TEN DAYS A MADWOMAN, by Deborah Noyes

The story: Nellie Bly took on the newspaper establishment in a time when reporting was not seen as a fit occupation for women, and turned the world on its ear by spending ten days in a madhouse to do a report on the terrible conditions there. She followed it up by traveling around the world in LESS than 80 days--72 days, to be precise. Read the true story of this intrepid girl reporter to see just how far women have come in the 100 years since then!

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (treatment of the insane; women's rights) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz' comments: Good for MS and up, wherever there's a strong interest in female-centered nonfiction.

THE BITTER SIDE OF SWEET, by Tara Sullivan

The story: Amadou and Seydou are essentially slaves on a cacao plantation in Ivory Coast. If they don't pick enough pods every day, they're beaten; they've finally figured out they're never going to be able to earn enough to pay off their "debt" to the bosses. It's not until kidnapped Kahdija is dropped off at camp that the situation spirals out of control, and Amadou realizes that unless he does something desperate, his brother is going to die. Can Amadou find the courage to face nearly insurmountable odds and stage a getaway?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG-13; Sexual content PG-13 (a rape, which although graphic is nonetheless there); nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; Adult themes (human trafficking, unfair-trade chocolate practices) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: This was a very eye-opening book about a substance, chocolate, that kids in the US take for granted while kids in Africa die to produce it. The astute, socially-conscious secondary reader will find this book fascinating, although the lack-luster cover makes it unlikely the rest will ever give it a second glance.

SOPHIE QUIRE AND THE LAST STORYGUARD, by Jonathan Auxier

The story: Sophie Quire is a book mender is a city that not only doesn't value books--it's about to gather every work of fiction to be found and burn it. When a strange boy and his seemingly mutant cat appear with an equally strange book in need of mending, Sophie is astounded to find that it contains information about her mother's death--the event that has made Sophie the Last Storyguard. When the book is stolen, Sophie joins the quest to recover it...and in so doing, finds out the truth about her life, her mother, and all the magic in the world.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult: PG-13; GLBT content G; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: This is a truly imaginative piece of fantasy fiction, reminiscent of last year's "The Map to Everywhere" and "Story Thieves." Probably good for strong readers 4th grade and up, and suitable as a read aloud for younger audiences. Recommended!

THE FORBIDDEN ORCHID, by Sharon Biggs Waller

The story: Elodie's father is a rare plant hunter, and she longs to be able to go adventuring with him. When Papa fails to fulfill his contract to bring home a rare orchid, his employer threatens debtors' prison unless he makes good. But Papa refuses to take her with him, although he's too sick to go alone--so she stows away on that slow boat to China, where she masquerades as a boy, and then as a wife, and finally finds true love in the rainforests of the Far East. (And orchids too!)

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; substance abuse PG; Magic and the occult PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes PG; overall rating PG (although its historical fiction setting and sort of Regency romance tone render it better for older readers--strong 8th grade readers and up).

Liz's comments: Historical fiction is always a tough sell in middle school, but if older girls are looking for a romance in an exotic location, with a heroine who bucks the helpless female stereotype of the time, this is an excellent choice.

GOLDFISH, by Nat Luurtsema

The story: When Lou misses out on her chance to train as an Olympic swimmer, she feels that life as she knows it is about to end (and she's right). What she never saw coming was the chance to coach a boys' synchronized swimming team starring three of the hottest guys at her school. She also never foresaw that she'd be breaking into an aquarium, busting her friend out of training camp, or ending up swimming on the guys' team herself. Or making up friends. Or getting a boyfriend. Stuff like that just sneaks up on you sometimes.

June Cleaver's ratings: Langauge PG; Violence G; Sexual content PG; Nudity PG; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: This laugh-out-loud story not only has some hilarious moments, but Lou really grows as a character, learning that things generally aren't as bad as they seem, and that good luck can come in strange packages. I just wish I could actually watch the YouTube video of those guys doing their routine!

SPEED OF LIFE, by Carol Weston

The story: Sofia's mother died last year, and now her dad is dating again. She's got all these hard questions and no one to ask--so she turns to Dear Kate, the advice columnist at "Fifteen" magazine. When Kate gives her good answers and solid advice, Sofia emails more and more--until she finds out that the advice columnist is the Mystery Woman her dad is dating! Now what!?!?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence G; Sexual content PG-13; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content PG; adult themes (death of a parent, sex, grief and loss) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Weston's background as a teen advice columnist is evident here--parts of this book read like she lifted them straight from the source. Sofia asks questions that MS girls certainly wonder about, but would frequently be too embarrassed to ask their mothers, so there's some value to the book in that way. I thought it was fairly plot-free, but it certainly raised and resolved a lot of issues--death of a parent, the other parent dating again, grief, moving, going to a new school, step-sibling drama, wondering why you can't get a boyfriend (and when you do, wondering how far to go)--there's a little of everything! Girls who are willing to put up with the slow pace and wade through teen angst to see whether Sofia gets the guy will be happy with the outcome.

