Piper Green and the Fairy Tree

Piper Green and the Fairy Tree
by Ellen Potter
illustrated by Qin Leng

Piper Green's first day of 2nd grade is off to a rough start!   She has to ride the lobster boat without her big brother and, after refusing to remove her beloved earmuffs, she gets into trouble with her new teacher, Ms. Arabella.   Despite promising her parents that she will not wear the earmuffs in school the next day, Piper is not willing to easily part with her favorite earmuffs and decides she would rather not go to school than give them up.  

Set on a small Maine island, this series follows the island life of Piper Green, her family, and friends.    With short chapters, large font, and an easy to follow storyline, this book will be a nice choice for readers in 1st or 2nd grade ready to start reading chapter books.  

Author's website: http://www.ellenpotter.com/

A Handful of Stars

A Handful of Stars 
by Cynthia Lord

When Lily's beloved blind dog, Lucky, escapes from her one day, she has no idea that a peanut butter sandwich and bag of chips is about to change her entire summer!   Due to the quick thinking (and lunch) of Salma, the daughter of blueberry harvesters who are spending their summer working in the quiet, small Maine town that Lily lives in, Lucky is caught.   Soon after, Salma and Lily meet up again and develop a friendship, bonding as they work together to help Lily save up money for a surgery that could restore Lucky's eyesight.

When Salma decides to enter the Blueberry Queen pageant, Lily worries about how the people of their small town, including her close friend and  the current Blueberry Queen Hannah, will react to having a migrant worker enter.   Will the small town be accepting of Salma entering the pageant and will the two friends be successful in raising the money they need to help Lily's dog?

Written by a Maine author and set in Maine, A Handful of Stars is a wonderful story about friendship, family, hope, and acceptance.   Readers who enjoyed other Cynthia Lord books, such as Touch Blue or Half a Chance,  will want to read this one!  

Author's website: http://www.cynthialord.com/handful-of-stars.html

The Waffler

The Waffler
by Gail Donovan

Monty can never make up his mind about anything!  His difficulty in making decisions keeps getting him in trouble and causes the new principal at his school to call him a "waffler", leading to Monty to soon have the nickname "Waffles" among the kids at his school.    Despite efforts by his parents, teacher, and principal to help him make (and stick to) decisions,  Monty continues to struggle to make up his mind about everything, including what to name his new pet rat!

After being assigned a kindergarten reading buddy, Monty soon learns that three other kindergartners are without 4th grade buddies.   Not wanting them to be left out, Monty decides to secretly become their buddy and read with them during recess.    Unfortunately, his teacher learns about his extra kindergarten buddies and orders him to only choose one!     Will he be able to choose just one without making the others feel left out?

Set in Portland, Maine, this realistic fiction addresses a lot of issues that many readers will be able to relate to, including step-families, conflicts with siblings, and school challenges.   This book is a good choice for readers who prefer realistic fiction and school-related stories.  

Author's website: http://gaildonovan.wordpress.com/

Mystery on Pine Lake

Mystery on Pine Lake
by Tamra Wight

Don't you think it would be great if your parents owned a campground?  Cooper thought it would be awesome when his parents bought a campground.   He was wrong.  Instead, his days are full of chores like cleaning bathrooms, emptying trash, and watching his little sister while his parents are always too busy to spend much time with them.   Even his old best friend from Portland no longer wants to spend time with him when he comes to the campground with his family.  

An aspiring Game Warden, Cooper enjoys spending the little free time he has keeping track of the wildlife around the campground.    When he learns that a loon nest is being threatened, he and his new friend Packrat work to help protect the birds.   Unfortunately, not everyone wants them to help the loons and soon Cooper and Packrat find that their efforts are being sabotaged.    Will they find the culprit before it's too late to help the loons?

Set in Maine, the Mystery on Pine Lake is a fun story that will be a good choice for readers who enjoy stories that involve camping and other outdoor activities.   With the focus of the story being about the loon, this is also a great book to use to talk and learn about Maine wildlife.     This book is also the first in a new series, so readers who enjoy this story will be able to read more about the adventures of Cooper and Packrat!

Author's website: http://www.tamrawight.com/

The Water Castle

The Water Castle
by Megan Frazer Blakemore

After his father's stroke, Ephraim and his family move to their ancestral home in Maine, the Water Castle.  As Ephraim settles into life in his unique, mysterious new home and adjusts to a new school, he learns about the Fountain, a source of magical water.  Ephraim is convinced that the water will cure his father, and sets off to find the the Fountain and, with the help of two new acquaintances, uncovers secrets about the history of the Water Castle.

