100 Sideways Miles

100 SIDEWAYS MILES by Andrew Smith. Simon & Schuster, 2014.

Finn, Cade, Julia
Circumstances dictate their
Accidental ties.

Charlie and the New Baby

CHARLIE AND THE NEW BABY by Ree Drummond with illustrations by Diane DeGroat. Harper, 2014.

Charlie's life is changed
When the new baby arrives
Takes over the house.

Thank you, Octopus

THANK YOU, OCTOPUS by Darren Farrell. Dial, 2014.

Thank you, Octopus
For all the fun we two have
Though we're different.

The Good-Pie Party

THE GOOD-PIE PARTY by Liz Garton Scanlon with illustrations by Kady MacDonald Denton. Arthur A Levine/Scholastic, 2014.

Posy is moving
And does not want to leave friends.
Good-pie not good-bye.

Beekle, the Unimaginary Friend

BEEKLE THE UNIMAGINARY FRIEND by Dan Santat. Little Brown, 2014.

Imagination
Can bring you a new friend like
Beekle, my best friend.

Getting to Know You

SUPERHERO JOE AND THE CREATURE NEXT DOOR by Jacqueline Weitzman with illustrations by Ron Barrett. Simon and Schuster, 2013.

Superhero Joe
Must be brave and face the
New Creature next door.

Fibs

THE 14 FIBS OF GREGORY K. by Greg Pincus. Scholastic, October 2013.

Gregory is not the math genius his father and older brother are. THAT is must one of the problems he is facing. He is not doing well in math; his best friend Kelly is moving, and he is fairly certain his mother and father will not let him go to Author Camp. As a matter of fact, there is talk of a meth camp for the summer. How would he survive that? Enter Gregory's math teacher, someone who sees the talent Gregory possesses even if it is not mathematical. Perhaps Mr. Davis might have some way for Gregory to pass math and get to go to Author Camp, too? Pincus blends humor (and some of it is mathematical), math (especially Fibonacci numbers), the power of words, and cooking and poetry in a novel sure to appeal to a wide range of readers. Ladder this with THE CANNING SEASON, A TANGLE OF KNOTS, and more. Oh, and use it in English class as well as Math class, too.

To the rescue!

UNICORN THINKS HE'S PRETTY GREAT by Bob Shea. Disney/Hyperion, 2013.

Unicorn show-off!
But goat's got some tricks to show
Can they become friends?

SUPER HAIR-O AND THE BARBER OF DOOM by John Rocco. Disney/Hyperion, 2013.

Super hair-o kids
Mourn their shorn locks but find out
They are still super!

Copy That!

I AM NOT A COPYCAT by Ann Bonwill with illustrations by Simon Rickerty. Atheneum, 2013.


Please do not copy
All that I do because I am
Original ME!

Anything you can do, I can do better

ANTON AND THE BATTLE by Ole Konnecke. Gecko Press, 2013.


Anton is fearless. Luke, even more so. The two begin to compete to see who is the bravest, the strongest, the most powerful until along comes something that makes them BOTH heads for the safety of a tree limb.

At the center

THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING by Linda Urban. Harcourt, 2013.

From the opening paragraph to the final pages of the last, Linda Urban charms readers with a trio of characters: Ruby, her best friend, Lucy, and her maybe new friend Nero. At the center of the story of the doughnut, the reason that the town of Bunning even exists. When Ruby's grandmother Gigi dies, Ruby regrets that she failed to listen to her grandmother one last time. Maybe what she was saying was so important, maybe it was something Ruby needs to know. And so there is a special wish, a speech at the annual parade, and some research into physics that need to be conducted. Maybe it is possible to make sense of Gigi's last words after all.

Family and Friends, Part two

THE YEAR OF THE BOOK by Andrea Cheng with illustrations by Abigail Halpin. Houghton Mifflin, 2012.

Fourth grade is turning out to be a tough one for Anna. Her best friend, Laura, is hanging out with someone else and does not make much room for Anna to join them. She is being forced to take Chinese lessons which are NOT much fun at all. The only consolation in Anna's life are her books; they are her best friends. <644>

NIKKI AND DEJA: WEDDING DRAMA by Karen English with illustrations by Laura Freeman. Clarion Books, 2012.

Nikki and Deja's teacher is getting married. She has two invitations for members of her class. Luckily, Nikki and Deja are the two names drawn to attend this event. Deja is elated at first, but later grows concerned when she learns her Aunt has lost her job. How can they afford to buy the teacher a gift, get a dress. and attend the wedding? <645>

Friends and Family, Part two

IVA HONEYSUCKLE DISCOVERS THE WORLD by Candice Ransom with illustrations by Heather Ross. Disney Hyperion, 2012.

Iva will explore
Following her grandfather
And the clues he left. <641>

Chad is the bat boy
for Pine City Porcupines.
Can he break their jinx? <642>

PIPER REED FOREVER FRIEND by Kimberly Willis Holt with illustrations by Christine Davenier. Holt, 2012.

Piper has to move
AGAIN!But she will make friends
And keep her old ones. <643>

Friends and Family, Part One

BOXCAR CHILDREN BEGINNING by Patricia MacLachlan. Albert Whitman, 2012.

Ever wonder how
The journey got underway?
Here's the beginning. <638>

CINDERELLA SMTIH: THE MORE THE MERRIER by Stephanie Barden with illustrations by Diane Goode. Harper, 2012.

Spelling bees, parties
And other vexylent things
Make all merrier. <639>

HOOEY HIGGINS AND THE SHARK by Steve Voake with illustrations by Emma Dodson. Candlewick Press, 2012.

