FINISHED: 
Springstubb, Tricia. (2018). Cody and the Heart of a Champion. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

[.]














STARTED & FINISHED:
Avi. (2018). The Button War. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

[.]











STARTED & FINISHED:
Sell, Chad. (2018). The Cardboard Kingdom. New York: Knopf/Penguin Random House. 

[.]

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FINISHED:

Larson, Hope. (2016). Goldie Vance: Volume One. Los Angeles: Boom! Box.

[.]

STARTED:
Larson, Hope. (2017). Goldie Vance: Volume Two. Los Angeles: Boom! Box.

[.]

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FINISHED:
Meloy, Colin. (2017). The Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid. New York: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins.

[In Marseille, France, 1961, Charlie Fisher, the neglected twelve year old son of an American Consul General, falls in with a Lebanese boy named Amir and a crew of other young, multicultural pickpockets.  Looking to forge a life of his own, as well as find some friends, Charlie is brought into the fold first by running center field (watching and learning) and then as a duke man (the one that all of the other pickpockets bring their spoils to), all while trying to keep the two diametrically opposed sides of his life from colliding.  Meticulously crafted and thoroughly researched, vivid descriptions rife with specific detail bring the streets of the French city to life, and an occasional authorial direct address adds further humor to an already amusing tale.  Just when you begin to wonder where it’s all going, a doozy of a bombshell is dropped two thirds of the way through which excitingly lays the groundwork for the final path ahead, while Carson Ellis’s occasional full page illustrations feel period to the ‘60s, often recalling the rounded figures of Peter Max and Daniel Pinkwater.  Meloy continually brings up socio-economics as the ragtag band of misfits see themselves as Robin Hoods to a certain degree, with Amir saying, “Way I see it, we’re evening the score a bit, yeah?... To take the rich folks down a peg”, and the Code of the Whiz Mob being that “no one facing financial hardship, marginalization, or oppression of any sort should be targeted.”  When Charlie’s hard-honed skills are put to a final test near the end, we get a true, step by step insight into the art of the steal, and luckily, included at the end is an extensive (and quite necessary!) glossary of whiz lingo.]

STARTED:
Ness, Patrick. (2017). Release. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

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FINISHED: 
Lee, Mackenzi. (2017). The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue. New York: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Applegate, Katherine. (2017). Wishtree. New York: Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan.

[.]

*

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!]

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