Revolution

by Jennifer Donnelly

Summary:
Andi has nowhere to go.  Trapped by the grief after the death of her younger brother, guilty that she might have been able to stop it, abandoned by a father who moved out and a mother whose grief has rendered her completely dependent on Andi, she has nowhere left to turn.  There is only one thing that comforts her, her music, but even that has not been enough.  When she finds herself stuck in Paris for two weeks with her father, she turns even more to her music.  When she finds a 18th century guitar in the house they are staying in, she finds comfort in it's strings.  But it is the diary she finds hidden inside it, written by a 17 year old girl during the French Revolution, which helps her find the peace she needs.

Review:
Revolution weaves French history with modern life in an interesting fashion.  The book deftly showcases life during the revolution, a time of horror for those who lived it, and relates it to the struggles that Andi is having in her life, as well as putting things in perspective for her.  The book is pretty accurate in it's history, though it does take liberties to incorporate Alexandrine's acts.  The book is also interesting in how it relates the struggles both girls have, both struggling with loss and feeling abandoned and alone.  In the end it is Alexandrine who gives Andi the strength to move forward with life.

Genre: Historical Fiction/Contemporary Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th Grade

Forgotten

By Cat Patrick

Summary:
Sometimes we all wish we could forget things from our past.  That we could wake up and start completely fresh.  Wouldn't it be easier?  For London Lane it means waking up not remembering anything from the past.  Not what clothes she wore the day before, not what happened in school, not what happened when she was little.  All she has is the notebook she writes in every night, full of reminders about what happened each day.  But what has she been leaving out of the notebook? What happened in her past that triggered this reset? 

Review:
Forgotten is an interesting book about how a trauma can cause a person to reset themselves.  After London's brother was abducted from in front of her when she was a young girl, her mind closed itself off in order to protect her from the memory.  While she functions normally through each day, her memories of each day don't last longer than the day itself, though she is able to see memories from the future in their place.  The book is an interesting story about how keeping things from someone, even if you are trying to protect them, can have disastrous consequences. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7-8th Grade

Putting Makeup on Dead People

by Jen Violi

Summary:
Donna really didn't know what she wanted to do after high school.  Sure there was the possibility of college, but that just didn't appeal to her the way it should.  But then she attended the funeral of a girl she goes to high school with.  And suddenly she realizes that her career choice is right in front of her: mortician school.  Definitely not a typical choice, but after dealing with the loss of her own father, she knows that she has the ability to comfort the grieving, to help provide closure to those who have lost.  She just needs to convince her mother that it's the right choice.

Review: 
Violi has created an interesting character in Donna.  She is both incredibly mature for her age, having dealt with a severe loss in her life, but also very immature, being unable to cope with her mother dating 4 years after losing her father, and not able to talk about her life choices without being very defensive.  Overall though the book deftly deals with the many ways people cope with loss and the way one girl decides to help them.  Good for teens mainly, not a very thorough book about loss in general though. 

Genre: Realistic fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

13 Reason's Why

By Jay Asher

Summary:
Hannah committed suicide.  She left no note, no explanation.  Yet one day Clay receives a package in the mail.  A package containing 13 cassette tapes.  As he begins to listen to them, he hears her voice.  A voice he thought he would never hear again.  The tapes are her explanation.  Her story.  They are not an excuse, but a way for her to tell those who hurt her, who were part of her story, the role that they played in the events that led to her death. 

Review:
Asher has created a very powerful book about the nature of teen suicide.  Through Hannah he has created a character that the reader sympathizes with, that the reader wants to know more about.  It is a warning message about the terrible power of rumors, about how it only takes a little to spiral out of control.  It is also a story about revenge, as this is the only way Hannah knows to get her story out, her way of reaching out even though it is too late for anyone to respond.  Overall it is a very impressive book, though definitely suited to an older crowd not only due to the frankness it deals with suicide, but also the prevalence of sex and alcohol. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th grade

Divergent

by Veronica Roth

Summary:
In what used to be Chicago, 16 year old Beatrice Prior must choose which of the five factions of society she will live with for the rest of her life.  But Beatrice is not like everyone else, who are slotted neatly into a faction by exhibiting the characteristics that are the base of each.  Beatrice is different, divergent from the norm.  And being divergent isn't a good thing in this society, in fact it's a threat to it's very fabric.  A threat that needs to be eliminated. 

Review:
Divergent is not just a social commentary about the dangers of societal control.  It is about the courage of a girl who is different, about her courage standing up to her government.  It is written in the same thread as many other dystopian novels written for tweens, but Roth brings a new character which many tweens will identify with. 

Hate List

by Jennifer Brown

Summary:
No one really knows what to make of Valerie.  Innocent victim, hero, or accomplice in the murder of several of her classmates?  It might have been her boyfriend Nick who pulled the trigger, but she was the one who lived.  Now she not only has to recover from a devastating bullet wound, but also learn to make her way in a school where no one trusts her.  Where everyone is recovering from losing someone they loved, but she is the one recovering from loving a killer. 

Review:
School shootings are a sensitive topic, one which Hate List is able to bring up in a very powerful way.  The book focuses not only on Valerie as she attempts to heal from the trauma of being shot, but intersperses it with flashbacks to the day of the shooting as she attempts to figure out where everything went so wrong.  It all began with a list she made about things she hated, people who were annoying her, but spun so out of control the reader truly empathizes with her and the situation.  The book is a great read which focuses on devastating consequences bullying and social seclusion can have.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Level: 8-9th Grade

Speak

by Laurie Hale Anderson

Summary:
Melinda didn't want to start freshman year as the girl everyone hates, but after calling the cops on a party at the end of the summer she has found herself to be persona non grata with everyone.  No one asked her her side of the story, and even if they did she's not sure what she'd say.  With no one to turn to she takes refuge in the one class she likes, art.  As the year goes by she finds that the things she really needs to say she can't.  But when her friend is threatened by what she experienced at that party, she realizes that the courage to speak was there all along.

