Connect the Stars

Connect the Stars
by Marisa de los Santos

From the publisher:
"From Saving Lucas Biggs authors Marisa de los Santos and David Teague comes another heartwarming middle grade adventure about two misfits who discover the importance of just being themselves.

When thirteen-year-olds Aaron and Audrey meet at a wilderness camp in the desert, they think their quirks are enough to prevent them from ever having friends. But as they trek through the challenging and unforgiving landscape, they learn that they each have what it takes to make the other whole. 

Luminous and clever, Connect the Stars has Marisa de los Santos and David Teague’s trademark beautiful prose, delicate humor, swooping emotions, and keen middle grade friendships. This novel takes on the hefty topics of the day—bullying, understanding where you fit in, and learning to live with physical and mental challenges—all in a joyous adventure kids will love!"

This was an enjoyable book about some misfit teenagers whose parents think that sending them to a wilderness camp will help them with all of their various problems.  The thing that stuck with me the most about this book is that these wilderness camps need to be vetted by parents a lot better than the parents in this book did.  Not that I'm against these kinds of camps, but only one adult out in a wilderness area outside of range of communication with a bunch of teenagers?   I don't think so.  However, that isn't the point of the book.  The point of the book is that these kids all had issues and were sent to the wilderness to try to work through them.  They all have life-changing experiences and all end up better and stronger because of those experiences.   I loved the friendships that formed.  The characters were very diverse and interesting.  There was action and suspense, and fun and laughter.  The core group of Audrey, Aaron, Kate and Louis was very strong and I liked them all.  I have a member of my family who is a combination of Louis and Aaron, so it was interesting to read about their difficulties and think of my close relative and his struggles.  It's always nice to feel a connection like that to a book.  I think middle schoolers will really like this one.  I know the students at my school who have read it really recommend it to their peers.

Areas of concern:

*All of the campers have different issues, so there are things talked about like a grandparent's death, parental abandonment, foster homes.....  Nothing too graphic for a middle schooler.

*There is some massive bullying going on - a lot of it coming from an adult directed towards kids.

*I don't remember any bad language, and there were no sexual situations.

Suggested Ages:

Booklist - Grades 4-7

Kirkus Reviews - Ages 8-12
*Mrs. Duke thinks those ages are a little on the young side because there are some serious issues discussed and dealt with.  I wouldn't suggest it for elementary age, but definitely for middle school.

Remake

Remake
by Ilima Todd

From the publisher:
"Nine is the ninth female born in her batch of ten females and ten males. By design, her life in Freedom Province is without complications or consequences. However, such freedom comes with a price. The Prime Maker is determined to keep that price a secret from the new batches of citizens that are born, nurtured, and raised androgynously.

But Nine isn't like every other batcher. She harbors indecision
and worries about her upcoming Remake Day -- her seventeenth birthday, the age when batchers fly to the Remake facility and have the freedom to choose who and what they'll be.

When Nine discovers the truth about life outside of Freedom
Province, including the secret plan of the Prime Maker, she is
pulled between two worlds and two lives. Her decisions will test
her courage, her heart, and her beliefs. Who can she trust? Who does she love? And most importantly, who will she decide to be?"

I fluctuated between "this is a really cool concept", and "this is so lame" throughout this entire book. The main character made me uncomfortable and irritated most of the time, there were some plot issues, and the love triangle was awkward as well. However, all that was reading it with my adult eyes. I think teenagers will overlook the lameness and really enjoy this one. It does make you think. There are several topics that could develop into great discussions with your teenager. How important is family? What would it be like to never know what "family" even meant? What is real freedom? Is the greater good more important than individual good? And many more. So all in all, I think it is a worthwhile read for older teenagers, but I think it will make the younger crowd uncomfortable.

Areas of concern:
Frank talk of maturation.
A lot of discussions about sex and gender.
Talk of teenagers showering together and sleeping together (they had been given hormone suppressants and had not gone through puberty yet).
Some kissing.
There are biblical quotations scattered through the book, if that is of concern to you.

Suggested Ages:
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+
*Mrs. Duke thinks 14 and up is a little more like it.

Belle Teal

Belle Teal
by Ann M. Martin

From the publisher:
"Newbery Honor author Ann M. Martin's gripping, widely acclaimed novel of a girl confronting the perils of friendship and the conflicts of community.  Belle Teal's life isn't easy, but she gets by. She lives with her mother and grandmother far out in the country. They don't have much money, but Belle Teal feels rich with their love. As school begins, Belle Teal faces unexpected challenges. Her best friends are up against some big problems. And there are two new students in Belle Teal's class: a shy boy caught in the town's furor over desegregation, and a snob who has problems of her own. As her world falls apart, Belle Teal discovers the importance of sticking together."

