The Truth About Twinkie Pie

Thanks to a million dollar prize in a cooking competition, GiGi and her big sister DiDi are starting a new life in New York!  All GiGi has ever know is her home in small town South Carolina where pretty much did nothing but study.  DiDi has been taking care of her since GiGi was a baby and their mother died, and big sister is determined to make her little sister a success.

GiGi wants to start fresh at this new school where no one knows her.  It's the perfect opportunity for reinvention.  Of course, she'll keep studying and making good grades, but a little fun never killed anyone.  That's why she's decided her recipe for success will involve a lot more friendship and a lot less studying in the library alone during lunch.

It seems to be working from the start.  When she literally runs into a beautiful and cool boy named Trip on the first day, she is pleasantly surprised to find a genuine friendship developing.

But, of course, it can't be that easy.  Mace has been friends with Trip forever, and she takes an instant dislike to GiGi.  Things get worse when GiGi catches Mace and DiDi hanging out.  DiDi never lets GiGi hang out with her at the salon, so why is she suddenly so friendly with her own sister's mortal enemy?!

When GiGi decides to make a grand gesture to fix her relationship with her older sister, she discovers a shocking secret that makes her doubt everything.

I really enjoyed Kat Yeh's book about friendship and family.  There are several laugh out loud moments, and GiGi's personality shines through on every page.

House Arrest

Timothy is on probation for a year.  That means the only place he can go without his mom is school.  He's under house arrest for a year!  He also has to check in with his probation officer and his therapist every week and keep a stupid journal that's supposed to show how sorry he is.

But he's not sorry.  Why is Timothy on probation?  He baby brother is really sick, like he needs someone watching him 24/7 almost died right after he was born sick.  Timothy's dad didn't stick around for long after the baby was born, leaving his mom alone to work and take care of the family.  She's doing the best she can, but medicine and nurses are expensive, so Timothy didn't even hesitate when he saw the man's wallet on the counter.  He just took it and bought the medicine his baby brother needed.

Now he's just made everything worse because his mom has to worry about his probation on top of everything else. As things continue to get worse for his family, Timothy decides to do whatever it takes to get help for his little brother, even if that might not seem like a good idea to anyone else.

I really enjoyed K. A. Holt's new verse novel.  It's touching and funny, and everyone will be rooting for Timothy and his brave family!

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.

The Nest

Steve has had issues with anxiety for a while now.  He tries to hide it, tries to pretend he's all better now.  His parents have enough to worry about with the new baby.  The baby has so many problems.  It's just not strong, and it has to go back to the hospital over and over again.

When he has the first dream, he thinks she's an angel.  She has silvery wings and tells him she's here to help because of the baby.  Her words are logical and smooth.  She says they will fix the baby.  It will be perfect, like it was meant to be.

At first Steve wants to believe her.  These creatures will fix the baby, and everything will be fine again.  But it doesn't take long for the uncertainty to creep in.  How exactly can they fix the baby, and what is growing in the nest under the eaves of his house?

By the time he realizes the truth, it may be too late to save the baby or to save himself.

Kenneth Oppel's new book is a masterwork of slow creeping menace and horror.  That preys on the human desire to wish everything could be well and perfect.  I highly recommend this book, but warned it is very creepy, especially if you are afraid of wasps!

Orbiting Jupiter

Jack's new foster brother is Joseph.  Here's what he knows about Joseph:  he's thirteen years old, he's been in juvie, he tried to kill a teacher, and he has a daughter he's never met.

This information does not dissuade Jack or his parents, and they accept Joseph into their family and their daily routine of farm life in Maine.  Joseph is skittish after his experiences.  He's been abused by his father and has suffered untold punishments in reform school.  He doesn't like to be touched, and he keeps his back to the wall.

The first sign that Joseph is beginning to thaw is the quick relationship he develops with Rosie the cow who instantly loves him and prefers him over anyone else when it comes to milking.

Jack stands by his new foster brother even when things get difficult, and he becomes the first person to have Joseph's back.

Joseph's main goal is to meet his daughter, Jupiter, and though it seems impossible, Jack's family eventually agrees to help in this quest.

