The Musician's Daughter

by Susanne Dunlap
Fifteen-year-old Theresa has just received the worst news of her life: her father, a musician in Haydn's orchestra in 18th century Vienna, is dead and his most valuable possession, his violin, is missing. Theresa is sure that her father has been the victim of foul play, and despite her mother's determination that their next step must be to marry Theresa off, Theresa starts unraveling the mystery as best she can. But as Theresa investigates she learns some unsettling facts about her father and his involvement with a camp of Gypsies and she finds herself drawn into more and more dangerous situations. She also finds herself employed by Haydn as a music scribe; Haydn's failing vision makes it impossible for him to record the music in his head accurately, Theresa has the musical training from her father that qualifies her for the job, and Haydn knows her family needs the money. Caught up in a whirl of intrigue and court politics that expands to include members of Theresa's family and even Haydn himself, Theresa must find a way to keep everyone safe. If she's lucky, maybe she'll also find a little romance along the way and, more importantly, maybe she'll find the strength to determine her own path rather than following the one set out by her mother.

Recommended for grades 6-9
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet

by Graham Salisbury
Don't have a ticket to Hawaii this summer? Let Graham Salisbury take you there in his new series, Calvin Coconut. In this book Calvin and his friends are at the end of summer break and are starting fourth-grade "boot camp." There are two newcomers to the small island community - a new student from southern California and a teenage girl from Texas that has come to live with Calvin's family to help out (but definitely NOT a babysitter). This author actually grew up on the island and went to the same elementary school that he uses for this story. You get transported to the Kailua beach on the very first page, and you will be sad to leave the sand and salt water at the end of this book. Don't worry the next book will be out in September.

Recommended for grades 2-5
Reviewed by Koren Power

My Life in Pink and Green

by Lisa Greenwald
Lucy has always enjoyed working in the family pharmacy that her mother and grandmother run.  Lately, however, business has been slow and money is getting so tight that Lucy's mother isn't always caught up on the bills.  When a popular high school homecoming queen comes into the store upset about her hair, Lucy makes a few suggestions that work wonders, and overnight becomes the go-to girl for hair and makeup tips and makeovers - even though she's only in the 7th grade!  Aside from working at the pharmacy, Lucy and her best friend, Sunny, are also members of the Earth Club because Sunny's mom insisted they get involved in something after school.  There, Sunny develops a crush on cute boy Evan and Lucy learns about a grant from the mayor that will be awarded to a local business that is looking to expand in a green, environmentally-friendly way.  With the help of her sister who is away at college, and the increased attention the pharmacy has been getting because of her hair and makeup tips, Lucy thinks this grant could be just the thing the pharmacy needs to survive!

Each chapter starts with a fun and easy tip about hair and makeup or good customer service and is full of juicy details about friends and crushes.  Every girl will wish she had a friend like Lucy!

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Sara Murray

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

by Wendy Mass
Twelve-year-old Jeremy Fink has received an early birthday present from his dead father; a wooden box apparently containing the meaning of life. Confused? So is he. Before he died, Jeremy's father arranged for the box to be given to him on his thirteenth birthday. The problem is that the box cannot be opened without the specific keys made for it and those keys, it seems, have gone missing. Thrilled to receive this final gift from his father and desperate to open it in time for his birthday, Jeremy enlists the help of his best friend Lizzie to help him search. The two friends may be as different as night and day but together they embark on an exciting, and often very frustrating, journey through flea markets, talent shows, abandoned offices and even the New York subway. Their goal may be finding those four keys but along the way they learn a little something about themselves, the world around them and, ultimately, the real meaning of life.

Recommended for grades 5-8
Reviewed by Tara Olson

Rules

by Cynthia Lord
Everything is complicated for 12-year-old Catherine. She loves her younger brother David, but he's autistic which means he just doesn't understand some things and he's always embarrassing Catherine somehow. The new girl should be the perfect next-door friend Catherine's always wanted (next door means David doesn't have to come too), but Catherine seems to have so much more in common with Jason, a wheelchair-bound boy she met at her brother's therapy clinic, who can only communicate by pointing at speech cards. While Catherine understands that her parents struggle to keep up with David's needs, she needs them too, but how can she ask them to spend time with her, when she knows David needs them so much more? To help both herself and David figure out some of these confusing things, Catherine keeps track of rules. Some are the rules that David lives by like, "If you don't have the words you need, borrow someone else's. If you need to borrow words, Arnold Lobel wrote some good ones.” Some are Catherine's rules for things David can't figure out on his own like, "Keep you pants on! Unless Mom, Dad or the doctor tells you to take them off." But some are just Catherine's rules for herself like, "Pantless brothers are not my problem." The story of Catherine's summer is funny, heartbreaking, thought-provoking and one you'll never forget.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Mortal Engines

by Philip Reeve
A Steam-Punk novel, this first-in-a-series is thoroughly engaging.