Review:
Speak is a powerful book about a girl's reaction to being raped.  Her confusion and shame, unwillingness to talk, and ostracism by her peers (though none of them knew about it) are all taken matter of factly by Melinda herself.  What struck me the most about the book was how no one really stepped in to talk to her, how her parents left her alone and didn't question as she withdrew from everyone.  How her friends turned on her after learning she had called the cops, without asking her why.  But once she does tell her side of the story, everyone stands by her, realizing that she was the only one who had it right all along.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Level: 9th grade

Pretty Little Liars

by Sara Shepard

Summary:
Spencer, Hanna, Emily, Aria, and Allison were not only the most popular girls in the 7th grade, but they were the very best of friends.  But even friends have secrets.  After Allison disappears, the girls left behind see their friendship disintegrate.  Now they are in the 11th grade, and those 7th grade secrets are coming back to haunt them.  They think Allison might be behind the emails and texts threatening to expose them since she has never been found, but when her body is discovered behind the house she used to live in, it leaves them all questioning everyone they know.

Review:
Pretty Little Liars is about 'mean girls.'  It's not a book with substance, though the plot line does draw one in, wondering who could be behind it all, and makes one want to read the next in the series to find out.  The book is not for younger tweens, though is similar, though darker, to the Clique books.  Not a great book to recommend young tweens, but could be a good guilty pleasure for older ones.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Series Information: Book one of the Pretty Little Liars series, currently 10 altogether
Grade Level: 8-9th grade

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

by Ransom Riggs

Summary:
After the death of his grandfather, Jacob struggles to understand what he saw on that tragic day.  In an attempt to understand not only that but also more about his grandfather, he and his father travel to the island where his grandfather grew up.  On this tiny place outside of Wales his grandfather lived in an orphanage.  But it was no ordinary orphanage.  It was an orphanage for a special kind of child.  As Jacob explores this place he learns that things are not as they appear, and are in no way what he expected. 

Review:
Miss Peregrine's orphanage is full of the impossible.  The children are capable of extreme feats.  They live in a permanent world where every day is the exact same.  Jacob is introduced to an entirely new life at this orphanage and has to choose between this new one and the old life he had.  The book is well written, definitely not quite what you expect when you begin, but overall very good. The old pictures throughout the book are an interesting touch as well.

Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Grade Level: 8th-9th

The Compound

by S. A. Bodeen

Summary:
While the rest of the world has been destroyed by a nuclear bomb, Eli and his family are safe in an underground compound built by his extremely wealthy father.  Trapped underground for the last 6 years with no communication with the outside world, 16 year old Eli is beginning to question his survival.  Why has he and his sisters survived while his twin perished outside? How are they going to leave when it's finally safe outside?  As their food supply diminishes faster than anticipated, Eli is forced to confront everything he believed in, only to discover that nothing is actually as it seems.

Review:
The Compound is a book not only about a monstrous betrayal, but about what people will or won't do to survive.  Eli's father is a cunningly evil man, who has turned his family into a great experiment in survivalism.  Eli himself shows remarkable fortitude in grasping the situation as it develops, and is a character that many teens will identify with.  Overall a really good book that was hard to put down.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Level: 8th Grade

Uglies

By Scott Westerfield

Summary:
Imagine living in a world where everyone looks virtually the same.  Everyone is beautiful, slim, without a care in the world.  This is the world Tally and Shay are born into.  Until age 16 they are uglies, unaltered by surgery as they grow up.  But once they hit that magical age they will become pretty with all the fun benefits that come with it. But what is the price of becoming pretty? Is it more than just a surgery that makes them pretty on the outside? Tally and Shay begin to realize that maybe there is more to life than being pretty, maybe there is more to life than following the rules.

Review:
Uglies is set in the future, after the world we know is destroyed by our own follies, and rebuilt by those who decide to curb societies more ruthless impulses, including the ones which lead us to destroy our own planet.  But the book also acknowledges the cost of going to far to protect one thing from another.  To prevent conflict minds are altered.  To prevent forests from being destroyed no one is allowed in them.  The books are well written and engaging, allowing the reader to identify with Tally as she struggles between wanting to be pretty and live a carefree life or whether she should live in the wild unalered. 

Series Information:
Uglies
Pretties
Specials
Extras

Eva

by Peter Dickinson

Eva used to be a normal 13 year old girl.  The key words being 'used to.'  After a car accident leaves her close to dead, a groundbreaking surgery is preformed, transferring the essence of what is 'Eva,' into the body of a 5 year old chimpanzee named Kelly.  As Eva learns to use and understand her new body, to meld being a chimpanzee in body but a girl in mind, she grapples with issues far beyond what anyone expected when the surgery was suggested.  In a world where there are few animals left in their natural habitats, Eva becomes a figurehead for a conservationist movement.  And becomes the biggest hope for the future of her species, both human and chimpanzee. 


Eva is a powerful book about the potential consequences of human actions, especially when we think science and modernization can cure all evils.  The book provokes some intense discussion and thoughts on what a life is really worth, and whether a human life is really worth more than an animals.  It issues a warning about overpopulation and the effects it can and may have on the earth and all it's other inhabitants.  Above all though, it is a book about how one girl was ultimately stronger than anyone else and was able to protect her new species from eventual destruction.  The book can be a bit unsettling, but is ultimately worth the read as it presents its concepts and storyline incredibly well.

Genre: Dystopian Fiction
Grade Level: 7th Grade

City of Ember

by Jeanne DuPrau

Summary:
Imagine living in a world of darkness.  Where the only light comes from your electrical lights, but beyond your city, beyond it's streetlights, is a vast place of nothingness but the darkness.  This is Ember.  While the lights have worked since it became a city over 200 years ago, they are starting to flicker.  And blackouts have started, blackouts no one can stop.  And when the only light in a city is gone, what happens to that city and all the people in it?  Lina and Doon might not be the only 2 people in the city worried about what happens when the lights turn off forever, but they might be the only ones with the courage to do something about it. 

