The Dollar Kids

Lowen has always loved drawing his comics, but since the day Abe died, he can only draw stories about Abe and his death.  Lowen didn't pull the trigger, but he did send Abe to the store where he was shot.  Lowen just wanted a little peace and quiet, and now Abe is dead. 

When he sees a story about homes selling for $1 in dwindling communities, it seems like the perfect opportunity.  The towns want new people to fill schools and create business, and Lowen wants to escape his guilt.

His family is ecstatic when they are chosen to move to Millville.  His mom will open a restaurant, and his dad wants to open a clinic.  The Millvillians are welcoming at first, but Lowen soon realizes many people resent the Dollar Families.  Millville needs the Dollar Kids to fill its empty classrooms and to have enough kids to play on sports teams. 

The houses are even worse than they thought:  moldy bathrooms, sagging floors, leaky roofs.  It will be a miracle if they can fix up the house by the deadline. 

All the while, Lowen is trying to stay separate from the other kids, Millvillians and Dollar Kids.  He knows what happens to his friends.  Plus, no one else knows about his role in Abe's death, so he decides to punish himself.  No friends, no drawing.  He doesn't deserve to be happy. 

Jennifer Richard Jacobson's new book is a beautiful story about healing, grief, and the power of friendship.  This isn't a story filled with action, but it is compelling nonetheless.  Readers will be pulled into Lowen's story and cheer him and Millville as they begin the road to healing.  Comic panels by Ryan Andrews enhance the story and highlight the power of art in healing and therapy.  Highly recommended.

Love and Luck

Addie is in Ireland for her aunt's crazy over the top wedding.  She hopes a little distance will help her heal from a horrible mistake that has already lead to heartbreak and will likely lead to humiliation.  But her older brother Ian has discovered her secret, and he isn't willing to let it go.

Their constant bickering about whether she should tell their mother finally leads to a fist fight...at the wedding...on the Cliffs of Moher.  Their mother has had enough of the fighting and orders them to get along or lose their positions on their respective sports teams. 

Addie was supposed to go to Italy to visit her best friend Lena after the wedding accompanied by Ian, but he pulls a stunt that forces their plans to change.  Now, Addie is stuck in the back seat of a tiny car traveling across Ireland with annoying brother and his, admittedly cute, Irish friend Rowan. 

When she finds a guidebook called Ireland for the Heartbroken, it seems meant to be.  Ian has his own plan for the road trip, but many of the sites coincide with the guidebook.  Can one adventure across the emerald isle cure her heartbreak and mend her relationship with Ian?

This companion novel to Love and Gelato is another fun European adventure that helps to heal a girl in pain.  Though this is a lighthearted romance, it effectively deals with the fallout from Addie's decision to send an inappropriate photo.  Addie's guilt and avoidance over the issue feel realistic, and she finds she has a wonderful support group just waiting to help her.  This is another solid romance from Jenna Evans Welch.

Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring

Paloma is less than thrilled when her mother gets the opportunity to study in Mexico for the summer.  All her plans for hanging out by the pool with her friends are blown, and she brings little more than a Spanish vocabulary book, a new mystery about her favorite girl detective, and a bad attitude.

Shortly after arriving, however, she discovers Frida Kahlo, who also happens to be her father's favorite artist.  Her father died when she was three, and Paloma has spent most of her life trying to connect with him and her Mexican roots.

At first, she thinks Frida is strange.  (Tweezers, hello!)  But the more she studies the artist's work, the more she begins to connect with her and her work.

The first night in Mexico, she meets twins, Lizzie and Gael, who bring her into an intriguing mystery.  They believe Frida designed a gem-studded peacock ring before she died--maybe her last work.  They also believe the ring is missing and in danger of being lost to the people of Mexico.  Paloma is intrigued and takes a leaf from her favorite girl detective to help solve the mystery of the missing peacock ring.

Angela Cervantes's new book is her best to date.  The mystery is simple but interesting, and many kids with parents from different cultures will understand Paloma's struggle to connect.  Perhaps the best aspect of the novel is the way Cervantes weaves in details about Frida Kahlo who becomes a living character to Paloma.  This book will certainly spur readers to explore more about the artist's life and work.  Recommended.

