“Burn,” by Suzanne Phillips

“Burn,” by Suzanne Phillips is a powerful realistic fiction novel about a boy who is being bullied at school.

Cameron Grady is a high school freshman.  Once he used to get good grades, and he had friends at school.  Now he finds it hard just to work up the nerve to go to school at all.  Teachers pester him about missed assignments and failing grades, but none of these things matter to Cameron.  He is far more worried about avoiding being bullied.

It all started when Cameron began ninth grade.  One small but deadly mistake destroyed his school reputation forever. Read the rest »

“Seekers - Smoke Mountain,” by Erin Hunter

“Seekers - Smoke Mountain,” by Erin Hunter is the third book in the Seekers series, about a group of bears on a quest to save all bearkind from human damage to the environment.

In  “Seekers - The Quest Begins” and “Seekers - Great Bear Lake” Erin Hunter introduced readers to Kallik, an orphaned polar bear; and Lusa, a black bear who escaped from a human zoo to find Toklo, a grizzly bear cub.  The fourth bear in this diverse group, Ujurak, is truly unique.  He is shapeshifter who can take on the form of any other animal.  However he prefers to be a small bear cub. 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 Truth About Sparrows” by Marian Hale

“The Truth About Sparrows” by Marian Hale is a historical fiction novel about a family who moves from drought-plagued Missouri to Texas where they hope to start a new life.

Sadie hates the idea of moving to Texas. Not only will mean losing her best friend Wilma, but Sadie knows she will miss their familiar house and surroundings. However, Sadie’s family has little choice. A drought has destroyed all the crops. With no source of income they can’t make the mortgage payment and soon the bank will foreclose on their property. Read the rest »

“The Girl Who Threw Butterflies,” by Mick Cochrane

“The Girl Who Threw Butterflies,” by Mick Cochrane is an appealing story about a girl who faces her father’s death by playing on the school baseball team and throwing the knuckleball that her father taught her.

Molly Williams is known to other eighth grade students as the girl whose father died. The other students treat her differently, like they are sorry for her, but Molly doesn’t want to be treated differently. She wants life to go back to the way it was before her father was killed in a mysterious single car accident. Read the rest »