Waiver Day

We don't have students today in my district because we are all attending professional development sessions. For the last five years, I have presented "100 Great New Books" for a variety of educators. For those of you who couldn't make the sessions or who want copies, here is what I will cover today!

Fall 2014 from Karen Yingling

 

Fall 2014 annotated bibliography from Karen Yingling

Just a Drop of Water

Cerra, Kerry O’Malley. Just a Drop of Water

September 2nd 2014 by Sky Pony Press

E ARC from the author/publisher

Jake doesn’t like to run cross country but loves track, and knows that his coach demands that he do cross country or he’ll be cut in the spring. He hopes to be made a team captain along with his long time best friend Sam, but a new boy and fast runner, Kirk, is made captain instead. When the Twin Towers in New York are bombed, Jake’s world is shaken. His mother, whose father was killed in a war, is nervous and upset, especially since his father had flown on business on Monday the 10^th. One of the bombers was from the boys town of Coral Springs, Florida, and had withdrawn a large amount of money at the bank and was assisted by Sam’s father. Because his card was found with the terrorists things, he is questioned by the FBI and eventually taken away… because the family is Muslim. Sam suffers greatly at the hands of local bullies Bobby and Rigo, who are targeting any Muslims they can find. To make matters worse, Kirk’s father was working at the Pentagon and was killed. Cross country meets are suspended, school is a tense place to be, and both Jake and Sam are struggling to get through the days following the bombing. The school decides to try to help students by planning a peace assembly, and Jake realizes that Bobby and Rigo have something planned. Can he stop them from being complete idiots and causing even more pain to the community? Jake’s grandmother believes that “just a drop of water” can have a big impact, and Jake starts to realize that he can, too.

Strengths: This book does an excellent job of addressing a need in historical fiction—9/11. By next year, all of the students in our school will be much too young to remember 9/11. Not only was the day itself described much as I remember it, but the aftermath of public outcry and support are also accurate. Jake, Sam, and Kirk all have ties to the event that are convincingly described, and the cross country details are good as well. Sam’s lack of knowledge about his cultural heritage and then his suffering on behalf of it are a genius stroke.

Weaknesses: While the involvement of Jake’s grandfather in a previous war situation is a nice twist, and the presence of a neighbor who was in WWII adds some depth to the story, it also makes it slightly confusing.

Putting the Dysfunctional in Diversity

Have to say that while my students LOVE books about people with problems, they don't love "quirky". Adults seem to love characters that are far outside of the realm of everyday, but second to "nothing happens", "The characters were weird" is probably the biggest complaint I hear! Obviously, this may be very different at other schools, but when I read the following three books in quick succession, it made me think about what makes a book about a dysfunctional family appealing to my students.

Booth Coe. Kinda Like Brothers.
26 August 2014, Push (Scholastic)
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Jarrett's mother takes in foster children in Newark. Usually, they are babies who have been abused and need care for just a few days, but when special needs infant Treasure arrives, she comes accompanied by her brother, Kevon, who is older than Jarrett. Jarrett has to share his room, and he's a bit irritated that he doesn't get to find out what chain of events brought the children to his family. Kevon is very protective of Treasure, but the boys slowly make an uneasy peace. Jarrett's mother has a boyfriend, Terrence, who is very kind to the children, but wishes that Jarrett's mother would stop taking in foster children and go back to college. Jarrett struggles in school and is spending the summer in a remedial program that he must pass before he can be promoted into the 6th grade. He feels that his mother should spend more time with him than with the baby. Eventually, the social worker comes and talks to Kevon, who is very upset. Jarrett finds out that Kevon's mother is dead, his father is missing and has mental problems that interfere with his ability to care for the children. Things come to a crisis, but there is good news, too-- while on a family camping trip, Terrence has asked Jarrett if he can marry Jarrett's mom, and while Jarrett doesn't pass 5th grade, he gets to go to a special all boys school in the fall.
Strengths: This really, really good. There are real, serious problems, but they are treated in a highly constructive way. Terrence sometimes argues with Jarrett's mother, which concerns Kevon, but the two never fight. Terrence instructs the boys about the fact that they may some day be pulled over by the police just because they are black, and tells them how they should act, which is something I don't know if I've ever seen in a book. He also addresses the issue that the boys can still be men if they don't like girls, and there is a brief discussion between Jarrett and his friend Ennis, who mentions that he may never like girls, and Jarrett is okay with that. The situations are realistically portrayed, especially between the boys. Very, very good.
Weaknesses: This is the author's first book for younger readers; if I remember correctly, I didn't buy the other books because of the language. I hope that Ms. Booth writes some more for middle grade!


Jonsberg, Barry. The Categorical Universe of Candice Phee
9 September 2014, Chronicle Books
ARC from Baker and Taylor

Candice has many struggles. Her father is at war with her Rich Uncle Brian over a computer software patent, her mother is severely depressed after the Sudden Infant Death of Candice's sister Sky seven years previously, and she is also a breast cancer survivor. Candice is so quirky that some teachers have suggested that she might be "on the spectrum", although Candice and her family seem to dismiss this. Even quirkier is her only friend, Douglas Benson from Another Dimension, who fell from a tree and ever since has had a change of personality, believing that his parents are only facsimiles and that he has to return to his own dimension by jumping from another tree. Candice tries to get her mother to be less depressed and to find a way to reconcile her father and uncle, but her attempts are ill-advised and while they eventually achieve the desired results, they also make things worse before they get better.
Strengths: If Australian literature is popular in your school, this would fit the bill. I worry about the Australians in a completely different way than I worry about the British. This certainly had some funny moments, and Candice definitely danced her own dance.
Weaknesses: The entire family, as well as Douglas, desperately needed counseling, and their lot seemed more sad than amusing to me. The mother is still so depressed she doesn't get out of bed most days SEVEN YEARS after the death of an infant? Frequent Readers know that I have NO patience with this. There's really no constructive help shown for this poor family, even by Rich Uncle Brian, although he tries.


Tougas, Shelley. The Graham Cracker Plot.
2 September 2014, Roaring Brook Press
E ARC from Netgalley; ARC from Baker and Taylor

***SPOILER ALERT*** Don't read review if you don't want to know key plot elements. Can't fully do book justice without revealing them. 

