Absolutely Truly

From Publisher's Weekly..
2015 Edgar nominee

Six months ago, 12-year-old Truly Lovejoy’s life was perfect: her military family had finally settled down in Texas, and she was beginning to make friends. That was before Truly’s army pilot father lost an arm in Afghanistan and decided to move the family to his hometown to take over his parents’ failing bookstore. This first installment of Frederick’s Pumpkin Falls Mystery series, starring an endearing middle schooler who bemoans both her name and her towering height, focuses on themes of adjustment, small-town life, and teamwork. Stuck in a “population you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me Pumpkin Falls, New Hampshire” during “the coldest winter on record,” Truly is distracted from her disappointment when she discovers a letter tucked inside one of the bookshop’s rarest books. Soon she’s on a treasure hunt, trying to find clues to a 20-year-old puzzle involving two young lovers. There are conflicts with bullies along the way, but Truly also makes an assortment of friends and acquaintances, including some eccentric citizens. Well- developed characters, a cozy community, and an intriguing mystery will warm hearts and pique readers’ curiosity. Ages 8–12. 

Really good!

Death by Toilet Paper

From Publisher's Weekly…
Sydney Taylor for Older Readers

Benjamin Epstein, 12, is having an epically bad year. His father’s death left the family saddled with medical bills, his mother loses her job, and his grandfather, Zeyde Jake, arrives unexpectedly to live with them, displaying pronounced signs of Alzheimer’s. Then, the landlord posts an eviction notice on their apartment door. Benjamin, however, is a mensch, determined to keep the promise he made to his dying father that he would take care of his mother. A contest buff, he pins his hopes on winning a $10,000 prize for the best new slogan for a brand of toilet paper. This is a profoundly sad story about a boy made to carry a heavy burden that ends, mercifully, on a hopeful note. Gephart (Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen) leavens the sadness with bathroom humor, but there’s a disconnect between the lowbrow humor and the heavier elements of the plot. Still, Ben is a character kids will root for, and he’s surrounded by family and friends who help him see things will be okay, a message that may comfort readers facing similar circumstances. Ages 9–12. 

Excellent book!  Good for middle school.  

Greenglass House

From Publisher's Weekly…
National Book Award Long List, Edgar, Agatha

Twelve-year-old Milo’s Christmas looks ruined when five eccentric guests arrive at his parents’ inn on the first day of vacation. But his new friend Meddy has other ideas, and soon the pair is investigating a series of thefts and creating alter egos based on the role-playing game Odd Trails. Milo’s new persona allows him to imagine his Chinese birth family without the guilt he usually feels toward his loving adoptive parents when he does so. The mysteries surrounding the guests and their connections to the inn unravel slowly, but Milo—with his resentment of the unexpected, his growing empathy, and his quick powers of deduction—is a well-drawn protagonist. Likewise, the fictional port of Nagspeake, whose daring smugglers face off against ruthless customs agents, makes for a unique and cozy setting, where Milo’s parents’ inn provides a refuge for “runners,” as the smugglers call themselves. The legends and folktales Milford (The Broken Lands) creates add to Nagspeake’s charm and gently prepare the ground for a fantasy twist. Ages 10–14. 

Excellent!  Complicated with lots of characters which requires close reading.  

Storm

From Publisher's Weekly…
2015 Sydney Taylor teen winner

Napoli (Skin) draws from the story of Noah's Ark in this account of a Canaanite girl, Sebah, with a big problem: rain, which sweeps away her family, home, and the ground beneath her feet. Sebah and a boy named Aban climb a tree to survive, but soon they must abandon that refuge and set out on a raft across the ever-rising sea. That's when they see an enormous ark floating above them—but only Sebah is strong enough to climb aboard. Despite the novel's biblical origins, it's light on religion. Sebah's prayers (to Ba'al) are rare, and she's more concerned with hiding from Noah's irritable family than with the Mighty Creator that gives Noah instructions. Sebah bonds more readily with the easygoing bonobos who let her share their cage than the humans twisting themselves into knots to follow the rules of a baffling God. Her own survival, always, is paramount. Napoli's focus on Sebah's immediate circumstances allows her to grow organically as a character, bringing a satisfying realism to this familiar story. Ages 14–up. 

Very unique story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading!  But, not appropriate for younger middle schoolers.  Good for YA.  

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia

From Publisher's Weekly..
Siebert, YA NF Award

Making vibrant use of primary sources that emerged since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Fleming (Amelia Lost) brings to life the last imperial family of Russia. Writing with a strong point of view based on diary entries, personal letters, and other firsthand accounts, she enriches their well-known story with vivid details. The narrative begins in February 1903 (with some flashbacks to the meeting of tsar Nicholas and German-born tsarina Alexandra) and also features primary sources from peasants and factory workers—including an excerpt from Maxim Gorky’s 1913 memoir—that help to affectingly trace the increasingly deplorable conditions and growing discontent that led to the Russian Revolution; key figures such as Rasputin and Lenin are profiled in some depth. Fleming’s fulsome portraits of Nicholas and Alexandra, along with her depiction of their devoted relationship, highlight the role their personalities played in their downfall, as well as that of their beloved country. A wonderful introduction to this era in Russian history and a great read for those already familiar with it. Ages 12–up. 

Wonderful book!  Reads like fiction.  Good for LBJ Library.

I'll Give You the Sun

From Publisher's Weekly..
2015 Printz Award and Stonewall

Twins Noah and Jude are inseparable until misunderstandings, jealousies, and a major loss rip them apart. Both are talented artists, and creating art plays a major role in their narratives. Both also struggle with their sexuality—Noah is gay, which both thrills and terrifies him, while Jude is recovering from a terrible first sexual experience at age 14, one of two important reasons she has sworn off dating. Nelson (The Sky Is Everywhere) unravels the twins’ stories in long chapters that alternate between their perspectives. Noah’s sections are set when the twins are 13, Jude’s at age 16, giving readers slanted insights into how their relationship deteriorated and how it begins to mend. The twins’ artistic passions and viewpoints suffuse their distinctive voices; Noah tends toward wild, dramatic overstatements, and Jude’s world is wrapped up in her late grandmother’s quirky superstitions and truisms. Readers are meant to feel big things, and they will—Nelson’s novel brims with emotion (grief, longing, and love in particular) as Noah, Jude, and the broken individuals in their lives find ways to heal. Ages 14–up. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Sept.)

Excellent read, but not appropriate for younger middle schoolers.  

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus

From Publisher's Weekly….
2015 Siebert Award

The award-winning team behind A River of Wordstakes on the story of British physician Peter Mark Roget, author of the eponymous thesaurus. Bryant draws a clear line from the dislocations of Roget’s youth—the death of his father in 1783 and the family’s frequent moves thereafter—to his need for order as he starts making lists of words. “Words, Peter learned, were powerful things. And when he put them into long, neat rows, he felt as if the world itself clicked into order.” Yet Roget wasn’t merely a reclusive scholar. He meant for his thesaurus to have a democratizing effect: “I want everyone to be able to use my word book, not just doctors, politicians, and lawyers, but cobblers, fishmongers, and factory workers.” Sweet envisions Roget’s work as a shadow box crammed with the wonders of the natural world, adorned with exuberant hand-lettered typography. Together with Bryant’s sympathetic account, Sweet’s gentle riot of images and words humanizes the man behind this ubiquitous reference work and demystifies the thesaurus itself. Ages 7–up. Author’s agent: Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Trident Media Group. (Sept.)

What a beautiful story and illustrations!  Too young for ms, but maybe I'll get it anyway as it's a Caldecott Honor book.