This is another great book for our 7th grade Civil Rights unit. The setting is a little different from the others we have used ( The Lions of Little Rock , Warriors Don't Cry , The Help ...), in that it is set in the rural South instead of in a big city. The small town of Coker Creek, in an undetermined state in the South, is experiencing it's first year of integration in the elementary school. I really enjoyed this different look at that period of time. But this book is not just about integration, it is about family, friends, standing up for what you believe in, and taking care of those you love. When I first started reading the book, I was afraid that the mother in the story was going to be kind of a dead-beat, but I was wrong. She is hard-working, loving, supportive, and teaches her daughter important things. They are a strong family unit that takes care of each other. I really appreciated that. This was a good, uplifting book about a period of time when hate and anger were widespread, but there were good people who overcame those things and stayed true to themselves.

Areas of concern:
The *n* word is used a handful of times.
Child abuse is alluded to.

Suggested Ages:
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10-14
School Library Journal - Grades 4-6

Bigger Than a Bread Box

Bigger Than a Bread Box
by Laurel Snyder

From the publisher:
"A magical breadbox that delivers whatever you wish for—as long as it fits inside? It's too good to be true! Twelve-year-old Rebecca is struggling with her parents' separation, as well as a sudden move to her Gran's house in another state. For a while, the magic bread box, discovered in the attic, makes life away from home a little easier. Then suddenly it starts to make things much, much more difficult, and Rebecca is forced to decide not just where, but who she really wants to be. Laurel Snyder's most thought-provoking book yet."

This was a mildly enjoyable book for me. I didn't really feel the magic that I was expecting to, and it never really pulled me in, but I did like it. I liked the characters and the settings and thought the author did a fantastic job of making you feel like you were in Baltimore and Atlanta. I guess my main problem with it was that it felt too much like realistic fiction to have magic involved. I kept waiting to hear that the bread box was symbolic and that Rebecca really was stealing everything because of the mess her parents made of her life. And the ending was a little strange and felt at the same time too open-ended and too neatly tied-up. I'm not sure how that is possible, but that is how I felt while reading it. However, there are probably many middle school students who can totally relate to the character of Rebecca. She stays real through the whole book even though she makes some bad decisions. And I appreciated the love she showed to her little brother. However, at one point she has an argument with her mother and tells her mom how selfish she is and how everything is about her mom and she didn't think about anyone else when making certain decisions, but I felt like Rebecca shared in that selfishness and was poor me-ing through most of the book.
All in all, I liked this book and will recommend it to my middle schoolers.

Areas of concern:
Parents fighting and them mom taking children and leaving.
12 year old puts herself in a very dangerous situation.
A lot of lying.

Suggested Ages:
Booklist - Grades 6-8
School Library Journal - Grades 4-6

The One Safe Place

The One Safe Place
by Tania Unsworth

From the publisher:
"In this near-future dystopia with echoes of "The Giver" and "Among the Hidden," Tania Unsworth has created an unsettling page-turner fast-paced, smooth, filled with dread that s wholly satisfying and startlingly original.

Devin doesn't remember life before the world got hot; he has grown up farming the scorched earth with his grandfather in their remote valley. When his grandfather dies, Devin heads for the city. Once there, among the stark glass buildings, he finds scores of children, just like him, living alone on the streets. They tell him rumors of a place for abandoned children, with unlimited food and toys and the hope of finding a new family. But only the luckiest get there.

An act of kindness earns Devin an invitation to the home, but it s soon clear that it s no paradise. As Devin investigates the intimidating administrator and the zombie-like sickness that afflicts some children, he discovers the home s horrific true mission. The only real hope is escape, but the place is as secure as a fortress.

Fans of dystopian fiction and spine-chilling adventure will devour "The One Safe Place"; its haunting themes will resonate long after readers have turned the final page."