Daisy has a different type of dysfunctional family. Her mother, a recovering alcoholic, is doing her best to raise her in a trailer park, but Daisy's father is in jail for burning down a house during a chemical experiment, which is why Daisy refers to him as "the Chemist". Graham's mother is Daisy's mother's sponsor, and when Daisy's mother decides to go on a vacation with her boyfriend, Daisy has to stay at Graham's trailer. This works well for her, because she has constructed a plan to break her father out of the minimum security prison in which he is incarcerated. She and Graham approach family friend Ashley to drive them to the prison and then to Canada. Ashley drives, but was in a very bad car accident and is barely functional as an adult and prone to bad headaches. When the group runs in to heavy rain, Ashley is unable to continue driving, and they find a house belonging to "church people" in which they stay for a few days. When someone comes to feed the animals, they know they must leave, and find that Ashley's car battery is dead.(Highlight for spoilers.) They steal a truck, the dog, and a miniature pony, and end up crashing the truck in to the prison fence. Oddly enough, their attempt to rescue the Chemist is not successful and it turns out that he really blew up the house because he was manufacturing a drug. The book is told in the format of Daisy's letter to the judge.
Strengths: Again, this comes down on the funny side. Graham is quirky, Daisy is quirky, even Daisy's grandmother is quirky. Students may find the adventure in trashing the people's house amusing; I was glad that Daisy's mother makes the group go back and clean it up even though the judge doesn't make them. Social workers are involved, at least!
Weaknesses: It is hard to believe that any child would really think it was a good idea to break a parent out of prison and actually get as far as Daisy did.

Tut: The Story of My Immortal Life

Hoover, P.J. Tut: The Story of My Immortal Life
September 16th 2014 by Starscape/Tor/Macmillan
E ARC from Netgalley.com

We first meet Tut in Ancient Egypt, where he is trying to get away from his evil uncle Horemheb, but as we all know, Tut does not escape. However, he is immortal, and doomed to spend eternity at 14, being constantly in the 8th grade! He and his guardian, Gil, have an apartment in Washington, D.C., where they live with Horus (who stays in the form of a one-eyed cat, but talks) and Tut's shabtis, who keep things clean and take care of Tut. After a trip to see a Tut exhibit, Tut has a project that he has to do with Henry, but weird things are happening. When recharging his scarab heart at an obelisk, the monument explodes, revealing the name of Set, to whom Horemheb was loyal. He's almost killed by asps delivered by a brother of classmate Seth, and new girl Tia is paying a lot of suspicious attention to Tut. Fueled by the need for revenge, Tut seeks out a knife that will kill Horemheb, consulting Isis and letting Henry in on his secret. A plague of beetles and flooding descends on the area, closing Tut's school and making his goal seem more logical. Gil is against violence to Horemheb, but Tut feels that his release must have something to do with the plague.
Strengths: Action packed, funny, and steeped in Egyptian mythology, this is a great choice for readers who adore mythology, and there are lots of those. Egypt is covered in our 6th grade curriculum, and there's not as much fiction about it out there as I would like to see. The D.C. setting and use of artifacts is fun, and the shabtis and Horus are amusing as well. Best of all, it came in under 200 pages! I'd been busy but had to get reading done, and had this been yet another 400 page fantasy book, I would have cried. As it was, I looked at the length and thought "Oh, sure. Easy."

Think any middle grade readers ever look at books in this way? Food for thought!

Weaknesses: This had some inelegant turns of phrase at the beginning and a few plot devices that struck me as odd and made me question the accuracy of the mythology. I don't know that this will bother the target demographic-- as a former Latin teacher I expected Tut to have a more... Egyptian voice. And a different name. This would be open to a sequel (which might help clear up my confusion about Tia's motivations), which wouldn't be bad, but it would be more fun to have other stand alone books about other teen immortals by this author.

When I'm working on book orders and it seems like half the books are sequels, it makes me feel less favorable towards series!

MMGM- Cool Beans: The Further Adventures of Bean Boy

Harkrader, Lisa. Cool Beans: The Further Adventures of Bean Boy
May 6th 2014 by HMH Books for Young Readers 

Tucker is getting used to his father living in Boston, and is disappointed that his epic win in the contest for H2O's sidekick isn't getting him more attention. He also has to contend with the evil Wesley, who snatches a helmet Tucker's younger brother, Beecher, wants right out of Beecher's hands at the sporting goods store. When Wesley then offers it as a prize for the school's epic dodge ball contest, Tucker knows he needs to win. That's not the only bit of injustice in Tucker's world-- the Art Club is in danger of losing their bulletin board to the girls' basketball team. They need to amass 15 members to secure their group's status, and since they are down to 9, Tucker comes up with a plan. He manages to coerce the principal into agreeing to have a pep assembly featuring the art club, and they have a fantastic AV supported performance art extravaganza... until the principal pulls the plug and moves on to sports teams. Tucker decides to post a Beanboy comic detailing the struggles of the club, and is surprised to find it copied and posted in the halls. The art club also forms a dodge ball team, and gets excellent advice on strategies from their coach. Will the group be able to get enough members to avoid extinction? And can Tucker get revenge on Wesley?
Strengths: Harkrader has a decided knack for middle grade boys' voice. Her Airball: My Life in Briefs is still one of my favorite basketball books. She manages to take situations, like the art club heading for extinction, and treats them in realistic ways. Tucker has challenges at home (Beecher is in special education classes and Tucker is often responsible for him; the family struggles financially), but believes strongly in the power of art to reach students who don't fit in in other areas. The dodge ball tips and stratgey were actually very interesting, and I always HATED dodge ball! The comic book connection is nice, although there are not enough pictures to qualify this as a true "notebook novel". I bought this one BEFORE I read it-- that's how much faith I had in Harkrader!
Weaknesses: Had trouble believing that the principal would concede and let the Art Club have a pep assembly, but other than that, I thought the school details were more accurate than in many titles!

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers.

Miss Emily

Muten, Burleigh and Phelan, Matt Miss Emily.
Candlewick (March 25, 2014)
Copy from YABC and reviewed there.

Neighbors Mac, Ned and Mattie see Miss Emily out in her garden, and she has wonderful news-- the circus is coming to town on the train, and she wants to sneak out at night to see all of the animals and performers arrive. Will they come with her? What small child wouldn't, especially if you are the minister's son, as Mac is? Ned and Mattie trust their aunt, so why not? The four meet up and night and travel to the station with Carlo, Miss Emily's dog, and are enthralled with the spectacle. In order to try to escape detection (what a scandal it would be if they were caught out at night!), they run home, and Mac trips and injures his ankle. Miss Emily takes him home and confesses to being the culprit behind the outing, and Mac is allowed to go to the circus even though he must remain inactive for two weeks while his sprain heals. The group also gets together a "circus" of their own to perform for their dear, if eccentric, neighbor.
Strengths: Emily Dickinson is probably the most appealing United States poet, and the myths and legends about her make her a tremendously sympathetic character. This would be a good introduction both to the poet's life and to her work. I know that when I was in middle school, I purchased a volume of her poems. They are short, and accessible to younger readers, which might be why they continue to be so popular. Even without the connection to the poet, this is a gentle adventure that reads a lot like the moral tales that were written at the time Dickinson lived. Perhaps readers of this can be encouraged to pick up Alcott afterwards!
Weaknesses: Since Dickinson's style is so easily imitated, I'm a bit surprised that the book is written in free verse and not in in short stanzas with Dickinson's half rhymes. As with many books for younger readers, I didn't see the appeal to the target demographic for this one.