Review:
City of Ember is an interesting book about a place built to ensure the survival of the human race, a place built to survive when the rest of the world collapses upon itself.  The characters themselves are well developed and relatable.  Tweens might particularly enjoy the parts of the book where Lina and Doon have to figure out what simple words like 'boat'' or 'match' mean and how they relate to the world outside them.  A world they are hoping to discover. 

Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Grade Level: 5th Grade
Series Information: Book 1 of a 4 part series (City of Ember, People of Sparks, Prophet of Yonwood, The Diamond of Darkhold.\)

The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the struggle for equal rights

  by Russell Freedman

Marian Anderson was one of the great singers of the mid-20^th century.  She performed all over the country and across Europe, and was heralded for her beautiful voice and singing style.  She was also African American.  Marian didn’t want her race to become a factor in her singing, but when she was barred from performing in the biggest concert hall in DC because of it, it became one.  This book tells about her struggle to share the gift of her voice with any who wanted to hear it.  It tells how she broke many boundaries and was the result many segregation rules changed in DC, and other places in the country. 

Marian Anderson was above all else a performer.  She wasn’t political in nature, but later in life became so.  This book tells her story and about how above all else she wanted to sing.  It is not a book strictly on the civil rights movement, but discusses how one woman who was fairly removed from it due to her growing up in the Northern states and living in non-segregated areas became a fairly prominent example of someone who had risen above a racial stereotype.  It’s a well written book which will interest tweens who are interested in civil rights of personal achievement. 

Good Brother, Bad Brother: the story of Edwin Wilkes Booth and John Wilkes Booth

by James Cross Giblin

What if you were born into a family of actors?  What if you were able to travel around the country performing with your famous father?  What if you, along with your brothers, were famous all over the country for your stage performances? What if one of those brothers was John Wilkes Booth?  What happens when your brother becomes the most hated man in America for assassinating President Lincoln? This is the story not of John Wilkes Booth, but of his older brother, Edwin Booth.  This is the story of how one family lived before John committed that terrible act, and how Edwin fought to keep his family together and safe after. 

This presents an interesting look at the life of the family of one of America’s greatest villains.  I think that it is especially interesting as a lot of times one tends to assume that just because one person has committed a terrible act, those around him are guilty too.  This book focuses mainly on Edwin’s life, both before and after the assassination, as well as at the events going on in America and how they affected the family and John.  Overall a really excellent book which gives a different look at such a notorious figure.

Fight On! Mary Churchill Terrell's battle for immigration

by Dennis Brindell Fradin & Judith Bloom Fradin

Mary Church Terrell had a privileged upbringing.  Not only did she graduate high school, but she was one of very few women who went to and graduated college.  And she wasn’t just at college to find a husband, she was there to learn!  What makes Mary’s accomplishment in this even more extraordinary, was the fact that she was African American. Mary didn’t stop her accomplishments with graduating college, she led the fight to stop segregation in Washington DC restaurants through picketing and lawsuits.  She believed that just because her skin as a different color she should not be banned from eating in certain restaurants.  She knew that it was only ignorance that led people follow segregation laws, and she was determined to show people they were wrong.

This book is an interesting read about a woman who broke a lot of barriers in her day.  The fact that she had such a privileged upbringing and was so dedicated to making life better for others is very moving.  She was well educated, which gave her arguments against segregation a lot more sway than they might have had otherwise.  She is a very strong woman, which makes a book about her a great motivational tool for tweens of both genders.  In addition, the book looks at segregation policies very frankly. It’s a great book about someone who isn’t as well known for her work during the civil rights movement, but should be. 

Andy Warhol Prince of Pop

by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan


Sure, you may have seen his famous Campbell’s soup can painting.  Or perhaps the one he did of Marilyn Monroe.  But how much do you really know about the famous pop culture artist Andy Warhol?  Andy was born into life an artist, though he struggled to find his niche in the field.  He struggled with personal problems and his own sexuality throughout his life.  He revolutionized the pop art scene with his paintings of everyday objects.  Andy Warhol was more than just a man who took a soup can and made a career from it, he was an artistic genius who wanted to make his mark on the world.


Andy Warhol is an artist who revolutionized the art scene.  While his paintings receive mixed reviews as to their ingenuity to this day, he remains one of the great American artists of the 20^th century.  In this biography, written to older tweens and teens, his life is revealed.  From early childhood to his older years, Andy is revealed to be a conflicted man who struggles with successes and failures.  This book details some of the problems he had in his life, but discusses them in a more PG fashion than biographies on the artist written for an older set.  Overall a great read about the artist, and one that even non-artists will appreciate as overall it’s the story of one man’s life and struggle for fame and success.   

I, Jack

by Jack the Dog

A humorous tale of Jack the dog and his misadventures.  The book is told through Jack's eyes, and the reader will laugh along with his descriptions of his human owners and his plight to train them to listen to him!

Toys go out

By Emily Jenkins

A series of short stories about the adventures of 3 toys.  This is the first book of 2 in the series. 

Bunnicula

by James Howe

A great series about a bunny who sucks the life out of carrots!!!  Funny with some halloweenish humor, its a great read for a 1st-2nd grader!

Madeline L'Engle

While everyone reads 'A Wrinkle in Time' not as many readers discover some of Madeline L'Engle's other works.  My favorite series involves the Austin family, and in particular their eldest daughter Vicky.  This series is a classic coming of age book, where a young girl faces events that change and shape her life.  She falls in love, learns the difference between loving and liking someone, faces the loss of a grandfather and the challenges of growing up. 