A shark is spotted,
A chance to make some money
And buy chocolate? <640>

Vintage

PERIOD 8 by Chris Crutcher. Greenwillow, April 2013.

A new book by Chris Crutcher is always cause for celebration. Teens will find much to love in his latest offering, PERIOD 8. Meet Paulie. He's basically a good guy. But he has just messed up big time. When Paulie tells his girlfriend Hannah he has cheated on her, he hopes she will at least hear him out. has no intent to hear more from Paulie and storms off. Thankfully, Paulie has someone else to turn to for advice. His teacher Mr. Logsdon (Logs to all) is always there to listen. And then there is Period 8 when the whole class can speak their minds without fear of betrayal. Of course, there is much more to the story than one teen being unfaithful to his girlfriend. Life is more complicated than that, after all. And Crutcher has put this book on steroids (his own words, not mine) as it shines light into some pretty dark places. Mystery, politics, and more play a role in this fast paced thriller, sports story, novel about being friends. What does it mean to be fully human? What is truth? Does anyone know how to tell the unvarnished truth? Should they? Lots of questions. Crutcher leaves the reader to provide the answers. <611>

Opposite of Hallelujah

THE OPPOSITE OF HALLELUJAH by Anna Jarzab. Delacorte, 2012.

Carolina (call her Caro) is facing changes. Her older sister, Hannah, is returning from the convent she entered when Caro was only 8. Carol is breaking up with her boyfriend, and she wants to be sure she is the one in the relationship to bring it to an inevitable end. Things do not go according to plan. Derek dumps her first. Hannah arrives home, and to Caro, a stranger. And so begin the lies. tells friends her sister is back from a stint in the Peace Corps. Jarzab tackles some familiar territory but the terrain is a bit more foreign with the complications of faith and religion, friendship and enmity. Add in science, Escher, a priest who turns confidante, and the possibility of new romance, and you have a book bound to pull readers in. Complex and complicated: just like life. <610>

Every Day

A (that is the only name he has) wakes up each morning in a different body. The premise of David Levithan's newest YA novel, EVERY DAY (Knopf, August 2012) centers on the question: what would happen if you woke up in a different body each and every day of your life. This has been A's life for the past 16 years: every day a new body. Sometimes a girl, sometimes a boy, sometimes a kid from a nuclear family, sometimes a kid from a different kind of family. Rich, poor, gay, straight, black, Hispanic, Asian, smart, not so smart, stoner, suicidal: A has had tons of experience navigating his 24 hours. And then he meets Rhiannnon, girlfriend of Justin, A's host for the day. And he falls in love. How can A convince Rhiannon of his singularly strange existence? How can they hold on to love? Levithan explores some deeply philosophical territory here. <427>

Redefining Home

Carley is sent to live with the Murphys, a foster family, while her mother is recovering in the hospitalin ONE FOR THE MURPHYS (pENGUIN/nANCY pAULSEN bOOKS, 2012). All Charley can recall from the night she and her mother were injured is her stepfather coming after her and her own mother grabbing Carley's foot to hold her down. And now Carley has landed in the middle of the Murphys. This warm and caring family is unlike anything Carley has ever encountered, and she is reluctant to open herself to their affection and concern. She must maintain a tough exterior; it is the only way she knows to survive.



Lynda Mulally Hunt does not skirt the tough topics and issues: abuse, self-centerdness, foster care, bullies: they are all here, but always with hope hanging like an invisible knife, slowly peeling away the armor Carley has built around herself. <423>

wild child

PETUNIA GOES WILD by Paul Schmid (Harper 2012) follows Petunia as she dreams of getting away from the baths and all the other "haftas" that come her way. She would rather be a pet than a child. Finally, she finds a way to solve her problems. <98>




LUCY CAN'T SLEEP by Amy Schwartz Roaring Brook, August 2012) shows Lucy trying everything she can think of to ease herself to sleep. She stands and stretches; she tries a midnight snack. Ultimately, she discovers that sitting on the porch with her bear and doll might just be the ticket. <99>




ISABELLA GIRL ON THE GO by Jennifer Fosberry with pictures by Mike Litwin (Sourcebooks 2012) follows the confident Isabella as she transforms the world around her into settings ripe for adventure. From the Great Wall of China to the pyramids and beyond, Isabella is indeed a girl on the go. <100>




FLABBERSMASHED ABOUT YOU by Rachel Vail with illustrations by Yumi Heo (Feiwel and Friends, July 2012) has my new favorite word in it: flabbersmashed. Katie and Jennifer have been best friends. But now Jennifer wants to hang out with someone else and a BOY to boot. Katie is flabbersmashed and all alone in the middle of the playground. How does one survive being flabbersmashed? <101

life throws us curves

Jordan Sonnenblick's new novel, CURVEBALL: THE YEAR I LOST MY GRIP (Scholastic, March 2012) is the story of two best friends who had their lives planned out on the baseball field. But Peter has been ignoring the pain in his elbow too long and as he releases a pitch, he knows his plans are going to have to change. Peter Friedman, pitcher, becomes Peter Friedman, the photographer. He has learned from the best: his own grandfather. Perhaps Peter can put a new life plan together. All it will take is dealing with telling the truth to his best friend (there will be no more pitching), his parents (his grandfather seems to be sinking into Alzheimer's complications faster and faster without letting anyone know), and himself. Sonnenblick's books work because readers are drawn into the lives of the characters he so carefully crafts. <650>