Middle School – Page 14

Fiction, Horror, Middle Grade, Middle School, Tween Reads

Took – You’ll never look at your dolls the same way again

Posted on November 2, 2015November 1, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Took, by Mary Downing Hahn (Sept. 2015, Clarion Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9780544551534

Recommended for ages 10-14

Local legend says that Old Auntie takes a new girl every 50 years to slave for the old witch. Once she’s worn out, she lets her go and takes another. And the girl let go never lives for long after.

Daniel and his sister Erica are new to West Virginia when they hear this story. It sounds ridiculous, right? And Daniel has more on his mind than worrying about some crazy old fairy tale. His family has relocated from Connecticut to this ramshackle house with a history in West Virginia after his father’s layoff. The kids at school are awful, and Erica withdraws further into herself and her doll, Little Erica. But when Erica disappears one night, word is that she’s been “took” – especially when a girl who looks like the one who disappeared 50 years before shows up wearing Erica’s clothes. His family is falling apart, and Daniel knows it’s up to him to get his sister back and make things right.

This book wraps itself around you like a fall chill. You can feel it creeping through you, but you can’t quite get it out of your bones until you finish it. Ms. Hahn creates a tale that had me searching the Web to find out if this was an actual local legend, it’s so fleshed out and believable. She gives us solid characters with issues we can certainly understand, possibly even empathize with – unemployment, underemployment, being bullied for being the new kid at school, and watching the cracks in one family threaten to tear it apart. It’s a very human story set within a paranormal thriller, and it’s a great read for kids who have aged out of Goosebumps and are ready for a little something more.

Mary Downing Hahn is an award-winning children’s book author and former children’s librarian (whoo hoo!). You can check out her author page and see a complete list of her books and read an FAQ with Ms. Hahn.

Middle Grade, Middle School, Non-fiction

What’s Up in the Amazon Rainforest?

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

What’s Up in the Amazon Rainforest?, by Ginjer L. Clarke (Sept. 2015, Grosset & Dunlap), $8.99, ISBN: 9780448481036

Recommended for ages 8-12

I’ve been doing a lot of weeding in my new library spot, and the first section I hit was the Animals section. Naturally, I need some new books to fill in my shelves, and this beauty fits the bill. It’s a new geography series, loaded with color photos and a fold-out map, and it’s laid out like a dossier file, with photos sharing space with informative text, laid over maps in the background, and little touches like circled paragraphs and paper clips to give the feeling that kids are reading an environmentalist’s journal.

There’s a ton of information packed into this book: Ginjer Clarke looks at each layer of the rainforest, the flora and fauna that can be found there, and moves on to provide quick profiles on the people that live in the rainforest, products that come from the rainforest (yay, coffee and chocolate!), and most importantly, the importance of conservation and preservation. A bibliography and index round out the book. I’d love to see a glossary and some websites for kids included in future editions – admittedly, I’m working from a galley of the book, so if any of these resources are included in the finished copy, I apologize! In the meantime, her blog offers really cool updates and photos of different places she visits while researching her books. (Wait until you see the size of the oarfish.)

You’ll learn about pink dolphins – who knew there were dolphins in the rainforest? – and howler monkeys, Kapok and cacao trees. Fold-out maps will let kids place themselves in the locations they’re reading about.

Author Ginjer L. Clarke writes popular nonfiction books for kids. She’s got a section dedicated to her Baby Animals series on her website, and sections with more information about her other series, including more of her What’s Up, Out, and Wild Animals series.

Check out some more of What’s Up in the Amazon Rainforest below. The pictures are unbelievable!

Fiction, Intermediate, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

Spotlight On: Dream On, Amber by Emma Shevah

Posted on October 12, 2015September 14, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

I reviewed Dream On, Amber by Emma Shevah a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. Now, enjoy a publisher spotlight on the book, including an excerpt and a Rafflecopter giveaway where you have a chance to get your own copy of Dream On, Amber!

