Schooled by Gordon Korman

13-year old Capricorn Anderson (or Cap) is different from other kids. He has never watched television, tasted pizza, held money or attended a public school. He has spent his whole life living on a commune with his hippie grandmother, Rain. Rain is Cap’s only relative and has been his teacher and only friend. When Rain falls out of a tree and has to spend two months in a hospital recovering from a broken hip, Cap has to move into a foster home. He ends up staying with his social worker, a former commune member, and her sarcastic teenage daughter. Cap also has to attend a public middle school for the first time. From the moment Cap enters the school, (Claverage Middle or C-Average) his strangeness make him a target for bullying. He has long, uncut hair; wears hemp tie-dyed clothes and sandals made from corn husks. He practices Tai-Chi on the lawn and plays 60’s music on a guitar. The tradition at C-Average is to elect the strangest kid and biggest nerd to be the 8th Grade Class President (as a joke) so the in crowd can make fun of him all year and there is no one any stranger than Cap, The clique does their best to make sure Cap fails at every endeavor (especially planning the annual Halloween Dance) but their plan backfires when other students stop laughing and begin to revere Cap and his pure heart, peaceful ways and unending patience. Before long, the roles have been reversed and characters who were popular are outcasts and the biggest nerd becomes the most popular student. Each chapter is written by a different character so we see events from their point-of-view and to see how they each change as the story progresses. The book is funny and enjoyable and one many students will enjoy reading.
Recommended grade levels: 6-8

Character Education Topics: bullying, new kid fitting into a new school, pressure to conform, cliques, learning self expression, strength of character, accepting different generations and ideas.

The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg

This is the debut graphic novel in the Minx line for girls by publisher DC Comics. The main character is a girl named Jane. As she walks past a sidewalk café in Metro City, a terrorist's bomb goes off. Taking this as a life-altering event, the once long-haired blonde Jane cuts off all her locks and dyes them black.. Her parents, overtaken by fear, move the family to the small town in the country. Wanting to find a more substantial group of friends, she forgoes the popular airheads at her new school—reminiscent of her Metro City friends—and attempts to befriend a group of unpopular girls who are, coincidentally, all named Jane. Each Jane is unpopular in different ways—one is "Brain Jane," one an aspiring actress and one an athlete. With Jane's love of art, the girls form a secret girl gang called PLAIN—People Loving Art in Neighborhoods—and set out to make their world a better place. They build pyramids on the site of a planned strip mall ("The pyramids lasted for thousands of years. Do you think this strip mall will?") and populate the police department's lawn with gnomes. But to a community consumed with elevated threat levels, the attacks seem more ominous than generous, and P.L.A.I.N. becomes an outlaw group. All the while, Jane continues to write letters to John Doe, the unidentified man whose life she saved during the bombing—and who sits in a hospital, comatose, his sketchbook serving as her muse.
The book is a quick read and interesting. The plot deals with current issues in a new and different way. The writing seemed a little choppy and the plot was disjointed at times, but this book will probably appeal to middle school students.
Recommended grade levels: 6-8

Belle by Cameron Dokey

Publisher: Simon Pulse ISBN (library bind): 9781416961314

Price: $6.99 #pages: 204 Call number: Fic Dok

Annotation: Cameron Dokey recreates the story of “Beauty and the Beast” in Belle, the story of Annabelle and her family, who happen upon a magical wood and encounter a beast there. Annabelle’s love of wood-carving draws her into the mystery of the beast when she is asked to carve a branch of the Heartwood Tree, which will reveal true love. Dokey transforms a familiar story into an enjoyable tale that is surprising in its complexity and ability to depict true love.


Recommended grade levels: 7-11

The Good Neighbors; Book One: Kin by Holly Black

Illustrator: Ted Naifeh

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN (library bind): 9780439855624

Price: 16.99 #pages: 117 Call number: 741.5 BLA FICTION

16 year old Rue’s mother has disappeared and her father has stopped going to work. Since her mother’s disappearance, things in Rue’s town have started changing and she has started to see strange things that make her think she’s crazy. In The Good Neighbors, Holly Black and Ted Naifeh introduce a world of magic parallel to our own. In Book One of their new series, Rue discovers that she actually belongs to the immortal world and not to the mortal one in which she has grown up. We are left wondering how Rue will adjust to her new life while solving the mystery of her purpose between the mortal and immortal worlds.



