House Arrest

by K.A. Holt

Timothy stole a stranger's wallet, and now he's on probation and in really big trouble. His life changed so fast. One minute, he and his mom and dad had a happy little family with a baby on the way. The next minute, they find out the baby is sick, the dad bails, and it's just Timothy, his mom, Levi, and a home health care worker. He only stole the wallet to help pay for Levi's medical bills, but that doesn't change anything. His probation officer and his therapist make him keep a journal, which is the story we're reading. This is a gut-wrenching novel, full of heart and sadness and hope and love and disappointment and all the feelings! 

 

When Stars are Scattered

 

by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

The only reason I picked this up was because I heard so many glowing reviews--I'm not really a graphic novel person, and I'm ashamed to say the subject matter didn't really sound all that riveting at first glance. Boy, was I wrong.

A true story, told by Omar, a young boy growing up in a Somali refugee camp in Kenya. His parents casualties of a war-torn country, he and his brother are sent to live in the camps and given a sort of surrogate mother to watch after them. Hassan has special needs, so when Omar is offered the rare opportunity to go to school, he's torn about leaving his brother who depends on him. That's just one of the gut-wrenching, inspiring, and unbelievable stories this book has to tell. I loved this. Not be be hyperbolic, but this one could easily go into the "life-changing" category.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

by J.K. Rowling

Not enough Dumbledore in this one for my liking! Not bad, but happy to be moving on to book 6!