Wolf Hollow

by Lauren Wolk

A terrible bully moves to town and blames her bad deeds on a shell-shocked WWI veteran. It was dark and sad and well written, but I really thought the characters could have been much more developed. The mystery was frustrating but compelling. I enjoyed it well enough, but not as much as I liked Echo Mountain.

 

Three Times Lucky

by Sheila Turnage

Moses, better known as Mo, never knew her mother. Her adoptive father, whom she calls The Colonel, claims to have found her floating down the river in a hurricane. Her mother figure, Miss Lana, runs a cafe in their small, quaint, North Carolina town. Mo and her best friend Dale already consider themselves detectives of a sort--they pride themselves on knowing everyone's business and finding lost pets. But when a man in their neighborhood, a frequent customer of the cafe, gets murdered on the same night Dale "borrows" his boat, they find themselves in a heap of trouble. Really great writing and fun, colorful characters, although the mystery gets a bit convoluted towards the end.

Echo

by Pam Munoz Ryan

Incredible. Unforgettable. Beautifully written. Just a few of the things that went through my mind as I put down this lovely book.

This is really three (arguably four) short stories with a common thread, but at the end of each, you're left wanting more. As Freidrich's story came to a close, I really, really, didn't want to leave him and start Mike's story. I was too invested in Freidrich! But by the end of Mike's, I didn't want to leave him to join Ivy. And, of course, as tears streamed down my face while finishing Ivy's tale, I couldn't wait to see how everything came together.

We are all connected in this human experience, and this book brings that to light in a way that might possibly change you forever.

El Deafo

by Cece Bell

When Cece was four, she had a serious bout with meningitis, and unfortunately lost much of her hearing. She chronicles the process by which her four year old self realizes she can't hear. It's equally fascinating and heartbreaking. But the majority of her story focuses on her upper elementary years, where she goes through a revolving door of friends, casting off those who talk to her too loudly, try to teach her sign language, and more. (Who can blame, her, though!?) One day, she realizes that the Phonic Ear, her fancy hearing aid, allows her to hear her teacher peeing in the bathroom, and she dubs herself El Deafo, creating for herself an alter ego with super hearing super powers!

This is the first graphic novel I've ever read where I forgot I was reading a graphic novel. The story and the images flowed beautifully. I alternately shook my head at Cece and cheered for her, but mostly, I laughed. A sweetly funny story with a real and flawed protagonist.The picture of Cece in elementary school at the end of the book would melt anyone's heart!

Olive's Ocean

by Kevin Henkes

Martha Boyle's life is rocked when she hears a knock at her front door the day before she leaves for summer vacation. A woman introduces herself as Olive's mother, a girl Martha's age who was hit by a car and killed a few weeks before. The mom found an entry in Olive's diary that said that she hoped she and Martha could become friends, and that Martha was the nicest person in school. The diary page haunts Martha. Olive was a strange girl--an outcast--and Martha barely knew her. When she arrives at the coast to visit her grandmother, Olive is never far from her mind, but she's also got her own issues to deal with. The group of five brothers who live down the beach provide some interesting distractions, as does her deepening relationship with her grandmother. This is a beautiful coming of age story, with a lovable main character, and colorful extras. I think Martha's story will be with me for a long time.

Turtle in Paradise

by Jennifer L. Holm

Turtle's life with her single mom in 1930's New Jersey is shattered when her mother's employer decides she can't have a housekeeper with a kid. Jobs are, of course, hard to come by during this time, so Sadie Bell has no choice other than to send Turtle to live with her estranged sister in Key West. When Turtle arrives on her aunt's doorstep, she finds a frazzled, surprised, woman and a whole bunch of boy cousins she never knew she had. There's a lot packed into this tiny little book, from treasure hunting to diaper rash remedies. It's hilarious and heart-wrenching all at once, with an ending that took my breath away. This book could so easily have been over the top cheesy, but Ms. Holm skillfully took her time pulling the story together, and made something really beautiful. I just loved it.

