Go-for-Gold Gymnasts: Reaching High by Dominique Moceanu and Alicia Thompson

Jessie can stay calm when it comes to performing routines in the Texas Twisters gym, but she's nervous about starting high school. It hasn't been long since she started taking gymnastic lessons again after spending some time dealing with an eating disorder. Her other friends from the team aren't in high school yet, so Jessie is nervous that she's going to be all alone. After a few tense run-ins with one particularly mean girl, Jessie decides to befriend her by agreeing to be part of the cheerleading team. Her coach and friends don't think this is a good idea, but Jessie doesn't understand why they aren't being more supportive. She just wants to have a life of her own - is that such a bad thing?

(Spoilers below!)

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, the third in the four-book "Go-for-Gold Gymnasts" series. I was expecting there to be a book where one of the gymnasts questioned her commitment to being an Elite-level gymnast, and after Jessie was revealed to have an eating disorder in the first book, it made sense that as she re-evaluated her life she would also re-evaluate how she felt about being a competitive gymnast. The surprise part came from the ending, where she decided to re-commit herself to gymnastics; that wasn't what I was expecting but, in the course of the story, it was a plot point that felt earned. Dominique Moceanu and Alicia Thompson are able to craft a story that pulls back the curtain on gymnastics and shows how hard and lonely it can be while still illustrating why someone would be willing - would want - to be a part of it. Jessie makes decisions that make me want to sit her down and have a good talk with her, but she shows that even when she is making bad choices she has a good heart and a good head. I'm really looking forward to spending some time with Christina, the one remaining narrator, in the fourth book of the series.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Go for the Gold by Elizabeth Levy
Off Balance: A Memoir by Dominique Moceanu
The Go-for-Gold Gymnasts: Winning Team by Dominique Moceanu and Alicia Thompson
The Go-for-Gold Gymnasts:Balancing Act by Dominique Moceanu and Alicia Thompson

Toppling by Sally Murphy with illustrations by Rhian Nest James

John loves dominoes. He can spend hours lining them up, making a pattern, and then sending them toppling. It's so satisfying when everything goes exactly the way that it's supposed to. Sometimes John's best friend Dom sets up the dominoes with him; John really likes spending time with Dom and they get along really well. Then Dom gets sick and stop coming to school. What can John do to help make things feel right again?

Like many kids, I suspect, I'm not entirely sure how to actually play dominoes, but I've definitely spent some time setting them up and knocking them over. I know that there must be books out there that explore what it means when your friend gets sick, but I think that well-crafted books for this young elementary school audience will always be welcome. John's world doesn't exactly fall apart, but it shifts and slips; he still goes to school, he still eats dinner with his family, he still hangs around with friends, but it's not the same because his best friend isn't there. The book also touches on how helpless people feel when something like another person's health is out of their hands; it also brings in the different ways that people react to serious news. The verse-novel style blends well with the illustrations, giving readers a glimpse both into and at John's world.

Check out Sally Murphy's website.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Candlewick Press.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls
Jessi's Wish by Ann M. Martin
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick
Pearl Verses the World by Sally Murphy

Go-for-Gold Gymnasts: Balancing Act by Dominique Moceanu and Alicia Thompson

Noelle Onesti is incredible on the balance beam. She has the opportunity to be one of the best Junior Elite gymnasts in the country. She's already qualified for the national championships, but it's going to cost a lot of money for her to make the trip from Texas to Philadelphia. Money is something her family doesn't have a lot of, and Noelle is worried that her gymnastics expenses are already putting a strain on her family. She doesn't want to disappoint her coaches or her parents, but she can't face the truth, either. Will she ever get her chance to show the country what she can do?