Dream On, Amber
By Emma Shevah
October 6, 2015
Hardcover ISBN 9781492622505

Book Info:
Title: Dream On, Amber
Author: Emma Shevah
Release Date: October 6, 2015
Publishers: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Praise for Dream On, Amber:
“By turns playful and poignant, in both style and substance, this coming-of-age novel will hook readers from the first page to the last.”—School Library Journal, STARRED review
“Amber’s effervescent and opinionated narration captivates from the start, making it easy to root for her as she strives to conquer the “beast” of her worries and thrive at home and at school.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review
“Shevah tenderly captures the void of growing up without a father yet manages to create a feisty, funny heroine… A gutsy girl in a laugh-out-loud book that navigates tough issues with finesse.” –Kirkus, STARRED review
“[This] novel is a charmer…While its humor and illustrations lend it Wimpy Kid appeal, its emotional depth makes it stand out from the pack. Molto bene!”- Booklist, STARRED review

Summary:
My name is Ambra Alessandra Leola Kimiko Miyamoto. But call me Amber. I have no idea why my parents gave me all those hideous names but they must have wanted to ruin my life, and you know what? They did an amazing job.
As a half-Japanese, half-Italian girl with a ridiculous name, Amber’s not feeling molto bene (very good) about making friends at her new school.

But the hardest thing about being Amber is that a part of her is missing. Her dad. He left when she was little and he isn’t coming back. Not for her first day of middle school and not for her little sister’s birthday. So Amber will have to dream up a way for the Miyamoto sisters to make it on their own.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25965546-dream-on-amber?ac=1
Buy Links:
Amazon- http://ow.ly/RX7L9
Barnes&Noble- http://ow.ly/RX7VK
Books A Million- http://ow.ly/RX9Ra
iBooks- http://ow.ly/S3wH6
!ndigo- http://ow.ly/S3wQz
Indiebound- http://ow.ly/S3wYp

About the Author:
Emma Shevah is half-Irish and half-Thai, born and raised in London. She has lived in Australia, Japan, India (her first child was born in the Himalayas), and Jerusalem before moving back to the UK. Emma has busked as a fire-juggler, been a restaurant manager, a copy writer, an English teacher, and is now a blogger and author.

Social Networking Links:
Website: http://emmashevah.com/
Twitter: @emmashevah

Excerpt from Dream On, Amber:
Bella came in wearing her matching pink nightdress, pink dressing gown, and pink slippers with Hello Kitty all over them. I just don’t get why people like Hello Kitty. I know it’s Japanese and supposed to be kawaii (cute) and everything, so maybe I should like it, but it’s just a picture of a cartoon cat’s head. I mean, seriously, what’s the big deal?
Bella’s hands were behind her back like she was hiding something. She looked much happier than she did when we got home from the party. She moved her arms to the front and handed me a sealed envelope.

“What’s this?” I asked, putting my sharpener down.

“Can you mail it for me tomorrow?”

I looked at the front of the envelope. There was nothing written on it.

“But it’s blank, Bella.”

“Yuuup.”

“Who’s it for?”

“None of your beeswax, Mrs. Nosy Pants.”

“Um…okay. So you…you want me to put it in the mailbox?”

“Yes, Amber. Duuuh. That’s what mailing means.”

“But how is the mailman going to know who to give it to if it has no name on it?”

“Oh,” she said, frowning.

She lay down on her belly on the floor and with her red crayon from the dollar store (well, she wasn’t borrowing any of mine), she wrote on the front of the envelope: “TO MY DAD.”

I looked at her.

“Bella—”

“Shush,” she said. “Just mail it for me.”

“But there’s no address on it—”

“The mailman will know where he lives. He knows where everyone lives.”

“He won’t know where Dad lives. Nobody knows where Dad lives. Not even Mum.”

“Didn’t I say ‘shush’? I’m sure I said ‘shush.’ Just mail it for me. Pleeease, Amber.”

I sighed. What was I supposed to tell her? She was too little. She didn’t get it. So I took it and put it on my desk, just to make her happy.

I know I shouldn’t have done it and it’s probably against the law and everything but when she went out of my room, I opened it.

It said:

Dier Dad,
My nam is Bella and Im your dorta. My bithday party is on Sunday 16 Speptmbr and I rely want you too come. And I neid you to play with me in the park and posh me on the swing. Please come home
love, Bella
P.S. Please buy me a perpel Swatch wach and Sparkle Girl Julerry Makar for my bithday.

