FINISHED: 
DiCamillo, Kate. (2016).  Raymie Nightingale.  Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

[Raymie is determined to learn to twirl a baton - she NEEDS to so that she can win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition.  If she does then she is certain that her father will see her picture in the paper and come home (he ran off with a dental hygienist...).  Nothing goes as planned, however, as the baton classes don't happen, her reading aloud to the elderly creeps her out (plus, she loses the book under one of their beds), and she becomes friends with cynical Beverly and Louisiana, who's determined to get back the cat she had to give away (though he was almost certainly put down...) because she couldn't afford to keep him anymore. 

REALLY liked this one.  Kind of quiet and mindful, spare and lovely.  Louisiana was a FANTASTIC character - her unbending enthusiasm and perseverance were hilarious and moving.  SURELY this year's Newbery Award committee will be looking at this one very closely.]

STARTED:
de la Peña, Matt. (2008). Mexican Whiteboy. New York: Delacorte.

[Realized that aside from his other picture book (other than LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET, natch), I haven't read anything else by him...]

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