The Witch's Boy

Title: The Witch's Boy
Author: Kelly Barnhill

The wrong boy will save your life, and you will save his.

My favorite book I have read in a long time. I laughed, cried, and got the chills. This is a beautiful story of love, loss, magic, family and friendship. This is a great read for anyone. 

A Washington Post Best Book of 2014
A Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2014
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2014
A Chicago Public Library "Best of the Best" 2014

“Barnhill . . . is an eloquent writer who spins beautiful lines . . . This spellbinding fantasy begs for a cozy chair, a stash of Halloween candy and several hours of uninterrupted reading time.” —The Washington Post

“A story with many alluring elements . . . Barnhill creates an absorbing world of kingdoms and prophecies in which transformation comes through language, and through courage and self-awareness as well . . . [The Witch’s Boy] should open young readers’ eyes to something that is all around them in the very world we live in: the magic of words.” —NewYorkTimes.com

“Barnhill tells a complex story, one that sustains and subverts the usual fairy-tale tropes. Through the eyes of the brave and increasingly shrewd Ned and Áine, young readers consider the complications of magic, the corrupting desire for power, and the conflicting natures of good and evil in this atmospheric and elegantly told literary fairy tale.” —The Horn Book Magazine

“The characters are vivid and well developed . . . The writing is beautiful and lyrical, but keeps pace with an action-packed story . . . Recommend this title to those who like retellings and strong, narrative fantasy.” —VOYA

Knightly and Son

Title: Knightly and Son
Author: Rohan Gavin

Darkus' father is in a coma. He is trying to understand who he was and what mysteries he was trying to solve. 

From Booklist

Thirteen-year-old Darkus’ father, investigator Alan Knightley, has been in a comalike state for four years. Meanwhile, Darkus has been studying the hard drive containing his dad’s notes on a mysterious criminal organization called the Combination. Then Alan awakens and learns that these villains are responsible for a new series of crimes committed by innocent people under their control. When the hard drive is stolen, Alan must rely on Darkus’ memory to fill in past events. Together, father and son try to fit the puzzle pieces together in time to identify and thwart their ruthless enemies. Set in England, Gavin’s first novel has a darker atmosphere, a more sophisticated tone, and more adult characters than most mysteries for a young audience. The criminals’ method never feels quite believable, but Gavin deftly paces the story, maintaining the narrative tension, and he introduces some strong characters, such as loyal, methodical Darkus and his angry, enigmatic stepsister, Tilly. Fans of this debut will be glad that the ending leaves the door open for sequels. Grades 5-7. --Carolyn Phelan 

Pack of Dorks

Title: Pack of Dorks
Author: Beth Vrabel

4th grade, first kisses, new friends, the girl no one likes, and the super cute boys. What does a girl do?

From School Library Journal

Gr 4–6—Lucy is the second most popular girl in fourth grade. She maintains her social standing by obsequiously following her "best friend," queen bee Becky—even when that means succumbing to peer pressure and giving Tom Lemmings a quick kiss during recess. Suddenly, Lucy finds herself being made the butt of jokes and is no longer in her exalted position as a popular kid. When groveling doesn't work, Lucy opens up to spending time with other kids she had previously overlooked and finds herself making some real friends in the process. This book doesn't soft-peddle the strange cruelty that kids inflict on one another, nor does it underestimate the impact. At the same time, it does not wallow unnecessarily. Instead, Lucy finds joy in her new little sister and helps her family gain perspective as they struggle to come to terms with the baby's special needs. The challenging subject matter is handled in a gentle, age-appropriate way with humor and genuine affection. Lucy is likable even when she's not behaving well; just like a real kid. When things work out in the end, it feels as natural as two like-minded kids learning to trust one another.—Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK --This text refers to theHardcover edition.

Savvy- Ingrid Law

Title: Savvy
Author: Ingrid Law

You wont look at 13 the same ever again! 