I am often horrified to hear of 4th and 5th grade teachers who have used The Hunger Games as a read-aloud in their classrooms. There are dystopians that are much more appropriate for middle graders than things like The Hunger Games and Divergent . I don't care how many movies get made from those series, they are too dark and twisty for elementary students, or even lower middle school students.   However, The One Safe Place can join the likes of Among the Hidden and The City of Ember  series as dystopian books that those ages (and over) can enjoy. Not that this book isn't dark, and it definitely has twisty people, but it is not the blood and gore that is thrown in your face constantly in the others. I really enjoyed this book. It had great world-building, the writing was good, the plot was intense and creepy, the main characters were love-able and the secondary characters were one of my favorite parts. My only problem with it was the ending, I prefer my endings nicely wrapped up, but this one felt more like The Giver - a little too up-in-the-air for me. But it WAS an ending, I would just like to know what happens from there. Is there going to be a sequel? I haven't heard of one. However, that was a very small little complaint in an otherwise great book. It is a quick and exciting read and I highly recommend it.

Areas of concern:
Children are harmed and put in dangerous and unhealthy situations.
Was there any bad language? I don't remember, so it must not have been too obvious because I do tend to notice that :) .

Suggested Ages:
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10+
School Library Journal - Grades 5-8

Paperboy

Paperboy
by Vince Vawter

From the publisher:
"An 11-year-old boy living in Memphis in 1959 throws the meanest fastball in town, but talking is a whole different ball game. He can barely say a word without stuttering, not even his own name. So when he takes over his best friend's paper route for the month of July, he knows he'll be forced to communicate with the different customers, including a housewife who drinks too much and a retired merchant marine who seems to know just about everything.

The paper route poses challenges, but it's a run-in with the neighborhood junkman, a bully and thief, that stirs up real trouble--and puts the boy's life, as well as that of his family's devoted housekeeper, in danger."

Oh Newbery, I'll never understand you. I just checked and I have to go clear back to 1997 to find a Newbery winner or honor book that I really LOVED ( Belle Prater's Boy ) . I haven't read them all, by any means, but the ones I have read have been kind of blah. This one was good, but I didn't find anything outstanding about it. It felt like it was trying to be too many things. A book about a child with a disability. A book about sports (although that was hardly mentioned - just that the main character loved baseball and had quite an arm). A book about race relations. A book about growing up in the 60's... Now if all of those things had meshed, it would have added up to a really good story, but it was like the author all of a sudden said, "Oh, I'd better put something about race relations in here now", instead of it being seamlessly woven into the story. I enjoyed parts of this book, and it was inspiring that it had a lot to do with the author's real life, but I'm not sure how much it will get checked out in our middle school library.

Areas of concern: A handful of swear words. Scary violence towards the main character and one of his loved ones. A woman who drinks excessively and has a man other than her husband come to her house, and then she gets hit by him.  A character finds out that his father isn't his biological father.

Suggested Ages:
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10+
School Library Journal - Grades 6-9

Waiting For Normal

Waiting For Normal
by Leslie Connor

From the publisher:
"Addie is waiting for normal.
But Addie's mom has an all-or-nothing approach to life: a food fiesta or an empty pantry, jubilation or gloom, her way or no way.

All or nothing never adds up to normal.

All or nothing can't bring you all to home, which is exactly where Addie longs to be, with her half sisters, every day.

In spite of life's twists and turns, Addie remains optimistic. Someday, maybe, she'll find normal.

Leslie Connor has created an inspiring novel about one girl's giant spirit. waiting for normal is a heartwarming gem."

I enjoyed this book, but I think middle schoolers will like it more than I did. It was a little too cliché for me, but kids should really relate to Addie. I liked that she was so good amidst all of her struggles. It was refreshing that she struggled in school, it seems that most books of this ilk tend to make the main character amazing in school, even with no support from home. I felt like this was a more realistic portrayal of what a 12 year old in her circumstances would go through. It was also refreshing to have a step-father be such a good person.

Areas of concern:  A 12 year old girl in a bad home, a mother with serious issues.  There is some uncomfortable talk about a young girl going through puberty.  A step-father living with another woman, a mother getting pregnant with a boyfriend her daughter has never even met.

Suggested ages:
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10+
School Library Journal - Grades 6-8

Unlovable

Unlovable
by Sherry Gammon

From the publisher:
"Seventeen year-old Maggie Brown is the poster child for Heroin Chic, complete with jutting bones and dark-ringed eyes. But drugs are not Maggie's problem; her mother is.  Maggie's struggling with her growing feelings for the new guy at school, Seth Prescott, and fears he is just another person who will let her down, like everyone in her life has done so far.  Seth Prescott is an undercover cop assigned to Port Fare High, and despite his job, he's developed strong feelings for Maggie. While Seth's working tirelessly to flush out the sadistic drug peddlers that have invaded the small town of Port Fare, New York, Maggie's fighting to stay alive as the fight turns deadly."