By this point in the series it's pretty clear that each of the girls in the Texas Twisters has their own issues/storylines: Britt is the new girl who struggles to fit in, Jessie is dealing with an eating disorder and taking a look at her commitment to gymnastics, Christina has an over-involved mom who's likely trying to live through her daughter. Noelle has buckets of talent, a competitive drive, attention to detail...and a sensitive nature that means she worries about everything. She worries about her parents' business, she worries about the financial toll of gymnastics, she worries about the way her older brother is acting out (and in turn worrying her parents, giving Noelle one more thing to worry about). The best part about this book is that it flushes out the personalities of all of the girls on the squad; we're no longer seeing them through Britt's eyes (and get to see Britt through someone else's eyes). This four-book series is just what to give young readers who have been entranced by Gabby Douglas and the other gymnasts at the London Olympic Games. It doesn't gloss over the hardships that the gymnasts face but still packs in a lot of drama, action, and heart.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Go for the Gold by Elizabeth Levy
Off Balance: A Memoir by Dominique Moceanu
The Go-for-Gold Gymnasts: Winning Team by Dominique Moceanu and Alicia Thompson
The Go-for-Gold Gymnasts: Reaching High by Dominique Moceanu and Alicia Thompson

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

Life is changing for Georges (that's pronounced George, with a silent s). He and his parents have just moved into a new apartment in Brooklyn. It's not far away from their old place, but just far enough so that things seem strange. Speaking of strange, not long after he moves in he sees a poster for a super secret spy club. Not sure what to expect, he goes and meets Safer, a homeschooled boy who lives in his building. As their friendship grows, Georges is forced to learn the difference between what's real and what's not and that the truth sometimes has many different shades.

You need to read this book. The writing in this book is beautiful, period, full stop. The characters, the pacing and plotting, the storyline - just outstanding. The book reached me emotionally but not manipulatively and not in a fake way; every reaction that I had to it was one that the book earned. I don't want to say too much about it, because I'm afraid that if I do I might spoil something by accident. I was a big fan of When You Reach Me and am so thrilled to be able to share this book with friends in the same way I shared When You Reach Me.

Check out Rebecca Stead's website.

 I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Random House/Wendy Lamb books.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Rightfully Ours: How Women Won the Vote by Kerrie Logan Hollihan

There are many things today that women and girls take for granted: wearing pants, speaking in public, going to school, keeping their own last name when they get married. One of the biggest rights, though, has been the right to vote in elections. In the 1800s and early 1900s, women were viewed as belonging to their fathers or husbands; they were expected to dedicate their lives to their families. Many women, though, wanted more. They believed that they best way to achieve this was to push for social change - increased rights for women and ultimately the right to vote. These women included Lucy Stone, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, Alice Paul, and many others. In Rightfully Ours: How Women Won the Vote, this history is presented so that the boys and girls of today can learn about the barriers that the women of the past overcame.

When I was younger I had very little exposure to books about women's history or feminist figures, so I'm always happy to see books about suffrage and women's rights aimed at a young age group. This book weaves together a narrative about the troubles and setbacks that these women faced and the accomplishments that they achieved alongside biographical sketches of the prominent figures and activities related to the text for kids to do on their own. The book illustrates how intertwined many different issues were and are; it's nearly impossible to discuss the rights of women without looking at American history in general but also the temperance movement, slavery, the Civil War, and religion. It's packed with information but also lots of great images and first-person accounts.   It was neat to discover the ties that things like The Wizard of Oz or "Mary Had a Little Lamb" had to the suffrage movement. The activities spread out throughout the book provide an interactive approach to understanding the life and times of the women depicted. It's hard to know how popular or practical these activities will be - some involve a stove or oven while others require a lot of materials that one might not have just laying around the house - but with the range of activities presented (twenty-one in total) there will likely be something that catches a reader's eye. I can also see teachers being interested in this for use in the classroom. It's a great title to have on the shelf for a school, classroom, or public library.

Check out Kerrie Logan Hollihan's website.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Chicago Review Press.

Find it at Indiebound.

Read it with:
Elizabeth I: The People's Queen by Kerrie Logan Hollihan
Wheels of Change by Sue Macy
You Wouldn't Want to Be a Suffragist! by Fiona Macdonald

Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniel

Morgan is furious when someone set of fireworks in the middle of the pep rally that she planned and organized. It's going to ruin all of the work that she's put in as president of the student council. Her boyfriend is really supportive, but her best friend is distant and withdrawn, and there's a new guy - a strange guy - who is making her feel things that she's never felt before. Then, on the day before Thanksgiving, something terrible happens. A bomb goes off in the school. People are injured, some critically, and others are killed instantly. Morgan's life will never be the same.