The books are:
Meet the Austins
A Ring of Endless Light
Troubling a Star

Historical Fiction Picks

Some of my favorites for Teen and Tween Historical Fiction:

Ann Rinaldi- Quilt series, A Ride into mornng
James Lincoln Collier- My Brother Sam is Dead
Paulson- Woods Runner
Nancy Springer- Outlaw, Rowen Hood
Carolyn Meyer- Doomed Queen Anne, Mary Bloody Mary
Celia Rees- Witch Child
Avi- True Adventures of Charlotte Doyle
Bette Greene- Summre of my German Soldier
Genifer Choldenko- Al Capone does my Shirts

Ten Miles Past Normal

by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Summary:
Janie struggles like any new freshman to fit in, but she has to do it smelling like the goats she milks every morning.  Which she can't really complain about, since moving to the farm was her idea in the first place.  As Janie figures out her place in the ranks of the school, she learns that sometimes being a bit different isn't so bad after al.

Review:
A good read about fitting in and the challenges of accepting yourself, and your crazy family.  The book has an overall feel good theme abou embracing yourself and that as a result others will too. 

Cloaked

By Alex Flinn

A novel which combines several lesser told fairy tales with modern life.  The novel tells the story of Johnny, a shoemaker in South Florida, who takes on a quest from Princess Victoriana to find her brother who has been turned into a frog.  If he finds him he gets to marry the princess.  Along the way he discovers that maybe marrying a princess isn't what he wants, but the girl he has always known might be. 

The book is a great read for teens who like modern romance with a hint of fantasy to it.  The writing is simple but the story is well developed.  It's also fun to see how Flinn weaves in a variety of fairy tales into one story. 

good teen fiction

Sharon Draper's novels for teens deal with traumatic events and how teens cope with the aftermath- car accidents, rape, alcoholism etc.

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat

Author: Lynne Jonell

Publisher: New York : H. Holt, 2007.

Plot Description:

            Emmy feels completely invisible most of the time.  No one at school ever talks to her, not even her teacher knows her name.  Her parents are off jetting around Europe again.  The only person who ever really talks to her is her nanny, Miss Barmy, but that’s usually to scold her or make her take another kind of medicine.  Then of course, there is the rat.  The rat is the classroom pet, and he is full of conniving schemes.  Like how Emmy should let him go free.  One day Emmy does, and thus starts an adventure she couldn’t imagine.  One that explains why no one seems to notice her.  Because they’ve all been convinced she doesn’t exist. 

Review:

            Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat is a great tween read.  Friendless Emmy is out to finally learn how to stand up for herself, and is able to make a friend or two in the process.  She, with the help of the rat and her new friend Joe (who got sucked into this mess by the rat as well), discover that her nanny isn’t all that she seems.  The book mixes fantasy well, and the reader ends up believing that all this might just happen.  I would definitely recommend this to both boy or girl tweens, its mix of fun-filled adventure combined with Emmy coming into her own is hard to resist!

Genre: Humorous Fiction

Reading level: 5^th Grade

Similar Books: The School Story

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- Really fun story

Subjects/themes- animals, rats, fantasy, humor

Series information- There is a second book about Emmy

Character names/descriptions-

            Emmy- can’t understand why no one seems to notice her

            Joe- the first kid in her class, who notices her after the rat bites him

            Miss Barmy- Emmy’s nanny, who is just  a bit odd

Annotation: Not all rats are pesky rodents. 

Zoobreak

 Zoobreak

Author: Gordon Korman

Publisher: New York : Scholastic Press, 2009.

Plot Description:

            When Savannah’s pet mokey Cleo disappears, she and her friends Griffin and Ben look everywhere for him.  What they don’t expect is to find her in the floating zoo their teacher takes them to on a field trip.  But this zoo isn’t a nice zoo, it’s the dirtiest, most disgusting place that Savannah has ever seen.  And when the zookeeper refuses to admit that Cleo is Savannah’s, it’s up to Griffin, the ‘man with the plan,’ to come up with a way to get Cleo back before the zoo takes off for it’s next port.  In a fun filled adventure Griffin enlists the help of his classmates for Operation Zoobreak. 

Review:

            Zoobreak is a fun story about kids taking matters into their own hands when parents can’t solve a problem.  With excellently written characters, Korman creates a story which will appeal to all tweens because they will surely find someone to identify with.  The book focuses on a love of animals, but the plot has a few fun twists and any would be lawbreaker will enjoy the misadventures of Griffin and his gang. 

Genre: Animal Fiction

Reading level: 5^th Grade

Similar Books: Artemis Fowl

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- Fun characters and excellent plot turns

Subjects/themes- Animals, Adventure, Zoos, Theft

Series information- Second book involving Griffin and his gang

Character names/descriptions-

            Savannah- loves all animals, Cleo is her monkey

            Griffin- the man with the plan

            Ben- has narcolepsy, but a ferret they free from the zoo fixes all that

            Mr Natase- the mean owner of “All About Animals’

Annotation: When all else fails, the man with the plan will come through!

Nicholas in Trouble

Nicholas in Trouble

Author: by René Goscinny & Jean-Jacques Sempé

Publisher: New York : Phaidon Press, c2008.

Plot Description:

            Nicholas and his friends don’t try to get in trouble, it’s just that trouble seems to follow them.  They try to follow the rules at school and at home, but sometimes those rules really don’t make sense.  From selling raffle tickets to going to the grocery store to learning about road safety, there always seems to be something. 

Review:

            Nicholas in Trouble is an absolutely fantastic book about a French schoolboy and his friends.  Written with great wit and humor, the book is sure to appeal to tweens.  Because of the cheeky way the story is written, I would even recommend it to older tweens for whom the book might otherwise be a bit easy to read.  The book is broken into a bunch of short stories, each detailing a time when Nicholas and his friends do something they think is right only to find out it’s not, like when they learn about road safety, safely cross the road to the delight of their teacher, and then run right back across to her to give her a hug without looking both ways.  It’s a delightful read. 