The Girl in the Locked Room

Jules is tired of moving every few years, of being the new girl with no friends, but her father restores old homes, and the family goes where his next job is.  Oak Hill is different from any other house.  Jules immediately feels a sense of foreboding.  Something bad happened there.  She knows it, but her parents dismiss her uneasiness.

The girl has been in the attic room for a long time, so long she doesn't even remember her own name anymore.  All she knows is she isn't supposed to leave, and every night the bad men come to get her.  Maybe the new girl can help her.

Jules is determined to find the truth about Oak Hill and the ghostly figure she's seen in the attic.

Mary Downing Hahn's newest ghost story has its creepy moments, but it's definitely a gentler tale than many of her other books.  This makes it more suited to younger readers.  Older kids may be disappointed with the lack of chills, especially after seeing that creepy cover. 

Every Shiny Thing

Lauren has always been her brother's support system.  She knows all of Ryan's triggers.  She knows how to calm him down.  She knows what kind of soft t-shirts he likes and how he hates when people name his fish.  But now their parents have sent him to an expensive boarding school for people with autism, and it doesn't matter what anyone says, Lauren is sure Ryan can't be happy there.  He should be home with the people who love him.

Sierra's dad is already in prison, and when her mom violates her parole, Sierra goes into foster care. She's used to taking care of her mom and life in her old neighborhood.  She misses her best friend Cassidy.  Her foster parents, Anne and Carl, seem nice, but she doesn't get the point of getting to know them when she'll be back home with her mom soon.

When Sierra moves in next door, Lauren feels an instant connection to her.  Lauren's frustrations with her brother's absence combined with her school's focus on simplicity have her looking at her life and family in a new light.  There are so many things they don't need, and there are people who need so much.  At first, she just sells things that belong to her to make money for charity,  but things quickly escalate, and she brings Sierra in on her scheme.  It's one thing to want to help others, but has Lauren gone too far?  Sierra is the only one who knows the truth, and she's so focused on keeping Lauren happy, she isn't thinking about herself. 

This new book by Cordelia Jensen and Laurie Morrison is a study in addiction.  Sierra's parents battle drug and alcohol addiction, but Lauren and Sierra have different issues.  Sierra's addiction is taking care of others, and Lauren is addicted to the thrill of stealing.  She's also caught in a spiral of self-denial.  Moderation is the key.  For most of the book, Lauren is pretty annoying.  She gets so caught up in her own world that she pushes away her best friend and ignores the needs of people around her.  I can't help feeling she needs therapy to help her deal with her issues. 

After Zero

Elise has always been homeschooled by her distant mother until she finally convinces her mother to send her to middle school.  At first, Elise is thrilled.  She finally gets to be a normal girl. 

But things start going wrong.  She doesn't know to raise her hand in class.  She says the wrong things that alienate her from her classmates.  She soon convinces herself to talk less.  If she's not talking, she can't give the wrong answer to a teacher or say the wrong thing to a classmate. 

She begins keeping track of how many words she says each day in a notebook.  Can she get by with five words?  Fewer?  Soon, the silence begins to take over, and she finds it almost impossible to speak even when she wants to.  Plus, she's not sleeping at night making her irritable and tired during the day.

Then she makes a shocking discovery about her own family, that sends her spiraling out of control.  The silence started as a way to go unnoticed, but now everyone is making judgments about her, and Elise can't defend herself.

Christina Collins's new novel is a heartbreaking story about a young girl's struggle with anxiety and sleep-deprived hallucinations. Selective mutism is an interesting and often misunderstood issue inspired by the author's own childhood experiences.  I always enjoy a book with an unreliable narrator.  Savvy readers will quickly realize Elise's perceptions are off, but it may take younger readers a while to catch on adding a layer of mystery to the story.  Recommended.

Laura Ingalls is Ruining My Life

Charlotte's mom has a positive attitude and a wandering spirit, and she's recently decided the spirit of Laura Ingalls is calling her to Walnut Grove, Minnesota, so she can write a book about a pioneer girl.  Charlotte isn't happy about the move, and neither is her twin brother, Freddy, who's taken a vow of silence in protest.  Her younger half-sister, Rose, makes new friends easily and has their mother's positive attitude.

When Charlotte gets sick and misses most of the first week of school, things get even worse.  Not only has Freddy abandoned his vow of silence, but he's also found a circle of friends without her. 