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–7—Mississippi Beaumont ("Mibs" for short) simply cannot wait for her 13th birthday. There's the allure of finally becoming a teenager, of course, but in the Beaumont family, 13 is when family members get their "savvy," or unworldly power. For Mibs's older brother Fish, it's control over the elements, and for her mother it's the ability to do everything perfectly. Unfortunately, Mibs's excitement is cut short when her father is injured in a car accident. Convinced that her new powers will be able to save her Poppa, she and some new friends climb aboard a bus toting pink bibles on her birthday, in the hopes of getting to the hospital. Instead they find themselves headed in the wrong direction with the cops looking for them, Mibs's powerful brother seriously angry, and the son of a preacher man she has a crush on coming dangerously close to figuring out the Beaumonts' secret. Mibs's real savvy isn't what she expected, and neither are her traveling companions. Though the story never lives up to the brilliance of its opening chapter, Law has a feel for characters and language that is matched by few. With its delightful premise and lively adventure, this book will please a wide variety of audiences, not just fantasy fans. Definitely an author to watch.—Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library 

The True Meaning of Smekday

Title: The True Meaning of Smekday
Author: Adam Rex

The book that the movie Home was based on. Funny, light hearted and totally worth a read.

From Goodreads.com

It all starts with a school essay.

When twelve-year-old Gratuity (“Tip”) Tucci is assigned to write five pages on “The True Meaning of Smekday” for the National Time Capsule contest, she’s not sure where to begin. When her mom started telling everyone about the messages aliens were sending through a mole on the back of her neck? Maybe on Christmas Eve, when huge, bizarre spaceships descended on the Earth and the aliens – called Boov – abducted her mother? Or when the Boov declared Earth a colony, renamed it “Smekland” (in honor of glorious Captain Smek), and forced all Americans to relocate to Florida via rocketpod?

In any case, Gratuity’s story is much, much bigger than the assignment. It involves her unlikely friendship with a renegade Boov mechanic named J.Lo.; a futile journey south to find Gratuity’s mother at the Happy Mouse Kingdom; a cross-country road trip in a hovercar called Slushious; and an outrageous plan to save the Earth from yet another alien invasion.

Fully illustrated with “photos,” drawings, newspaper clippings, and comics sequences, this is a hilarious, perceptive, genre-bending novel by a remarkable new talent. the planet from a really big catastrophe. 

Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble- Nick Bruel

Title: Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble
Author: Nick Bruel
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
ISBN: 1626721173

This is an interesting Bad Kitty book. The series is very popular among first and second grade students. This book goes through the writing process in a fun and engaging way. One feature I appreciated was Bruel placed a glossary at the back of the book. All the words in the glossary were starred in the text itself. This gave the reader a reference point for the writing and story terms. 

From School Library Journal

Gr 2–4—In this seventh installment in the series, readers are introduced to the process of writing and illustrating a book in a fun and humorous way. Bruel employs his signature style of addressing readers directly; he begins the book with a step-by-step demonstration of how to draw Bad Kitty and moves on to describe the necessary ingredients of a successful story. Through the process of describing story elements such as protagonist, antagonist, and conflict, the author creates some scenarios that Kitty finds objectionable (most notably, an all-turnip diet), but eventually she convinces him to rewrite the story in her favor. Many of the usual secondary characters (Uncle Murray, Puppy, Strange Kitty, etc.) make an appearance in this volume, and there are some unexpected additions, including a zombie, a giant octopus, and a talking turnip named Terry. Bruel makes no attempt to hide the fact that the intent of this book is to teach readers how to write stories, but his informal writing style and hilarious illustrations make the lesson seem like a fun opportunity rather than a chore. Fans of the naughty feline will not be disappointed by this new volume, and when they finish reading it, they will have the tools, along with the encouragement of Bruel himself, to create their own Bad Kitty-inspired adventures.—Sarah Reid, Broome County Public Library, Binghamton, NY --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Sisters- Raina Telgemeier

Title: Sisters
Author: Raina Telgemeier
Publisher: Scholastic 
Date of Publication: Aug 26 2014

Plot and Review:

Raina always wanted a younger sister. She thought about it for years but when her wish finally came true, it wasn't as exciting as she previously thought. Dealing with the wants and emotions of a little sister can be difficult but nothing a little music cant fix. Things go sour when the family takes a week long car trip to visit cousins. Will sisters stick together or not? 