Saturday Morning Cartoons-- Comics Squad

Various Authors. Comics Squad: Recess
July 8th 2014 by Random House Books for Young Readers 
Copy from Young Adult Books Central and reviewed there.

Ten different stories offer a good overview of the most popular graphic novel artists for middle grade today. Some use favorite characters (Babymouse, Lunch Ladies), while others have completely new and somewhat genre jumping choices (Eric Wright's talking cupcakes are quite a departure from My Dead Girlfriend, and Gene Luen Yang's strip shows that he has a knack for middle grade that should be explored). The theme of recess makes this a book that will always be in demand, so I was glad to see that it was printed in a three color format, since the pages will stay in the book better than the shiny type in multiple colors. (The orange seemed an odd choice, however-- maybe it was chosen because it was recently a popular color!) This would be a great stocking stuffer at the holidays, although I'd expect some squabbling if there are multiple children. They would all want to get their hands on the copy!

Watson, Tom. Stick Dog Chases a Pizza
July 8th 2014 by HarperCollins

Once Stick Dog and his friends get tired of watching Karen chasing her own tale, they decide to play Frisbee. They find a cardboard circle that looks about right in the garbage, but to their surprise, the circle is also delicious.They decide to locate the pizza shop, travel there, and figure out a way to steal pizza. Oddly enough, they are once again successful in tricking humans out of food.
Strengths: On the very first day of school, a student office helper moped into the library needing something to read. He was reading Eragon at home, and feeling bogged down by it. (Who wouldn't be?) He was absolutely tickled to check out the first two volumes in the series, and excited that I would hold onto this book from our new shipment. Can these books brighten the days of certain readers? Sure. Next up, I think we should get Stick Dog Gets Takeout and Stick Dog Sticks Up a Deli.
Weaknesses: Reading these is like eating Twizzlers for breakfast. No nutritive value whatsoever. I do worry about students who won't read anything but this type of book; some sort of intellectual scurvy is sure to ensue. For an occasional treat, absolutely, but not for a steady diet.

Pichon, L. The Brilliant World of Tom Gates
August 26th 2014 by Candlewick Press
ARC from Baker and Taylor

Tom is in year five, and would rather draw or read comics in class than pay attention to his teacher, Mr. Fullerman, which would explain why he gets put in the very front of the classroom! Tom does occasionally pay attention, but he is a past master at forging notes from home and making up elaborate excuses for why he isn't turning things in. He is also very embarrassed by his father, who does freelance work from a shed in their yard and occasionally shows up at school in his gardening clothes, and also by the "fossils": his grandparents, who serve very odd food (like banana on pizza). His older sister, Delia, is easy to annoy, and Tom does so at every chance. The big thing going on in Tom's world is a concert by his favorite band, Dude3, which he manages to talk his father into attending with him. Tom's own band, the Dogzombies, also have an opportunity to perform at a school concert, but both concerts end up being hysterically problematic. This is the first volume of a seven book British series being released in the US for the first time.
Strengths: Notebook novels are always popular, and this one has pleasing graphics that are somewhat reminiscent of Schoolhouse Rock. Tom is well meaning about most of his escapades, except those involving his sister, and the inclusion of typically British phrases and obsessions (Caramel wafer, anyone? Actually, I could go for a Cadbury Finger right now!) add a new twist to this type of book. A glossary is included at the back. 
Weaknesses: Not much of a plot, and the illustrations and type are a bit random and made it harder for me to follow what was going on. 

Poetry Friday-- Long story version.

My parents, who are both 80, have moved into an assisted living facility. Their house (not the one in which I grew up) has sold, and this weekend there is an auction of the furniture and things that they didn't take with them.

My daughter and I stopped by the house last night to check on some things. It was hard for her, because it was the only house of theirs that she had ever known. When you are 16, you don't quite grasp that it's not the places you really miss, it's the person you were when you spent time in those places.

It was a long week. Every 6th grader in the building visited the library on Tuesday, every seventh grader on Wednesday, and ONLY half the 8th grade yesterday. There were cross country practices and curriculum nights and working out details with parents, and very little reading. I am weary but have persevered.

What pushed me over the edge, what made me cry, what made me hunt through the garbage like a crazy woman, was my mother's grease container. I think it's been thrown away. It was in the fridge, probably with grease still in it. I don't need it, but I wanted that grease container. Grief is a crazy thing that manifests itself in very odd ways.

On the bright side,  on the way back home from my parents' house, I quoted a poem that I wrote in about 1986 to my daughter. She hates poetry, but later that evening, she asked me to write it out for her, and even came downstairs later to tell me what a good poem she thought it was. So, here is my poem for Friday:

Something of my soul
is scattered in the corners
of a hundred different rooms,
impressed in peels of paint--
the cracks that crossed
the walls I watched
awaiting some strange wish
that would not come
for days I cannot count.
And still some spark
is clinging to the ceiling
like a cobweb
spun by some incessant spider,
forbidding the forgetting
of the fact
that I was
there.

Out of the Tunnel and Jump Ball

Jones, Patrick. Out of the Tunnel. (The Red Zone)
September 1st 2014 by Lerner Classroom
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Brian's father, a former football player who never made it as big as he wanted to, encourages Brian to move ahead on the Troy, Ohio football team. When Brian has an opportunity to do this, he is excited, because it makes him part of the inner circle of six starters. What he finds is that this group embraces "traditions" that are harmful and cruel, but manages to elude the discipline of the coach and even town law enforcement. Brian is willing to take part in things like obtaining and drinking alcohol and persuading a girl, Amber, to have a naked picture taken of her (when she is drunk) in order to keep up with the team and please his father, but he is uncomfortable with everything the group does, and his long time friend, Dylan, refuses to participate. This leads to Dylan getting less time of the field and being picked on by the players in the inner circle. When Amber's picture makes the rounds and Amber has to go to another school, Brian has to decide if he can live with himself if he continues to participate in the questionable activities of his teammates.
Strengths: This is an excellent book for reluctant readers, especially older ones. Lots of football details (my rule of thumb: if I don't understand what's going on in the play-by-plays, it must be good, since I know nothing about football!), and a great moral lesson about peer pressure. Fantastic cover! Hope this will be a series of stand alone books!
Weaknesses: Even though there isn't any graphic detail, some would question this book for sixth graders. Yes, Amber's lapse of judgement is disturbing, but maybe even younger students need to learn early on the effects that alcohol can have on judgement, and how this sort of behavior can have lasting, horrible consequences. I do think I'll buy this.

