The Riverman

THE RIVERMAN by Aaron Starmer. FSG, 2014.

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

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.

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!

Space Taxi

SPACE TAXI: ARCHIE TAKES FLIGHT by Wendy Mass and Michael Brawer. Little Brown, 2014.


Archie goes to work
Not knowing his Dad's real job.
Space taxi driver.

Stormy Weather

STORMCASTER: WITCHING SEASON by Alyxandra Harvey. Walker/Bloomsbury, 2014.

The beginning of a new trilogy features a trio of cousins who are coming into their powers as witches, something none of them had quite expected. Emma finds the body of a dying witch. Suddenly the Greymalkin Sisters, a trio of warlocks, are also there, draining what little life remains from the witch. And now the battle is underway. The evil Greymalkin Sisters wreak havoc, Emma and her cousins Gretchen and Penelope must protect themselves and then there are the Keepers, a secret group who have an interest in Emma as well because of her ancestry. Romance, history (set in 19th century London), and fantasy combine for a novel many readers will love (and eagerly await the second installment).

Flights of Fancy

CAN'T SCARE ME by Ashley Bryan. Atheneum, 2013.

He's ever afraid
Until three headed giant
Threatens to eat him.

WHEN EDGAR MET CECIL by Kevin Luthardt. Peachtree, 2013.

Edgar's in a new school.
He makes a new friend, Cecil.
They become buddies.

PIRATES LOVE UNDERPANTS by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort. Aladdin, 2013.

Golden underpants
Are the treasure pirates seek
Beautiful bounty.

A Corner of White

A CORNER OF WHITE by Jaclyn Moriarty. Scholastic 2013.

Madeline and her mother have run away from Madeleine's father and now live in an attic in England. Madeleine spends her days with two friends being homeschooled by a variety of people. She longs her the life she has left, one of privilege. One day, as she is walking home, she spies a tiny corner of white, a piece of paper sticking out of a parking meter. Curious, she pulls the paper loose and reads the note.

Meanwhile, in another world, Elliott is searching for his father who disappeared the same night Elliott's
uncle was killed by a Purple. One day he spies a corner of white sticking out of an old TV that has become part of a sculpture made by one of his friends. He pulls the page loose and reads the note.

And now Elliott and Madeleine are connected though they live in two different worlds. How their stories will come together is the adventure that forms the heart of this remarkable book. Tied firmly to the realities of family and friends, the fantasy element of marauding colors and the Butterfly Child seem as real as anything else in tis story of love and acceptance and redemption and trust and betrayal.

Splendid Splendors

SPLENDORS AND GLOOMS by Laura Amy Schlitz. Candlewick Press, 2012.

Gaspare Grisini and his two assistants, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall, are called to the home of Clara Wintermute to perform a puppet show for her birthday. Lizzie Beth and Parsefall are about the same age as Clara, and the three spend some time together before the show begins. It is Gaspare who returns after the show, ostensibly for a watch he left behind. Then, Clara goes missing, perhaps kidnapped. Scholitz ha fashioned a gothic mystery with elements of dark magic certain to compel the turning of page after page.

FLORA AND ULYSSES: THE ILLUMINATED ADVENTURES BY Kate DiCamillo. CANDLEWICK Press, September 2013.

How to do justice to this book? Very seldom do words fail me. Thankfully, they do not fail DiCamillo who gives readers an incredible story of Flora and the squirrel she rescues from a wayward vacuum cleaner, Ulysses. Who knows whether it was the ride into the vacuum cleaner or not, but Ulysses seems to understand everything going on around him, especially as it relates to Flora. Flora also feels the special new connection, and so Ulysses becomes a part of her life. It is not a simple transaction, this, because Flora's mother, a preoccupied writer, does not want a squirrel in her home. After all, they carry diseases, right? And then there is the matter of the neighbor and her great-nephew, William, who insists he is temporarily blind. from giant donuts (with sprinkles) to kind retired doctors, and an attack cat, DiCamillo has created a wonderful story about friendship, about finding one's way, and about poetry. MUST READ.

Artful

DODGER by Terry Pratchett. Harper, 2012.