The Water Castle is a touching story of family, friendship, and hope.    I enjoyed how the story alternated between Ephraim's present-day experiences and the perspective of Nora, a young girl hired to work in the Water Castle a century earlier.  

Author's website: http://www.meganfrazer.com/books/the-water-castle/

Book Trailer:

Navigating Early

Navigating Early 
by Clare Vanderpool

 The return home of Jack's father, a Navy captain, at the end of World War II should have been a time of joy and celebration. However, it is the sudden death of Jack's mother that brings home his father after four long years at war. Jack, while mourning the unexpected death of his mother, must also adjust to life with a father he has not seen in many years. His life is further disrupted when his father announces that Jack will be attending a boarding school in Maine, far away from his lifelong Kansas home.

While struggling to adjust to his new life at the Morton Hill Academy, Jack meets the unusual Early Auden. Fascinated by this unique boy, Jack decides to join Early in a journey during their school break. During their long quest along the Appalachian Trail they meet a wide assortment of characters, face dangerous situations, and learn more about each other and themselves.

Navigating Early is a wonderful story of friendship, family relationships, and self-discovery.   I enjoyed reading this book and following the journey of these two unlikely friends as they navigated to find what they were looking for.   I think this book has the potential to appeal to many types of readers.  Fans of realistic fiction that addresses friendships and family relationships will enjoy this book and the World War II setting will appeal to those who prefer historical fiction.  

Author's website:  http://www.clarevanderpool.com/home.html

The Aviary

The Aviary
by Kathleen O'Dell

In the Glendoveer mansion, a once grand but now falling apart home, is a large aviary where five birds hold the answers to a fifty-year-old mystery.  Eleven-year-old Clara’s mother is the housekeeper to Mrs. Glendoveer, the widow of a once famous magician, and Clara and her mother have lived in the mansion for as long as she can remember.  Clara loves everything about the house, except for the terrifying, loud birds in the aviary.   When one of the birds suddenly starts repeating the name “Elliot” to Clara, she comes to learn that the Glendoveer mansion holds many dark secrets, including an unsolved kidnapping.   With the help of a new friend and the five birds, Clara races to solve the crime that destroyed the lives of the Glendoveer family many years before.  

I had a difficult time putting this book down! There are a lot of great, unexpected twists in this story.   This is a good choice for readers who like books about haunted houses and unsolved mysteries. 

Author's website: http://www.kathleenodell.com/

Aviary book trailer: 

Small as an Elephant

Small as an Elephant
by Jennifer Jacobson

Jack's camping trip in Maine with his mother takes a scary turn when he wakes up to find that his mother, their car, and almost everything they brought have all disappeared overnight.  He tries to remain hopeful for her return but he soon decides that he must find his way back to her.   Small as an Elephant follows Jack as he struggles to make the long journey from a campground in Acadia National Park to his home in Boston.   As he travels through Maine with little money or resources, he must find ways to eat and places to sleep.   Will he make it to Boston and be reunited with his mother?  Read this exciting book to find out!

I really loved this book!    What I especially liked about it was reading about the different places that Jack traveled through on his journey across Maine.   Many readers will probably recognize the names of the some of places that Jack sees during his trip!

Author's Website: http://jenniferjacobson.com/

Touch Blue

Touch Blue
by Cynthia Lord

A small school on an island in Maine is in danger of being closed unless they get more students. To solve this problem, several families have taken in foster children to help raise the number of students. Eleven-year-old Tess is excited about Aaron, who has come to stay with her family, but soon after his arrival problems start and Tess begins to worry that their plan to save their school may not work out after all. Can they save their island school?

This is a good book for readers who like realistic fiction. It is also set in Maine, so readers looking for a story with a Maine setting will enjoy this book.

Author's website: http://cynthialord.com

The Truth About Horses, Friends, & My Life as a Coward

The Truth About Horses, Friends, & My Life as a Coward
by Sarah P. Gibson
illustrated by Glin Dibley

Having three horses may be a dream come true to some girls, but not to Sophie Groves. Her family's collection of horses, which includes a biting pony, has only made Sophie afraid of riding. Most new friendships end quickly as Sophie shares scary tales about her crazy group of horses. Will she overcome her fears?

This humorous story, set on a small island in Maine, is a great book that shows the struggles of a young girl as she tries to make new friends as well as overcome her fear of horses. Sophie's adventures with her three horses will make many readers laugh.