Mercer, Adrienne. Jump Ball. 
February 1st 2013 by James Lorimer &Company

Abby is not looking forward to her younger sister coming to school with her, but thinks that they might have fun together on the basketball team. Abby is  a bit shy, and Sarah is very outgoing, so Abby feels threatened. When Sarah gets more court time and seems to make friends on the team more easily, Abby fumes openly, but the coach explains that while Abby's skills are already good, Sarah needs some court time to improve. However, Abby continues to feel threatened and shoots herself in the foot by behaving badly on multiple occasions, yelling at Sarah and generally sulking. She manages to run a successful car wash fund raiser, but then yells at Sarah for taking a break. Eventually, she is suspended from the team for poor sportsmanship and finally begins to realize what it means to be a good teammate.
Strengths: There are a lot of good basketball descriptions, and it can be difficult to find basketball books for girls. The girl drama is well done, and should be popular. The adults in particular always do just the right thing when dealing with the students involved, so I appreciated that part.
Weaknesses: Abby had a high slappage factor. I discussed this with a student who read the book, and she agreed, but we both liked the books anyway! A little preachy, but readers who really want a basketball book won't care too much.

Disappearance at Hangman’s Bluff: A Felony Bay Mystery

Thompson, J.E. Disappearance at Hangman’s Bluff: A Felony Bay Mystery

September 2nd 2014 by Walden Pond Press

E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Abbey and Bee are enjoying the last days of summer, and when Judge Gator asks them to check on Yemassee, his expectant Boykins spaniel (WHY does Ohio not have a state dog, if South Carolina can?), they are more than happy to. Unfortunately, when they get onto the property, they can’t find Yemassee, and a bit later see men in a truck shoot her. They immediately run for Bee’s grandmother, and the police are called. Since there have been major robberies on Leadenwah Island, including an armored truck and a gas one, and developmentally delayed neighbor Willie Smalls is blamed for those. Abbey and Bee reopen Force and Force Investigations and go looking for the dog. They ride their horses on all the back roads of the island, hoping to find the truck, and they unfortunately do. The man who shot the dog is there as well… dead. Abbey’s father, who has just recuperated from the coma he was in after a beatin g received at the hands of Donna LaBelle’s father’s goons, is working on getting Willie Smalls bail and doesn’t want to worry about Abbey running around getting in the way of criminals, so forbids her to leave the plantation. Of course, she doesn’t. She and Abbey, still looking for Yemassee, find more evil doings on the island, this time involving abandoned slave burial grounds, and are fearless in hunting down the criminals involved.

Strengths: With Abbey’s unflinching bravery and lack of concern for her own well being, these books will be very popular with students who want murder mysteries. The relationship between the distant cousins, as well as the family history between the two, is fascinating. There is a very stong sense of place;  just reading this made me feel muggy, even though it was cool when I read the book! Would definitely like to see more about Abbey, as well as other books from this author. And remember, stories set in the South are not usually something I like!

Weaknesses: Of course, it’s alarming as a parent that the girls would put themselves in such danger. I would like to see Bee take a more active role in keeping Abbey in line! Also, the Brett Helquist cover makes this a hard sell. Perhaps it’s the over exposure (like Richard Cuffari covers).

Hahn, Mary Downing. Where I Belong
September 2nd 2014 by Clarion Books
E ARC from Netgalley.com

I have a number of books by Hahn, and really enjoy them, so I almost ordered this without reading it. I'm glad I didn't. Green Man tales are hard enough to get kids to read, and the first 100 pages of this were so depressing that I couldn't go on. I also was rather irritated by Brendan's complete lack of concern for his schoolwork. Take a look at this one, but know that it is very different from Hahn's other work.


From Goodreads.com
"Alienated, bullied, a classic underachiever, 12-year-old Brendan retreats into his fantasy world and then faces the long and demanding journey to a real world where he belongs.

No one is kind to sixth-grader Brendan Doyle: his foster mother, his teachers, his classmates, and especially the thugs who bully him. He takes refuge in books, drawing, carving, and daydreaming. When Brendan stumbles upon an old man near his tree house in the Virginia woods, he is quick to believe that this is the magical Green Man, guardian spirit of the forest. Brendan's need to immerse himself in his fantasy world becomes more acute, until he meets a girl with secrets of her own who may just keep his feet on the ground."

#WeNeedDiverseBooks Wednesday: Bridge

Jones, Patrick. Bridge

September 1st 2014 by Lerner Classroom

E ARC from Netgalley.com

Jose is trying very hard to do well at Rondo Alternative high school, but he has more problems than school to worry about. His mother and father are undocumented immigrants, and he lives with them, an aunt, and her children. He is the best English speaker in the house, so he must interpret. Ten years earlier, his father was injured on a construction site, and Jose blames himself for the extent of the injuries because he could not translate accurately. He thought “intoxicado” meant “drunk”, but his father actually had a significant stroke and was taken to jail instead of the hospital, making his recovery much more difficult and less successful. Jose must work several jobs to support his family and save for college, but the pressures and time commitment make it hard for him to do well in school.

Strengths: Like the Surviving Southside books, this is a short book for reluctant readers. The high school setting is appealing to my students, who don’t want to be seen reading “baby” books, and problem novels are also popular with struggling readers. Jose is a good kid, but his struggles are portrayed realistically. I thought that the prose in this book was far superior to that in many hi/lo books I’ve read, so Mr. Jones is to be applauded for this!

Weaknesses: While it is good to see Mexican Americans portrayed in books, we do need more books about middle class Latinos where their ethnicity is just part of the characters and not the whole story. It’s good to have both kinds of books, though, and this will be an excellent addition to my school collection.

Fantasy Tuesday:Monsters, Dystopia and Time Travel... Oh, my!

Lubar, David. The Bully Bug (Monsterific Tales #6)
2 September 2014, Tor Starscape
Copy received from the publisher.