(Mild spoilers below)

There's a nice amount of tension in this book. The identity of the bombers is only revealed at the end, so the readers are kept in suspense and have to guess which - if any - of the main characters are involved. There's a lot of drama in a short amount of pages, and the bombing turns it into a true life-and-death situation. People are never the same as they were before, even if they were able to escape injury. The characters sometimes seem like stock characters, but they're given personality and quirks to save them from being caricatures. I particularly liked how the ending of the book was true to Morgan's identity as a strong woman and student; it could so easily have gone in a different way, but reinforced the idea of living a life that's full of possibilities. Fans of Lurlene McDaniel will find a lot of pages packed with emotion and a story that's speeds a long with a quick pace.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Random House Children's Books/Delacorte Books for Young Readers.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland
Heart to Heart by Lurlene McDaniel
Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

My Name is Olivia...and I Can't Do Anything About It by Jowi Schmitz

There are some big problems in Olivia's life. Her mother is dead. Her father isn't coping very well. They've moved away from her grandparents. They live on a boat behind her Dad's barbershop. It's a boat that's set up on land, not water. And...her name is Olivia. Life is not easy for Olivia, but she's determined to make things work.

There was something that stopped me from really getting into this book. I think it might have been the fact that it was a translation. I was very aware of barrier, invisible layers that kept me from connecting with Olivia and the other characters. The original language (Dutch) has a different pattern, phrases, and jokes than in English. While I didn't have strong feelings for the story, I could definitely appreciate it. Olivia is a smart, funny girl who is struggling with having to be a grown-up when she also wants to be the kid. She has to rely on herself, because relying on anyone else (including her father) would be too dangerous. This book just needs the right reader to make it truly come alive. I think with smart marketing (including the picture of a girl on the cover of the book, which immediately grounds it in reality) and handselling (in stores, libraries, and online) by people who really loved the book, it could definitely find an audience in North America.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Lemniscaat USA.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Love, Aubrey by Suzanne M. LaFleur
Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg

Floors by Patrick Carman

Leo's day starts out like a pretty ordinary day. Well, that is, an ordinary day in the Whippet Hotel. Owned by Merganzer Whippet, a billionare inventor with a love for ducks, the Whippet is home to wild rooms like the Pinball Room or the Cake Room, has live ducks living in a pond on the roof, and has talking robots living within a special robot room. While dealing with the ducks, Leo discovers a mysterious purple package; it has his name on it. Inside are clues to a mysterious quest that Leo must finish in two days. But the clues are not straightforward... will Leo be able to figure it out? He'll need a little luck, a little help, and it never hurts to bring a duck.

This book won me over. I found the beginning to be a bit slow; there was lots of wacky details, but I had a hard time putting the pieces together. I read fifty pages, though, and something kept me going for the next fifty. Then I set the book down and did something else, and in the mean time I realized that I was wondering about Leo and the Whippet and the whole adventure. The book had crept into my brain! The book has its own internal logic that I still couldn't quite follow, which kept me from puzzling out too much of the story. I liked the blossoming friendship between Leo and Remi (and the moments of frustration that Leo felt rang completely true), the relationship that Leo and his Dad have, and the competence that Leo displays throughout the book. There's a pretty hiss-worthy villian in Ms. Sparks (although I tired of her pretty quickly, the book needs someone like her posing a threat to the boys) and a magically mysterious semi-presence through the specter of Merganzer Whippet. This is a good book to hand fans of other puzzling books (The Westing Game comes to mind).  Looking at the cover of the first book (and the cover of the second book, due out this September), it seems like this is going to be a series of at least three books. Bring it on!

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Floors #2: 3 Below by Patrick Carman
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin

The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin

Winston Breen loves puzzles. Word puzzles, number puzzles, treasure hunts, basically any kind of puzzle. If he doesn't have a puzzle handy, he'll just make one up - that's just how much he loves puzzles. For his younger sister's birthday he gives her a box that has a false bottom. Only he didn't know it had a false bottom, or else he would have discovered the four mysterious strips of wood. While he's puzzling over what these strips mean, some strange things start to happen: the local librarian flips out at him, he's approached by two different men who want to get his strips, and he discovers that the strips might be clues to finding a long-lost hidden treasure. Winston can't resist the puzzling nature of this quest - but in looking for the treasure, is he putting his life in danger?

