STELLA BY STARLIGHT, by Sharon Draper

The story: Stella lives in segregated Bumblebee, North Carolina. It's the Depression, and times are tough. Even worse, the Klu Klux Klan has suddenly come to life in her small town, and Stella sees something she shouldn't--something dangerous. What do you do when there's something bad hanging over your head, and there doesn't seem to be anything you can do to change it?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG-13; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (segregation, prejudice, mob action, hate crimes) PG-13; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: This is a quiet story that lets the history speak for itself, showing how racial injustice and its resulting tensions influenced the lives of those who experienced it, including children. Draper doesn't need to use bold print, or beat any drums, to expose how difficult those times were, and thoughtful kids who read this book will get it without having to have a history teacher belabor the subject. It would be nice to think that some kid will pick this book up and read it on his own, but historical fiction is a hard sell at the middle-school level. Still, it's an important book to have available in the collection: this is historical fiction for younger readers at its best.

GENUINE SWEET, by Faith Harkey

The story: Genuine Sweet is a wish-fetcher, although she can only grant OTHER peoples' wishes--which is a problem, since her life so frequently kind of stinks: her mom is dead and her dad's an alcoholic, her grandma is going downhill, and the boy she likes doesn't notice her while a semi-weird one does. Things seem to take a turn for the better when Jura--new girl and possible best friend--moves into her small town, but when Genuine breaks the #1 rule of wish fetching (i.e., you can't get wishes for yourself) her magic deserts her just when she needs it most.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence G; Sexual content G; Nudity G; substance abuse PG; magic and the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (parental alcoholism, death) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: I thought this one was charming! Genuine's observations about life in a small town in the south are just right, as is her wish to join in doing good on a broader scale--and her discovery that using your powers to benefit yourself rather than others will always have unexpected consequences is something we all have to learn at some point. Too bad the cover art makes it look like a book for 4th graders--even 7th grade girls would probably like this one if it had a slightly more mature look to it.

MY LIFE IN DIORAMAS, by Tara Altebrando

The story: Kate's family has run out of money, and now they have to move--right when her dance team has decided to attend a big competition the girls have been dying to try for years. While the rest of the team gets ready, Kate tries to sabotage her parents' real estate deal: first by stashing stinky stuff around the house to discourage possible buyers, then by planting loud noises around to bug people who come to the open house. But when the house deal goes through and it looks like the family really is going to move despite Kate's tricks, her mother's depression, and the death of their dog--Kate finds out what she's really made of...and is pleasantly surprised.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence G; Sexual content G; Nudity G; substance abuse PG; magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (clinical depression, death of a pet) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Who says a book has to have bad words or super powers to get a reader's attention? Girls in grades 4-up will enjoy 7th-grade Kate's war against reality, as well as her final acceptance of it--and while she's slow to embrace the changes, Kate finally comes to realize that things aren't going to end up nearly as bad as she expected (a good life lesson for lots of teens!). There are some funny moments in the story, as well as a light-hearted look at the confusion adolescent girls feel about boys and crushes. This is a fun one!

LOOT: HOW TO STEAL A FORTUNE, by Jude Watson

The story: March McQuin's father Alfie has just fallen off a roof and been killed--but not before he taught his son all the tricks of the trade. March knows all the steps in planning a perfect jewel theft--but what he doesn't know is that he has a twin sister. When fate throws Jules into his path, the two decide to follow their dad's plan for the ultimate heist. Never mind that it got Alfie killed...

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; substance abuse PG; Magic and the occult PG; GLBT content PG; adult themes (children being raised to a life of crime; parental lawlessness, suggestion that stealing isn't wrong as long as you only target bad people) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: This story is something like "Ocean's Eleven" for the MS crowd, where the kids, although not successful in bringing their heist to a profitable conclusion, still end up living in the lap of luxury because of something their father stole years earlier. It was an interesting read, and there was plenty going on, but I didn't like the implication that dishonest behavior is excused by other guy's being even more dishonest than YOU.

KATIE FRIEDMAN GIVES UP TEXTING, by Tommy Greenwald

The story: Challenged by her favorite singer to get a group of friends to give up texting for a week (and with an awesome prize dangling in front of her if she succeeds), Katie Friedman does what feels like the impossible: she goes phone-free for an entire week--and lives to tell about it!

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence G; Sexual content G; Nudity G; substance abuse G; magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes G; overall rating G.

Liz's comments: Charlie Joe Jackson's best friend, Katie Friedman, is a funny narrator dealing with a very real problem: kids' (and adults') seeming inability to put down their devices and engage in a face-to-face conversation. But here's proof for everyone that it can be done...and with minimum casualties! For those unfamiliar, the "Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to..." series is a LOL take on middle school life that will appeal to both boys and girls.