Lud comes from a boisterous family of boys with a Mr. Fix-It father, so when he and his brother find a cereal box in the garbage dump that splits open and sprays bugs all over Lud, he doesn't even mention the bites when he gets home. He does start to notice odd things about himself-- he thinks he is hanging on the ceiling, he sprouts weird, bristly hairs all over himself, he drools everywhere and finds himself inexplicably eating leaves! Classmate Norman finds these changes fascinating (although almost no one else notices) and decides that Lud has been bitten by a mimic beetle. As the transformation progresses, Lud finds himself feeling faint around his father's insecticides and hoping the Norman can find some way to cure him before he transforms completely.
Strengths: This is a fast paced story that expects us to immediately suspend our disbelief. Lots of good, icky descriptions of Lud's metamorphosis, and funny efforts of his family and friends to deal with him. Fans of this series and of the Lawn Weenies books will find lots of repulsive reasons to giggle in horror at this book.
Weaknesses: This didn't seem as connected to the rest of the series as some of the stories (the evil guys from the past don't come after Lud), and I could have done without Lud's nonstandard English, but those are small quibbles for such a fun book.

Perry, Michael. The Scavengers.
2 September 2014, HarperCollins
E ARC from http://edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com

After citizens had to make a decision to live under bubbles in cities or to live all on their own, Maggie's family (mother, father, and younger brother Dookie) decides to try to survive on their own. In time, they found a place where they could farm, scavenge goods from a dump to sell, and where they had helpful neighbors, Toad and Arlinda Hopper. It's tough outside the bubble, because demented humans called Grey Devils roam the countryside, pickled in bootleg hooch and causing problems. Maggie, who spends a lot of her time living in a broken down Ford Falcon a short distance from the house and has rechristened herself after the car, is a bit fed up with her family, especially Dookie, who has severe developmental delays that no one explains to her. Her father is acting suspicious, and her mother is not fond of the hardships the family has to face, but when Maggie returns home after a night at the Hoppers and finds her family gone, she wants to look for them. Dookie shows up, but sheds no light on the events, but when Maggie identifies one of the shambling Grey Devils as her father, she learns a lot of secrets about her family and the world that exists inside the bubbles.
Strengths: This had a The Boxcar Children meets The Hunger Games vibe, making it an excellent choice for younger readers who want to wallow in dystopia. The details about going through the garbage and finding things to sell and eking out a living outside the bubble was fascinating. Maggie was a well developed character, and her parents added a very interesting and deep facet to the book that children may not quite appreciate, but which makes this a good choice for older readers, too.
Weaknesses: The quirky Southern-ish vibe made this personally painful for me, but I will probably buy a copy because I need so many dystopian books. If I had to live off the grid next door to Toad Hopper, I would probably just throw myself in front of the next Grey Devil. He speaks in pig Latin, Spoonerisms, and such a wide range of vocal affectations that it's hard to understand what he is saying. When there is an emergency, you'd think he would drop it, but he doesn't. Students will not be as annoyed with this as I was, and the whole mystery surrounding the father and his part in creating the dystopian was very clever.

Milford, Kate. Greenglass House
26 August 2014, Clarion Books
E ARC from Netgalley.com

While Milo enjoys living with his adoptive parents in a hard to get to hotel that caters to smugglers, he was hoping that things would be slow over Christmas break. When guest after guest arrives, however, Milo's parents recall the cook, and Milo finds himself having to work and entertain the cook's daughter, Meddy. There is something mysterious about the guests, as well as a map that Milo finds, and Meddy proposes a Role Playing Game set in the house. Milo takes on the new identity of Negret, inventing a background that is unlike his own. Meddy becomes Sirin, and the two explore the wonderfully quirky house. The guests have items go missing, and the two children are able to investigate these real mysteries in the context of their game, and uncover even more information about the house's past, as well as the past of some of the guests.
Strengths: The house is absolutely fantastic, as is the cover. Being snowbound anywhere is always something I love to read about in a story.
Weaknesses: I found it annoying that Milo and Meddy were sometimes referred to as Negret and Sirin, and sometimes were referred to as both on the same page.I can see why this was done, but it wasn't completely necessary. This got a bit convoluted and long, as well. This type of story is a hard sell in my library, although I'm rather fond of them, so I'm still debating.

Note: This is definitely a fantasy, because 340 pages in, it is clear that a character is actually a ghost!

MMGM- The Contract

Jeter, Derek and Mantell, Paul. The Contract.

September 2nd 2014 by Simon & Schuster

E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Third grader Derek is given an essay by his teacher. He is to write about his dreams and goals, and he states that he will one day be a shortstop for the Yankees. His classmates jeer at him a little, even his friend Vijay, who is on his baseball team, but that doesn’t stop Derek from working toward his goal by doing well in school and working hard on the baseball field. Derek’s parents support him, but make it very clear that he can have lofty dreams, but has to put in the effort to achieve them. To help him, they draw up a contract for him to sign that delineates their expectations for his behavior. The Tigers Little League team is fun for Derek and Vijay, but when the new coach, Kozlowski, favors his son Pete, it is a test of Derek’s character. Not only is Pete given the coveted role of shortstop, but his bratty tactics are mainly ignored by his father. Derek is very concerned about the team, sometimes at the expense of his schoolwork, but he knows that he not only has to do his best despite obstacles on the baseball field, he has to keep his focus on doing well in school.

Strengths: Paul Mantell always does a great, well-balanced sports story, and this is no exception. There’s enough baseball play-by-plays to confuse me, some interpersonal turmoil, and a lot of information about being a good person cloaked in an interesting story. I loved the supportive and hard working parents—the father was in graduate school. This is supposed to be a series of ten, based on the principles of Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation.

Weaknesses: I will buy this one even though Derek is portrayed as being in 3^rd grade; he acts much older, especially with the homework discussed! Perhaps the plan is for the character to get older in each book, which would be fine. There was one slight historical inaccuracy if this book is indeed based on the life of Jeter, who was born in 1974. An eight track tape player is lauded as the newest thing, but by the time Jeter would have been 8, they would have already been dinosaurs.

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. 

Charlie Bumpers vs. The Squeaking Skull

Harley, Bill. Charlie Bumpers vs. The Squeaking Skull
1 September 2014, Peachtree Publishers
Copy provided by publisher through Armchair BEA contest!

Charlie is ready to go trick-or-treating with his friends... if only he can figure out a good costume, a way to NOT have to take his annoying four-year-old sister Squid, and how he can avoid watching the scary movie at his friend's sleepover that night. With the help of an eccentric art teacher, he manages to make his own bat costume out of two broken umbrellas, and his brother Matt tries to help him get used to scary things by telling him creepy stories at night. Meanwhile, Alex's mother decides that the movie is way too scary for the boys, but the somewhat evil Kyle claims to have a copy that he can bring. Other fun subplots include Tommy's insistence that he needs to glue hair to his face in order to be a convincing werewolf!
Strengths: The more I read of Charlie, the more I like him for a good series for younger readers. Figuring out what to be for Halloween and worrying about what friends will think if movies scare you are two very valid elementary school concerns. I don't know if I will buy this third book (Halloween is a completely different affair in middle school), but it is certainly a must have for elementary libraries.
Weaknesses: Credulity stretcher in this was an elementary school allowing costumes! Even when my own children were small, this was never allowed, unless the school theme was "Bats and Snakes" and they were allowed to dress like animals. Maybe this still happens; it certainly did when I was in elementary school!

