The Riverman

THE RIVERMAN by Aaron Starmer. FSG, 2014.

Alistair must help
Fiona fight Riverman
How can he do this?

Seven Stories Up

SEVEN STORIES UP by Laurel Snyder. Random House, 2014.

Time traveling Annie
Meets her own grandmother and
Becomes her close friend.

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

OPHELIA AND THE MARVELOUS BOY by Karen Foxlee. Knopf, 2014.

The Marvelous Boy
Needs Ophelia's help to save
The entire world.

Ollie and the Science of Treasure Hunting

OLLIE AND THE SCIENCE OF TREASURE HUNTING by Erin Dionne. Dial, July 2014.

Buried treasure here?
At camp? Ollie needs to see
If rumors are true.

Five, Six, Seven, Nate

FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, NATE! by Tim Federle. Simon and Schuster, 2014.

E. T, The Musical
Should be Nate's big break on stage
And maybe romance?

Revenge of the Flower Girls

REVENGE OF THE FLOWER GIRLS by Jennifer Ziegler. Scholastic, 2014.

Disrupt a wedding?
Leave that to the triplets and
Determination.

THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH

THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH by Jennifer L. Holm. Random House, August 2014.

Wen her mother brings home a teen aged boy, Ellie is sure he is just one of her new causes. Turns out, though, that this big is actually Ellie's own grandfather who has reversed his aging through an experiment. Life is bad enough with a sullen teen, but add in Melvin's imperious nature, his constant criticism, and having your grandfather going to your school and, well, you can see how much fun this is NOT for Ellie. The book design (floating goldfish at chapter headings) adds to the delight of this funny book about family, friends, and science!

The Question of Miracles

THE QUESTION OF MIRACLES by Elana Arnold. HMH, 2015 (February).

Iris and her family have moved to Oregon where she knows no one and where it seems to rain every single day. She is more than unhappy; she is miserable. She is still grieving the loss of her best friend, Sarah. She would give anything for a miracle to happen so that she could see her friend again. And then Iris meets Boris who is himself a sort of miracle. Boris, the mouth-breather, becomes Iris' friend. But Iris still wonders how some people can receive miracles while others do not. This incredible book examines faith, friendship, and family realistically for middle grade readers. Ladder to COALTOWN JESUS and GODLESS.

Sweet!

GINGERSNAP by Patricia Reilly Giff. Wendy Lamb Books, 2013.

Gingersnap wonders
About her past and future.
Is it in Brooklyn?

Magic

GRASSHOPPER MAGIC by Lynne Jonell. Random House, 2013.

Abner and his family live on a piece of land that contains a great deal of magic. That is the only way they can explain some of the strange occurrences that have happened since they moved there. When a neighbor roasts the grasshoppers the kids have captured, Abner decides to bite the bullet, well the grasshopper. He shoves handsful of the crispy insects into his mouth. So does his sister Tate. Now, the two of them can suddenly jump high, travel long distances in bounds. The grasshoppers must contain a great deal of magic since they live within the dirt that surrounds the house. Bounding kids, famous relatives, and other events conspire to create a funny and frenetic story. Tis is book #3 in the series.