Anyone who likes puzzles should definitely read this book. If that's not clear from the cover of the book, then it should be clear from the above recap, where I used variations of the word "puzzles" more than half a dozen times. In addition to the main puzzles that make up the story, there are mini-puzzles for the readers to solve (and the answers are in the back of the book). (There are also some really nice touches, like Winston living on Raskin Street.) The story is much more balanced than I was anticipating; Winston is lauded for his ability to solve puzzles, but there are other people in the story who can gently remind him that puzzles aren't everything. The story also (possible spoiler) turned a bit darker than I thought it would. There's some drama over Winston's fingerprints that includes a lot of suspense, and the ending brings the threat of life or death violence much closer than I thought. I don't think there's anything that would stop someone from reading it, but it does amp up the action to the book. I was surprised by the twists and turns precisely because I wasn't expecting twists and turns (there's probably a good lesson in there about puzzles and assumptions). I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the series and solving some more puzzles.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
The Potato Chip Puzzles by Eric Berlin
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Floors by Patrick Carman

On the Day I Died: Stories from the Grave by Candace Fleming

A young man takes a strange journey one dark evening. After giving a ride to a young woman, he discovers that the woman has been dead for many years. He finds himself in the cemetery where she's buried - a special cemetery for young people. As the ghosts of the dead souls gather around him, it becomes clear that they want to share their stories. These are the stories of how they went from people to ghosts; these are the stories of the day that they died.

I'm just blown away by Candace Fleming's versatility as a writer. She's written so many wonderful books for children, both younger readers and older readers. On the Day I Died is a great pick for readers who like a spooky atmosphere and mystery without it being too scary or full of gore. The stories of how each of these people died are inventive and creative. I preferred the ones that were more plausible in a real-life context (if a book about ghosts hanging out in a graveyard telling their stories can ever really be in a real-life context) than the ones that veered more into the supernatural, but there's a good balance for many different readers. Fleming's ability to write for different characters is on full display here, as different ghosts take on the language of their times (spanning well over a century). There are new interpretations of spooky standards (the person who gives a ride to someone who turns out to be a ghost, the Monkey's paw) along with lots of new twists and turns.  I've been hearing this book in some of the early Newbery discussions, so pick it up and check it out for yourself - if you dare.

Check out Candace Fleming's website.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Random House Children's Books/Schwartz and Wade.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn

Cover Kids: Chloe Mania by Suzanne Weyn

Chloe's been modeling for years - even though she's just thirteen. She's always booked lots of jobs, but she's worried that when she gets too old to model as a child model she won't be tall enough to be an adult model. Then a new opportunity comes her way: the TV show that she had a bit part on wants her back. This could be her chance to be an actress! Or a comedian! Or maybe even a music star. But Chloe's finding it hard to balance school, modeling, working in her parents' restaurant, and now acting. Even worse, the TV part seems to use a lot of stereotypes that Chloe's not comfortable with, an interview quotes Chloe out of context, and all of her friends are mad at her? Is this the price of fame?

When I was younger I had one of the books from this series. I probably picked it up from a yard sale or a book order or something (as I often did). I had Ashley's Big Mistake (the book immediately preceding this one in the four-book series)  and I loved the glamour of four teen (really, practically pre-teen) models all being friends with each other. I also was had no idea how to pronounce Chloe, so in my head I read it as Chlow. Anyway. This book picks up where Ashley's Big Mistake leaves off, with Chloe dealing with the doors that appearing on a TV show opens. I still find it a bit bizarre that the activity of one child model would be headline news, but really I guess it makes even more sense now in the age of Twitter and reality TV and everything else. I mean, Chloe becomes a really big star on the basis of...nothing. But there are positive messages about honouring your family and your commitments, what it means to be a good friend, and being true to yourself. If you loved these when you were younger (or discovering them makes you want to read them now), they're actually quite a good readalike for the America's Next Top Model novel series.

Check out Suzanne Weyn's website.

Find it at Amazon. 