This book was an easy read with a flowing story. The storyline flows from present to past easilyand the reader is not confused. This book brings together a family that may be falling apart slowly. It shows the importance of the people you spend your days with. It is well written and once again, Telgemeir writes a relevant story for preteens trying to find where they fit in the world.

What We Found in the Sofa and How it Saved the World- Henry Clark

Title What we Found in the Sofa and How it Saved the World
Author: Henry Clark
ISBN 9780316206662

Review:  This is an adventure that the reader wont easily forget. Three friends River, Freak and Fiona find a beat up sofa near their bus stop. They find many oddities in the sofa but the most interesting object is a rare green crayon. One thing leads to another and the three end up finding out that things aren't always as they seem. With the help of a cat, a domino with intellect and an odd neighbor, can these three save the world from a menacing billionaire?

The adventure is non stop. This is a book that will appeal to reluctant readers as well as avid readers. The character development is adequate, but the action is full of life.

Her Permanent Record- Jimmy Gownley

Title: Her Permanent Record
Author: Jimmy Gownley
Lexile: GN380
Genre: Graphic Novel

ISBN: 9781416986157

Plot: Amelia has had many different adventures and in the last book in her series, she is working on becoming the best cheerleader at Joe Mccarthy Elementary. She wants to make the best superhero group ever as well. Her Aunt Tanner is famous and everyone wants to be like her, but Aunt Tanner disappears after a book comes out releasing embarrassing information. Amelia decides she must find her aunt and make things right in the world. Can she do it?

Review: This book is full of color, action and has an interesting plotline. Having not read the others in the series, I felt a little lost as the reader. It would be best to start from the beginning of the series to gather the background information on Amelia and her life. For reluctant readers, this would be a good place to start. Graphic novels draw in students differently than other books. They can be a great starting point and lead into traditional novels.

Tale of Despereaux-Kate DiCamillo

Title:Tale of Despereaux
Author: DiCamillo, Kate
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2003
ISBN-13: 9780763617226

Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: 670 Lexile
Interest Level: 8+


Readers Annotation: One brave mouse, one different rat, and two women. What could happen?

Plot:
This is a story of love, bravery and the meaning of life. Despereaux was doomed in the mouse community from the start. He was extremely small, had large ears and was the only mouse of his litter to survive. He was different from the beginning and never became a normal mouse. He broke all the rules and not only entered a room to listen to music, but fell in love and talked to a human! He was banished to the dungeon. Roscuro is a rat who wishes to be in the light not the darkness of the dungeon and Miggery Sow is a girl who wants something she cannot have. The three stories come together in an unusual way and the three learn something about themselves.

Review:
This book was very cute and a fast read. I loved the format of the book and the voice in which it was written. DiCamillo did a great job creating characters the reader will love. The story was being told to the reader and the narrator actually addresses the reader throughout the book. I enjoyed this book and understand why it has been read for many years.

Similar Materials:
Because of Winn Dixie- Kate DiCamillo
Feathers- Jacqueline Woodson

Then He Ate my Boy Entrancers- Louise Rennison

Title: Then he Ate my Boy Entrancers
Author: Rennison, Louise
Publisher: Harper Collins, 2005
ISBN-10:  006058937X

Genre: Realistic Fiction/ Comedy
Reading Level: 770 Lexile
Interest Level: 12+


Readers Annotation: The boy she loves is in the United States and guess what? She gets to go to the states too! Can she find him?