I didn’t know what to do. Obviously, I wasn’t going to mail it without an address on it. So instead, I put it in my secret place. If you pull the bottom drawer of my dresser all the way out, there’s a space under it on the floor where I put my most sacred things. I had a coin that I found in Hyde Park that I’m sure is Roman or Viking and one day I’m going to sell it and get mega rich. I had a few other cool things in there too. Some of them are embarrassing, like key-rings I made out of lanyard strings when I was, like, seven and valentine cards my mum sent me. Stuff you can’t exactly throw out but really don’t want anyone to see. The letter wasn’t one of my sacred things but where else was I going to put it?
I also had a picture of my dad holding me when I was a baby that I sneaked out of Nonna’s album. Obviously, we have a whole bunch of photos of him in that album, but I wanted one for myself. One of him with me. Just to prove to myself that he did actually exist and hold me once, and he even looked proud. I don’t look at that photo much because it makes me angry. I know it doesn’t make sense to keep it, but there you go. Not everything makes sense. If it did, he would never have left in the first place.

There was another knock on my door, so I quickly closed the drawer.

“Hang on… Okay, you can come in now.”

Bella stuck her head in.

“When do you think he’ll get it?” she asked.

“Well, they have to find him first. It’s not easy, you know. It takes teams of detectives months to find missing people.”

She walked in to my room and said, “Oh,” and did that thing where she points her toes inward and puts one foot over the other, like her toes are hugging.

“Do you think he’ll get it before my birthday?”

“I don’t know, Bella. I don’t think so. But if by some weird miracle he did get it before then, I’m sure he’d come to your party.”

Bella unhugged her toes and put her hands on her hips. “Amber?”

“Mmm?”

“How do you know I want Dad to come to my party?”

Oops.

“Well, it’s kind of obvious, Bella. You did ask if he’d get it before your birthday.”

“Oh,” she said, frowning. “Hmm. Well, okay.” And she skipped back to her room.

The letter wasn’t my biggest problem at that point. I was so worried about starting my new school in the morning that I couldn’t get to sleep for ages. When you can’t sleep, your mind starts going a bit doolally. Well, mine does anyway. I start thinking all kinds of crazy things. And eventually the problem with Bella and her letter worked its way into my churning brain.

It was kind of mean and everything but there were times I really wished Bella wasn’t my sister. But knowing there was a huge hole where our dad was supposed to be wasn’t much fun either. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that maybe, just maybe, I could do something about it. I could save Bella from years of torture with one quick solution.

It seemed straightforward enough.

I decided to pretend to be my dad and write back to her, you know, to make her feel better.

And that was it.

Paff!

The most ingenious idea I’ve ever had lit up my mind like a firework.

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Espionage, Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Middle Grade, Middle School, Tween Reads

The League of Unexceptional Children – Be Ordinary and Save the World!

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The League of Unexceptional Children, by Gitty Daneshvari (Oct. 2015, Little, Brown), $17.99, ISBN: 9780316405706

Recommended for ages 9-12

Jonathan and Shelly are average. Forgettable, even. They don’t stand out, they’re not super-genius smart, and hardly anyone remembers their names five minutes after meeting them. And that’s what makes them the perfect spies. When the Vice President of the United States is kidnapped, Jonathan and Shelly find themselves recruited into the League of Unexceptional Children to find out who’s behind the kidnapping and to save the world: it seems that the VP isn’t the strongest-willed guy around, and happens to have access to some very important codes that could bring some big problems if they were to get out. Can Jonathan and Shelly save the day?

This is a hilarious beginning to a new series by Gitty Daneshvari, who’s authored the Monster High and School of Fear middle grade series. The kids in my library are ALWAYS asking me where these books are, so I know this book is a no-brainer for my shelves. Most of the adults are as hapless as the kids, and Jonathan and Shelly have a great rapport and go at one another like a regular Nick and Nora (look it up, kids). Shelly makes grandiose boasts about her abilities, while Jonathan is a little more down-to-earth, and their back and forth will leave you chuckling and inwardly wincing with awkwardness. Boys and girls alike will love this one. Heck, build a program around it and show a season of Code Name: Kids Next Door to kick off a Secret Agent Day!

Gitty Daneshvari’s author page is loaded with great little things to do. Kids (and adults!) can contact her, check out her blog, request a Skype session for your class or library, and meet Harriet, the Literary Bulldog.