Gary Schmidt's new book is smaller and quieter than his previous stories, but it is full of nuance and emotion.  This is a heartbreaking book about a boy who is misjudged and abused at almost every turn and the possibilities of hope.

The Fourteenth Goldfish

Sixth grade isn't going so well for Ellie.  Her best friend is now obsessed with volleyball and has less time for Ellie, but Ellie has yet to find the thing she is passionate about.  She's not artistic like her divorced parents.  Her mother is a former actor turned school counselor, and her father still makes his living as a professional actor. They've tried to make Ellie into an actor, but it just isn't her thing.

Her world is in for a crazy turn when her mother comes home late one night with an odd 13 year old boy named Melvin who turns out to be her long lost grandfather.  Melvin has been working on the cure to aging his entire life, and he's finally found success with some odd consequences.  No one believes he's the real Melvin; he's just a kid.  Now that he's a kid again, the law thinks Melvin needs supervision, and all the conflict Ellie's artistic mother has had with her scientist father come home to roost.  Now Melvin is the same bossy and stubborn old man he was before but in the body of a kind of cute teenager!

As Ellie begins helping Melvin recover his formula, she discovers something about herself.  Ellie loves science, too!  Is the world ready for the cure to aging?  Read Jennifer L. Holm's new book to find out!  I really enjoyed this one--fun and thoughtful!

Mountain Dog

When Tony's mother goes to prison for breeding and fighting pit bulls, he has nowhere to go.  Even though life with his mother was violent and scary, it was the only life he knew.

It's a surprise when his social worker tells him she's found a relative to be his foster parent, a great-uncle.  Tio lives in Sierra Nevada mountains and works as a ranger and rescuer with his dog Gabe.  Life with Tio and Gabe in the mountains couldn't be more different than life in inner city LA, but it doesn't take long before the knots in Tony's heart begin to loosen.

He loves the mountains, and he especially loves Gabe.  The chocolate lab is different from the angry and abused pit bulls Tony has always known, and Gabe seems to know how to heal Tony's broken spirit.

The best part of Tony's new life is learning how to help train rescue dogs and survive in the wilderness.  Tony loves being part of a team that can save people from almost certain death.

Life in the mountains may be the best thing that ever happened to Tony, but he still has the lingering fear that all this is temporary.  Tio's cabin is only his foster home.

I loved Margarita Engle's story of heartbreak and healing.  The verse novel is told in alternating chapters from Tony's and Gabe's points of view and is a story any animal lover will instinctively understand.  We may rescue our pets from shelters and bad environments, but in the end they are the ones who rescue us.  Highly recommended!

Tell Me

Anna is an aspiring actress who always puts her whole heart into every role including her current role as a dancing cranberry at the mall, but life isn't all dancing cranberries.  Her parents are fighting more all the time, and her dad's temper is getting out of control.

That's why she's gone to spend some time with her grandmother, Mim, in Rosemont.  Maybe she can spend some time helping the town get ready for the annual Flower Festival while her parents figure out what to do next.

It isn't long before Anna is caught up in Rosemont life and the flower festival, but one day she sees something.  Well, she's not even sure if it's really anything, but it just seems wrong.  That girl in the van just didn't look right.  She looked...terrified.

Anna and her new friends are convinced this girl is in trouble, but they will need to convince the police that what Anna saw and her gut feeling are enough to go on.  Anna refuses to give up because she knows she may be the only real chance this girl has.

Joan Bauer has written another great story about a strong girl who refuses to back down.  I love all of Joan Bauer's books because of the strong characters and the issues they face.  Tell Me is no exception.  Anna deals with her personal struggles while catching a glimpse inside the world of human trafficking.

There Will Be Bears

Gramps is Tyson's best friend.  He's just a cool, old, tough dude, and this is the year Gramps is taking Tyson on his first hunting trip.  This is going to be the year he becomes a man...

