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

All Shook Up by Shelley Pearsall

13-year old Josh Greenwood is forced to move from Boston to Chicago to live with his divorced dad for a few months while his mother goes to Florida to help her mother recover from a fall. When he arrives at the airport he is shocked to discover that his dad has lost his job selling shoes and has become an Elvis impersonator complete with jet black hair and sideburns. As Josh starts the 7th grade at the new school, he is desperate to blend in and worries constantly that the other kids will discover what his dad does for a living. And to make matters worse, his dad's new girlfriend has a daughter, Ivory, who is in his class at school and who could spill the beans anytime. The situation comes to a head when Josh's dad is invited to perform at a program at his school and he goes too far trying to keep "Elvis" from showing up at his school.
Strengths: Humorous and told in a very realistic middle school voice where the main concern is fitting in and avoiding being embarrassed by your parents. It deals with very serious issues in a believable way. This book should appeal to boys as well as girls.
Weaknesses: Some of the readers may not be aware of who Elvis was and the impact he made on the world.

Author: Mass, Wendy
Title: Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
Publisher: Little, Brown and Co Date: 2006 ISBN: 0316058297
Price: 15.99 #of pgs: 289 Call number: FIC MAS
Annotation: A week before his thirteenth birthday, Jeremy fink receives a package in the mail from his father who died five years ago. The package contains a wooden box with the cryptic message "The Meaning of Life" engraved on the top. Unfortunately, the box has an intricatelocking mechanism and the keys have been lost. Jeremy and his friend Lizzy, embark on a quest to find the missing keys. This brings them into contact with many interesting characters who share their ideas about the meaning of life.
Strength: Refreshingly optimistic story with two strong main characters - one a boy and
the other a girl.