Read it with:
Nicole's Chance by Suzanne Weyn
Tracey's Tough Choice by Suzanne Weyn
Ashley's Big Mistake by Suzanne Weyn

Margaret and the Moth Tree by Brit Trogen and Kari Trogen

Once upon a time, Margaret had two parents. They were wonderful parents who loved her and took great care of her. Then they died, and Margaret lived with different relatives until they all died, too, and there was no one else to look after her. Margaret was sent to the Hopeton Orphanage by the women of the Concerned Ladies Club, but what seemed like a cheerful place upon arrival was, as Margaret quickly found out, a terrible place ruled by a terrible woman named Miss Switch. Miss Switch kept all the money and the good things for herself and divided the children into two groups: the Pets and the dregs. The Pets are her favourites while the dregs...well, it's not good to be a dreg. Margaret spends her days being quiet, so quiet that she's able to hear things that other people can't. That's how she discovers the moths and the moth tree, a discovery that will change her life (and the lives of the other children at the orphanage).

I almost feel like I should put up some sort of disclaimer; the authors are friends of a friend of mine, although we've never met (though that is how I first discovered the book). While the moths are included in the title (and on the cover) my favourite parts of the book focused on Margaret in the orphanage; they read like a cross between Annie and Matilda (with, although probably from only my perspective, a touch of The Cider House Rules). Margaret is a great character. She's a smart girl who has had an extraordinarily difficult life. My heart broke for her and all of the children who are treated so poorly.  This is a fantasy book but a mild one; rather than turning to the common supernatural characters it looks toward nature and connecting with the living creatures around you.  Margaret and the Moth Tree could easily do for moths what Charlotte's Web did for spiders - take some ordinary insect commonly thought to be a bit icky and fill it with the possibility of magic and wonder.

Visit Kari Trogen's website for more info about her and Brit Trogen's website for more info about her.

Margaret and the Moth Tree is published by Kids Can Press.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

A Passion for Victory by Benson Bobrick

Every Olympic cycle, there's a new crop of hungry athletes looking to make their golden dreams come true; there's also a new crop of books about the International sporting event. Schools and libraries in particular need to make sure their collections are current and relevant and cover not only today's athletes but also athletes from games past. What sets A Passion for Victory apart from other books is that it explores the area that other books often skip over: the origins of the Ancient Olympics and the first Modern Olympic Games. Sure, many books talk about the ancient traditions or talk about Pierre de Coubertin, but it's often just a cursory look on the way to focusing on today's sports stars. This book looks closely at the Greek traditions and the people who shaped the development of the Olympics. It also stops around mid-20th century in terms of the Modern Olympics. Because of this focus, it wouldn't make sense for this to be the only book on the Olympics that you have (particularly if you're looking for something that will discuss the games to the present day), but it would make an excellent addition to any sports collection.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Random House.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
The Battle of Nashville by Benson Bobrick
Rush For Gold: Mystery at the Olympics by John Feinstein
The 2012 London Olympics by Nick Hunter

Summer at Forsaken Lake by Michael D. Beil

Nicholas isn't sure how great his summer is going to be. His parents (recently divorced) have sent him and his sisters to their Great-Uncle Nick's place on Forsaken Lake. After living all of his life in New York, Nicholas isn't convinced that small-town life will have anything to offer him. Of course, that's before he discovers his love of sailing, the girl with an amazing pitching arm, and all of his father's secrets. Nicholas' dad spent his summers with Uncle Nick, and now Nicholas is uncovering a part of his dad's life that he never knew about. Secrets have a way of coming to the surface...but are some things better left hidden?

As much as I enjoyed this book as an adult (and I did), I think I might have loved it even more if I'd read it as a child. Yes, that would involve a bit of time traveling, but I can see it really appealing to a younger me. The possibility and excitement of a new life, even temporarily, is one of the great things about a summer setting. Nicholas, as a character, is engaging and strong; Charlie, the girl with the great arm, shines as a girl who can do anything that the boys can do (and, in many cases, do it a lot better). Their growing friendship strikes the right notes of affection and awkwardness. While I loved where this book ended (and think it ended on just the right note), I wouldn't be sad to see a sequel. Something tells me that Forsaken Lake has enough secrets and mysteries (and character) to sustain a few more summer adventures.

