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

Bodies From The Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii by James M Deem. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 2005. 50 pages.

Deem retells the story of the devastating eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and subsequent destruction of Pompeii in 79 A.D. using lots of photographs, primary sources and side bars and lively text. Very well done and fascinating-- archaeology, science, social history and adventure-- all at once. In addition to photos, includes timeline, bibliography, and maps. Final chapter details the current precarious state of the ruins and raises the question of what would happen if the volcano erupted today. Loved it. Kids do too.

Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going. G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York. 2003. 183 pages.

Troy is Fat Kid-- 17 year old high school senior, 6'1", 300 lbs. While seriously contemplating suicide in a NYC subway station, he meets Curt, a homeless high school dropout and punk rock musician, bone thin, dirty and sickly. And, a legend in Troy's high school. Drug Addict. Curt saves Troy from jumping and insists he become drummer in his nonexistant band. coming of age story, dead mother, damaged, grieving family, Fat Kid full of issues and insecurities, etc. Curt has problems too. Lots of promise in the book but it was just okay-- starts strong but after a few chapters, they all start to sound the same-- then Troy has an epiphany, saves Curt (in a sense), develops a good relationship with his dad and his brother -some very hokey and predictable dialog with the brother, but the poor writing was unusual for the book. even the other predictable parts were written well. I am not recommending it. Too many other books with the same themes that are better. A strong start with no finish.

The Dream Stealer by Sid Fleischman. Greenwillow Books, 2009. 89 pages.

Susana, a young Mexican girl, misses the best friend she left behind when her family moved to a new city. Susana is reunited with Consuelo Luisa in her dreams, until Zumpango, the Dream Stealer, tired of taking people's nightmares, steals the lovely dream for himself. Susana sets off to get it back. Short and sweet, The Dream Stealer is full of rich language and not too scary fantasy. Fleischman includes a great explanation of his inspiration for the story.

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: a novel in pictures by Caroline Preston. New York: Ecco/Haper Collins, 2011

A coming of age story. A decade in the life of Frankie Pratt told with pictures and ticket stubs and newpaper clippings and captions from her scrapbook. 1920s, Cornish NH, high school graduation, inappropriate relationship, looking for love, Vassar, love, NY, Paris, NH. Clever and tender and very readable-- and rereadable. so much to see on everypage and i love non linear reading and journal books. Adult book but great for teens-- Alex Award winner. Loved it. Buying it for YA.

Ain't Nothing But A Man: my quest to find the real John Henry by Scott Reynolds Nelson. Washington DC: National Geographic Society, 2008

The youth version of Nelson's highly acclaimed work Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry: the untold story of an american legend, Ain't Nothing BUT A MAN is fascinating, well written and very accessible to upper elementary and middle school students. Nelson follows clues in the John Henry folksongs to separate legend from history and uncover the real man. John Henry's story is the story of african american men in the mid nineteenth century--the civil war, reconstruction, railroads, and prison labor. Highly recommended for kids who love history and for those that think they don't. Includes Aronson's excellent overview of the research process, Nelson's appendices and suggestions for further research and multimedia sources. Summer Reading List, myths and legends, middleschool. Loved it.