Plot:
Georgina and her best friend Jas are headed to Hamburger-a-gogo-land or America for a family vacation. While she is there she has decided that she wants to find Masimo. He is the Italian-American boy she really likes. Little does she know that Masimo is no where near the vacation spot. Will she be able to find him?

Review:
This book was very hard for me to understand. It uses a lot of British humor and language. This is not the first book in the series so it could be part of it but the language in general was very hard for me to read and understand. The other part that was hard for me to read was how she thought everything would be so easy to find. America is big and there are so many people. I did not like that it was all about country western things in America too. This book was hard to get through and I do not understand why people like it.

Clemintine- Sara Pennypacker

Title:Clementine
Author: Pennypacker, Sara
Publisher: Hyperion (Reprint), 2008
ISBN-10: 0786838833

Genre: Comedy
Reading Level: 790 Lexile
Interest Level: 7+


Readers Annotation: Clementine is paying attention at all times, just not to what adults think she should be.

Plot:
Clementine is a busy girl. She spends time "helping" all the people around her. There is so much to help with. She also spends a lot of time seeing what others to not. She is always being told to pay attention but she is! When Clementine's neighbor and friend is in the bathroom a long time, Clementine goes to see why. Margaret had gotten glue in her hair and cut a chunk of it off. Now she is crying. So Clementine helps by cutting the rest off short. Margaret does not like it because it is a brown color. The decide to color it red with art pens. Margaret's mother is very mad when  she finds out but Clementine was just trying to help.

Review:
This book reminds me of Judy Moody and others of that nature. Clementine is a walking, talking disaster. She causes trouble wherever she goes even though she does not mean to. This book is heart-warming, funny and full of antics. I would recommend it and any others in the series.

Similar Materials:
Other Clementine books
Judy Moody

Tunnels- Rodrick Gordon and Brian Williams

Title: Tunnels
Author: Gordon, Roderick and Williams, Brian
Publisher: Scholastic Inc., 2008
ISBN-13: 9780439871778

Genre: Adventure/ Fantasy
Reading Level: 990 Lexile
Interest Level: 11+

Readers Annotation: His father is missing and there seems to be some strange tunnels under the ground. Could the two be connected?

Plot:
Will is 14 and not a very popular kid. He gets made fun of a lot and his father is pretty eccentric as well. One day, Will's father disappears without a trace. This is odd and Will decides to look for him. He discovers some tunnels under the streets and since his father was an archaeologist he thinks maybe his father is lost in the tunnels. What he discovers is very different from an ancient civilization preserved under the ground. There is a community thriving in these tunnels and they have taken Will's father hostage. Can will get him back?

Review:
This is an interesting book that starts a series by Gordon and Williams. Tunnels is hard to get through at the beginning but once it gets going the adventures come one after another. The reader is captivated by the characters and civilization. The book leaves the reader ready for more which is a great way to start a series.

Similar Materials:

The Rest of the Series:
Deeper
Freefall
Closer
Spiral

The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things- Carolyn Mackler

Title:The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things
Author: Mackler, Carolyn
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2003
ISBN-10: 0763619582

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: 790 Lexile
Interest Level: 13+


Readers Annotation: Everyone in my family is beautiful and thin. Everyone, that is, other than me. I am over weight, unpopular and unhappy.

Plot:
Virginia feels like she does not fit into her family. Everyone is successful, beautiful and powerful. Virginia feels she is none of these things. She is overweight and spends her time playing on the internet and eating junk food. There is a boy Froggy who has taken interest in her but wont be seen with her in public. His real name is Froggy. Virginia's self esteem is so low but she decides to change her life and go on a diet. This is going great until a terrible call comes to the family. Virginia's older brother Byron has been suspended from college for date rape. As the family struggles with this news and figuring out the reality, Virginia needs to face her inner demons as well as the realization her family is not perfect.