Fiction, Fiction, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

Spotlight Tour: Cupcake Club – SWEET VICTORY!

Posted on October 1, 2015September 17, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Cupcake Club books are hugely popular at my library. They’re a fun middle grade series of books that are positive for kids, because one of the authors happens to be 9 years old. Check ’em out!

Sweet Victory (The Cupcake Club), by New York Times Bestselling Author Sheryl Berk and Carrie Berk

October 6, 2015; TP ISBN 9781492620822

Book Info:

Title: Sweet Victory (The Cupcake Club)

Authors: Sheryl Berk and Carrie Berk

Volume Number: 8

Release Date; October 6, 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Praise for the Cupcake Club Series

“9-year-old author has recipe for success.” – The Washington Post, KidsPost

“Kids and cupcakes are the perfect recipe!”—Sophie and Katerine, stars of TLC’s DC Cupcakes

“Sheryl Berk and her nine-year-old daughter, Carrie, have cooked up a delightful new series sure to be a treat.” –New York Family

Summary:

The eighth book in a delicious series by New York Times bestselling author Sheryl Berk and her cupcake-obsessed daughter, Carrie.

MVP Sadie knows what it takes to win- both on the court and in the kitchen.

But when Coach Walsh gets sick and has to temporarily leave school, Sadie’s suddenly at a loss. What will she do without Coach’s spot-on advice and uplifting encouragement? Luckily, Sadie’s got Peace, Love, and Cupcakes on her side. Her friends know what the power of friendship-and cupcakes- might be just what Sadie needs! Together, they rally to whip up the largest batch of sweet treats they’ve ever made, all to help support Coach Walsh. When the going gets tough, a little PLC goes a long way. But this record-breaking order might just be too much for the club…

Can the girls put it all together in time to score a win for Sadie- and Coach Walsh

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26167052-sweet-victory?from_search=true&search_version=service

Buy Links:

Amazon- http://ow.ly/SimdJ

Barnes&Noble- http://ow.ly/Simpk

BooksAMillion- http://ow.ly/SimzW

!ndigo- http://ow.ly/SimPn

Indiebound- http://ow.ly/Sin0b

About the Authors:

Sheryl Berk, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Soul Surfer, and her daughter Carrie, a cupcake connoisseur who has reviewed confection from around the world in her Carrie’s Cupcake Critiques newsletter, have cooked up a delightful series sure to be a treat.

Excerpt from Sweet Victory (The Cupcake Club)

For a few minutes, the room was silent as the girls thought hard.

“Feet!” Lexi suddenly tossed out. “Or maybe socks? Isn’t that what you wear to jump on a trampoline?”

“Flies,” Sadie added. “They’re always in the air. And little boys love bugs, right?”

“Falling,” Jenna grumped. “As in splat on your face or butt. Which is what I would do on a trampoline.”

“Um, I’m not seeing any of those things on a cupcake,” Kylie tried her hardest to envision their suggestions, but all she could see was Jenna flopping on a trampoline face-first. As cupcake club president, Kylie had the power to veto an idea-and smelly feet and flies didn’t sound particularly appetizing.

“What about balloons-balloons go up, up, and away if you accidentally let them go,” Delaney suggested. “And they’re pretty and colorful-and every birthday party has them.”

“That’s just it,” Sadie jumped in. “Cupcakes with balloons on them are so ordinary. We’re PLC. We can do better than that.”

Lexi took out her sketchbook. Designing cupcake decorations was her job. “Sadie’s right. What if we did something like this…” She drew a cupcake with blue piping around the edges and a black fondant top to represent the trampoline. In the middle of the cupcake was a small figure of a boy bending his knees with his arms in the air. “Ooh, that is amazing,” Kylie said, watching as Lexi used her colored pencils to bring the cupcake to life on the page. “We could use fondant to mold the little jumping guys.”

“And no boring vanilla or chocolate flavors either,” Jenna insisted. As the official taste tester, it was her job to make each cupcake delectable. “I’m thinking chocolate-chocolate chip cake filled with marshmallow and churro cupcakes with a hint of cinnamon to give the vanilla a kick.”

“Nice.” Sadie high-fived her. “Do you suppose we’ll get to try out those trampolines when we make the delivery?”