Recommended grade levels: 9-12

Airhead by Meg Cabot

Publisher: Scholastic, Point ISBN (library bind): 9780545040525

Price: $16.99 #pages: 337 Call number: Fic Cab

Em Watts is an average, somewhat frumpy, high school junior with a love for gaming and very little else. Her little sister, Frida, is a typical high school freshman who dreams of popularity and researches in CosmoGirl for the latest trends in order to become that way. Everything changes for Em when she is forced to accompany Frida to watch the latest music sensation perform at the opening of a Stark Megastore. Somehow, she ends up in the body of a super-model. Meg Cabot has begun a new series, which, reminiscent of the Princess Diaries series, takes an average character and launches her into a New York upper class lifestyle. Em must learn to let go of her old life and accept that she is now a 17 year old supermodel. Cabot has created an engaging and interesting character and plotline that will keep readers intrigued for many books to come.

Recommended grade levels: 8-11

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

In a town inhabited solely by men, Todd Hewitt is the last boy, and the last innocent. That will change in one month when he turns thirteen and becomes a man. The secrets of Prentisstown are many and dark, although it should be difficult to keep secrets in a place where everyone can hear the "noise" or thoughts of everyone else, including animals. When Todd stumbles upon absolute silence for the first time in his life, he encounters something he never thought he would see...a girl. Todd had been told that all women and girls died years ago when the noise germ was released. Todd soon learns that almost everything he has been told is a lie. As Todd begins to learn the truth about his town and its history, he and the girl must run for their lives. The secrets of the past begin to unfold as Todd learns what it truly means to be a man.

*Slight spoiler alert*
This book started slowly, but I was soon completely engrossed. Todd is a compelling character and the action keeps the story moving quickly towards the conclusion. Unfortunately, the conclusion never comes. Granted, this is the first book in a series, Chaos Walking, but I expected at least some satisfaction. No. This book cannot stand alone. It ends in a cliffhanger that leaves you desperate for the second book, which is obviously the point. My advice, wait for the entire series before you begin or be prepared for disappointment.

The Attack on Pearl Harbor an Interactive History

The reader can choose their own adventure as they learn about the attack on Pearl Harbor. Students can take on the role of a Japanese pilot, an American navy sailor stationed at Pearl Harbor, or an American nurse. This book contains a few black and white photographs that help to add a realistic feel as you picture yourself in the attack.
As the reader makes decisions, they will gain a sense of what the attack was really like on a personal level. The last several pages contain a time line, other perspectives, Internet sites, and a glossary. This book could be a good pick to read aloud in the classroom, or a good title to suggest to history buffs or reluctant readers.

The Hunger Games

Sixteen year old, Katniss Everdeen lives in Panem, the future North America that is made up of 12 districts ruled by the Capital. Each year on reaping day, two people from each district are picked for The Hunger Games, a televised survival game. When Katniss’ sister, Prim, is picked, Katniss volunteers to go in her place. The games are required viewing for the citizens of Paneam and they watch until there is only survivor. The book is violent, full of drama, and even a little romance. The story will keep readers on the edge of their seats and the ending will cause them to “hunger” for more.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

In Katsa's world, some people are born with an extreme skill, called a grace. Some graces are helpful, such as a grace for cooking or archery, others are useless, such as the abilty to talk backwards. Katsa's grace is for killing. All gracelings are easily recognized by their unmatched eyes, and all are feared and misunderstood. Gracelings are at the mercy of their king, and Katsa more than most. Her killing grace is very useful to her uncle, King Randa, and he uses her to do his dirty work throught the kingdom. Katsa is wracked with guilt and anger. She slowly begins to form an alliance with others who share her desire to help those in danger, without the king's knowledge. It is on a mission for this council that she meets Po, another graceling fighter with secrets of his own. Together Katsa and Po learn new things about their own graces, and terrible secrets from other lands that threaten to destroy them all.

Katsa is a strong, but vulnerable, female protagonist, and Po is a very appealing counterpart. They quickly develop a close friendship, then a deeper bond, but don't expect the usual happily-ever-after. This book provides a fresh perspective on the fantasy novel, a definite page-turner. It will appeal to older fantasy readers who want a little more depth to their story. It's a first novel for Cashore, but others in the series are in the works.