London is a moving Traction City approaching the Great Hunting Grounds. Orphan Tom, a lowly third-class apprentice, thwarts an assassination attempt on the city's Head Historian, Valentine. The would-be killer escapes down the waste chute to the Out-Country, where Tom ends up as well.

Follow them on their adventure, by Air-Ship, Pirate City, and the defense city built into mountains, and learn the true circumstances of Valentine's lethal weapon MEDUSA.

Experience Municipal Darwinism in a world that is not what it seems, with an intriguing underbelly and strong characters on the move.

Recommended for grades 6-9
Reviewed by Joe Drinka

Anything But Typical

by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Twelve-year-old Jason has a beautiful mind. He also has an autism spectrum disorder. Despite the highly imaginative stories he submits on a website called Storyboard, he struggles to fit in with his "neurotypical" peers in middle school, as well as members of his own family. Try as he might to interact with people in a regular manner, his sensory perceptions of events around him do not allow him to understand what he is supposed to do all of the time. Meanwhile, the students and teachers in his class label him as weird and difficult to handle. Because he is anything but typical, he is also anything but popular. It would surprise those who know Jason that any of these things bother him, but they do hurt him deeply. The good news is that he has finally found a friend on the Storyboard chat room that not only admires his writing, but also confides in him just like any other friend would do. Jason is thrilled to interact with a girl named "PhoenixBird", who encourages him to keep writing more stories because she enjoys them so much. This is perfect situation for Jason because it takes the pressure off of him to act normal. He is sure that they will never meet in person. But the annual Storyboard Convention is coming up; as a surprise, Jason's parents have booked him a flight to attend it. Jason promises to tell PhoenixBird all about it, but he doesn't need to, because she is going as well. She tells him that she can't wait to finally meet him! This turn of events puts Jason in a tailspin because he knows that this girl will reject him when she finds out who he really is. Told through the eyes of Jason, the reader is able to view the world through his thoughts, feelings, and the many ways he gets confused throughout the day. This book is highly recommended for anyone who has been touched by someone who suffers from autism. It is sure to help you understand that person much better because it enables you to walk around in their shoes for awhile.

Recommended for grades 5-9
Reviewed by Rozanne Porter

Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman?

by Eleanor Updale
Prisoner 493 has been given a second chance at life. The fall he took on the night he was caught by police should have been the end of him, but it wasn't. Instead, he became an experiment of Dr. Farcett, a brilliant young surgeon in Victorian England. His recovery is a painful one but the prisoner, now called "Montmorency," gains priceless knowledge during his time spent with the doctor and other members of the Scientific Society. He learns all about the new sewer system being built beneath London and before long has hatched an underhanded plan for when he returns to society. Upon his release from prison, Montmorency puts his plan into action. By day he is the well-dressed and sophisticated Montmorency. By night he is Scarper, the foul-smelling thief who uses the sewer system to go about London stealing from homes and businesses. With Scarper working at night Montmorency is able to maintain the appearance of a wealthy Londoner without anyone suspecting otherwise. But how long can he keep up the ruse? How long until someone recognizes him? This is a fast-moving story full of shady characters, close calls and good laughs.

Recommended for grades 5-8
Reviewed by Tara Olson

The Year of the Dog

By Grace Lin
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have two different names, one at school and one at home? Pacy, also known as Grace, knows and sometimes she's not sure she likes it. Pacy is Chinese-American, well actually Taiwanese-American, although Taiwan used to be part of China so she thinks that's pretty confusing. Whichever she is, except for her older sister Lissy, Pacy is the only one at her school - until this year. This year is the Year of the Dog, a time to make new friends, a time to find yourself, and a lucky year for those born in the Year of the Tiger like Pacy. Pacy's luck starts right away because the day after Lunar New Year, for the first time ever, there's another Taiwanese girl in her school - Melody. Pretty soon Pacy and Melody are inseparable but there's still a whole year to get through complete with the school play, a writing contest, a science fair, a Taiwanese summer convention, and more. And if that doesn't sound like enough, you can read more about Pacy's adventures in the sequel, The Year of the Rat.

Recommended for grades 3-5
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

The Demigod Files

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Demigod Files
by Rick Riordan
Are you waiting to read the last book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series?  If you want to make your wait more bearable or just learn more about Percy and the other campers, pick up The Demigod Files!  Read three more of Percy's exciting adventures in which he helps Clarisse find a stolen chariot, rebuilds Hephaestus's bronze dragon to save Beckendorf, and travels the Underworld with Thalia and Nico to find the lost Sword of Hades.  Get some insight into the Stolls, Clarisse, Annabeth, Grover, and Percy in one-on-one interviews.  See what kinds of things Annabeth packs into her camp trunk.  And check out a map of Camp Half-Blood.  Still haven't gotten enough?  Take a sneak peek at The Last Olympian!

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Sara Murray