Other titles in this series include Charlie Bumpers vs. The Teacher of the Year, and Charlie Bumpers vs. The Really Nice Gnome.


Cheaney, J.B. Somebody on this Bus is Going to be Famous
September 2nd 2014 by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
E ARC from Netgalley.com

The students on Mrs. B's bus all have a variety of concerns in their lives, and going through the months of the school year, we get to know more about them. Shelley is bound and determined to be a famous singer, but her mother's pregnancy means there is no extra money to send her to camp. Bender's mother is a high powered real estate agent, and he struggles to live up to his older brother's accomplishments. Kaitlyn is inspired by the Salvation Army kettles and takes up a collection on the bus for a family in need. There are several mysteries that surface during the year-- the empty bus stop, what happened at the high school graduation in 1985, and various secrets about the families of the riders that intertwine.
Strengths: Can't say I've read any books that take place primarily on the school bus, so this was a nice twist. Readers who enjoyed the different perspectives of Because of Mr. Terupt will like this tale which portrays many of the family difficulties that students face today.
Weaknesses: The happy cover of this belies the very, very depressing nature of the vast majority of the stories. I was fine with that until the end of the book, when there was even more tragedy-- it was too many different sad situations put together for my taste.

Christopher, Matt. (Peters, Stephanie True) Perfect Game (Little League #4)
March 4th 2014 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Okay, I have to admit that sometimes, sports books don't stick with me. While I enjoyed the other books in the series, all I really got from this one was that the cousins lived on opposite coasts, somebody was now getting along better with the DiMaggio boy, the players had lucky superstitions, and they figured out what kind of pitch people would throw by watching tapes of games. And they played a lot of baseball. This series has done very well, especially with the bright new covers. Here's a summary from Goodreads.com

Two weeks of intense competition remain to decide the final teams for the Little League® World Series. This year, the anticipation is high as it's possible that both of the previous final two teams will return, a very rare occurrence. And those are the teams Carter and Liam now play for! These two players, one from each team, are thinking the same thought: How can I play against my best friend?

This is the fourth book in a five-book series that follows Liam and Carter as they work their way to the Little League® World Series. The final book in the series will coincide with the Little League® 75th Anniversary in 2014.

Also found out that Dale Christopher is retired from teaching and now travels to schools to give talks about his dad's writing career, which is awesome. I do think that the books should not say that "Matt Christopher IS the bestselling author"... since Matt Christopher died in 1997, it's time to acknowledge publicly that other people write for the Matt Christopher franchise.

Saturday Morning Cartoons-- The Pilkey Line

It's not your imagination-- there were six years between book #8 and book #9, but now they are coming at a fast and furious rate, with book 12 , Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-a-Lot, coming out in August of 2015. There will also be a Dreamworks movie coming out in January 13 2017, 20 years after the initial publication of the series!

Mr. Pilkey, of course, is fantastic, and really understands that he is writing for children and makes no pretenses of wanting to write something literary that language arts teachers will feel a need to foist upon students. He includes lots of things that make ME laugh, although flip-o-rama on an e reader just doesn't work. Captain Underpants is brilliant on so many levels, but one of the things I especially appreciate is the wide age range to which it appeals. Kindergarteners can enjoy it, but so can middle school students and even high school students, so I'm not sure why I use the phrase "The Pilkey Line" to refer to a demarcation between what elementary students and middle school students will read, since who doesn't like Captain Underpants?

That said, I am hoping that the series wraps up soon. I'd like to see Mr. Pilkey do something else that would appeal to middle grade readers, and the books make me nostalgic for the past, which is silly and not constructive.

Pilkey, Dav. Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000 (Captain Underpants #11)
August 26th 2014 by Scholastic Press
E ARC from Netgalley.com

I loved that early on in the book the events of previous books are recapped, and we are issued the reassurance that it's okay if we are confused-- everyone in the book is, too! However, I was able to get a pretty good grasp of this one. George and Harold come back from their previous adventures exhausted, and manage to sleep through tests, which results in Harold being retained in the fifth grade, Mr. Krupp's evil plan to separate him from George. The then use the robosquid time travel pants to go back and take the tests, but accidentally create two of themselves, which results in problems. When all four George and Harolds show up at school, teacher think they are dreaming, strip off their clothes in order to dance around the school, and get carted off, including Captain Underpants, leaving no one to fight off the Turbo Toilet 2000. Eventually, Cracker's eggs (which the boys put in the
 treehouse at the beginning of the story) hatch and release Hamsterdactyls, who manage to defeat it.
Strengths: So many funny things! Nana and Timmy's explanation of the big fight scene was my favorite-- they seem to be a recurring thing, although I don't really remember them in previous books! the Hamsterdactyls are adorable, and the teachers stripping off their clothes-- why is this so funny? Oh, right. I've become a 12 year old boy in my reading habits, which is why I will never be asked to serve on the Newbery committee. Oh, well!
Weaknesses: Seriously, who would ever want to ban these? Weird people who don't understand children, that's who!

Bass, Patrick Henry. The Zero Degree Zombie Zone
August 26th 2014 by Scholastic Press
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Bakari Katari Johnson would like to be elected hall monitor, but he is shy and classmate Tariq is always chosen. He gets up enough courage to decide to run, only to have Tariq's friend Keisha give him a hard time. Then, out of the blue, ice zombies appear in the school hallway and demand their ring back. Bakari has no idea what they're talking about... until he sees the ring on Keisha's finger. In order to obtain the ring, he trades a marble that he got from his grandfather, who has passed away. His friend Wardell, trying to be helpful, lets Tariq and Keisha know how important the marble is to Bakari, so they have more power over him. Still, Keisha (who found the ring in the hall that morning) seems to have more of a clue how to harness the ring's power. The four classmates manage to get enough hall passes to keep the ice zombies at bay, and eventually manage to dispatch them, using the power of the ring and Bakari's marble. 
Strengths: This seems to be designed to appeal to the Captain Underpants demographic, and has great pictures, goofy situations, and African American characters on the cover, which is fantastic. It probably has more appeal on the elementary side of the Pilkey line.
Weaknesses: This is very message heavy, with the bullying and election, and that's not really want readers of this type of book are looking for. I doubt that any schools have students be hall monitors any more because of liability issues and the fact that a lot of school have School Resource Officers. There wasn't a a great explanation of where the ice zombies came from, either. Still, I can see this being a big seller in elementary book fairs.

