When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. Yearling, 2010, 208 Pages.

Audio, so, so good. Reads like a book written for adults.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword Of Summer by Rick Riordan, Disney Hyperion, 2015. 491 Pages

Drawing From Memory by Allen Say. Scholastic Press, 2011, 63 pages

Picture Book/Graphic-y memoir of Children's book illustrator and author, Allen Say. Full of personal drawings and family photos, Say details his early life in Japan, especially his apprenticeship to Japanese cartoonist Noro Shinpei-- whom Say lovingly refers to as Sensei. A rich and fabulous memoir detailing the young artists life in Tokyo in the years just after the end of the war. I love a graphic-y memoir.

The Ruins of Gorlon: Ranger's Apprentice Book 1, by John Flanagan. Puffin, 2006, 288 pages.

Redwall by Brian Jacques.Puffin, 2002, 386 pages

Magic Below Stairs by Caroline Stevermer. Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin, 2010, 200 Pages.

Off Shoot of a Stevermer adult series, but stands alone well. Very Harry Potterish-including the type set-- but much shorter, of course-- still, this single volume leaves lots of room for sequels. Fun, fantasy magic fiction with a historical feel and some adventure. Ending see big showy fight with evil spirit-ish thing. Good Guys win-- for now.
Rated for grades 4 -7. First choice for 4th,5th and 6th grade book club. upper elementary.

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman. HarperTeen, 2000. 112 pages.

14 year old Shawn McDaniel is paralyzed totally-- unable to even move his eyes. But unknown to his family, his mind sharp and he is fully aware of what goes on around him. He thinks his father is trying to kill him, but he has no way to tell anyone.
Fast paced and well done, this HILO is told in the voice of Shawn himself. a winner for boys and reluctant readers and everyone else. several in series, great for bookclubs.

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. Hyperion, 2007. 425 pages

Upper Elementary/Early Middle-- fast paced and very well written, cleverly put together this fantasy has all the right elements-- a strong orphan-ed type heroine who sets out with a good natured and misunderstood alien on a quest to save the world and her family. A long book for this age- 400 pages. Funny and well done for strong readers-- due to length, mostly.

Travel Team by Mike Lupica. Puffin Books, 2004. 274 pages.

12 year old Danny eats, drinks and sleeps basketball. And he is a great player-- despite his very, very small stature. Basketball defines him- in no small part- because it is the only way he and his dad relate to each other. His Dad, divorced from Danny's mom and living across the country, was a local basketball phenom who is still legendary in Danny's Connecticut town but who tragically lost it all his first year in the majors when he crashed his car in a drunk driving accident that ended his sports career and almost ended his life. When Danny is not chosen for the 6th grade travel team because of his small size- the team his legendary dad brought to its only state championship victory, Danny is devasted. But thanks to Aly, Danny's mom,
 (who is the rock in his life and throughout this story) Danny and his Dad reconnect and start their own travel team for all the kids who were unfairly denied a team spot by the parents (Dads) who run the league.  A story about redemption, new beginnings, over coming adversity, trying hard, good sportsmanship, fairness, life, bouncing back and telling truths. A good story for any kid-- advanced 5th graders and up. A great book for basketball fans. Well written. i enjoyed it, and it has the exact amount of truth and feel good to be a great choice for bookclubs too.

The Sister's Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley.Amulet Books, 2005. 284 pages.

Two sisters, Daphne, 7, and Sabrina Grimm, 11, find themselves in a series of awful foster homes after their parents (and only living relatives) inexplicably disappear. The real story starts when the girls are dropped off with a new foster mom who turns out to be their grandmother Grimm, an Everafter  who lives in an isolated and strange little town in upstate New York filled with mythic and fairy tale characters. Snow White is a school teacher, Prince Charming the Mayor, The 3 Pigs are Police. The sister's Grimm must get used to their new life while solving a crime involving a destroyed farm house and a huge foot print, while saving their Grandmother from a kidnapping Giant.  Part mystery, part fractured fairy tale, part adventure the story is delightful, but long and windy-- take note because not all 4 to 6 graders will be ready for a thick twisty plot and 300 pages. But for those that are the book is a clever and funny and satisfying. series.

Maximilian: The mystery of the guardian angel by Xavier Garza. Cinco Punto Press, El Paso, TX, 2011. 207 pages

Pie by Sarah Weeks. Scholastic Press, New York, 2011. 183 pages.

