Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere

Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere
by Julie T. Lamana

Armani can't wait for her tenth birthday!   Unfortunately, her plans for a big party are ruined when a severe storm is predicted.   Despite the warnings about the storm, her family still has a small party for Armani's birthday.   Their celebration is cut short, however, when they learn that the storm, named Katrina, has grown into a major hurricane.    Realizing it is too late to leave New Orleans, the family must stay in their home through the terrible storm. 

Despite surviving the storm, Armani must deal with tragedy and danger as a result of Katrina.  In the days that follow, Armani and her siblings, separated from their parents, struggle to recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina while facing the possibility that their family may never be together again. 

As we approach the ten year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, this story is a reminder of the tragic event.  Although a fiction book, the struggles that Armani and her family encountered represent what many lived through ten years ago.   This is an emotional story of fear, tragedy and, in the end, hope.  

Just Jake

Just Jake
by Jake Marcionette

Jake's used to being the awesome kid in school.  When his family moves from Florida to Maryland, he expects that his awesomeness will go with him to his new school.   Unfortunately,  after a rough first day at his new school, Jake feels less than awesome as he finds himself the target of the school bully.   As he struggles to climb up the popularity ladder at his new school, Jake continues to create his "Kid Cards".  Similar to baseball cards, Jake's homemade Kid Cards details and ranks many of the kids he encounters in his new school.   Unfortunately, despite having made a few friends, Jake still has not achieved his desired level of awesomeness and, when his Kid Cards end up in the wrong hands, faces losing the little popularity he has!

Full of many funny moments and entertaining "Kid Cards", this book will be a hit with fans of stories like Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  The best part about this book, to me, was that the author wrote this awesome story when he was twelve-years-old!

Author's website: http://justjake.com/index.html


Book Trailer:

Courage for Beginners

Courage for Beginners
by Karen Harrington

Everything is going wrong in Mysti's life.   As she prepares to enter seventh grade, her hopes for a great year are shattered as everything begins to fall apart.  Her best friend has abandoned her, her father is in a coma after a bad accident, and her mother still never leaves their home.   Mysti has always imagined herself to be a character in a book but, with the way everything is going, her story doesn't look like it will have a happy ending.  Will she be able to find the courage she needs to face the challenges in her life?

What an inspiring story!   I think that a lot of readers will be able to relate to some of the issues that Mysti is dealing with.    Those who like realistic fiction, particularly stories that deal with friendship and family situations, will enjoy this book.  I've always been a huge fan of realistic fiction and this book was one that I couldn't put down once I started reading it.  

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

Space Case

Space Case
by Stuart Gibbs

Imagine being one of the first people to live on a moon colony!   Because of his scientist parents, Twelve-year-old Dashiell Gibson's family is one of the privileged few who get the opportunity to live on the first moon colony.   However, life for Dashiell and the other residents of the Moon Base Alpha colony is far from a dream come true as they live in tiny spaces, eat horrible food, and have very little to do.  Dashiell's boring life is disrupted with the suspicious death of one of the colony's researchers.   Dashiell knows that the death was not an accident, but can he convince the others on Moon Base Alpha that Dr. Holtz's death may have involved foul play? 

Set in the not-so-distant future, Space Case is a fast-paced, entertaining science fiction mystery!   Those who enjoy futuristic science fiction or stories set in space will enjoy this book.  I'm looking forward to the sequel to this story, due to be available in April of 2016!

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

Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh

Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh
by Sally Walker
illustrated by Jonathan D. Voss

When veterinarian and army soldier Harry Colebourn saw a baby bear at a train station, he immediately bought the orphaned bear hoping to care for it and give it a better life.   He didn't know then that the young bear, named Winnepeg after the  army company's hometown in Canada, would go on to be one of the famous bears in literature! 

Before Winnepeg, nicknamed "Winnie", became the inspiration for the fictional Winnie-the-Pooh stories, she traveled with Harry during his time in the army during World War I, until Harry had to go to France.   It was then he made the decision to find Winnie a new home in the London Zoo, where she would later be seen by a young boy so fascinated by her that his father, author A.A. Milne, would use the friendly bear as the inspiration one of his most famous characters!

I enjoyed learning about the history behind Winnie-the-Pooh as I'm sure many readers will when they read this excellent tale about the inspiration behind the famous bear.   This short book will work well for independent reading or as a read-aloud.  

