The Dirt Diary by Anna Staniszewski. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2013, 246 pages.

A huge hit for my 3-5th grade bookclub. Fun and readable and full of surprises.

Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: The New Girl by Meg Cabot. Scholastic Press, 2008, 222 pages.

In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang, First Second, 2014.

Fabulous graphic for gamer girls middle school and up. Cory Doctorow. Action, gaming gender issues, gaming economy, international issues come home. Quick Read-- wish I ordered this one.

Hunger (Riders of the Apocalypse) by Jackie Morse Kessler. Graphia, 2010. 180 pages.

Doodlebug; A Novel in Doodles by Karen Romano Young. Feiwel and Friends, NY, 2010.

Doreen and her family are relocating from LA to San Fransciso--and Doreen is nervous and blames herself. She had big problems in her last school--didn't want to take her ADHD meds, made some bad decisions and got expelled--and wants to reinvent her self for a fresh start in SF. Doreen decides to journal in DOODLES to help her cope with these big changes for herself and her entire family. Written entirely in DOODLES--Doodlebug is fast paced- frenetic even- and full of fun and drama and all things wonderful and compelling-- I loved it so did every girl i offered it to. Romano clearly remembers what it is like to be a kid, to make mistakes, to want a clean slate, to reinvent yourself as the person you want to be-- all her characters and observations are spot on. The Art is the story--they are inseparable- Fresh and fun-- a great journal/diary book that will lead to many future Doodlebugs. YES!

Tortilla Sun by Jennifer Cervantes. Chronicle Books, 2010. 224 pages.

With her mom working in Costa Rica for the summer and her father dead, 12 year old Izzy is visiting her nana and her mom's home village in New Mexico for the first time. Izzy hopes to find out more about her father----(her mom is secretive) and in the process she learns about herself-- her family and her heritage. Full of el sabor de la south west, Izzy visits her ancestral village, hears the folklore and sees the old ways, learns to cook, meets her nana- a seer and curandera, visits with her father's ghost, improves her relationship with her mom, and finds friendship and love. yes, the storyline is somewhat predictable but this is a sweet and gentle story appropriate for the 10-13 year olds-- a time when we all tried to figure out who we were, where we came from and how we would fit in. i really enjoyed this book and recommended it to two 6th grade girls (neither of whom are latino) who like to read and are curious about the world around them. They loved it too. **includes a glossary of common spanish words and an easy tortilla recipe.