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

In New Avalon, almost everyone has their own personal fairy to help with one aspect of their life. Charlie has a parking fairy. She’s fourteen, she can’t drive, and she hates cars. Worse, people are always trying to make her go places with them just so they can score a great parking space. Why can’t Charlie have an awesome shopping fairy like her friend, Rochelle, or an all-the-boys-like-you fairy like stuck up Fiorenze, or even a loose change fairy. No fairy at all would be better than the parking fairy. Charlie has had enough. She wants a new fairy, but first she has to get rid of the one she has and she’s willing to take extreme measures to do it. Of course, there’s a boy involved, as well as an enemy who might actually be a friend.

Recommended grade levels: 7-12

Chiggers (graphic novel) by Hope Larson

Abby heads off to her usual summer camp, but this year nothing is the same. Her friend, Rose, is now a cabin assistant and doesn't have much time for Abby. Beth has gotten new piercings, is starting a band, and is a little too cool. Only Shasta, the new girl, really seems to want to hang out with Abby. Unfortunately, the other girls don't like Shasta. A mysterious illness prevents her from participating in camp activities, she claims to have a boyfriend who's a senior, and she tells crazy stories about her life that nobody believes. The only good thing happening to Abby this summer is meeting a new boy who actually might like her.

Abby is a likeable character that adolescent girls will relate well to. This is a quick, easy graphic novel that will appeal to many girls, especially those new to the genre.

Recommended grade levels 7-10.

Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse

Beautifully written historical fiction about 14 yr. old Joe Michtom, child of Russian immigrants set in turn of the century Brooklyn. The family has invented the “teddy bear” inspired by Roosevelt and turned their small candy store into a bear factory. Immigrant family life is well represented as the extended family lives either within their block in Brooklyn or just over the Bridge.
Joe longs to visit exciting Coney Island, the new amusement park but always seems to have to work on bears, even the family has taken a back seat to these bears.
Joe falls in love, out of love, experiences loss, anger and frustration but is building his fine character all the while.
An unusual side story of orphan children that live underneath the Brooklyn Bridge parallels Joe’s story. It takes some reflection and thought to bring the two ideas together but the orphans strengthen the readers knowledge of the emotions and societal events of the time period.

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

1- A shape shifting 1000+ year old snake imprisoned in a clay jar far beneath the earth imagining finding her missing daughter when she is released.
2- A bitter, scarred man set out to kill a giant alligator.
3- A gentle make-shift family of a chained hound dog and a mama cat and her kittens who live carefully underneath the man’s ramshackle house.

Three wildly different stories are artfully woven together like a tapestry to tell a gothic Southern tale about what love can do for the human spirit.

This is an animal tale at heart that tugs at your heartstrings. The fantasy elements blend in as though your grandmother was exaggerating one of her favorite tales from long ago.

In the beginning the chapters of each character are so short it’s difficult to keep the reader interested. However, as the mystery begins to unravel, the reader begins to imagine how each story could possibly be connected. Patience is a virtue while reading this yarn.

Houdini by Jason Lutes & Nick Bertozzi

Graphic novel which is easy to read and has simple illustrations. Was anyone else as surprised as I was to learn of Bess' deception in helping her husband escape from the lock when he plunged into the Charles River?

Marvelous introduction by Glen David Gold and the panel discussions in the back of the book are wonderful stepping stones to several (future) mini lessons.

Whole page on cartooning....how to begin and how to obtain information.

Walking on Glass

by Alma Fullerton
Published by Harper Tempest
ISBN: 978-0-06-077851-4
$15.99 131 pgs. FIC POP FUL

A touching account of a young man's struggle with the attempted suicide of his mother and the decisions he has to face in the following months. Fullerton doesn't actually describe what happens until page 122, so you can accurately imagine the confusion and loneliness (apparent through journal entries written as free verse) that the young man experiences as his father spirals into a deep depression, his best friend Jack becomes a substance abusing monster, and a new girl Alissa tries to enter his life. His personal torture is over when he makes that life and death decision that nobody should have to make about their own parent.

Recommended grades 9th-12th