Except everything starts going wrong.  Tyson's other best friend who is actually a kid his age named Brighton has started hanging out with the football crowd and pulling away from Tyson.  Also, he's flunking history.  And even though he is excited about going hunting, he keeps hearing stories about Sandy, a violent grizzly bear who has already killed several people this season.

But it all comes to a head when Tyson's dad says he and Gramps can't go hunting.  Gramps is sick, and he's going to have to live in a nursing home!  This is so wrong!  Gramps is strong and tough.  He shouldn't be in a nursing home.

The truth is Gramps really is sick, but he wants to take Tyson hunting, too, so he hatches a plan for the two of them to secretly go on the trip anyway.

Tyson is excited, but also really nervous.  What about Sandy?  What about a sick Gramps in the wilderness?  Read Ryan Gebhart's story of family, friendship, and bears!

The Crossover

Josh's dad, and pretty much everyone else, calls him Filthy McNasty because of his skills on the basketball court.  Only two people can come close:  his twin brother JB and their dad.

But just as their team is poised to take the championship, things start to go wrong.  Josh and JB have always been best friends, but now JB has a crush on the new girl Alexis.  Miss Sweet Tea may be cute and a baller, but it's not easy for someone else to take the number one spot away from Josh.

Josh's dad used to be a professional player in the Euroleague until his hurt his knee.  His career could have continued if he's had knee surgery, but he has always been opposed to doctors.  The same is true now that he's had fainting spells and shortness of breath.  Heart problems run in the family, but "da man" can't be brought down  so easily.  The fried chicken and donuts don't help.
All of this is driving Josh a little crazy, and he lashes out at JB at a game.  Can these two brothers ever repair their relationship, or is this the end of a beautiful friendship?

I loved Kwame Alexander's story of basketball and family told in verse format.

Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood

Abby Spencer's life in Houston has been pretty normal up to now.  She's never known her father, but she has her mom and her grandparents plus great friends at school.  Everything changes one day when she discovers she has a serious food allergy.  Nearly dying can give a girl the courage to ask her mom about her long lost father!

That's when she discovers the truth.  She's always known her father was Indian, but the truth is even crazier than that.  He's a Bollywood star and not just any Bollywood star either.  Naveen Kumar is the hottest star of Bollywood cinema!

Abby wanted her life to be more exciting, but this might be too crazy.  She goes to Mumbai to meet her father and his father where she discovers the wonders and extreme poverty of India.  She also gets a taste of the celebrity life!

No one back home is ever going to believe this!

This is a sweet story about family relationships set against the backdrop of a Bollywood musical.  Varsha Bajaj's story is a light and fun read.  If you went to Tweens Read, you may have seen the author there.

Sure Signs of Crazy

Sarah's life is ruled by one event in her past.  When she was little, her mother tried to drown her and her twin brother.  Simon died, Sarah survived, and following trials for both of her parents became media sensations.

It would be nearly impossible to put something like that behind you anyway, but the media dredges the story up every few years, and Sarah's father uproots their lives to move to a new city.  This means they always live in a rent house, Sarah's always the new girl, and she's always ready to pack up and go at the first sign that her mother's story is coming back.

To make things worse, Sarah is worried that her mother's crazy is hereditary, so she's always examining herself for signs of it.  Her father is an alcoholic who drinks until he passes out pretty much every night and on the weekends.

Sarah has always tried to hide her true feelings until her language arts teacher gives her an assignment to write over the summer, suggesting the students start by writing to their favorite characters.  Sarah writes a series of letters to Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird, and this is when she starts to be honest with herself, and she even writes all the things she wishes she could say to her father.

Sarah thought Garland was the armpit of Texas, but as the summer progresses, she will find new friends and start to make her peace with herself and her mother.

I loved Karen Harrington's new book!  It is heartbreaking but funny, and, of course, I appreciate Sarah's fascination with words.  This is a must read!

Serafina's Promise

Serafina has a secret desire to become a doctor.  Ever since the day she met Antoinette Solaine, the doctor who tried to help her baby brother, Serafina has known she wanted to become a doctor, too.  But you have to go to school to become a doctor, and Serafina's life is full of chores.  Every day she takes the bucket to stream where she collects water for the family's needs.  Then she sweeps the dirt floor of their home, helps wash the clothes, and then helps Manman and Gogo prepare the rice for dinner.  Even if there were other children to help with the chores, Serafina knows there is no money for school.