Genre: Humorous Fiction

Reading level: 4^th Grade

Similar Books: The Adventures of Captain Underpants

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- super amusing, very very French

Subjects/themes- Trouble, Humor, Friends, School

Series information- Fifth in the Nicholas novels

Character names/descriptions-

            Nicholas- the young French schoolboy with a penchant for trouble

Annotation:  If getting in trouble wasn’t so much fun, Nicholas might not do it so much...

Because of Winn Dixie

 Because of Winn Dixie

Author: Kate DiCamillo

Publisher: Cambridge, Mass. : Candlewick Press, 2000.

Plot Description:

            India Opal Buloni has just moved to Naples, Florida.  She hasn’t made any real friends yet, but she is used to moving because her daddy is a preacher.  Sometimes it’s hard to be the preacher’s daughter, because everyone thinks you’re just going to tattle on them.  But Winn Dixie, the stray dog she found at the grocery store of the same name, is about to change all that.  Winn Dixie quickly becomes her best friend, and becomes her easy ticket to making new friends with his big grin and playful ways.  India is about to find out what real friendship is all about.

Review:

            Because of Winn Dixie is a great book about a girl who is growing up and learning about herself and about the influence one person can make on another’s life. As she makes friends with a few loners around town, the old librarian, the guy who works at the animal shop, and the town ‘witch’, she learns that loneliness is the worst thing that can happen to a person.  She learns that it’s not what people think that matters, that there is good in everyone.  It’s a great book for tweens with fun characters and a good story about a girl and her dog. 

Genre: Realistic Ficiton

Reading level: 4-5^th Grade

Similar Books: The Higher Power of Lucky

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- really cute book about misfits banding together

Subjects/themes- Dogs, Friendship, Family

Awards- Newbery Honor Book

Character names/descriptions-

            India- a young girl who wants to know her mother who ran away when she was young

            Miss Franny Block- the town librarian

            Gloria Dump- the town witch, tells India about making amends

Otis- works at the pet store

Annotation: Sometimes it takes a dog to make things right.

Franny K. Stein: Mad Scientist

Franny K. Stein: Mad Scientist

Author: Jim Benton

Publisher: New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2003

Plot Description:

            Fanny K. Stein isn’t like most girls her age. She can’t stand the color pink, or ruffles, or fluffy stuffed animals.  She likes her pet bats, and her science projects.  But liking those things isn’t making her any friends.   So when her teacher suggests she look to the other girls in class as a way to try and make friends, Franny realizes it’s time for the experiment of a lifetime.  She pretends to like the color pink, and peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches, and for awhile blends right in.  But when the lunch leftovers turn into a giant monster, there’s only one girl who can save them, it’s a job for Franny K. Stein, MAD SCIENTIST!

Review:

            A well written and amusing read, Franny K. Stein will appeal to tween readers.  The book is not just about one girl’s quest to become a great scientist, but is a good story about fitting in, and the realization that being just like everyone else isn’t all that.  Benton has created a great character in Franny, who is appealing to both genders of tween.   I thought the illustrations were especially great. 

Genre: Humorous Fiction

Reading level: 4^th Grade

Similar Books: The Adventures of Captain Underpants

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- good book, with fun illustrations

Subjects/themes- Monsters, School, Fitting In, Fiction

Series information- 1^st in the Franny K. Stein series

Character names/descriptions-

            Franny K. Stein- a genius scientist stuck in school

            Miss Shelly- Franny’s teacher who suggests the great experiment

Annotation: Being a Mad Scientist comes in handy sometimes.

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had

Author: Kristin Levine

Publisher: New York : G.P. Putnams Sons, c2009.

Plot Description:

            All Dit was really hoping for was that the new postmaster would have a son his age, and that the son liked baseball.  It didn’t seem like too much to ask for.  Unfortunately, what he got instead was Emma.  Emma might be his age, but they really don’t have much else in common.  She grew up in fancy Boston, wears pretty clothes all the time, doesn’t play baseball, and she’s black.  But as Dit and Emma spend time together, he begins to realize that even though she’s a girl, she’s not half bad.  But a lot of people in the town don’t agree with him, and he’s got some decisions to make: does he stick by his friend?  Or is the town right and her skin color really does make her different?

Review:

            The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had provides a different lens for the problem of racial prejudice and the civil rights movement.  Seen through the eyes of Dit, the terrible racial tensions of the South seem petty.  When the town’s barber, who is also black, is on trial for the murder of the sheriff (even though it was self defense), Dit learns that right and wrong are not always as clear to everyone else as they are to him.  It’s a great story about a boy learning that the world isn’t always the best place, but that it’s important to always to what’s right. 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Reading level: 6^th Grade

Similar Books: Maniac Magee

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- really good book about how we shouldn’t judge people by our first impressions

Subjects/themes- Prejudice, friendship, Racism, Fiction

Character names/descriptions-

            Dit- 12 years old and likes baseball

            Emma- 12 years old and likes reading, is really smart but can’t go to the white kids school

            Doc- accused of murdering Big Foot (who is also his half brother

Annotation: Girls can come in handy sometimes.

The Adventures of Captain Underpants

The Adventures of Captain Underpants

Author: Dav Pilkney

Publisher: New York : Blue Sky Press, 1997.

Plot Description:

            George and Harold are always in trouble.  Not because they like for bad things to happen to people, they just have a mischievous streak a mile long.  One of their best creations is their comic book about “Captain Underpants.”  Unfortunately, though a random series of events, they end up hypnotizing their principal (who HATES captain underpants cartoons) into believing that HE is actually captain underpants!  Which might have been ok, if he hen hadn’t gone off to fight crime.  Now it’s up to them to find out how to get everything back to normal!