Charlotte is stuck in a funk, but she eventually realizes her first impressions of Walnut Grove may have been wrong.  The kids she's pegged as fake and snobby might actually make good friends, and a job at the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum has her reevaluating her opinions of Laura, too.

Could Walnut Grove be a real home for Charlotte's family?  What if her mother gets the urge to move again?  Will all that work be for nothing?

Shelley Tougas's new book is an engaging story about a dysfunctional family and a girl who's given up on trying to fit in.  The Laura Ingalls connections are fairly superficial, so fans will appreciate the extra touch, but those who don't know much about Little House won't feel lost.  This is really a story about finding home and speaking the truth in difficult situations.

A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting

Kelly isn't happy when her plans to attend a Halloween party are ruined when her mom volunteers her to babysit for her boss.  It doesn't take long before little Jacob is complaining about a monster in his room.

That's when Kelly discovers the truth.  Some babysitters aren't providing regular childcare; they are protecting special children from real life monsters.  One of the seven boogeymen has kidnapped Jacob for evil plans to create a nightmare reality, and the babysitters are the only ones who can stop him.

With the help of some expert babysitters and a guidebook created through practical experience, Kelly will try to overcome her own insecurities and protect the children of her hometown.

The first book in this new series by Joe Ballarnini is perfect for Goosebumps fans.  Recommended!

The Serpent's Secret

Kiran has always been a misfit, and her parents seem clueless.  They just keep telling her she's an Indian princess and to ignore her tormentors.  She puts up with their eccentricities until her twelfth birthday when she comes home to find her home destroyed and her parents missing.  The only thing she finds is a birthday card with a message to trust the princes.

Two cute guys show up with winged horses followed a hideous smelly demon.  It turns out Kiran really is a princess!  She's the daughter of the moon goddess and the serpent king.  Her adoptive parents took her into the human world to keep her safe, but now the protective spell has worn off, and Kiran and the princes are running out of time to save her parents and protect the world from a demon.  Plus, her bio dad is a giant snake demon who wants to kill her and her friends.

Sayantani Dasgupta's series opener is perfect for Rick Riordan fans.  It's a good fantasy adventure with a funny and believable heroine.

The Road to Ever After

Davy is a thirteen year old homeless orphan in a joyless town ruled by the hypocritical Reverend Fall.  He loves sketching angels from an art book into the dirt around town, but he has to do it early in the morning to avoid getting caught. 

One morning on his early excursion he discovers one of the reverend's secrets.  Now Reverend Fall is trying to capture Davy, and his only option is to accept an unusual offer. 

Miss Elizabeth Flint, the town witch and shut in, believes she is about to die, and she wants Davy to drive her back to her childhood home.  It doesn't matter that Davy is only thirteen and has no idea how to drive or that her car is ancient. 

The two misfits form a reluctant friendship based on mutual crankiness.  Soon something strange begins to happen to Elizabeth.  She starts getting younger.  It's impossible, but it's happening.  As they travel, Elizabeth also begins to tell Davy the story of her past and all her regrets, and Davy realizes he has a responsibility to see Elizabeth through until she passes on to the next life. 

Moira Young's newest book is a bit confusing as a children's book.  Though the protagonist is thirteen, it seems more like a cautionary tale for adults to let go of the past and not be tied down by regrets.

Rebel Seoul

Jaewon grew up as an orphan in the slums of Old Seoul.  After a stint in a street gang, he won a spot in a military academy.  It's the key to a different future in a world that is constantly at war.  His success at the academy gets him a job in a top-secret weapons program. 

His new job is to partner a girl named Tera.  He isn't her first partner.  All the others have quit.  She seems like a normal teenage girl, but she's actually a weapon.  She was raised as part of an experimental program where she was fed a steady stream of chemical enhancers until she became a super soldier.  Jaewon's job is to observe her, but he quickly begins to feel compassion.

As things progress and Jaewon learns more about the workings of the military, he begins to doubt a regime that callously spends the lives of the poor and turns young orphans into weapons.

Axie Oh's futuristic first novel is a dark vision of a world overtaken by violence.  There are some good ideas here, but there are too many one-dimensional side characters, and you already know how I feel about insta-love.  I think there is an audience for this book, and it's great to have another book with Asian characters.  This was just not as good as I wanted it to be.  Grades 8 and up.