“Tu major que yo- better you than me!” Jenna said. “I get motion sickness if my little brothers bounce on the couch.”

“Then I’d say we have a plan,” Kylie said, taking notes in her binder. “Let’s get jumpin’ on those cupcake recipes.”

Also by Sheryl and Carrie Berk:

Fashion Academy

July 7, 2015; TP ISBN97814926016233

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Summary:

Fashion-forward MacKenzie “Mickey” Williams is thrilled to be accepted to FAB Middle School (Fashion Academy of Brooklyn), a school that serves as a training ground for the fashion designers of tomorrow. (Their motto: “We are SEW FAB”). But when her daring fashion looks get laughed at by some of the FAB A-listers, Mickey wonders whether standing out is such a great idea. So when friendly classmate JC comes up with a plan to help Mickey fit in, she decides to take the ultimate fashion risk-ditch her personal style for good.

One mega makeover later, pink-haired Mickey Williams mysteriously disappears, and the trendy, blond “Kenzie Williams” shows up on the FAB scene, blending with the other students in a way Mickey never could. But when Mickey starts to lose herself “Kenzie,” she’s not sure that fitting in is worth cutting herself down to size…

Goodreads Link:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21996360-the-fashion-academy

Buy Link:

Amazon- http://ow.ly/SiqKI

Barnes&Noble- http://ow.ly/Sir33

BooksAMillion- http://ow.ly/Sire4

!ndigo- http://ow.ly/SirnF

IndieBound- http://ow.ly/SiryQ

Runway Ready (Fashion Academy)

January 5, 2016; TP 9781492604365

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Summary:

Project Runway meets Fame in a trendy new series from the authors of The Cupcake Club!

1. Balloons

2. Spaghetti

3. Rainbows

If you were to ask Mickey Williams, these would not be her top points of inspiration for designing a party dress. But in fashion, the client is always right…and Mickey’s client happens to be fashion legend Victoria Vanderweil’s five-year-old granddaughter. Even though it’s the toughest assignment Mickey’s gotten during her time at the Fashion Academy of Brooklyn, she can’t pass up the opportunity to impress a top designer like Victoria.

But when Cordy turns out to be a tiny terror with non-stop demands, the assignment goes from hard to impossible. Not only that, but Victoria wants Mickey to babysit Cordy during NYC Fashion Week! Can Mickey pull off her project and pass, or will it fall apart at the seams?

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26457233-runway-ready

Pre-Order Links:

Amazon- http://ow.ly/SiwCt

Barnes&Noble- http://ow.ly/SiwwT

BooksAMillion- http://ow.ly/Siwmi

!ndigo- http://ow.ly/Siwas

IndieBound- http://ow.ly/Siw3E

Excerpt from Fashion Academy Sheryl Berk & Carrie Berk:

After spending the weekend with her aunt, Mickey concluded that Olive wasn’t that bad—at least not as bad as her mom made her out to be. She was just a bit uptight. It was hard for Mickey to understand how she and her mom could be sisters, much less fraternal twins. They had the same curly strawberry blond hair, though her mom highlighted hers and wore it long and loose and Olive pinned hers back in a tight bun. She recognized her aunt’s eyes as well—they were emerald green, just like her mom’s. Too bad she hid them behind thick tortoise shell glasses. Then there was her style: Olive looked like she had stepped out of a time warp. She wore a ruffled pink blouse, long pearls, and an A-line brown skirt. Maybe she was going for a retro 50s vibe? It was the opposite of her mom’s ripped jeans and vintage rock tee shirts. Maybe there had been some mistake and they were switched at birth? Maybe her Granny Gertrude got confused and accidentally picked up the wrong baby in the park one day?

Olive was also a neat freak who insisted that everything be “spic and span” and in its place.

“Mackenzie, clean up after yourself!” she scolded when Mickey left her sketchbook and colored pencils on the kitchen table. No one called her Mackenzie; her mom only used it when she was mad at her. It was a name she barely recognized or answered to. But as many times as she corrected Aunt Olive, she insisted on calling her by her “proper name.”

“Mom calls me ‘Mickey’ and I call her Jordana sometimes,” she tried to explain.

“I don’t care what you call your mom or she calls you. And you call me Aunt Olive out of respect,” she warned her.