Winner of a Printz Honor Medal, Dodger takes readers into a sort of familiar past. Meet Charles Dickens, Disraeli, Queen Victoria, and Dodger. Dodger has been living by his wits (and some finagling and some petty theft perhaps, too). Now, though, he is becoming respectable because he rescued a damsel in distress (he also manages to defeat Sweeney Todd, but that is another part of our story). Pratchett, master storyteller that he is, has penned a novel that is history and fantasy seamlessly and artfully combined, a mash-up if you will of the actual and the imagined. I would hope that high school teachers might consider this as an alternative text or a companion text to some of the novels set during this same time period. More importantly, I hope that many teachers read this and enjoy the references, the sly humor, and the twists and turns of plot. Huzzah for DODGER!

Any questions?

THE NOUSE WITH THE QUESTION MARK TAIL by Richard Peck with illustrations by Kelly Murphy. Dial, July 2013.

He is a small mouse, a mouse without any memory of his birth, his mother. He lives with his Aunt Marigold who is the head mouse seamstress. Called Mouse Minor because of his size, his entire life has centered around the question of his parentage. Now, he is being packed off to the Royal Mews Mouse Academy. Unfortunately, his term at school does not last long. And thus begins a series of adventures, near disasters, and hair-raising escapes. Mouse Minor hopes that perhaps Queen Victoria might be of help. This is her jubilee so perhaps he can find his way into her presence? Peck has fashioned a warmly funny mystery/adventure populated by a few humans and a large cast of mice, the ones who keep Buckingham Palace running. Clever, fast-paced, and engaging: middle grade kids will love this book. Short chapters make it perfect for reading aloud as well.

Imagine

BEAR HAS A STORY TO TELL by Philip C. Stead with illustrations by Erin Stead. Roaring Brook, September 2012.

Bear must tell story
But everyone is busy
With winter on way. <397>

MAURICE SENDAK: AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES. Heinemann, 2012.

Genius Maurice drew
Wild things, opera settings
Making our hearts glad. <398>

DON'T SQUISH THE SASQUATCH by Kent Redeker with illustrations by Bob Staake. Disney/Hyperion, 2012.

Don't squish the Sasquatch
It makes him irritable
That is not good thing. <399>

Empty Box? Think Again!

CARDBOARD by Doug Tenappel (Scholastic, August 2012)takes readers into a remarkable world where a seemingly simple cardboard box can be transformed into something much more. Cam's father, out of work and desperate, purchases an empty cardboard box from a rather strange salesman. The box comes with warnings which, of course, will be ignored for the sake of the story. Cam and his father fashion a figure from the cardboard, a figure that comes to life. There are complications aplenty in this nifty story that ultimately lets readers know that good and evil are not easily separated. Tennapel's skill with storytelling with visuals and bare text makes this a memorable reading experience. <184>

plethora of picture books

Letters to each other
Recount some familiar tales
Snow White and Cindy.

DEAR CINDERELLA by Marian Moore and Mary Jane Kensington with illustrations by Julie Olson. Orchard Books, 2012. <638>



Angelina wants
A pet but her parents are
Against the idea.

They are neat freaks both.
But Angelina wins out
Eventually.

THE HOUSE AT THE END OF LADYBUG LANE by Elise Primavera with illustrations by Valeria Docampo. Robin Corey Books, 2012. <639>




Princess or kitty?
Why not be both with something
Super thrown in mix?

PRINCESS SUPER KITTY by Antionette Portis. Harper, 2011. <640>




Boy and Bot are friends
Sharing likes and dislikes too
Best of friends these two.

BOY + BOT by Amye Dyckman with illustrations by Dan Yaccarino. Knopf, 2012. <641>

Be Nimble and Be Quick to Read this Book...

PETER NIMBLE AND HIS FANTASTIC EYES by Jonathan Auxier (Amulet 2011) takes readers on a journey with a thieving young blind boy and his sidekick, an enchanted knight who now resembles a horse-cat or a cat-horse. Peter begins this journey with a box that contains three pairs of eyes, one golden, one onyx, and one jade green. These eyes will assist him as he sets off on a quest. The voyage will end with Peter and Sir Tode on a desert island where Peter must fulfill a prophecy. <400>

This book begs to be read aloud a chapter at a time over the course of a few weeks. The chapters are wonderfully complete scenes in and of themselves. Ultimately, though, together they will transport the reader alongside Peter and Sir Tode as they battle all manner of danger. Action, adventure, and humor make this a terrific choice for sharing with middle grades.