But Serafina will do whatever it takes to go to school so she can help the people of Haiti one day just like Antoinette Solaine.  Her dream will have to overcome more than crippling poverty.  Serafina's family will face illness, hunger, floods, and eventually the earthquake that destroys most of the island.  Life only gets harder for Serafina and the people of Haiti, and she will see the truth of Manman's words, "The only unbreakable home is one made with love."

I LOVE Ann E. Burg's newest verse novel.  It is beautiful story about dreams and love in the face of extreme poverty and devastation.

Brotherhood

It's 1867, and the Civil War is over, but life in Richmond is nothing close to back to normal.  Richmond residents have lost the war, their property, and their pride.  The city is overrun with Yankee soldiers who are eager for any opportunity to kick the beaten rebels while they are down.

Shad's father died in the war, and he and his mother work for Granddaddy's tailoring business to support the family.  Shad is becoming a skilled tailor even though he is only fourteen.  None of that matters because his older brother, Jeremiah, is the favorite.  Jeremiah will inherit the tailoring business even though he's never shown any interest, and Shad is pretty sure his hothead older brother is drinking and antagonizing Yankees when he should be looking for work.

Jeremiah is a bully who never did anything for his little brother, so Shad knows the only way to find out what Jeremiah is up to at night is to follow him.  That's how he accidentally gets initiated into the brotherhood, the KKK.  They don't seem too bad to Shad though--just good old boys getting together to sing songs on take care of war widows.

Something else is happening to change Shad's world.  He's always felt stupid because he can't read, but there's a new teacher in town who thinks he can help.  The only problem is Mr. Nelson is in Richmond to teach at a colored school, and he wants Shad to go there, too.

Shad knows it would be devastating for Jeremiah and the brotherhood to find out about the colored school and his participation in it, but the promise of learning to read is too good to pass up.  But when the brotherhood turns out to be more dangerous than he could have dreamed, Shad will be caught up in conflicting loyalties and choices that could have deadly consequences.

A.B. Westrick's story of postwar Richmond is fascinating and thought provoking.  This is a tale with few moral absolutes and plenty of danger and intrigue.  It's the story of Shad's transformation, and we see him in a way we rarely see characters in children' literature.  You won't like Shad all the time, but you will see him for what he is--a product of his upbringing and environment.  This makes the changes in his character all the more powerful.  I highly recommend it!

QB1

Jake Cullen has grown up in the shadow of his family's football legacy in small town Texas.  His older brother, Wyatt, was the star of the Granger High School team for four years and is the starting quarterback at UT as a freshman this year.  Their father Troy was a high school and college star who even played in the NFL for a while until one last concussion forced him to quit and come home to Granger to run the family cattle ranch.

Jake feels like no one really sees him for who he is, including his father.  Troy Cullen barely even notices his younger son with all the excitement and drama going on in Austin with Wyatt.

Jake has other battles to fight as a freshman on his high school team.  He's the third string QB after a senior who's been waiting in line behind Wyatt for his chance to play and a transfer student who isn't willing to be backup to a freshman.  An injury in the first game of the season turns things into a QB battle.  Jake has talent, but he doesn't believe in himself.  He's a good teammate who wants to win but not at the expense of the team rapport.

Will Jake be able to step into the limelight and get his father to finally notice him?  Read Mike Lupica's new book about football in small town Texas to find out.

Summer of the Mariposas

Odilia and her sisters are left to run wild after their father abandons them.  Their Mama is stuck in a fog of depression and constant working to pay the bills, and the cinco hermanitas spend the summer days swimming in the river.

Everything changes the day they find the dead man floating in the river.  They are afraid to call the authorities because they know if he is an illegal his family may never find out what happened to him.  So they decide to steal the junky car their father left behind and take the man home to his family in Mexico.