While I enjoyed reading this and found parts gripping, there were other things that really irritated me. The good:
I cared about the characters. Maggie's life is just heart-breaking. Seth was the kind of hero that can do no wrong. Booker was the quirky and funny best friend. The plot was gripping in parts.
The irritating:
Maggie does incredibly stupid things (how often did she have to be told not to undo the security systems?!). Having a 21 year old being an undercover agent in a high school is kind of creepy. Seth was a little too perfect to be believable. Parents are either non-functioning or dead. High school stereotypes abound.

All that being said, several of my eighth-graders have loved this book.

Areas of concern: It had a definite "creepy" factor. Different points of view are heard in the book, mostly just Maggie and Seth, but a couple of chapters are from the points of view of 2 grisly murderers. I don't remember any cussing. There is plenty of kissing, but Seth declares his intent to "wait until marriage", so otherwise it was a very clean romance.

Suggested ages:
I couldn't find any reviews that listed suggested ages.  Because of the concerns named above, I would say 8th grade and older. 

Shift

Shift
by Em Bailey

From the publisher:
Olive Corbett is not crazy. Not anymore.
She obediently takes her meds and stays under the radar at school. After “the incident,” Olive just wants to avoid any more trouble, so she knows the smartest thing is to stay clear of the new girl who is rumored to have quite the creepy past.
But there’s no avoiding Miranda Vaile. As mousy Miranda edges her way into the popular group, right up to the side of queen bee Katie – and pushes the others right out – only Olive seems to notice that something strange is going on. Something almost . . . parasitic. Either Olive is losing her grip on reality, or Miranda Vaile is stealing Katie’s life.
But who would ever believe crazy Olive, the girl who has a habit of letting her imagination run away with her? And what if Olive is the next target?
A chilling psychological thriller that tears through themes of identity, loss, and toxic friendship, Shift will leave readers guessing until the final pages.

Shift started out pretty well, but about halfway through the main character started to do things that were so implausible that it was almost ridiculous. Even the author seemed to know it was ridiculous, but she had no other way of furthering the plot. For instance,
"The thing that always bothered me about scary movies was how stupid the victims always seem, and how they never act on their instincts. They might say something like 'I've got a bad feeling about this', while they dither about opening the cellar door... But I did it anyway."
Yes, the main character did many stupid and irrational things that I found very irritating. However, I did care about the characters enough to be annoyed when they did those stupid things, so I guess that's saying something.
Teens might be a little confused by the British-isms in the book (Australian, actually), but I kind of enjoyed them. 

Areas of concern:  There are about 15 instances of bad language (not the big one), the main character tried to commit suicide before the beginning of the book, and there was a lot of bad teenage behavior like sneaking out at night, shoplifting, underage kids getting into clubs, drug use (minimal)...

Suggested ages:
School Library Journal - Grades 8+
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+
*Mrs. Duke definitely recommends older teens.*

The Lions of Little Rock

The Lions of Little Rock
by Kristin Levine

From the publisher:
"Two girls separated by race form an unbreakable bond during the tumultuous integration of Little Rock schools in 1958. Twelve-year-old Marlee doesn't have many friends until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is bold and brave, and always knows the right thing to say, especially to Sally, the resident mean girl. Liz even helps Marlee overcome her greatest fear - speaking, which Marlee never does outside her family. But then Liz is gone, replaced by the rumor that she was a Negro girl passing as white. But Marlee decides that doesn't matter. Liz is her best friend. And to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are willing to take on integration and the dangers their friendship could bring to both their families."

I'm hoping that middle school students will like this book - it has an important story to tell. Having had the honor of listening to Carlotta Walls Lanier, one of the Little Rock Nine, speak at Blevins, it was interesting to hear the next stage of the story. The closing of the high schools in Little Rock for a whole year in an attempt to avoid integration. I thought the author did a good job of putting her characters into that situation. There was tension throughout the entire story wondering what would happen next. That being said, the historical parts were a little too preachy and long and some of the plot seemed contrived and too neatly resolved. But it is a good follow-up to Warriors Don't Cry.

Areas of concern:  Racial tension and some violence.  Nothing graphic or too scary.  The "n" word is used quite a bit. 

Suggested ages:
School Library Journal:  Grades - 5-8
Publisher's Weekly:   Ages - 10+