FINISHED:
Medina, Meg. (2018). Merci Suárez Changes Gears. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

[.]

STARTED:
Johnson, Maureen. (2019). The Vanishing Stair. New York: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins.

[.]

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FINISHED:
Springstubb, Tricia. (2017). Cody and the Rules of Life. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

[In this third installment of the Cody series, Cody learns that sometimes it’s not SO bad to break the rules.  After taking her brother Wyatt’s prized new bike for a ride without his permission and nicking some of the paint, the bike is stolen and Cody puts the blame on a couple of kids in the neighborhood who are economically challenged, eventually making things right by aiding Wyatt in its return.  And, after her first sleepover, Cody (reluctantly) agrees to let her host, Pearl, borrow her beloved Gremlin toy, but Cody quickly regrets her decision when Pearl doesn’t seem to want to give Gremlin back, even going so far as to “steal” Gremlin from Pearl’s backpack.  Springstubb’s style of writing doesn’t talk down to its audience, retaining a sophistication and emotional insight through its third person narration, and realistically portrays the ins and outs of her characters and their situations while always remaining funny and engaging.  Wheeler’s occasional art depicts Cody’s neighborhood and school as relatively diverse, while helping to break up the breezy text for those beginning chapter book readers whose eyes might need a break or some visual context clues.  This is a perfect series for those readers who are ready for something more challenging after working their way through the Ivy and Bean (Chronicle, 2006) titles.]

STARTED:
Neuvel, Sylvain. (2016). Sleeping Giants. New York: Del Rey/Penguin Random House.

[An adult book!]

*

FINISHED:
Spinelli, Jerry. (2013). Hokey Pokey. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.


[???  Not my cup of tea... and I'm not sure how many kids would pick this one up because of its ?? nature.  I think that it's just too esoteric for the intended audience.  I mean, a novel about a bunch of kids living in the desert with bicycles that behave like wild stallions??  I appreciate the fact that it's clearly an allegory about growing out of childhood, but I think that a kid would get it even less than I did.]


STARTED:
McAlpine, Gordon. (2013). The tell-tale start: The misadventures of Edgar & Allan Poe (Book 1).  New York: Viking.


[.]

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FINISHED:
Beil, Michael D. (2012). Summer at Forsaken Lake. New York: Knopf.

Twelve-year old Nicholas, and his younger twin sisters, travel from New York City to spend the summer on a lake in rural Ohio with their Uncle Nick.  Thus begins a summer of discovery and growth for Nicholas including learning to sail, restoring an old boat, discovering the joys of reading (and classic titles, to boot!), and a mystery involving an accident that occurred while Nicholas’s father was trying to make a short film (“The Seaweed Strangler”) when he was Nicholas’s age.  Nicholas makes a friend (and more?) in Charlie, a strong girl who can strikeout any boy with her amazing pitching arm, and his uncle teaches him to ride a bike by having him ride alongside a barn with one hand brushing against the side for stability.  This, and letting Nicholas take a boat out on the lake alone, go miles in building Nicholas’s confidence and teaching him to be an independent adult – especially since Nicholas rarely sees his father, as his dad travels around the world with “Doctors Without Borders”.  Michael D. Beil, author of the Red Blazer Girls series (Knopf/Random House, 2009) (LOVE them!) has written one of those “summer coming-of-age” stories with vivid characters and setting that should appeal to BOTH boys and girls.]

STARTED:
Gantos, Jack. (2011). Dead end in Norvelt. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

[ALA is coming up and I'm going to the Newbery/Caldecott banquet so I thought I ought to read last year's winner...]

*

FINISHED:
Connor, Leslie. (2010). Crunch. New York: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Mull, Brandon. (2009). Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary. Salt Lake City, UT: Shadow Mountain.

[LOVE LOVE LOVE these books.]

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