“Hattie Big Sky,” by Kirby Larson

“Hattie Big Sky,” by Kirby Larson is a Newberry Honor Award winning historical fiction novel about a sixteen-year-old girl who moves to Montana by herself to live on a land claim and prove it.

Hattie Brooks was orphaned at a young age, and as a result she has spent most of her life being shuttled from relative to relative. Her relatives view her as an annoyance, especially her aunt, who wants her to work as a maid.

When one of Hattie’s Uncles dies he leaves her his land claim, 320 acres of land in Montana. Read the rest »

“The Fruit Bowl Project” by Sarah Durkee

“The Fruit Bowl Project” by Sarah Durkee is an unusual book about a class writing project motivated by a famous rock star.

When the kids in Ms. Vallis’ eighth grade writer’s workshop learn that rock superstar Nick Thompson is come to speak with them they are thrilled.  Suddenly writing seems a lot more exciting.

When the day finally comes and Nick Thompson actually walks in the classroom door it seems too good to be true. Of course the kids have a lot of questions about Nick’s music career and other subjects, and Nick answers them.  But then he guides the kids back to the subject at hand: writing. Read the rest »

“Zen and the Art of Faking It” by Jordan Sonnenblick

“Zen and the Art of Faking It” by Jordan Sonnenblick is a realistic fiction novel about a boy who invents a better personality for himself so that he can be popular at his new school.

San Lee has a lot of experience with blending in.  His family moves quite regularly, and at each school San Lee gets a chance to build a new identity so that he can blend in with the pack.  In California he was a skater.  In Houston he was a rich preppy kid.  In Germany he was a pretend-jock.  But now San Lee is in a new place: a small town in Pennsylvania.  And he is also facing a new situation: his family is no longer rich.  His father is now in jail, busted for embezzling funds and cheating people in numerous states. Read the rest »

“Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love,” by Lauren Tarshis

“Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love,” by Lauren Tarshis is the wonderful sequel to “Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree.” In this second book of the series Emma-Jean will attempt to use her rational, scientific approach to unravel the mysteries of seventh grade romance.

Those readers who have already experienced “Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree” know Emma as a girl who is highly intelligent. She takes a logical approach to everything in life, but that technique doesn’t always work when she tries to understand the social dynamics of William Gladstone Middle School. Read the rest »

“The Tale of Despereaux,” by Kate DiCamillo

“The Tale of Despereaux,” by Kate DiCamillo is a Newbery Award Medal winning tale about a young mouse who is in love with a human princess. From the day he was born his parents knew that something was wrong with Despereaux. Most mouse babies are born with their eyes closed, but Despereaux was born with his eyes wide open. He was also the runt of the litter, much smaller than all the other mice. And his ears were ridiculously large! Despereaux’s parent were sure that he would die soon after birth. But to their surprise Despereaux does survive, though he grows up to be very different from other mice. Read the rest »