Review:

            The Adventures of Captain Underpants is a fun filled adventure filled with not just the story but also terrific illustrations.  Harold and George are fun characters, who cause tons of trouble but the trouble is so great that it’s hard to fault them for it.  The book will definitely appeal to tweens, especially to boys.

Genre: Humorous Fiction

Reading level: 4^th Grade

Similar Books: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- Entertaining

Subjects/themes- Heroes, Friendship, Humorous Stories

Series information- The first of several in the Captain Underpants series

Character names/descriptions-

            George and Harold- the troublesome duo who create the Captain Underpants

comic

            Mr. Krupp- the mean principal of their school who ends up believing he is

Captain Underpants!

            Dr. Diaper- the evil genius who Captain Underpants (aka Mr. Krupp) tries to

catch

Annotation: What if the comic book you created came to life!

Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam

Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam

Author: Cynthia Kadohata

Publisher: New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c2007.

Plot Description:

            Cracker lives a great life with his master Willie, and Willie’s parents.  But when the family has to move to a smaller home, they find that they can no longer keep Cracker with them.  Instead of sending her to the pound, they decide to send her to help the army in Vietnam as a bomb sniffing dog.  But before she can go she has to learn to obey a new master, an 18 year old recruit named Rick.  As Rick and Cracker learn to work together and trust each other they are sent on their biggest test, to survive Vietnam and the horrific war that is going on there.  What results is a heartwarming and breaking story about the love of a dog and her master, and the power that this love brings.

Review:

            Cracker! is an amazing story about something that few realize happen.  Dogs have been a major part of war for major battles for centuries, but they are the unsung heroes even after they have saved the lives of thousands.  The book talks about the sacrifices these dogs willingly made for the masters they loved, and the heartbreak the soldiers suffered for these heroic pets.  Another interesting part of the story was that the book really told how these dogs saved people, and then of the terrible end the army left most of them to.  The book believable switches back and forth from the perspective of Cracker and Rick.  It is a must read for any tween interested in animals or in war stories. 

Genre: Historical Fiction

           

Reading level: 8^th-9^th Grade

Similar Books: Skulduggery Pleasant, Alabama Moon

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- really powerful book on the bond between humans and dogs

Subjects/themes- War, Dogs, Vietnam War, Growing up

Character names/descriptions-

            Willie- Cracker’s owner who had to give him up

            Rick- ends up becoming Cracker’s handler and owes his life to the dog

            Cracker- a heroic dog

Annotation: Sometimes the person you can count on the most, isn’t a person at all.

That Darn Cat

That Darn Cat

Walt Disney Pictures

Publisher: Burbank, Calif. : Distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, [2003?]

Plot Description:

            When a mysterious kidnapping occurs, the police have no clues or suspects.  But when D.C. finds a clue that could break the case, it’s up to Patti to make sure the cops pay attention.  The only problem is that the police don’t like to take clues from cats….and D.C., despite being a man about town, is a cat.  Hilarity ensues as Patti teams up with FBI agent Kelso to try and solve the case. 

Review:

            That Darn Cat is a fun filled adventure about a girl and her crime-solving cat.  While the movie takes place in the 90s, it will still appeal to tweens   Christina Ricci pairs well with Doug E. Doug in this great remake of the original.  The movie’s humor will appeal to tweens of both genders.  It is a fun movie which is both wholesome and fun. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Viewing level: 4^th Grade

Similar Movies: Aquamarine, Milo and Otis

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- cute

Subjects/themes- Cats, Friendship, Kidnapping, Fiction

Character names/descriptions-

            Patti- 16 year old who hates the town her parents move her to

            Kelso- the FBI agent who is teamed with Patti to solve a kidnapping

            D.C.- short for Darn Cat, who is crucial to solving the kidnapping

Annotation: D.C. might have all the answers, but if only they could get him to talk!

Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief

Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief

Distributed by Fox

Publisher: Beverly Hills, CA : 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, c2010.

Plot Description:

            Percy Jackson didn’t know he was a demi-god, the son of the god Poseidon. But after a school trip where his teacher attacks him and he is chased by the minator to Camp Half Blood he has no choice but to believe.  Unfortunately not he is being accused of stealing Zeus’s master bolt, and must set out on a quest to prove his innocence.  But will he be able to do it in time?

Review:

            The movie has some stark differences from the book.  It is still well acted and fun for tweens, but those who are dedicated to the book might be annoyed by the changes between the two.  I thought that the movie was a fun experience, with lots of action and adventure.  It is a great epic about the Greek gods which will entertain tweens young and old.

Genre: Fantasy Fiction

Viewing level: 4^th-all grades

Similar Movies: Inkheart, Harry Potter

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- Good but the differences from the book were unnecessary

Subjects/themes- Gods, Friendship, Greek Mythology, Adventure, Quest

Character names/descriptions-

            Percy Jackson- 12 year old son of Poseidon, thought to be the one who will bring

down the gods

            Annabelle- daughter of Athena, helps Percy on his quest

            Grover- Percy’s protector

            Chiron- Teacher at Camp Half Blood

            Luke- son of Hades who pretends to be Percy’s friend

Annotation: Sometimes being a demi-god can be a curse.

Judy Moody

Judy Moody

Author: Megan McDonald

Publisher: Cambridge, Mass. : Candlewick Press, 1999.

Plot Description:

            Judy Moody was in a bad mood.  A rotten, no good, terrible mood. But then the first day of third grade began, and she got her very first assignment: to create a ‘me’ collage.  There’s only one problem, what on earth can she put in the collage that will make her stand out amongst her peers!  But Judy Moody won’t let that stop her, she’s got a plan.

