Princess in Black by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale. Candlewick Press, 2014, 90 pages

 Well respected authors are trying their hand at Early Chapters- and coming up with winners. Like Mo Willems and Kate DiCamillo, the Hales include quality writing and an appealing storyline with color pictures and a larger format.
-- A perfect princess constraining against the limits of the princess stereotypes by day-- a masked ninja fighting for justice (sort of) by night! Who could resist?

Sunny Side Up by Jennifer Holm.

Late 70s, summer vacation and Sunny is sent to visit her Grandfather in Florida. She has visions of traveling with her best friend and going to Disneyworld, the beach, having a vacationy fun time..Instead she finds herself alone with a nice old man who lives in a retirement community. Fun is following him around on his errands, eating dinner at a geriatric buffet at 4:30 pm, and hanging out with his lady friends who make crotcheted Barbie toilet paper covers. Sunny does make friends and has a revelation that she was sent to Florida so her parents could deal with her drug addicted older brother.

Looking for Alaska by John Green. Dutton, 2005. 221 pages.

John Green's first novel. Printz Award. My first John Green book. It is fiction, not autobiographical, but he really did live in Florida and he really did go to boarding school in Alabama and a student really did die while he was a student there. A very good book.

Emma and the Blue Genie by Cornelia Funke. Random House, 2014, 90 pages.

Clearly drawn from folklore-Arabian Nights style-- a fun and well written story for elementary aged kids-- Genies, Dogs, Girls, Magic, humor, adventure-- what more could you ask for?
I love this new trend in early chapter and early fiction--  new series for younger kids  by great and well established authors with color pictures.

see also: Mo Willems/Diva and Flea
               Kate DiCamillo/ Mercy Watson
               Shannon Hale/ Princess in Black.

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. Viking Books for Young Readers. 2014. 391 pages.

PTSD in the family. Daughter and her very messed up Dad. Frightenly realistic.

Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina. Candlewick, 2016. 356 pages.

Summer of 1977, NYC, hot and gritty. Son of Sam is on the loose and Nora is poor and street smart and seventeen. I love the tension of the hot-son of sam- background and I love Meg Medina's female characters. The men do not measure up though. Still, a very strong enjoyable read. Quick one too.

Soundless by Richelle Mead. Razor Bill (Penguin), 2015. 266 Pages.

Hugely popular at Tattered Cover and PLA in Denver. YA distopian romance and adventure. What's not to love? Well written to boot.