FINISHED:

Ryan, Pam Muñoz. (2015).  Echo.  New York: Scholastic.

[SO PLEASED to now be able to list this one here on the blog.  Obviously, as it was on of our Newbery Honor books, it's one that I read A NUMBER of times last year.  Also cool to now read it to just... read it.  No more note-taking and intense scrutiny.  Just able to read it for the FANTASTIC piece of fiction that it is.]

STARTED:
Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker. (2015). The War That Saved My Life. New York: Dial/Penguin.

[Re-reading before meeting the author at the ALA Annual conference.]

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FINISHED:
Norriss, Andrew. (2012). I don't believe it, Archie. New York: David Fickling/Random House.

[A week in the incredible life of Archie, the boy who seems to court strange happenings, and the girl whom he meets that wants to be around Archie to see for herself just how crazy things can get for him. Each day, Archie’s mother sends him on an errand from which he always gets sidetracked, with Archie eventually returning home, the errand undone, and his mother exclaiming, “I don’t believe it, Archie!” Monday’s adventures involve a runaway piano and a car that gets covered in gravel; Tuesday revolves around getting accused of killing a dog, though he actually ends up accidentally saving the dog’s life; on Wednesday, Archie helps to save his local library from being bulldozed and turned into a car park when he gets super-glued to the front door; Thursday involves being mistaken for a kidnapped child, etc. This is a mildly humorous, yet unnecessary, episodic Younger Reading title that is frequently maddening – most of the situations in which Archie finds himself could be stopped short if only the adults involved would shut up and let Archie talk. The many British-isms (post [mail], mum, lorry, etc.) may throw some younger readers for a loop, though each double-page spread has at least one pen and ink illustration to help make the text less intimidating. Kind of funny, bizarre, and definitely slight.]

STARTED:
Auxier, Jonathan. (2011). Peter Nimble and his fantastic eyes. New York: Amulet/Abrams.

[.]

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FINISHED:

Urban, Linda. (2007). A crooked kind of perfect. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc.

[Yeah, pretty much every praise for this one was spot on. A simple, breezy little tale about a girl, Zoe, who wants to play the piano but ends up having to play the organ instead. Her teacher says that Zoe is good enough to play in a nearby competition, so her agoraphobic father who spends his days taking at-home college courses, breaks out of his shell, and is forced to take her. Fun, interesting characters, including the town roughneck kid who ends up hanging out and baking with Zoe's father, and a harrowing scene with Zoe being invited to her ex-best friend's birthday party, by the girls mother (which, believe it or not, happened to me once!), and bringing socks when the party theme was shoes. Straightforward, with a heroine that will make you smile in sympathy and identification.]

STARTED:
Almond, David. (2008). The savage. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick.

[Reading to see if it should go on the Distinguished Books list.]

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