Review:

            A bit young for most tweens, but for more developed 8 year olds it does present an excellent and interesting chapter book.  It would also appeal to lesser developed 4^th graders.  Judy Moody is a fun character who is ready for adventure and is ready to do whatever it takes to make herself heard!  I chose to read and include it as an option for younger tweens who want a fun read. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Reading level: 3^rd-4^th Grade

Similar Books: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Stink

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- Fun but young for most tweens

Subjects/themes- Siblings, School, Fiction

Series information- Several other Judy Moody books as well as Stink and Judy Moody ones

Character names/descriptions-

            Judy Moody- adventurous 8 year old in a bad mood

            Stink- Judy’s annoying younger brother

Annotation: Being in a bad mood can lead to some great ideas.

Countdown to the Year 1000

Countdown to the Year 1000

Author: Kate McMullan

Publisher: Edina, Minn. : Spotlight, [2007], c1999.

Plot Description:

            The year 1000 is fast approaching, but there is no cheering going on for the new millennium.  Instead everyone is worried thanks to the prophecy declaring that the world would end when the clock strikes midnight on the last day of the year 999.  But when Count Upsohigh declares that he has a plan to save everyone, a plan that requires everyone to give him their gold, it is up to Wiglaf and his friends at the Dragon Slayer Academy to figure out the truth.

Review:

            Countdown to the Year 1000 is a fun fantasy book.  It is one of a series which all takes place at the Dragon Slayers’ Academy, where young boys and girls learn to become dragon slayers and knights.  McMullan creates a very involved world full of new characters with funny names which are all a joke if one looks at them carefully.  A great series for tweens interested in fantasy fiction.

Genre: Fantasy Fiction

Reading level: 5^th Grade

Similar Books: Eragon

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- fun series about the middle ages

Subjects/themes- Dragons, Adventure, Prophecies, Time Travel, Fiction

Series information- Part of the Dragon Slayers’ Academy series

Character names/descriptions-

            Wiglaf- one of the newest members of the DSA

            Zach- comes from the future to tell them that the world won’t end in 1000

            Count Upsohigh- has a plan to take all the people’s gold

Annotation: How can you prove the world won’t end?

Megamind

Megamind

Distributed by Dreamworks

Publisher: [United States] : DreamWorks Home Entertainment, [2011]

Plot Description:

            Megamind is the ultimate evil genius.  He has the perfect nemesis in the best of the good guys, Metro Man.  Until one day when he finally defeats Metro Man in a fantastic battle, and Metro City is finally his!  But after years of working towards that goal, he now yearns for the next one, but he has no idea what that might be.  Perhaps being the evil villain is not all that it’s cracked up to be.

Review:

            Megamind is a fun movie that is enjoyable for just about any age.  Younger tweens will appreciate the funny humor, while older tweens will appreciate Will Ferrell and David Cross’s banter.  The movie ultimately talks about how sometimes getting what you wish for isn’t necessarily what you are going to end up wanting. 

Genre: Superhero Fiction

Viewing age:  All

Similar Movies: Shrek

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- Fun, particularly liked when he mispronounced things

Subjects/themes- Superhero, Villain, Fantasy, Criminals

Character names/descriptions-

            Megamind- evil genius who wants to conquer Metro City

            Metro Man- has defeated Megamind’s evil plans since they were children

            Roxanne Ritchi- the reporter who Megamind falls for

            Titan- the superhero that Megamind creates for a challenge

            Minion- Megamind’s right hand fish

Annotation: Metro City only has room for one genius.

Burn

Burn

Author: Suzanne Phillips

Publisher: New York : Little, Brown and Co., 2008.

Plot Description:

            Cameron’s life has never been easy.  Only 14, he grew up with a physically and mentally abusive father, and now faces constant bullying every day in high school.  Bullying that no adult stops, though his desire to not tell anyone about it keeps this a reality.  But one day the bullying goes too far, and lights a fire of revenge in Cameron that he can’t contain anymore.  The consequences of his reaction to the situation create repercussions that no one imagined.

Review:

            This is one of the few books I have ever felt seriously disturbed by.  Bullying is a serious situation, and books like Burn highlight not only the need to open a better dialogue but to also find better ways to deal with the situation and the aftermath.  The situations which Cameron copes with, and the ultimate reaction they provoke from him, are highly disturbing in how you can see the progression and how potentially realistic it is.  I would have a hard time recommending this for tweens, but at the same time can see the value of a book like this for older tweens who need to recognize the potential seriousness of these types of situations.  Overall it was an incredibly powerful book which was very well written.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Reading level: 9^th Grade

Similar Books: Wintergirls

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- Disturbing but very well written

Subjects/themes- Bullying, Post Traumatic Stress, Pyromania, High School, Emotional Problems

Character names/descriptions-

            Cameron- the object of bullying by many at his school

            SciFi/Eliot- one of Cameron’s only friends who gets beat up simply because he is

nice to Cameron

            Rich Patterson- the main aggressor against Cameron, a ‘red coat’

Pinon-  the ultimate victim

Annotation: Bullying is horrific.

According to Greta

According to Greta

Distributed by Ancho Bay Films

Publisher: Beverly Hills, CA : Anchor Bay Entertainment, [2010]

Plot Description:

            Greta’s life hasn’t been easy for a long time.  Her mother cares more about Greta’s stepfather than about Greta.  She can’t decide what to after high school, or even if life is worth living anymore.  But during a summer spent with her grandparents, spent broadening her horizons and breaking down the barriers she has built up, she learns that perhaps family and relationships really aren’t a bad thing and tries to fix the ones she has left. 

Review:

            Overall a good movie.  Greta, played by Hilary Duff, is a headstrong character who thinks she knows everything she needs to know, but in typical teenage fashion really has no idea.  Her seemingly brazen attitude and desire to rebel masks a lifetime of insecurities that she is forced to face by the end of the movie, as she struggles with the consequences her actions have not only for her but those she cares about.  A good movie for older tweens, but younger tweens probably will not enjoy it as much for its older content.