(The review copy I read didn't have the final artwork in it, so I'm looking forward to seeing what the illustrations look like.)

Check out Michael D. Beil's website and see his own version of "The Seaweed Strangler."

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Random House.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamodour by Michael D. Beil
One Crazy Summer by Rita Garcia-Williams
Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn

A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton

There's a boy. He hires a bear, who has a boat, to take him to his destination. He gets a bit sleepy, so he goes to sleep, expecting to be there when he wakes up. But when he does wake up, he finds that he's nowhere near where he wanted to be - and that the only thing he can see, apart from sea and sky, is the bear. And the boat. Which is named Harriet. This is going to be a long trip.

This is quite an odd book. Sometimes it's wonderfully odd, sometimes frustratingly odd, and ultimately, I think, satisfyingly odd. I wondered at times if I was reading some sort of parable or metaphor, given the small number of characters and the strange situations that they find themselves in. And although I think it's 'just a story,'  it's the kind of story that I can see people pouring over, sucking meaning out of, and writing long academic papers about. At its essence, it's exactly what the title says it is: a boy and a bear in a boat. It's a reading experience unlike any that I've had in a long time, and urge people to experience this book for themselves. I'd love to see it read in a book club for kids and adults and see what their reactions to the book are.

See more about Dave Shelton (and an alternate cover for A Boy and a Bear in a Boat) at his website. (I think I prefer the other one, although I do like the one shown here, too.)



I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of David Fickling Books.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Good Dog, Bad Dog by Dave Shelton
Oddfellow's Orphanage by Emily Winfield Martin

The Research Virtuoso: How to Find Anything You Need to Know by the Toronto Public Library with art by Victor Gad

Research: if you're in school, you're going to have to do it at some point. There will be a class that requires an essay or a project and you will have to know how to find information, assess it, and bring it together in a meaningful way. It can seem like a daunting task, and there are so many different ways that you can go about it. The Research Virtuoso can help you clarify your assignment, collect your thoughts, and follow through with a solid end result. This is one book that could help you get an A - and help you build some skills you can use throughout your life.

This is an updated edition of an earlier publication, which is a very smart move considering all of the ways that today's technology plays a role in information gathering. Online resources are covered (including Wikipedia and the standard cautions around using it as a definitive source) but they are found alongside print resources and subscription databases. In addition to instructions about how to research a topic The Research Virtuoso also includes templates and tips to get you started. There are definitely some ideas that I wish I knew about when I was in school. The tone is authoritative (and it should be, coming from the Toronto Public Library) but not stuffy; if this book was a person, it would be your cool older cousing who's in graduate school. This might not be a book that high school or university students run to pull off of the shelves (or maybe it is), but it's definitely a book that they should look into.

I received a copy from NetGalley courtesy of Annick Press.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Research Ate My Brain by The Toronto Public Library
The New York Public Library's Guide to Research by Deborah Heiligman
Painless Research Projects by Rebecca Elliott

Jinx written by J. Torres, Pencils by Rick Burchett, Inks by Terry Austin

Li'l Jinx is all grown up! She's starting high school... and things are changing. Her friends are going in different directions, she's fighting with her dad, and her attempt to try out for the football team is running into some major opposition. Plus, everyone is talking about romance and boyfriends. It's going to take a lot of strength, patience, and just a little bit of luck for everything to turn out okay! 

I know that I read some Li'l Jinx comics growing up (the ones that you could find in an Archie digest) because she was familiar to me, but I didn't have strong associations or memories of her. The characters are reintroduced in a way that is helpful for people like me - readers with no previous Jinx knowledge. As a character she has a lot of great characteristics;  I like her determination and spirit and awkwardness. One of the guiding principles of the comic is stated that Jinx (and her friends/her world) needs to be real, not ideal, and that completely translates through to the page. She doesn't always make good decisions or say the right thing; actions have consequences, and she has to deal with that. I also really like some of the perspectives and threads that are explored through the supporting cast: people who are your friends but not really close to each other, friendship turning into romance (or unrequited romance), assuming that people will change prompting people to change, support comes in many different forms. Also particularly strong was the illustration style. The way that Jinx would be showing a hard expression in one frame and then softening in another just hit me right in my heart. Make sure to check this one out.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Play Ball by Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir, and Jackie Lewis
Archie Loves Veronica by Michael Uslan and Norm Breyfogle

Ruby Redfort: Look into My Eyes by Lauren Child

Clarice Bean's favourite series is finally a book that the rest of us can read. Meet Ruby Redfort: precocious child, code-breaker, and now a secret agent. The super-secret spy agency SPECTRUM has recruited her to help crack a case...but has Ruby bit off more than she can chew?

