FINISHED:
Fitzgerald, Laura Marx. (2016). The Gallery. New York: Dial/Penguin.

[.]

STARTED:
Avi. (2016). School of the Dead. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Anderson, John David. (2016). Ms. Bixby's Last Day. New York: Walden Pond/HarperCollins.

[With their favorite teacher in the hospital battling cancer and unable to make it back to school for a goodbye party, Brand, Steve, and Topher hatch a plan to skip school and comb the city collecting some of Ms. Bixby’s favorite things (cheesecake, wine, etc.), thinking that they will bring the party to her.  Chapters rotate through the individual points of view of the three main boys:  Steve, who is Japanese-American and living in the shadow of his perfect sister; Brand, white, and struggling to singlehandedly take care of his father who is now paraplegic following a work accident; and Topher, a brilliant white kid who loves words and drawing.  The bulk of the novel takes place over the course of a single day – the day they skip school to follow through with their plan – with each of the boys ruminating through flashbacks which flesh out their histories and individual associations with Ms. Bixby.  Plaintive and sentimental, but not overly so, this is one of those cleverly done stories that reveals itself by moving forward in time while slowly filling in the past with revelations that help to elucidate the larger picture and the motivations behind character actions.  An amusing “caper” dotted with hilarious setbacks, and a solid depiction of boys who are supportive friends, Anderson’s novel highlights the impact we can have on each other without ever realizing it, and the fact that even if you feel alone, in reality there’s likely someone looking out for, noticing, and championing you.]

STARTED:
Fitzgerald, Laura Marx. (2016). The Gallery. New York: Dial/Penguin.

[.]

*

FINISHED: 
Lane, Kathleen. (2016). The Best Worst Thing. New York: Little, Brown.

[.]

STARTED:
Anderson, John David. (2016). Ms. Bixby's Last Day. New York: Walden Pond/HarperCollins.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Weatherford, Carole Boston. (2016). You Can Fly:  The Tuskegee Airmen. New York: Atheneum/Simon & Schuster.

[.]

STARTED:
Lane, Kathleen. (2016). The Best Worst Thing. New York: Little, Brown.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Connor, Leslie. (2016). All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook. New York: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Weatherford, Carole Boston. (2016). You Can Fly:  The Tuskegee Airmen. New York: Atheneum/Simon & Schuster.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Springstubb, Tricia. (2016). Every Single Second. New York: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Connor, Leslie. (2016). All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook. New York: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Tyler, Anne. (2016). Vinegar Girl. New York: Hogarth/Penguin/Random House.

[Anne Tyler does Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew!]

STARTED:
Springstubb, Tricia. (2016). Every Single Second. New York: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins.

[New Tricia Springstubb!!!   I'm allowed to say that I thought that MOONPENNY ISLAND was one of the ABSOLUTE BEST books of last year.  My Newbery committee didn't award it anything, but, personally, I thought that it was OUTSTANDING, and one that I will read again and again over the years.]

*

FINISHED:
Messner, Kate. (2016). The Seventh Wish. New York: Bloomsbury.

[.]

STARTED:
Tyler, Anne. (2016). Vinegar Girl. New York: Hogarth/Penguin/Random House.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Gephart, Donna. (2016). Lily and Dunkin. New York: Delacorte/Random House.

[.]

STARTED:
Messner, Kate. (2016). The Seventh Wish. New York: Bloomsbury.

[.]

*

FINISHED: 
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. (2015). Between the World and Me. New York: Spiegel & Grau.

[.]

STARTED:
Gephart, Donna. (2016). Lily and Dunkin. New York: Delacorte/Random House.

[.]

*

FINISHED: 
Cole, Henry. (2016). The Somewhat True Adventures of Sammy Shine. Atlanta: Peachtree.

[.]

STARTED:
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. (2015). Between the World and Me. New York: Spiegel & Grau.

[Recommended by Matt de la Peña and Allie Jane Bruce.  I mean, with endorsements by these two, it must be a slam-dunk winner.]

*