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!

Summer of the Gypsy Moths

Stella is only staying with her great-aunt Louise in Cape Cod until her mother gets things back together.  As soon as she gets a job and finishes those parenting classes, Stella won't have to live with her grumpy aunt anymore.

Aunt Louise takes Stella in, like she did Stella's mother, because the girl has nowhere else to go, but she decides Stella shouldn't be alone, so she also takes Angel as a foster child.

Angel is just biding her time in one foster home after the next until her aunt can get a job, her green card, and a home.  Now that Angel's father is dead, her aunt is the only one left to take care of her.

Soon after Angel arrives, Aunt Louise dies unexpectedly  and the girls have a decision to make.  They know they should call the police, but Angel doesn't want to go to another foster home, and Stella doesn't have any more relatives.  The girls decide to take over Aunt Louise's job of managing the vacation properties next door and hide her death, just for the summer.  By the end of the summer, Angel will have enough money to meet her aunt in New York, and Stella hopes that will be enough time for her mother to get her life together.

This is one summer when two girls will learn to accept one another and the truth about their own lives.  If you like realistic fiction, you will enjoy Sara Pennypacker's new book.

Unstoppable

OK, I am cheating a little with this one since it won't be published until September, but I liked it so much, I had to go ahead and write about it!  :)

This is a picture of the author, Tim Green, signing the book at TLA.  My friend and I were first in line (who wouldn't want to meet this guy) to meet him and get the books signed.  (One of you will win the very copy he is holding at the Biggest Reader party!)

We chatted with him for a few minutes, and he asked us to make sure we read the letter in the front cover of the book.  Green writes about his wife's battle with cancer and how cancer survivors, not athletes, are the real heroes.  What an inspiration!  Look for more news on Unstoppable next fall as it will figure prominently in our library activities.  (I won't tell you how just yet, but it is going to be awesome!)

Harrison has been in a string of foster homes for years.  He has a bad rap for being aggressive, but that is only because he is trying to protect the other kids.  Life on the Constable farm is one of the worst so far.  The Constables are cold and demanding, and Harrison's life is filled with hard work and anger.  He is starting to believe that nothing good will ever happen to him.

When a traumatic event strikes the farm, Harrison's life changes for the better.  He gets new foster parents who seem to really care about him, and his new foster father is the coach of the middle school football team.  Harrison loves football, but he's never been able to play.  Once he gets a shot on the field, everyone is amazed at his determination.  Harrison is unstoppable!

Now life seems too good to be true:  family, friends, football.  Harrison can't shake the nagging fear that everything is about to go wrong like it always does.  Will this new struggle be too much, or will Harrison remain unstoppable?

This book isn't out yet, so there isn't a trailer, but here is a video of Tim Green talking about writing, reading, and one of his other books.