Mickey wrinkled her nose. “Really? Mom says she called you Olliegator when you were little. I think that’s cute.”

Olive pursed her lips. “I’m an adult,” she replied sternly. Aunt Olive was an executive assistant at a big law firm, and she took everything very seriously. “Your mother needs to grow up.”

But that was exactly what Mickey loved about her mom—how she was such a free spirit and never cared what anyone thought or said about her. Mickey tried her hardest to be that way, but sometimes it was hard.

For the first day of FAB, she set her alarm for 6 o’clock so she would have time to style her outfit properly. She was proud of how it had all come together. She’d taken a beaten-up denim jacket from a thrift shop and dyed it black before adding crocheted doilies for trim at the collars and cuffs. It said exactly what she wanted it to say about her: “I’m edgy but feminine.” And wasn’t that what fashion was all about? Not just a trend or a style, but a reflection of who you are and how you’re feeling? That was what Mickey loved about designing the most, and what she had written on her FAB application:

“I love how you can speak volumes with a single stitch. Fashion should be fearless! I want to be a designer who always colors outside the lines and thinks outside of the box…”

She was pretty sure Aunt Olive didn’t see it that way. Her idea of taking a fashion risk was wearing a skirt that was hemmed above the knee.

“Does it really go together?” she asked, noticing how Mickey had paired her jacket with a white tank top and bike shorts, both of which were splatter-painted with green and yellow drips.

“It isn’t supposed to go,” Mickey told her. “It’s supposed look creative, which is what FAB is all about. Pushing the envelope!”

She added a pair of green cat’s eye sunglasses.

“Well, it’s colorful,” her aunt sighed. “I’ll give you that. And so is your hair. Good heavens!”

Mickey had created green stripes in her long, wavy blond hair with hair chalk.

“Now for the finishing touch!” she said. “No outfit is complete without accessories!” She slipped her feet into a pair of black high top sneakers, tied the yellow laces, and grabbed her bag.

“What is that?” her aunt asked, scratching her head. She squinted to make out the words on Mickey’s tote.

“It used to say ‘Louis Vuitton’—it’s a bag you keep a really fancy expensive bag in. Which if you ask me, is pretty silly,” Mickey explained.

Olive seemed puzzled. “You mean a dust bag? You made that out of a dust bag?”

Mickey spun the tote around. “Two of them, actually!” The other side read, “PRADA.”

“What? How? Why?” Olive asked.

“Well, it’s perfectly good flannel,” Mickey replied. “And don’t you think it’s kinda funny? A statement about recycling? I used two leather belts for the straps and jazzed it up with some studding at the seams. It cost me about $4 total at the flea market!”

She threw the bag over her shoulder and glanced at the clock. It was 8, and the school bus would be along shortly to pick her up on the corner.

“Your breakfast is ready,” Olive said, handing her a glass of green sludge. This was worse then yesterday’s quinoa and fruit concoction! She missed her mom’s breakfasts of left over Chinese Take Out omelets or cold pizza. But Aunt Olive insisted she start the first day of school with “something healthy and nutritious.”

“Do you have any chocolate milk?” she asked, getting up to check the fridge for something edible.

“This is better for you. It’s fresh kale, celery, cucumber, ginger and a touch of agave. It’s delicious.” She took a big sip of her own glass and licked her lips.

Mickey wrinkled her nose. It didn’t look or smell delicious. “I think I’ll grab something in the cafeteria,” she said, pushing the glass away. “I’m too nervous to eat.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie. She was pretty terrified for her first day at FAB. Just then, Mickey’s phone rang.

“All ready to conquer the world?” her mom asked.

“I think so, Jordana,” she replied.

“Ah, I see. We’re trying to sound very mature this morning. Send me a picture of the first day outfit and call me tonight. I want to hear all the deets.”

Mickey smiled. Her mom was trying to sound cool. “I will. Love you.”

As the bus pulled up to the corner of Columbus Avenue, Mickey took a deep breath. This wasn’t just the first day of FAB. It was the first day of the rest of her life. The first day of everything.

Here’s your chance to win a complete Cupcake Club Collection: Books 1-8! Check out this Rafflecopter giveaway!