Alice's aunt Polly is the Pie Queen of Ipswitch Pennsylvania. She has made the town famous with her mouthwatering pies and has touched the lives of everyone with her wit and charm and smarts and kindness. And she is Alice's whole world. This becomes even more clear when Polly dies and leaves the town without Polly, without her delicious pies, without a source of income and with a big mystery-- why would she leave her million dollar pie crust recipe to a bad tempered unlikeable cat named Lardo

The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Scholastic Press, 2010. 334 Pages

Fictionalized account of the sad childhood of the Great Latin American Poet, Pablo Neruda. Young Pablo is a sickly frail boy growing up with a loving but subservient grandmother and an overbearing, bully father in early 20th century Chile. Young Pablo's gift with words was noted early and often, but his father considered the field of "letters" feminine and unsuitable for a son of his.

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!

Big Nate: In A Class By Himself by Lincoln Peirce. Harper, 2010. 224 pages.

Nate is a funny and over confident middle schooler who manages to break the school record by receiving a detention for every period in one school day. Along the way we meet different school characters-- teachers and principals, friends and enemies-- who keep the story moving quickly and the mood funny and light. Some very funny words and cartoons-- Big Nate and all the other books in the series are sure to be very popular with kids 8 and up. Very Diary of a Wimpy Kid-ish, but this is a lesser product in terms of writing and style --no subtly here--and i agree with the reviewer who observed that adults and kids both love Diary of a Wimpy Kid but Big Nate is only for kids. And the kids will LOVE him.

Crash by Jerry Spinelli. Random House Children's Books, 1996. 162 pages.

Newbery Medalist author Jerry Spinelli's love of sports come through again with this entertaining and thought provoking, realistic, hopeful and very readable book for middle readers. When we first meet Crash Coogan he is sports crazy and obsessed with living up to his questionable reputation-- he crashing into everyone he comes across-- his friends, his sister, his family, his problems. When you have no feelings, nothing can bother you. But as the years and the story progress, Crash has some choices to make-- about strength and courage and bullying and pain and family and friends. A great coming of age novel especially, but not exclusively for boys. Think Blubber for boys. upper elementary/early middle school reading lists.

Mississippi Bridge by Mildred D. Taylor. Puffin Books, 1990, 62 pages.

Taylor states she got the idea for this short story from a story her father told of an event from his own childhood. 1930s-segregated south at the Mississippi River. Casual small town racism as seen through the eyes of a 10 year old white boy--a child afraid of and bullied by his own father--Taylor tells the facts mostly, without editorializing. She does not say how the young black girl felt being told she could not try on a hat in the store or why the black townsfolk spoke easily to each other but clammed up when the little white boy started hanging around. She leaves it to us to decide what to think. A well written and powerful short story.

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.

Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians by Jarrett J Krosoczka. Alfred A Knopf, 2009. 100 pages

Welcome the new superheros--- Lunch Lady-- serving justice AND lunch-- this time she is fighting the evil librarians who are trying to rid the library of video games--AAAARRRGGGH!!! A new graphic for the elementary set-- clean lines and simple, humorous drawings with unsaturated light color create a lighter, simpler juvenile graphic than Secret Science Alliance-- while several of the themes remain the same-- set in a school with friends who must solve a mystery only they can see--in the end, the kids- and the Lunch Lady--overcome! The spare and uncluttered pages will appeal to both younger students as well as reluctant readers. And, of course, Lunch Ladies and Librarians.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riodan. Disney-Hyperion, 2006. 400 pages

Very Harry Potteresque-- Young Percy Jackson learns at the age of 12 that he is really a demi-god-- his absent father is really Neptune, God of the Sea. For his own safety he must leave his mortal mother and his home in Manhattan and travel to Camp Half-Blood with his best friend who, it turns out, is not a boy at all, but a Satyr (goat feet). He learns the skills needed to survive the greek monsters and must go one a quest with Grover and new friend Annabeth. They must find who has stolen lightning from Zeus-- but before they do, lots of adventures and humor and learning about Greek mythology
Very Harry Potter-- if for a younger set who like the US setting, the fresh and sassy and smart alecky Percy and a lot more action-- less pages but still a healthy read. i enjoyed it. An 11 year old i am very friendly with Loved it and cannot wait to read them all--fancies himself a young Percy i have no doubt-- just waiting to be rescued and sent to live with his exciting new family...
A very good series-- i recommend it absolutely-- kids love it. it will not have the adult followers that HP did, but it is not as deep as HP-- still
i do not hesitate to recommend it and even put it on the city of boston's myths and legends summer book list for middle school grades 6-8.