Review:
This is an interesting book about something that is not talked about as often as it should. Virginia is very self conscious but she does not like to let people know this. She is so afraid that Froggy will see her body and run. She is afraid that she will always be fat and not be accepted by her family. It is a good book to help the reader see the beauty inside themselves and that nothing is as it seems.

Similar Materials:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky
Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging- Louise Rennison

The Lemonade War- Jacqueline Davies

Title:The Lemonade War
Author: Davies, Jacqueline
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 2007
ISBN-10:  0618750436

Genre: Adventure, Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: 630 Lexile
Interest Level: 8+


Readers Annotation:
Lemonade. Can one make good money doing it one weekend before school starts? One brother and sister fight to see who wins.

Plot:
Jessie and Evan are very different. Jessie is book smart. She is great at math and is even skipping the third grade. Evan is older and people smart. He is a smooth talker and makes friends very easily. The two decide they are going to see who can make the most money selling lemonade one weekend before school starts. They both will have separate stands and count at the end of the weekend. While both play on their strengths, both need to learn about the subject they do not know well in order to win. Sometimes there are not so nice ways of getting ahead. Who will win?

Review:
This was an interesting and fast paced book about sibling rivalry. Evan is upset his little sister is going to be in the same grade as him and Jessie just wants people to like her. There are layers to this story that are not explicitly focused on which makes it layered without being too stressful to read. I liked the antics in trying to win and the math was explained so children could be learning while reading.

Similar Materials:
The other Lemonade books by Jacqueline Davies

Crunch- Leslie Connor

Title:Crunch
Author: Connor, Leslie
Publisher: Harper Collins, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0061692345

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: HL 490 Lexile
Interest Level: 8+


Readers Annotation: Mom and dad are gone for a week and Dewey is partly in charge of all his other siblings while they are gone. Gas has run out though and now his parents cannot make it home. Life just got complicated.

Plot:
Dewey and his older sister Lil are in charge of their three younger siblings for the week their parents are gone. This does not seem too hard until gasoline shortages make it so no one can buy any. The family runs a bike shop off of the family farm and normally business is steady but not overly busy. When the shortage happens, people start using bikes more and business is booming. This would be wonderful if Dewey was not trying to take care of his family as well. Lil and Dewey try to hold everything together while their parents struggle to get home. One day, Dewey notices some of the bike parts have gone missing. This sends Dewey over the edge because he cannot be a parent, run the shop and figure out who is stealing. The children must lean on the people around them, are they worth trusting?

Review:
This book was very different from Connor's first book Waiting for Normal but the theme of leaning on those around you and learning to trust are in both. The family must bind together in ways they have not before in the face of a crisis. Unfortunately, this is a reality for families all across the nation. We have not run into a gasoline shortage, but people have been affected by prices as well as natural disasters. These events can bring families together as well. This is an interesting book and although it is different, it is a book that could become a reality. I had a hard time reading this one toward the middle because of the amount of detail. The book did not quickly move through the story which would make it difficult for reluctant readers to get though.

Similar Materials:
Turtle in Paradise- Jennifer Holm
The Lost Hero- Rick Riordan

The Books of Elsewhere- The Shadows-Jacqueline West

Title: The Books of Elsewhere- The Shadows
Author: West, Jacqueline
Publisher: The Penguin Group, 2010
ISBN-10:  0803734409

Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: 770 Lexile
Interest Level: 8-12


Readers Annotation: What if the pictures on your wall could not be moved? What could be beyond the pictures?

Plot:
Olive's family moved into an old home in a new town. It had been abandoned for a while but was still furnished on the inside. There were many old pictures hanging from the walls. Olive has a very mathematical brain and is not bothered by the pictures until one day when she sees something move in one of them after she finds a pair of old glasses. At first, Olive thinks this is all in her mind, then she begins to see more movement with the glasses on. She tries to remove the painting from the wall and it wont budge. Soon, different cats around the house begin to talk to her and Olive finds there is another world inside the paintings but there is something evil there that steals people from the real world. Can she navigate both worlds?