TIME TRAVELING WITH A HAMSTER, by Ross Welford

The story: On his 12th birthday, Al Chaudhury receives a letter from his dead father, challenging him to find and use a time machine that dad invented to go back in time and prevent the accident that will cause his father to die way too young. But time travel is a tricky thing, and of all the possible outcomes, there's only one that would actually be better. All the rest would be much, much worse...

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (death of a parent) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: I did like this story, but I'm not sure MS readers will stick with it through all the variations of his life caused by time travel. The story just seemed to take too much...time. Still, both Booklist and Kirkus gave it starred reviews, so there's that.

THE MINISTRY OF S.U.I.T.S, by Paul Gamble

The story: Jack's curiosity is going to get him killed, Mom warns. But our hero never thought it would get him a job at the Ministry of S.U.I.T.s (Strange, Unusual & Impossible Things)...and yet, here he is. Operatives use The Speed--and other arcane techniques--to keep one step ahead of the world's biggest cache of pirates, all the dinosaurs that didn't go extinct, and a steampunk monster. And if you think THAT sounds funny, check out the narrator's footnotes!

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes PG (megalomaniac trying to take over the world); overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: I thought this book was hilarious--it had a bunch of laugh-out-loud moments, and I'm a grown up! Plus, there's the best use of footnotes since Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus series. Simply because of its size, it's better for good 5th grade readers, and up.

WHAT LIGHT, by Jay Asher

The story: Sierra's family grows Christmas trees in Oregon, then makes the 900-mile trek to central California to sell them each year. But sales are down, and she knows that this might be their last year. Even more upsetting, she meets and falls for Caleb, all the while knowing she'll have to say goodbye to him when the lot closes on Christmas morning--and even worse, there's something weird and scary in Caleb's past. How could something that could turn out so wrong feel so right?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (domestic violence) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: This is a sweet little holiday love story, just fine for readers of Kasie West or Jennifer E. Smith. What's weird is that this is the same author who wrote "Thirteen Reasons Why", about a girl who commits suicide and her reasons for doing it. The books are complete opposites--except for a message that people can (and should be allowed to) change, there's no kind of social commentary here. So don't buy this book thinking it'll be the same kind of novel as 13 Reasons. It's a lot more like Asher/Mackler's "The Future of Us", but without the sci-fi twist. (Too bad. I kinda liked that.)

FLAMECASTER, by Cinda Williams Chima

The story: When Ash (Adrian sul'Han, son of Raisa and Han of 7 Realms fame) witnessed his father's murder, he goes into hiding--and into training. Four years later, he's a healer...and an assassin. Self-assigned to deal with the evil Gerard Montaigne, king of Arden, he meets prisoner Jenna Bandelow: a girl with a strange magemark, who's being hunted by the mysterious Empress Celestine. Together, they can either deal with Montaigne and make their getaway--or slip up, and bring the Seven Realms crumbling down with them.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence R; Sexual content PG-13; Nudity PG; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes (murder, political intrigue, black magic) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: So happy for another entry in the world of the 7 Realms (truly, my all-time favorite YA series ever). Flamecaster doesn't disappoint, although realistically, it's better for grades 9 and up. The complex world building is a little easier to understand when you;re already familiar with the earlier volumes, but that's not required. There's plenty of heavy-duty making out here that will no doubt lead to something else later in the series, so be aware of that too, especially if purchasing for MS readers. Oh, and spoiler alert: there's a dragon! Sweet!

FALLING OVER SIDEWAYS, by Jordan Sonnenblick

The story: 8th grade--mean girls, dorky boys, friends drifting apart--is bad enough before Claire's dad has a stroke. But the stroke changes everything. Can she make it to high school without losing her friends, her seat in band, her place in dance class, and worst of all--her dad?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence G; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (parental illness; social stress) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: I liked this book all right, just not as much as I've liked Sonnenblick's other books in the past. And strangely, I'm not even sure why. Possibly it's because the "say it like it is" semi-snarky narrator approach seems to work better for me when it's coming from a boy??? (That would be weird, but maybe.) Anyway, definitely hand it to Sonnenblick fans--but this one's girl narrator won't appeal nearly as much to boys as his boy narrators appeal to girls. Sad fact, just saying.