new book is about staying true to yourself and finding strength and courage in those who came before.  Don't miss the author at the book festival this Saturday!

Eight Keys

Elise is about to start middle school.  She's excited...and nervous.  Her worst fears seem confirmed on the first day when she's assigned to share a locker with Amanda, a girl who seems determined to make Elise's life miserable.  She still has her best friend, Franklin, but even before the problems with Amanda start, Elise is starting to feel a little embarrassed by the way Franklin wants to "play."  Kids in middle school don't play, right?  This is confirmed when her friendship with Franklin makes Amanda's taunting even worse.

When she tries to tell her teacher about Amanda, the teacher doesn't want to listen, and Elise doesn't want to bring thoughts of all her school problems home, so she doesn't tell Aunt Bessie and Uncle Hugh either.    Elise's mother died when she was born, and her father died of cancer three years ago.  All the changes in her life are making Elise feel like she doesn't belong anywhere, and she can't even bring herself to get on the bus some days.  To make matters worse, she's so behind on her homework, that it seems pointless to even try.

That's when she finds the first key, a key left by her father that unlocks one of eight rooms in the barn that she's never really thought about.  As she discovers each key and room, she finds messages, images, and ideas left by her father that slowly help her to see her life and herself in a different way.

Suzanne LaFleur's new book will make you think about the relationships in your life, too.

Warp Speed

This is the newest book by Lisa Yee, and all of the protagonists of her previous books make appearances, so be prepared to greet Millicent Min, Stanford Wong, and Emily Ebers again!

Marley Sandelski is the lowest kid on the scale of popularity at school.  His word for the year is "invisible" because no one notices him unless it is to bully him.  A normal day for Marley includes getting chased, spat on, slammed into his locker, and ignored.

The only place he feels safe is in AV club which meets during sixth period.  When he's there, he's free to be himself and flaunt his love and knowledge of Star Trek.  His best friend Ramen loves Star Wars, and the AV kids spend a lot of time arguing over which better.  When he gets nervous, Marley starts speaking in Klingon, which doesn't help anything.

He thinks this year will be the same as all the others, but there are a few important differences.  Some are not so bad, like the new kid in AV club, even if Max is a Bat fan.  There's also Emily Ebers who is beautiful and normal and nice which is good but also confusing.  Despite all these good things, the bullies are full force, and things just keep getting worse.  Marley is trying to move at Warp Speed to avoid everything, but maybe he just needs to slow down a little and try for more out of life than just survival.

I think the best aspect of the book is Yee's ability to make the reader feel Marley's pain and frustration at the hands of his bullies.  She also honestly portrays the inept ways many adults try to address bullying.  Marley's story is the story of the awkwardness we all feel in middle school from the geeks to the jocks.