13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

This book was recommended to me by a number of students over the past couple of years, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Ginny's aunt dies and leaves her thirteen little blue envelopes. Each envelope contains a message describing a task that the aunt would like Ginny to complete. The tasks take Ginny from the United States to places like England, Denmark, Italy, and Greece. The tasks require her to do things such as giving money to an unknown artist, viewing paintings, sailing on a boat in the Mediterranean Sea, and asking a stranger in Italy on a date. Ginny learns about her aunt, and herself, as she randomly travels throughout Europe.

The students told me that this book caters to a female audience, and they're probably correct. I enjoyed the randomness of the tasks, because that matched the personality of Ginny's aunt. She was an impulsive artist. The random tasks also added to the adventure, because Ginny and I never knew what to expect. Some of the tasks told Ginny to do specific things, but other tasks told her to go to a location without really explaining why. The book lacked a little bit of something for me, I'm quite sure what, but I can still recommend it to others.

Lexile level from lexile.com 770

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

This book is a companion to The Giver, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Kira's mother dies, making her an orphan, and she is being forced to move from her home by the neighboring women. She goes to the Council of Guardians, and they decide Kira will become the new Robe-threader for the community. Kira's main job is to repair The Singer's robe, its designs telling the history of the culture. However, while living in the main building, Kira discovers some secrets that change her views of the world. Is it a coincidence that Thomas, the carver, Jo, the toddler who is to become the new singer, and Kira are all orphans? What really happened to Kira's father? She is told that a beast killed him, but old Annabella tells her that there are no beasts. Jamison, Kira's guardian said he witnessed her father's death. The truth unfolds around the time of The Gathering.

This book could be grouped with the fantasy books, because it takes place in the future. There are hints that the artists have special powers or senses, but nothing magical or impossible actually occurs. I enjoyed Kira's character, because she was the underdog. She should have been killed at birth due to her deformed foot, but her life was spared. She grew up and developed her sewing talents and is now in a position of respect, with the ability to affect the lives of the whole community. Kira has a difficult decision at the end when she discovers the truth about her father and the orphans.

Lexile level from lexile.com 680

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

This book surprised me, and I gave it a rating of five out of five. Cole is a bully. He likes making people fear him, and he takes it too far when he nearly beats a classmate to death. Instead of going to jail, he is given a chance by a Circle Council to change his ways by spending a year by himself on an Alaskan island. Cole is so angry that he burns down his shelter, along with his supplies, and tries to escape the island by swimming. He fails, which increases his anger. He ends up attacking a white bear, because it doesn't seem to fear him. The bear bites, claws, and stomps on Cole to the brink of death. Cole is saved by his two mentors, and he is allowed to return to the island months later as a last chance before being sentenced to prison. He learns about himself by experiencing nature, and he is able to learn something from each animal he encounters. He manages to learn about himself and life, but he will never truly be healed until he is able to atone for the beating of his classmate.

This book surprised me, because it was much more emotional than I anticipated. I was expecting another survival story, like Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, and it had some similarities. It has more similarities to the spirituality found in Paulsen's Dogsong. Some readers will not enjoy this book, because it lacks constant action. However, it has moments of suspense, and the Cole's internal conflict with his anger is a constant battle. Every day is a new meditation session as he finds himself, but there's always something missing right up to the climax of the plot. Nature lovers and readers who enjoy seeing good come out of evil will enjoy this book. The plot seemed to start dragging during the first third of the book, but my opinion changed when I embraced Cole's battle within himself.

Lexile level from lexile.com 670

Schooled by Gordon Korman

I finished reading this book for a second time, and I gave it a rating of five out of five. Capricorn Anderson is growing up with his hippie grandmother on a farm. She gets hurt, so Cap is sent to a foster home and is forced to attend school for the first time, ever. The tradition at "C average School" is to elect the biggest 8th grade nerd as class president and then tease them mercilessly for the school year. Cap is easily elected president, and the pranks begin. The former 8th grade nerd is very pleased Cap has arrived and becomes his best friend. Cap is so gullible and naive that he doesn't even realize that he's the victim of pranks. This takes the fun out of the teasing and actually backfires on all of the teasers. Cap is also in charge of organizing the big Halloween dance, and that gets completely out of hand!