Dead Wake by Erik Larson

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I am a big fan of Erik Larson.  In the Garden of Beasts kept me up late at night, The Devil in the White City creeped me out, Thunderstruck left me, well, thunderstruck.  With great anticipation I opened my e-galley (Thank you Crown!) and settled in.  Needless to say, I remain a devoted fan having stayed up late into the night and arisen early the next morning to find out what happened to my favorite passengers and my not so favorite submarine commander.  As is his usual habit, Larson tells the story from two viewpoints—in this case the passengers and captain on the Lusitania and the submarine captain of U-20, who sunk the ship.  Both sides are compelling and offer the reader an almost omniscient view of what is happening.  Larson’s work is copiously researched;  he includes quotations from letters, newspapers, official war records and numerous other primary sources, but the story is anything but dry.  I came away with a new understanding of just how dangerous crossing the ocean could be;  the Lusitania was by no means the only passenger ship to go down.  Many succumbed to accident, like the Titanic, but with a frequency I had not previously realized, and there were many sunk by torpedo during WWI.  And yet, people still traveled on them and in many cases felt quite comfortable doing so.  There was one passenger from the Lusitania, a salesman, who had survived two other ships that went down.  Packed with information, but written with a narrative flow that many fiction books could benefit from, Larson’s latest is on the NYT bestseller list and deserves to be so.  Most intriguing to me is the possibility of a conspiracy involving Room 40--you will have to read the book to find out what that is, but it will be worth it!.  I had heard the occasional theory before, but the evidence as presented definitely seems to tip in favor of conspiracy being a strong likelihood.

Enjoy!

June's Rating System:

Language--PG;  Nudity--G;  Sexual Content--PG;  GLBT Content--G;  Violence--R;  Adult Themes--PG

Robin's Comments:

This would be a good option for teens who like nonfiction, especially history or seagoing adventures.  it is interesting and the dual perspective lets the reader know what both sides are doing at the same time, which of course was not possible in real time.  

THE ZODIAC LEGACY: CONVERGENCE, by Stan Lee & others

The story: A rabbit, a ram. A pig, a rooster, a tiger, half a dragon. Weird barnyard? Nope--they're the good guys. Lined up on the other side: rat, snake, ox, monkey, dog, horse, and the other half of the dragon. Pit one half of the Chinese Zodiac again the other, and which side will win? Each person, born in the year of their animal and infused with its power, has their own distinct super-power--but it's learning to work together that will make (or break) them. Steven Lee's team is a bunch of teens, arrayed against the strongest man in the world. What chance could they possibly have? None--unless the stars are aligned in their favor, or unless they can trick the other half of that dragon.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG-13; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; magic and the occult PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes (parental neglect) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments hand this one to your graphic novel fans! Dreamed up by Marvel boss Stan Lee, illustrated by a kick-butt cartoonist/animator, with an action-packed story by an author you haven't heard of YET--it's got everything a Marvel Comic has, plus enough text to keep even the crankiest ILA teacher happy. Okay, so it's not big on character development...but is that why you go to see "The Avengers"? Didn't think so.

THE IMAGINARY, by A.F. Harrold

The story: You'd think being someone's imaginary friend would be a pretty safe gig. And being Amanda's imaginary friend means that Rudger has better adventures than anybody else's--until they meet the sinister Mr. Bunting. Now Rudger is involved in their most dangerous adventure yet: trying to keep from being swallowed whole while avoiding being forgotten and fading as a result. If he's not careful, it'll be the end of the line for Rudger...and Amanda won't even remember he's gone.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; substance abuse G; magic and the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (some sequences might be scary for younger kids) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: This story is a charmer! Other reviews I've read rightly compare it Roald Dahl, and with good reason: there's the same kind of easy-to-understand yet clever language, a similar build-up of tension as the story progresses, and even a couple of genuinely creepy parts. I liked it a lot! Truthfully, the characters seem to be more for upper elementary readers than for middle school--but since you still find Roald Dahl getting checked out in MS, this'll still find a place in my library.

DEFY, by Sara B. Larson

The story: Alexa has been hiding behind the mask of a boy for years. Only her twin brother knows the truth, but when Marcel is killed in a raid, she's left alone, the only girl in a team of men assigned to guard the prince. Even worse, Damian turns out to be not nearly as arrogant and shallow as she'd thought, and Alexa finds herself falling for the man whose life she's sworn to protect.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence R; sexual content PG-13; nudity PG; substance abuse PG; magic and the occult PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes (death of parents/sibling) PG; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Some reviews have compared this to Mulan (and there is that "disguised as a boy" factor), but this is more of an action-packed romance novel, rather than a fantasy with a lot of action. Either way! I like 'em both. And even though there was lots of yearning, there was little acting--which made it good for MS audiences, although it clearly irritated a bunch of the other reviewers.