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Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

Part Judy Blume, Part Dork Diaries: Dream On, Amber

Posted on August 29, 2015August 27, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Dream On, Amber, by Emma Shevah (Oct. 2015, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $12.99, ISBN: 9781492622505

Recommended for ages 8-12

Ambra Alessandra Leola Kimiko Miyamoto is half Japanese, half Italian, and things are not molto bene (very good) for her at the moment. She thinks her name is ridiculous; she’s managed to put herself in the sights of a bully at school; she’s doing her best to take care of her little sister, Bella, who really feels the absence of a dad in their lives, and she doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere.

Her dad left when she was six and Bella was one, and he hasn’t even tried to get in touch. She feels like a whole half of herself is missing: she knows nothing about her Japanese side, but she doesn’t look like her Italian mother. And to top things off, she’s been trying to keep up a charade for Bella’s benefit, writing letters to her as their father, explaining why he’s not able to come home in time for her birthday party.

It’s such a relief to find realistic fiction that looks at big ticket items with sensitivity and humor. Amber tackles some tough questions and issues that middle graders face, and she does it with Judy Blume-esque humor, with a touch of Dork Diaries/Diary of a Wimpy Kid slapstick. The book is told in the first person, from Amber’s point of view, complete with illustrations and chapters headed by numbers in English, Italian, and Japanese.

True to life, there are no easy answers waiting for Amber, but she makes some big moves and grows up during the course of the novel. I loved this book and how it uses humor to take the sting out stressful situations facing kids these days. I’d love to read more of Amber’s adventures in the future – I hope we get some!

Fiction, Humor, Middle School, Teen, Tween Reads

Friends for Life – where friends can save lives

Posted on August 26, 2015August 25, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Friends for Life, by Andrew Norriss (Aug. 2015, David Fickling Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9780545851862

Recommended for ages 12+

Francis is a middle schooler that isn’t very popular. He’s teased because he has a passionate interest in – and talent for – fashion, and tends to eat lunch by himself every day. Until Jessica wanders into the schoolyard and is amazed that he can see her, speak to her.

You see, Jessica’s a ghost. She died a year ago.

Francis and Jessica become fast friends. She models his designs for him, being able to think herself into a new outfit on a whim; he’s the only person that she’s been able to talk to in an entire year. They go places together, do things together, and Francis’ outlook changes; so much, that they end up meeting two more tweens that have a hard time of it in school. Together, the four become a tight unit – to all their parents’ surprise and joy. During one of their group discussions, they learn how Jessica became a ghost – how she died – and that touches off an incredibly deep and tender look at depression and suicide.

Jessica and Francis are like a balm for the soul. Their friendship sets off a positive chain reaction that resonates through the entire book. As someone who first suffered depression in my tweens, this story really touched me. Too often, young people suffer in silence when what they really need is to start talking. Jessica only appears to certain people – you’ll discover that in the book – and thus creates a safe nucleus for these tweens, giving them a focal point to gather around.

Much of the background characters are idealized in this story – the principal who has zero tolerance for bullying, the parents who listen to other kids to find out how best to help their own – but this is a glimpse into what could be, if only people would act instead of talk about how to act.

Put this book in guidance counselors’ offices, classrooms, and libraries. Make it available. The middle school and high school years are tough – this is a book that’s here to help.

Fiction, Middle Grade, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

Alex Gino’s George is wonderful, required reading for all!

Posted on August 17, 2015August 17, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

George, by Alex Gino (Aug. 2015, Scholastic), $16.99, ISBN: 9780545812542

Recommended for ages 8-14

George looks like a boy. Her mom thinks she’s a boy; the kids and teachers at school see a boy, even if they bully her and call her a girl. Even her best friend, Kelly, thinks George is a boy. The thing is, middle schooler George is a girl, really. She knows it. It’s a painful secret that she has to keep.

When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she’s not a boy. She knows she’s a girl.

When her teacher announces that the class play will be Charlotte’s Web, George sees her chance to let a little of the real her peek through. She wants to be Charlotte. She wants to be Charlotte so badly. Will her teacher, her classmates, or her mom understand?

At last, a middle grade book with an LGBTQ character – and a positive, upbeat one, at that! George is a fantastic book. Every page is a delight. George is a sweet, introspective character who is self-aware at a young age and owns it. She keeps her real self a secret, but is always waiting for the chance to come out, and the class play provides that moment. She’s determined to be Charlotte, knowing that everyone will understand once they see her.

