Unfortunately, nothing that my students ask for. Fine books all, but I don't see them circulating at my library.
Brown and Elish. 13. Amusing tale of a boy who moves from New York to Indiana and has to prepare for his Bar Mitzvah. Depictions of Hoosiers would not amuse my Midwestern boys.
Conway. The Goodbye Time. Great cover, but rather young, and too much time is taken up with a game the girls play while talking in British accents.
Garsee. Say the Word. Content more appropriate to high school.
Kelly. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. Odd historical period (1899). If I can't get girls to read the Little House books, I won't be able to sell this historical fiction.
Littman. Purge. Great eating disorder book, but for high school students, due to liberal use of f-word as well as some sexual content.
Ockler. Twenty Boy Summer. Again, great cover, but overwhelmingly depressing. Title makes it sound fun, but the girl grieving the death of her best friend's brother was too much.
Taylor. Undone. More for high school. Overly sad and quirky.
Vivian. Same Difference. Too narrowly focused on a summer art school.
Weaver. Super Stock Rookie. Sequel to Saturday Night Dirt, which I could not sell. I thought boys would love to read about racing, but have found that mine do not.
Wyatt. Funny How Things Change. Quirky/dysfunctional/West Virginia.
A lot of these were somehow depressing, and I was in the mood for something happier.
I recently got Funny How Things Change based on a review - but I think you are right, it hasn't checked out yet. I'm planning to get Calpurnia Tate though b/c I have some girls who like "serious" fiction and a couple fans of historical fiction, so I think I might be able to sell it to them...What I've got kids asking for - the next Ingo book by Helen Dunmore. It's a British fantasy import with mermaids. And I thought I'd let you know that I sold Reef of Death by Zindel with your one-liner to a bunch of kids on my school visits! Thanks!
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