Genre: Fiction

Viewing Age: 8^th-9^th Grade

Similar Movies: Cinderella Story, Ella Enchanted

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- A good movie about teenage angst

Subjects/themes- Depression, Suicide, Relationships, Growing Up

Character names/descriptions-

            Greta- 17 year old struggling with depression

Julie- the boy she begins a relationship with who helps her realize that life is worth living

Annotation: Sometimes life is worth living.

The School Story

The School Story

Author: Andrew Clements

Publisher: New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2001.

Plot Description:

            Natalie might only be 12 years old, but she has already written her first novel.  Now she needs to get it published!  While she does have an ‘in’ into the publishing world thanks to her editor mother, she wants to make sure that the story is published because it actually is good, not just because her mom feels obligated because she’s her daughter.  That’s when Natalie’s best friend Zoe comes up with a plan to become Natalie’s agent and get the book published so the entire world can read the book.

Review:

            A School Story is a well written book about a young novelist who wants to get her story published.  The characters are all very well developed, spirited and determined. The plot is very original, and the hints at the book that Natalie wrote add extra to the story.  The book also focuses a lot on the fallout, even years later, of Natalie’s father’s death.  It is a great story which will appeal to tweens

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Reading level: 4^th- 5^th Grade

Similar Books: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- cute story

Subjects/themes- Authorship, Writing, Publishing, Best Friends

Character names/descriptions-

            Natalie/Cassandra Day- writes a fantastic novel

            Zoe/Zee Zee- becomes Natalie’s agent so she can get her book published

            Ms. Clayton- their English teacher at school who helps them with their plan

Annotation: If you had an agent like Zee Zee, you’re book would get published too!

Furry Vengeance

Furry Vengeance

Distributed by Summit Entertainment

Publisher: Universal City, Calif. : Summit Entertainment, [2010]

Plot Description:

            When Dan relocated his family from Chicago to the Oregon forest, he thought it would be a quick year of work and then they could head back.  But that was before he encountered the local wildlife, who have a big problem with Dan’s boss’s plan to destroy their forest to build homes.  And these animals have a plan.  As they sabotage the building project, and terrorize Dan, everyone thinks he is going crazy. But as the project tries to move forward, eventually Dan realizes that perhaps the animals are fighting for the right side, and he’s the one on the wrong one.

Review:

            Furry Vengeance is a fun family movie about the consequences of ones actions and the importance of doing the right thing even it it’s hard.  Dan has to eventually decide whether his job or the forest is more important. The movie is a little young for older tweens, but the gag humor would definitely appeal to younger tweens.  Overall the movie is predictable, but would still entertain.

Genre: Fiction

Viewing Age: 3^rd-4^th Grade

Similar Movies: Marmaduke, Beverly Hills Chihuahua

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- trite, not really entertaining for adults

Subjects/themes- Environmentalism, Family, Animals

Character names/descriptions-

            Dan- works for a company that wants to destroy the forest

            Tammy- Dan’s wife who ends up in charge of the Forest Festival

            Tyler- Dan’s son who stands up to him at the end

Annotation: The animals might be furry and cute, but it doesn’t mean they will let you destroy their home!

Ballet Shoes

Ballet Shoes

A Granada production for the BBC

Publisher: Port Washington, NY : Distributed by Koch Entertainment, [2008]

Plot Description:

            When her explorere uncle adopts three girls, Pauline, Petrova, and Posy, Syliva and her Nana struggle to bring them up and educate them with little funds.  But these three girls are more talented than anyone could hope, and after they all are accepted at the Academy of Dance and Stage Training, they find that their dreams may one day be within reach.  But as they struggle with their ambitions and disappointments, they each learn that with enough perseverance they can become more than they ever dreamed of.

Review:

            A cute tale of three sisters coming into their own.  Each girl has her own talent which she struggles to separate from the others.  The movie is well acted with actresses that will be well liked by a tween audience, including Emma Watson.  The movie highlights the importance of supporting your family and their dreams and hope in the face of adversity.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Viewing level: 4^th-5^th Grade

Similar Movies: The Company, Harry Potter

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- cute for a younger audience

Subjects/themes- Ballet, Sisters, Acting, Family

Character names/descriptions-

            Pauline- becomes an actress

            Petrova- wants to fly planes

            Posy- wants to become a classical ballerina

Annotation: If the only possessions your mother left you were a pair of ballet shoes, are you destined to become a ballerina?

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief

Author: Rick Riordan

Publisher: New York : Miramax Books/Hyperion Books for Children, c2005.

Plot Description:

             Percy Jackson has always felt different from others his age.  Maybe its because he’s always in trouble, or the fact that he’s never stayed at one school longer than a year.  Or maybe it’s because he’s a demi-god and his father is Poseidon, God of the Seas.  Or so he finds out the year he turns 12, where after a series of events he ends up at Camp Half Blood.  Here he can be with other demigods, and learn how to survive.  But when he is given a quest to find whoever stole Zeus’s master bolt he must use all his wits ot survive.

Review:

            A very engrossing book about a boy, the Greek gods, and an adventure.  One of the most interesting things about the book is how it weaves so much Greek mythology into it, keeping kids both interested in the story as well as a culture that they had to learn about in school.  Percy is a likeable character and a heroic one.  The book’s ending definitely encourages one to read the entire series.

Genre: Fantasy Fiction

Reading level: 5^th-6^th Grade

Similar Books: Harry Potter

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- Very fun book

Subjects/themes- Gods, Friendship, Greek Mythology, Adventure, Quest

Series information- Book 1 of 5

Character names/descriptions-

            Percy Jackson- 12 year old son of Poseidon, thought to be the one who will bring

down the gods

            Annabelle- daughter of Athena, helps Percy on his quest

            Grover- Percy’s protector

            Chiron- Teacher at Camp Half Blood

            Luke- son of Hades who pretends to be Percy’s friend

Annotation: Being the son of a god isn’t all fun and games