Review:
This book was hard for me to get into. I think many tweens will enjoy the fantasy of the book, but I prefer more realistic fiction. This book was well written and Olive is a lovable character. She is quirky but very intelligent. There was something about Olive that felt like the character Coraline in Neil Giaman's book. The children I know have read this liked it so I will be buying the rest of the series for the school library, but it was not one of my favorite books.

Similar Materials:

Spellbound- Jacqueline West
The Familiars- Adam Jay Epstein

Smile- Raina Telgemeier

Title: Smile
Author: Telgemeier, Raina
Publisher: Scholastic, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0545132060

Genre: Graphic
Reading Level: GN 410 Lexile
Interest Level: 8+
Awards: Will Eisher Winner

Readers Annotation: Raina finds out she has to get braces and the same night she falls and loses her front two teeth. This was the beginning to a long few years.

Plot:
Raina is in the sixth grade and she just wants to make it out alive. On the way home from girl scouts, Raina trips and falls breaking her front two teeth home. She is rushed to the dentist and has surgery. One things after another happens and Raina is stuck with fake teeth for a while as well as braces with head gear! Beyond the problems with her teeth, there is a super cute boy who does not notice Raina and her supposed friends are being mean. The years that follow, drama ensues.

Review:
This book was not a good as Drama, but Telgemeier drew wonderful pictures and told a coming of age story. People feel like the drama in these years is life changing and life ending. This book shows that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It was an interesting novel and tweens can relate to it well.

Similar Materials:

Drama, Diary of a Wimpy Kid

The Popularity Papers:Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang- Amy Ignatow

Title: The Popularity Papers:Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang
Author: Ignatow, Amy
Publisher: Amulet Books, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0810997233

Genre: Comedy
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: Grade 3+

Readers Annotation: Lydia and Julie want to become popular before they enter middle school. How can they do it?

Plot:
These two friends set out to become popular girls in school before middle school. One is a reader and loves the arts and one is more social. They start their journey deciding to do a science experiment to see what it takes to be popular. They create profiles of each popular person and then try to recreate that within themselves. Will this work or will it simply create animosity between the two friends? What does it really mean to be popular? Take this journey with Lydia and Julie to find out.

Review:
I did not enjoy this book but it is nominated for the Washington Sasquatch Award for middle aged students. It was full of drawings and is similar to books such as the Dork Diaries and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I think there needs to be more literary substance than there was in this book. That said, many students I work with who are tweens like this book because it is relevant to them. I would recommend reading it so you understand what the children are relating to.

Similar Materials:

Dork Diaries- Rachel Renee Russell
Diary of a Wimpy Kid- Jeff Kinney

Drama- Raina Telgemeier

Title: Drama
Author: Telgemeir, Raina
Publisher: Scholastic, 2012
ISBN-13:  9780545326988

Genre: Graphic Novel
Reading Level:GN 400L
Interest Level: 10-14

Readers Annotation: Callie is a theater girl. She loves everything about it, but cannot sing well at all. She decides she wants to make the set the best the school has ever seen!

Plot:
As Callie sets out to create the best set for the school play, she is met with many different challenges. She only has a small budget the middle school set apart for the play, she knows nothing about carpentry and building the sets, and there is so much drama. Callie meets two brothers who are new to the school. They are so cute, but that just complicates her life further. The cast of the play is not getting along and there are too many things to worry about all at once. Will she be able to create her dream show and still feel sane?

Review:
Telgemeier has done a fabulous job of creating drama, comedy, and personality into her graphic novel. The reader likes Callie right away and continues to sympathize with her through the book. The drawings are in vivid colors which brings the book to life for the reader. I would recommend this book to avid readers and reluctant readers because it is a quick and interesting story of growing up.

Similar Materials:

Smile- Raina Telgemeier

TTYL- Lauren Myracle