Odilia is opposed to the plan at first, but when La Llorona appears to her to tell this is a quest she and her sisters must complete together, she reluctantly decides to go.  After all, their abuelita doesn't live far from the man's home, and it's been years since they've seen her.

On the way the sisters will have to face dangers both normal and paranormal.  They will have to evade border guards, a witch, the lechuzas (owl creatures with human heads), and even the chupacabras!  Will the cinco hermanitas be able to complete their quest?

Guadalupe Garcia McCall wrote this book because of a conversation she had with her students one day while teaching The Odyssey.  One of the girls in her class asked why all the stories where about old white guys, so she decided to write her own version of the story using sisters and Mexican folklore.

A Snicker of Magic

Felicity's mother has a wandering heart.  That's why they never stay in one place long enough to make friends, but now that they're back in Mama's hometown of Midnight Gulch, Tennessee, maybe things will be different.

Midnight Gulch used to filled with magic, and folks would come from miles around to visit the town and hear its most famous residents, The Brothers Threadbare, play music that made everybody's feet light and hearts happy.  The day those two brothers had a duel was the day magic left Midnight Gulch, and things haven't been the same since.  That was the day Midnight Gulch and its inhabitants were cursed. There's still a snicker of magic left to make life interesting.

Felicity has a little magic herself.  She sees words everywhere--floating in the air, crawling on someone's arm, sliding across the cafeteria table.  Felicity loves words, but she's too shy and tongue-tied to share them with anyone until she meets a spiky-haired do-gooder named Jonah Pickett on her first day in Midnight Gulch.  Felicity's never had a best friend before, but Jonah claims her for his own on her first day at school.  Felicity makes other friends, too, and she's getting to know her family, too.

It seems like everybody in Midnight Gulch is being held back by the curse, and Felicity is convinced if she can break it, magic will come back to town, and her mama's wandering heart will finally find home.

I love this book!  It's a wonderful story about words, creativity, magic, and love.  I got to meet Natalie Lloyd last week, and she was so cute and sweet just like you would imagine.  You should all read this book!

The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond

Violet Diamond loves her family, but she is tired of the strange looks she always gets when she meets new people.  Violet's mother, sister, and grandparents are blond and blue-eyed, but Violet's father was African American, and she stands out with her brown skin and curly hair.  To make this worse, there aren't even very many African-American people in her small hometown.

Violet's father died before she was born, and she's never even met his side of the family because of anger between them and her mother.  She knows their names, and she knows what her grandmother looks like because she's kind of a famous artist, and Violet has researched her on the internet.

When she discovers that her grandmother will have a showing at a gallery in nearby Seattle, Violet decides it's time to meet her father's side of the family whether they like it or not.

It's not always smooth getting to know new relatives, and Violet discovers that she doesn't just magically fit into this new world like she thought she would, but with time and effort, her universe of family and love will begin to expand.

Read Brenda Woods's new book about what it's like to be biracial in a world that is sometimes still divided into black and white.

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!

Hold Fast

Early's family is close.  They don't have much money, but they have love for each other and love for learning.  Her dad, Dash, is working as a library page at the Chicago Public Library and hoping for the day when he can become a full-time librarian.

The family lives in a tiny one room apartment, but they have dreams of owning a real home with a kitchen and bedrooms and maybe even a cat.  For now they have each other, their dreams, and rich world of reading and words, including their favorite poet Langston Hughes.

Dash is not the kind of man who would ever abandon his family, so when he disappears one day, his wife and children are afraid something terrible has happened.  But the police are accustomed to a different kind of man from a poor neighborhood.  They don't put much effort into finding Dash telling his family that this kind of thing happens all the time.

Things go from bad to worse as the little family quickly runs out of money and is harassed by violent criminals.  When they find themselves in a homeless shelter, Early mother begins to lose hope.  It's up to Early to hold fast to her dreams and her quest to find out the truth about what happened to Dash.

Blue Balliett wrote this book after learning that at least thirty thousand school children in Chicago are homeless.  This lovingly written story reveals some of the pain, fear, and hopelessness of those homeless children, but it is also a tale of hope and encouragement.