You'll probably like this book if you've read Stargirl. It's fun to watch the "cool" kids try to embarrass Cap and then see the effect on them when Cap doesn't behave like they expected. The chapters are written from different points of view, but it's okay. It's clear who's speaking, and the characters chosen are important in those events. The different points of view allow the reader to see inside the characters' heads as they change their thinking. It's nice to see a character who not only defeats peer pressure but is able to change it. Unlike Stargirl, this book has a happy ending.

Lexile level from lexile.com 740

A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Schlitz

 This novel was recommended by a former student, and I gave it a rating of five out of five. Maud is an eleven-year-old child and has little hope of being adopted due to her age and orneriness. However, she is unexpectedly taken in by three sisters, but they tell Maud that she must remain a secret. She must not go outside, she must go upstairs when people stop by, and she must help with the family business. Maud later discovers that the "family business" is conning grieving women by holding seances to speak to their deceased loved ones. Maud's conflict increases when she sneaks out of the house and meets the richest target of one of their scams. She also starts having dreams about this woman's dead daughter.

Although the plot deals with the scheming of the three sisters, the real story is about Maud's internal conflict to find a loving home. She does whatever she can to get affection from Hyacinth, the sister who actually adopted her, but any signs of love are dismissed by Hyacinth. This book probably won't appeal to some readers; it doesn't have a great deal of action. However, it was very well written and will appeal to anyone believing in the power of love.

Lexile level from lexile.com 690

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

I gave this book a rating of four out of five. Steve Harmon is on trial for felony murder, and most of the plot deals with the courtroom testimony. Steve is accused of being the lookout during a drugstore robbery in which the owner was shot and killed. Witnesses testify that Steve's co-defendant was the actual shooter, and Steve appears guilty due to his association with him. Many of the witnesses are receiving deals from the prosecution for their testimonies, so the defense says the deals give them incentives to lie. They testify that Steve gave the signal that the store was clear to be robbed, but he firmly states that he was not there. I think the reader is still left wondering about Steve's guilt or innocence even after the verdict is read.

This book is unique, because it's written as a movie script. Steve is taking a high school course on film-making, and he feels his story will make an interesting movie. This style helps the plot move quickly, and it allows the reader to see the trial from Steve's point of view. The street slang of the witnesses and inmates makes their characters more real and believable. The fact that most of the plot is written as a script may bother some readers, but I feel it added an interesting twist to the novel.

Lexile level from lexile.com 670

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt

I gave this book a rating of four out of five. The main character, Holling Hoodhood, is in the seventh grade and seems to have a conflict with his teacher. Every Wednesday afternoon in this school the Jewish students travel to the synagogue and the Catholic students travel to their church. Holling is Presbyterian, so he is forced to spend every Wednesday afternoon with Mrs. Baker, his language arts teacher. She makes Holling do all kinds of chores and extra work, but she finally makes him start reading Shakespeare. Holling feels this is a real punishment, but he's an avid reader and gives it a shot. He ends up enjoying Shakespeare and has many conversations with Mrs. Baker about the meanings within the stories. He's able to offer modern insights into the stories, with Mrs. Baker's help, and is able to make connections to his own life.

The main conflict in the novel is Holling's battle to discover himself and his place in the world. Sounds pretty serious, but the author does a nice job of balancing that with some humor and interesting situations. How about the on-going idea of the two classroom rats being on the loose above the ceiling tiles? You know something will happen with them eventually. To be honest, the beginning of the book wasn't grabbing me, but it became much more interesting once I gave it a chance. I enjoyed the characters and all of the issues addressed from the late 1960's. The Vietnam War, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, communism and the Cold War, flower children, and the New York Yankees are just a few of the topics that arise in the plot. In addition, Holling must deal with typical middle school issues such as dealing with teachers, a possible girlfriend, wacky classmates, hazing by eighth graders, and an overly-demanding father. His father may be the biggest obstacle in his life. The references to Shakespeare may not appeal to some readers, but the author spaces them throughout the plot so they don't become overwhelming.

Lexile level from lexile.com 990