The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

by Kate DiCamillo
Edward Tulane is a very handsome china rabbit, but Edward knows that he is very handsome - which is not good for the soul. Ten-year-old Abilene is Edward's mistress who loves him very much and Edward knows that too, but doesn't think much of it. Shortly after Abilene's eleventh birthday, disaster strikes. On an ocean voyage, Edward is accidently thrown overboard by some very rude little boys, and so Edward's miraculous journey begins. Before his journey ends, Edward will have seen pain and sorrow and injustice, but also great love. He will have acquired many different names, changed clothes numerous times, and seen all sorts of different places, but most importantly Edward himself will find he has changed in ways he didn't even think possible. Join Edward on his journey and you may find yourself changed as well.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Al Capone Does My Shirts

by Gennifer Choldenko
The year is 1935. The place is Alcatraz Island--an island that just happens to be a prison housing some of the country's worst criminals. So what's twelve-year-old Moose Flanagan doing there? Moose's father has just started a new job at the prison and his family has to live there. In fact, Moose is just one of 24 children who live on the island because their parents work there. But that doesn't exactly make him happy about it. First of all there's the fact that he's moved away from his friends. Then there are prisoners to consider. His first night on the island Moose sleeps with his shoes on and a baseball bat under the covers, and that's before he's even heard about Al Capone. But the hardest part for Moose isn't the adjustment to a new home. It's dealing with his sister Natalie and her "condition," known as Autism, which causes the most stress and exhaustion for his family. If she isn't able to get into the Esther P. Marinoff School for special children it will push his mother to the breaking point and may even get his father fired. When it seems that there is no other option, Moose reaches out to his last hope, a prisoner named Onion 105. What, if anything, can a prisoner behind the walls of Alcatraz do for him? Moose doesn't know for sure, but he is willing to take a chance. Watch for the sequel, Al Capone Shines My Shoes, coming this September to a library near you!

Recommended for grades 5-8
Reviewed by Tara Olson

Out of the Dust

by Karen Hesse
Dust. It's 1934 in Oklahoma and dust is everywhere. Billie Jo can't escape it. Dust is out in the fields killing the crops. Dust is in the house covering the floors, covering the table, covering the piano. Dust is in the food; regular milk looks like chocolate milk, everything seems to have pepper on it, but it's not pepper, it's dust. And ever since the accident that took so much away from Billie Jo, the dust is inside her too. All she wants is out. Out of the dust. Maybe the poems that she writes will help, but how can you escape something inside you? Using free-verse poetry, Karen Hesse tells the unforgettable story of two years in Billie Jo's life and how she finds her way out of the dust.

Recommended for grades 5-10
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

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

The Graveyard Book

by Neil Gaiman
For those ghost lovers and Harry Potter fans, this spooky and suspenseful novel is based on Rudyard Kipling’s classic, The Jungle Book. The story begins in a frightening way, as a family is killed by a menacing stranger named Jack. However, the youngest child of the family, a toddler, fortuitously escapes the fate of the rest of his family by literally toddling out the front door while Jack is in another room. He crawls to a nearby graveyard, and gets discovered by two long-time inhabitants of the cemetery. Not knowing his true identity, the orphaned boy is renamed Nobody - Bod for short. Over the years, he is lovingly raised by the kind, eccentric ghosts in the cemetery until the day comes where he must return to "his own kind." In the meantime, Bod, whose life skills are suited more toward the dead than the living, must learn to go to school with his peers and learn things that only the living can teach. But there is great danger in taking this step. Surprisingly, Jack has not forgotten about him over time. He is still looking for Bod. He came to do a job that tragic evening long ago, and it has yet to be completed. He needs to finish what he started. Why does Jack need to destroy Bod? Can Bod's ghostly family protect him from the cruel world by continuing to isolate him? Will Bod ever have a home other than the cemetery? Gaiman writes a suspenseful yarn, at times funny, other times touching, that will leave readers wanting to turn the pages to find out who Jack is, as well as what becomes of Bod and his ethereal family.

Winner of the 2009 Newbery Medal

Recommended for grades 5 and up
Reviewed by Rozanne Porter

Elijah of Buxton

by Christopher Paul Curtis
It's 1860 and Elijah is the first free-born child in the settlement of Buxton, Canada and as such you would think he'd get a little respect! Instead everyone tells him how fragile he is and boy do they love to tell the story of how he threw up on Mr. Frederick Douglass even though Elijah was just a baby when it happened. Elijah enjoys his life - he has a best friend, Cooter, to get in trouble with, he gets to go rock fishing on his favorite mule, Old Flapjack, and he gets to work with Mr. Leroy helping to clear a neighbor's land. Now that he's almost 12, Elijah thinks it's about time people realize he's pretty much grown up even if some things are still pretty confusing. For one thing, his Ma tells him he "has to respect what growned folks say" one minute and the next she's telling him "not to believe some of the things growned folks tell" you. How's a boy to know which things are which? As the year goes on and Elijah learns more about the world outside of Buxton - especially about slavery, he starts to see that being grown up is much more complicated than he thought.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Good Masters, Sweet Ladies

Good Masters, Sweet Ladies: Voices from a Medieval Village
by Laura Amy Schlitz
Imagine living in a grim time. Death often came early in the middle ages, and even their time on earth was brutish.

Schlitz presents a raw picture of being a child during medieval times. Using over twenty carefully-researched, distinct voices, the text showcases a varied and interesting world. Meet realistic people from all walks of life, including Jack, the half-wit; Simon, the knight's son; and Pask, the runaway. Find out what a "sniggler" does, while poring over this meticulously illuminated volume.

Even though the book is on the slimmer side, it is very funny and entertaining. Each medieval character breathes authenticity like an annoying class clown in the back of your classroom. This title definitely deserved it when it received the Newbery Award.

Also includes descriptive sidebar notes, little backgrounds, and an extensive bibliography.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Joe Drinka

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

by Brian Selznick
It's Paris, 1931 and Hugo Cabret is all alone. His father is dead, his uncle is missing and he has no other friends or family. He lives inside the walls of the train station and keeps the clocks running there. He needs to steal food to survive and his situation is getting desperate. Hugo knows if he can fix the mechanical man that his father was working on before he died, it will give him the answer to his problems. When Hugo is caught stealing, he gets drawn into the lives and mysteries of the old toyseller and his goddaughter. Can he uncover the mysteries of the toyseller, fix the mechanical man and find a way to survive? This book looks a little intimidating because of its size, but it is a really quick read once you get going. Intricate pencil drawings are used to help portray the action of the book and help you to visualize Hugo's world. If you are looking for a different type of adventure pick this book up.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Alicia Parmele