You know, even more props to Dav Pilkey. Captain Underpants has been culturally diverse since 1997!

Sherry, Kevin. The Yeti Files #1: Meet the Bigfeet
September 30th 2014 by Scholastic Press 
E ARC from Netgalley.com

This came down on the elementary side. I was hoping for a notebook novel (since it's 128 pages), but it read more like the world's longest picture book. I also was not entirely convinced of the Yeti culture. 

Authentic Yeti culture. Sigh. Sometimes I wonder about my job! And me! 

Guy Friday- Blood in the Water

London, C. Alexander. Blood in the Water (Tides of War #1)
August 26th 2014 by Scholastic Paperbacks 
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Cory has tried to get into the Navy SEALS, but wasn't able to hack training. Instead, he is part of the Navy's Marine Mammals Program and has trained a dolphin named Kaj to hunt bombs and other items under water to make the seas safer for the Navy, if not for Kaj! Unfortunately, Cory is still struggling with an event in his life. While out surfing, he and his younger brother Aaron were attacked by sharks. Cory was okay, but Aaron spent three days in the hospital, and Cory feels responsible. He is scared of being in the open waters, scared that sharks will again be a danger, even though he knows that the statistical probability is low. Cory and Kaj are sent to the Sea of Japan and are assigned to retrieve a sensitive piece of equipment that has been lost in North Korean territory. Cory, nervous about everything and feeling that the Navy SEALS know about his failure and are laughing at him, is still determined to make sure that Kaj does the job he was trained to do so he can prove himself to the Navy, but he also wants to keep Kaj safe. Major Landon is sceptical about the "fish" doing a good job, but he is impressed by Cory and Kaj's skills. The mission runs unto trouble, though, when a North Korean trawler turns out to be more than it seems. Men are killed and military security is at stake, and only Cory and Kaj have the abilities needed to save the day. 
Strengths: Like the fabulous Dog Tags books, this shows a ton of research into little known military practices. I can't find the post related to Travis Jonker's assertion that all MG books should be 200 pages of less that claimed that there should be no more World War II middle grade books, but I still have so many readers who want war books, and this is just perfect! It's modern, has lots of suspenseful military action, cool dolphin tactics, and Cory is afraid. Not only is he afraid, but Landon tells him that's okay-- he'd be crazy if he weren't. But Cory is also brave and very loyal to Kaj. This was superb.
Weaknesses: PAPERBACK??? The life of a paperback in my library is about three circulations. Hardcover or prebind is the only way to go, and prebinds take a while. In some cases, they are never available. I would buy two hardcover copies of each of the Tides of War and Dog Tags series books if they were only available! There is not enough clear tape in the world to reinforce paperbacks to make them hold up to being toted around by the average 6th grader!

London, C. Alexander. Honor Bound (Tides of War #1)
6 January 2015, Scholastic Paperbacks.

From Goodreads.com
"A notorious Somalian pirate sails the Arabian Sea, leading a band of deadly thieves and mercenaries on an international crime spree. When they take American hostages aboard a cargo ship, they've finally gone too far -- and a special task force of Navy SEALs and Marines is called in to help. SEALs, Marines . . . and a talented sea lion named Sly.

As Sly's handler, young sailor Felix has two important jobs. Job one is to get Sly to plant a beacon so that the U.S. strike force can follow the pirates back to their haven. Job two is to keep the sea lion safe and out of combat. But when the mission goes wrong and the pirates get the upper hand, Felix and Sly end up right in the middle of the action . . . with dozens of innocent lives at stake."

How to Fall

Casey, Jane. How to Fall (Jess Tennant #1)
August 26th 2014 by St. Martin's Griffin 
ARC from Baker and Taylor

After a bitter divorce, Jess' mother decides to return to the town of her childhood for a vacation and to visit with her twin sister whom she has not seen in many years. Unfortunately, Jess' cousin, Freya, died the previous summer in a fall off a cliff that may or may not have been accidental.The big problem? Jess looks freakishly like her dead cousin, which makes her entrance into the teen society of the small town turned tourist haven a bit awkward. She meets Freya's friends Will and Darcy, who are a bit shocked at first but realize that, personality wise, Jess is nothing like Freya. Her cousins, Hugo and Petra, are also glad to finally meet their cousin, and have come to terms (as much as they can) with their sister's death. Even Freya's mother, Tilly, encourages Jess to look at Freya's room in order to get to know her cousin posthumously, and even arranges for Jess to have a summer job at the same charity shop where Freya worked. Through Darcy, Jess meets the fantastically mean Natasha, who is interested in Ryan. Jess stands up to Natasha, going so far as to flirt with Ryan just to make a point. Jess is bothered by the circumstances of Freya's death, and starts to investigate. The local policeman happens to be Will's father, who at one point dated Jess' mother, so that adds an extra layer of awkwardness. In the end, Jess does figure out what happened to Freya, and her mother decides to stay in Port Sentinel at least for the coming school year. I'm looking forward to the second book, Bet Your Life, and hope it is published in the US.
Strengths: This was a great British mystery; there are so many television programs like this, but so few mystery books that make their way across the pond. Definitely a great purchase for high school, but since so many students ask for murder mysteries, I think I'll get this for my middle school library as well.

I have to admit that this was a difficult book for me to pick up, since it started with Freya's death on the cliff. However, I was glad to see a realistic portrayal of a family continuing on after a tragedy. Yes, Tilly has some moments, and has kept Freya's room intact for almost a year, but there's no one unable to get out of bed, or sobbing ceaselessly. It's not a good situation, but the family makes the best of things and moves on. This was a huge relief to read; I can't tell you. When Jess and her mother decide to stay in town, Tilly even decides to have Jess move into Freya's room and make it her own.
Weaknesses: A bit more romance would have made this an easier sell to my more mature readers,  but maybe there will be more in the sequel.

#WeNeedDiverseBooks Wednesday--Turtle of Oman

Nye, Naomi Shihab. The Turtle of Oman.

E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

August 26th 2014 by Greenwillow Books 

Aref’s father is a scientist, and his mother is a professor of English. Since the two are going to study at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the family will be moving there. Aref knows that it will be a big adventure, but the week between saying goodbye to his father at the airport and the day that he and his mother leave is a difficult one. He must say goodbye to neighbors, his best friend, his grandfather, and he must pack one suitcase to take with him. During his preparations, he visits different places in his neighborhood, including a neighbor who is 100 years old and will be 103 when he returns, and spends a couple of days with his grandfather fishing while his mother takes care of loose ends in Muscat. At the end of the week, Aref has finally packed and is ready to set off for the United States.