Author's website: http://www.sallymwalker.com/index.html
Illustrator's website: http://www.jonathandvoss.com/

Telephone

Telephone
by Mac Barnett
illustrated by Jen Corace

It's time for Peter the bird to come home for dinner, but will his mother's message get to him correctly?   As her message travels from bird to bird, it gets more and more mixed up!   What will Peter hear by the time his mother's message makes it to him?

Those who have played the game "telephone" will appreciate this story!  With entertaining illustrations and hilarious errors as birds try to pass along a message, this will be a read-aloud that will bring many laughs!   A great follow up activity is to play a game of telephone after reading the story. 

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

Book trailer:

Special Delivery

Special Delivery 
by Philip C. Stead
illustrated by Matthew Cordell

How do you mail an elephant?  Sadie decides to mail an elephant to her great-aunt Josephine, but runs into many challenges along the way!   Despite these challenges, which include airplanes and alligators, Sadie stays optimistic throughout her journey to make her special delivery!

What a fun, sweet story!   Full of funny moments and wonderful illustrations, Sadie's challenging, yet cheery, journey will make a great read aloud.   I look forward to asking my students the question "How would you mail an elephant" before reading this story to them!  A great after read-aloud activity would be for students to devise their own methods for delivering an elephant.

Author's website: http://philipstead.com/
Illustrator's website: http://www.matthewcordell.com/

Under the Egg
by Laura Marx Fitzgerald

Shortly before he died,  Theodora's grandfather told her to look underneath the egg to find a treasure.   At a loss for which egg he meant, she discovers a clue when she spills rubbing alcohol over one of his paintings and finds another painting underneath it.   Suspecting the hidden painting to be valuable, Theo and her new friend Bodhi search for information about the mystery painting.  As they try to trace the history of the painting, Theo must also face her worries that her grandfather, a former museum worker, may have stolen the painting.    Is the painting real and, if it is, how did her grandfather end up with it?

Under the Egg is a great choice for readers who enjoyed books like Chasing Vermeer.   It has a good combination of art history, family problems and, of course, mystery!

Author's website: http://www.lauramarxfitzgerald.com/#!books/cnec

Operation Bunny

Operation Bunny
by Sally Gardner
illustrated by David Roberts

When the egocentric Daisy and Ronald Dashwood decide they want a child, they adopt the recently abandoned Emily Vole.   Years later, when Daisy has identical triplet girls, the Dashwoods have no use for five-year-old Emily.   Because they cannot send Emily back to the orphanage, the Dashwoods instead turn Emily into their nanny and housekeeper, responsible for watching the triplets and taking care of their home.   Emily's only escape from her daily duties is the one book that Daisy and Ronald reluctantly buy her, until she meets her eccentric neighbor Miss String and her talking cat, Fidget, who teach her more than the Dashwoods ever could.   As Emily spends more time with Miss String and Fidget, she begins to suspect that there may be something magical happening.   Unfortunately, the happiness she finds with her new friends is tragically cut short when an odd accident occurs.   Suddenly, Emily finds herself the target of an evil witch and, along with Fidget, must solve a magical crime!

As I read this magical story, I couldn't help think of the Roald Dahl book Matilda!  Emily Vole, as the ignored, unwanted child forced to be a servant to her family, is very similar to the title character in Matilda.  This is a fun fantasy, full of mystery and magic as well as many humorous moments!   Fans of Matilda and similar stories will enjoy this.  I'm looking forward to reading more of Emily's adventures in the next book in this series.

Author's website:  http://www.sallygardner.net/books/operation-bunny/

This Journal Belongs to Ratchet

This Journal Belongs to Ratchet 
by Nancy J. Cavanaugh

All Rachel, aka "Ratchet", wants is a semi-normal life and some friends.  Being home-schooled and having a father that everyone thinks is crazy has left the eleven-year-old feeling isolated.   In her language arts journal, Ratchet tells her story of growing up without a mother, her eccentric father's passionate attempts to protect the environment, and her struggles in trying to find friends and a sense of normal in her unstable world.

This is one of those books that I did not put down until I was done reading it!  As soon as I began, I was drawn into Ratchet's story.   It's a great realistic fiction that deals with friendship, fitting in, and family issues and the journal format will appeal to readers who enjoy books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  

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