I love the story of how this book came to be. According to Lauren Child, so many people (kids) wrote to her asking if Ruby Redfort was a real book and if not, could she write it? So she did. Ruby is a fun character and the book has an energy that's like The Myserious Benedict Society mixed with Turtle from The Westing Game (and multiplied by Clarice Bean). I don't think that I fully understood everything that happened in the book (there were a few too many characters and a few too many twists), but it was a fun ride and I never doubted that (does this even need a spoiler alert?) Ruby would triumph at the end. It's easy to see why she's so popular with Clarice Bean, and I have no doubt that this will be a popular book with real-life children, too.

See more at Lauren Child's website.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Candlewick.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Clarice Bean, That's Me by Lauren Child
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Rough Waters by S.L. Rottman

Scott can't believe that his parents are dead. They were killed in a car accident and now his entire life is changing. He and his older brother Gregg are moving away from their home state of California and going to live with their uncle in Colorado. They've never met this uncle and have no idea why he was estranged from his brother (their father). In order to earn their keep, both brothers start working at their uncle's rafting company, learning the ropes and making trips down the rapids. As Scott struggles to make the best of his new life, Gregg becomes increasingly out of control. Torn between loyalty to his brother and his growing relationship with his uncle, Scott will have to make some difficult choices in order to keep his family afloat.

If I was going to booktalk this book for teens, I would describe it as "Ponyboy goes rafting." Despite being set in a different time period and involving different characters, there was a lot in this book that reminded me of The Outsiders (which happens to be one of my favourite books). Scott is facing a number of difficult situations; he makes a lot of important choices, both good and bad, throughout the novel. It's easy to forget that he's not yet fifteen because he is responsible and hardworking, but he also has a hard time standing up to his brother and learning the difference between snitching on someone and telling the truth. I've never had a desire to go rafting before, but this book makes it seem really appealing (while not toning down the fact that it can be a very dangerous outing). When I first read it I didn't know that it was originally published in the 90s; in hindsight this helps to explain the lack of modern technology (cell phones, the Internet, computers) but truthfully I didn't even really notice this while I was reading. I would definitely recommend this to any reader who likes action-based books but also enjoys reading about relationships between people.

See more about the author at S.L. Rottman's website.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Peachtree Publishers.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
The Stalker by Gail Anderson-Dargatz
The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland
Hero by S.L. Rottman

Squish #3: The Power of the Parasite by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

Squish is not looking forward to the summer. His mom made him choose between Ballet Class or Swim Class, and he chose the pool. (His friends chose ballet.) He's has some bad experiences in the water before, so he's not that keen on getting 'riding the waves.' He soon makes a new friend, a hydra named Basil. They get along great and Hydra loves to make jokes and play pranks...but Squish doesn't always think they're that funny. Is this summer going to be a big disaster?

If you're not reading the Squish series, you should definitely start now. It has a likeable everyman (or everyamoeba?) main character, lots of humour, and situations that will resonate with young readers. There are meta-fictional elements that will appeal to kids with a certain sense of humour. Squish himself is a reader and there's a story-within-a-story as his comic book parallels the main storyline. The short sentences and large amounts of space on the page (joined with the fun illustration styles) will make this a popular pick for new readers and kids who are transitioning out of reading picture books. You don't have to have read the first two books in the series to be able to follow along with this storyline, but when a series is as good as this one is, why wouldn't you read them?

 For more information about Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, check out their websites.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Random House Kids' Books.


Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Squish #1: Super Amoeba by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
Squish #2: Brave New Pond by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
Babymouse #1: Queen of the World! by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett J. Krosoczka