Strengths: Nye is a wonderful writer (I’m a huge fan of her poems), and she does a good job of capturing not only Aref’s emotions about moving but of describing his environment in Muscat in a way that underlines those emotions. This would be a good choice to read to a child who was moving—surely, most moves within a country are not nearly as difficult as moving into an entirely new culture.

Weaknesses: I would have like to see Aref make the trip to the US and experience life in Michigan. It was interesting to find out about life in Oman, but it also would have been intriguing to see what Aref thought of life in the US.

MARY: The Summoning (Bloody Mary #1)

Monahan, Hillary. MARY: The Summoning (Bloody Mary #1)
September 2nd 2014 by Disney-Hyperion
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Jesse is determined to get her girl friends Kitty, Anna and Shauna together to try to summon the ghost of Mary Worth. She has done her research; gotten letters from her Aunt Dell, tried to talk to women who managed to summon her, and figured out what wards will keep the girls safe. Of course, as with any of the unquiet dead, Mary is not content to come and wave howdy to the girls; she tries to drag Shauna into the mirror with her and claws her shoulders very badly. The girls, especially Anna, are terrified and want to stop the nonsense, but Jesse persists. Shauna realizes that she can now see Mary in other mirrors, and when Mary comes after her at school, she contacts Cody, who was haunted by the ghost for years. Cody lives behind windows covered in pig blood and black paper to remain safe, and cautions Shauna that no one Shauna knows or cares about is safe. Perhaps there is a way to figure out why Mary still haunts people 150 years after her death? The girls investigate a church, but get discovered by the police and sent home. Soon, though, very bad things start to happen. Mary is loose in the world and severely injures one friend and kills another. Secrets are revealed about Jesse's motivations, but the mystery is not resolved, since there is a second book in the works.
Strengths: My 6th graders would be perfectly happy if I handed them Stephen King, but I would soon be out of a job. I realize that they want scary books, but they don't need human-on-human violence, bad language, or TOO much gore. This struck a good balance, and I thought the author's post about the topic was illuminating. This is gross-- Mary's ghost is oozing, bloody, muddy and maggot ridden. She slashes people with her fingernails, and there are horrible smells and bugs. There aren't any flying body parts, but  this is a bit scarier than Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes, because it's based more in reality. Buying horror for middle grade students is quite the process.
Weaknesses: There are some odd turns of phrase, and I didn't feel that this was as psychologically scary as it could have been, and I would have liked to know Jesse's motivation for summoning Mary much sooner. However, I can see Monahan being a great success as her writing matures.

http://www.cafepress.com/maryworth.407811222

The students are not going to have the same association with the name Mary Worth as I did!

MMGM-- Pet Fish on the Covers!

Remember, the Cybils Awards committee are LOOKING FOR JUDGES! Click here to get information and apply. Remember also that the Middle Grade Fiction organizer is a lovely person to work with. (Ahem, that would be yours truly!) If you are a book blogger with a middle grade focus, a writer of middle grade, or a teacher, librarian or parent who spends a lot of time delving into this area and blogging about it, please consider applying.

Holm, Jennifer. The Fourteenth Goldfish.
August 26th 2014 by Random House Books for Young Readers 
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Ellie is having a hard time. Her divorced parents are both into acting, but she doesn't have any interest in it. Her best friend has taken up volleyball in a big way. She has found, much to her chagrin, that her goldfish did NOT outlive all the other goldfish that children in her class got in elementary school-- her mother just kept replacing them. When her mother shows up with a teenage boy in tow, and he claims to be her grandfather Melvin, Ellie is tossed into an unbelievable world where her grandfather has isolated the compound needed to reverse the human aging process... from a jellyfish. It's believable, since the young version of Melvin has many of her grandfather's quirks, and he is intent on breaking into the lab where he worked and getting the jellyfish and research back. With the help of Raj, who looks threatening but is actually quite helpful, the group set off to get the things out of the lab, and along the way, Melvin and Ellie come to terms with many facets of their lives.
Strengths: Okay, maybe I have gone over to the dark side because this was one of those books that language arts teachers love because it has Valuable Life Lessons, but this was FANTASTIC. It's short, has a lot of action, will appeal to all readers, has some cool science, throws us right into the situation with the grandfather so we don't even blink about suspending disbelief, and brings us my favorite thing to read about... a close grandparent, and one which the main character gets to hang out with when he is her own age. Awesome. I've liked Holm's other books like Boston Jane and The Creek, and this was just charming.
Weaknesses: The day is coming very quickly where we won't be able to tell grandparents from children. Melvin comes back and wears polyester pants, cardigans, and other "old man" clothes. However, my parents are even older than Melvin and regularly wear jeans. They'd probably come back hipper than my daughters!

Gephart, Donna. Death by Toilet Paper
August 5th 2014 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Benjamin's family is really struggling. His father died of cancer, and his mother is working as a waitress while trying to finish up her school work and tests to become an accountant. Their rent is due, and the landlord has been sympathetic, but if they don't pay soon, they will be evicted. To top it all off, Benjamin's grandfather, Zayde Jake, has moved in with the family and his senile dementia is becoming worse. His friend Toothpick, who likes to mess around with film makeup and produce his own horror movies, is supportive of Benjamin, as is Toothpick's father, and their neighbor Mrs. Schneckle helps out, too. Benjamin comes up with several plans to earn money, including selling candy bars at school, even though it against school rules to sell anything that isn't officially sanctioned. He also enters a lot of contests and manages to win a few things like a grill or a year's supply of oatmeal, but he and his mother need something a little bigger to tide them over.
Strengths: Extra points for the fun facts on toilets at the beginning of each chapter! While this was essentially a sad book, it really drew me in and kept me reading, in the same way that A Tree Grows in Brooklyn did. How bad will it get? What will Zayde Jake do next? Will the family really be evicted? There are lots of funny moments, too. In general, a great middle grade book, and the bits of Jewish culture are something that is a bit rare these days. (Although that's one subgroup I really see very little of in my library.) I especially liked that Benjamin and his mother were still struggling with the death of the father but were continuing on with their lives in a productive fashion. Realistic, but hopeful in a way that many books are not.
Weaknesses:  I would have given this five stars if it weren't for a stereotypical bullying scene. Yes, it was pivotal to the plot, but we've all been there and gotten the swirly. The ending is a bit deus ex machina as well, but the target demographic won't necessarily see these weaknesses.

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday at Anastasia Suen's blog.