Kelly wins prizes for the best friend ever. She accepts and embraces George for who she is – you’ll tear up very happily as you follow their relationship’s progression to the end of the book.

Bullies aside – because bullies are inevitable – every character in this book offers a positive, realistic support system for George, a transgender tween at the beginning of her journey. Realistic, because we see that some have some difficulty, even discomfort, understanding George’s feelings and reality, but have enough love to work through it with her and come to a path they can all walk together.

I love this book. I want to buy copies for my home, my libraries, and to hand out to kids in every middle school. I’m thrilled that it exists. Not only do I think that this is this one of the most important books you’ll read this year, it’s one of the most captivating.

Author Alex Gino is a trans activist with a website that offers resources for youth that every parent and educator should bookmark. You’ll also find an author schedule and further information.

Fiction, Humor, Middle Grade, Middle School, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

The Woe of Jade Doe: Dorothy’s Derby Chronicles Continues!

Posted on August 12, 2015August 11, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Dorothy’s Derby Chronicles: The Woe of Jade Doe, by Meghan Dougherty/Illus. by Alece Birnbach (Aug. 2015, Sourcebooks), $6.99, ISBN: 978-1-4926-01-47-0

Recommended for ages 9-14

The Slugs ‘n’ Hisses are back in their second adventure! Last year, we met Dorothy, her roller derby lovin’ grandma, Shotgun Sally, and the misfits that became BFFs and a butt-kickin’ roller derby team in the first Derby Chronicle, Rise of the Undead Redhead. Picking up immediately where Undead Redhead left off, The Woe of Jade Doe goes further into the story behind Eva Disaster’s untimely demise, the conflict between the Pom-Poms and the Slugs ‘n’ Hisses, and the fate of Galactic Skate.

This book is every bit as fun as the Rise of the Undead Redhead. Dorothy is fighting to keep her life together as the girls work through inner conflict and locking horns with their school rivals; the knowledge that her mother could come in and throw everything she’s worked for into chaos at any moment, a crush that keeps her guessing, and an uncertain future for her roller rink and derby team. On top of all that, she’s got a ghost with a grudge, and Grandma’s keeping secrets. It’s a fun page-turner with a touch of girl power and just enough mean girl strife to keep it interesting.

Add this to your collection, along with the first book in the series and Victoria Jamieson’s Roller Girl, and get your girls (and guys!) reading them. Heck, get a copy of Knockdown Knits and knit yourself a nice ice pack cover while you have a book discussion.

Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Middle School

Pen Pals across time? Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in My…

Posted on August 5, 2015August 5, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in My…, by Adam Mansbach & Alan Zweibel (Sept. 2015, Hyperion), $12.99, ISBN: 9781484713044

Recommended for ages 8-12

Thirteen year-old Franklin Isaac Saturday (call him Ike) has a really obnoxious writing assignment. He has to write a letter to a person from history, so he chooses Benjamin Franklin, his namesake. He rants and raves about the dumb assignment, the struggle of being in middle school, his jerk of a stepfather, and his crush on classmate Claire Wanzandae. He inadvertently sticks the letter in a mailbox as part of a joke, but here’s the surprise: he gets a response back. From Ben Franklin, who’s got stuff of his own to complain about! He hates his hair, Thomas Jefferson gets on his nerves, and he’s sensitive about his weight. Will these pen pals out of time somehow help one another through their rough patches, or will they cause the entire timestream to become out of whack?

Written in the first person through Ike’s eyes and through letters between Ike and Ben Franklin, this is a good middle grade read, especially for those reluctant readers. It didn’t really grow on me like I thought it would – the thought of Ben Franklin being that concerned about his stringy hair and feelings of not measuring up didn’t work for me – but I think middle graders will get a kick out of this one. The writing is conversational and witty, with plenty of snark and sarcasm. The time travel aspect of the story is a little far-fetched, but go with it.

This is a good addition to collections (both home and library) that cater to kids who are a hard sell for reading. Humor is always a good thing to have on your shelves, especially for those kids who don’t want to read, but need a book for school. I tend to fall back on humor and adventure for these kids, so this will be a helpful one to have on hand.