And if you're the kind of person who skips author's notes, don't skip this one. The author's personal connection to the island, and her description of the historical context of the book were fascinating. I've been to Key West once for only a day, and now I really want to go again armed with my new knowledge!

Savvy

by Ingrid Law

The Beaumont family has a secret. When they turn 13, they get a "savvy," a special, (and kind of magical) skill. Two days from 13, Mibs has no idea what hers will be. Her brother summons storms with his every emotion, and her  mother gets everything she tries just right without making mistakes. Her grandma can capture radio shows in glass jars.  On this most eventful of weeks, Mibs and her family suffer a terrible blow, finding out that Poppa has been in an accident, and is in the hospital, unresponsive. On her birthday, she thinks her savvy has revealed itself, and is hopeful that she can use it to save Poppa. But first she's got to get to the hospital in Salina. Mibs, and an unlikely group of colorful characters, end up on a pink Bible bus going the wrong direction, but that's where the fun begins!

Princess Academy

by Shannon Hale

Miri lives in the tiny town of Mount Eskel. The citizens here barely eek out a living mining and selling linder, a beautiful stone only found on their mountain. Few know how to read, and their main contact with the outside world are traders from the city, who are only interested in getting linder for as cheap as possible. When a divination states that the next princess will be from Mount Eskel, the big-city Danlanders are horrified that their future queen might be a country bumpkin, so all girls of a certain age are required to attend the Princess Academy. The Academy will teach them history, poise, manners, and diplomacy, etc., so that any girl chosen will be prepared for royal duties. Miri isn't sure if she wants to be a princess, but knows that becoming a royal would improve her family's standing. She's excited to learn, and to meet the prince, but her growing feelings for Pater, her childhood best friend, complicate her emotions. She does know, beyond a doubt, that she wants to be Academy Princess, which is reserved for the girl who gets the best marks (sort of like the Princess Academy valedictorian!)

This story is so full of twists and turns and magic and adventure and romance that I can hardly begin to describe it all here! Why, oh why, didn't I read this book sooner? From the title, you might think this is another sappy, Disney-esque princess book, but it's so far from that. Miri is funny, and strong, but full of self doubt. Her voice is real, and the writing is so beautiful. You will never forget her.

I also must mention that I listened to this as a Full Cast Audio production. Each character had a different actor doing the voice work. It was absolutely incredible, and I wish all audio books were recorded this way!

The Underneath

by Kathi Appelt

Part fairy tale, part legend, part animal adventure, this book defies categorization. It's certainly not for everyone, but I guess it was for me, because I can't stop thinking about it. All of my emotions while reading this book weren't good, and there were a couple of places where I just couldn't take any more sad, but I kept going. The writing is lyrical--very poetic and flowery. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not as much. But at all times while I was reading this, I was feeling SOMETHING. Scared, defeated, hopeful, relieved--I felt it and felt it strongly.

There are two stories going on here. We have a pregnant cat who seeks refuge under a rickety house, and befriends the hound dog chained up there. The house's owner, Gar Face, is the embodiment of true evil. He is a sociopath in a children's book. It's terrifying. The other story takes place 1,000 years before. We hear the story of Grandmother Moccasin, now sealed and buried in a jar because of her awful deeds, but about to be set free by the very next rain storm. She is also pure evil. Nothing made these two bad. They just are. I think that's a hard concept to work into a book for young people, but the author has done it, and done it well. Doesn't make it any less scary. The two stories tie together at the very end in a pretty satisfying way.

A weird, weird, book, but so different from anything I've ever read.

Because of Winn-Dixie

by Kate DiCamillo

Summary: When 10 year old Opal moves to a small Florida town with her daddy, the local preacher, she begins to ask questions about the mother she never knew. Her daddy, a kind but quiet man, will tell her only ten things about her mother. She's lonely, but when she finds a scruffy mutt in the local Winn-Dixie grocery store, he leads her to many new friends, and helps Opal learn a lot about herself, her daddy, and life.

My thoughts: A sweet, feel-good story with great Southern dialogue.