Genie's Wishes by Elisabeth Dahl

This book is being considered for a Cyblil's award, so I'm not giving it my usual rating. Genie is a normal fifth grader with normal fifth grade problems. She is chosen to write the class blog, which gives her the chance to express her thoughts about them. Cafeteria food, friendship, and life are topics for her blog. A new girl moves in who becomes popular, but may not be the best classmate for Genie as Sarah, her best friend, is drawn away. Genie is torn as her life changes, but she finds ways to come out on top.

This book slowly grew on me. I think most fifth grade girls will be able to identify with Genie's character. She goes through problems with girls, boys, school, and family. The blog allows readers to read about her thoughts, but it also communicates the thoughts and feelings of her classmates. I appreciated that Genie's character didn't freak out when emotional issues arose, as I've read in many other novels. She seemed level-headed and did the right thing.

A Song for Bijou by Josh Farrar

Published by Walker Books for Young Readers

Nominated by Brandy Painter 

 

This book is being considered for a Cybils award, so I'm not giving it my normal rating. Alex goes to an all--boy school, but he takes a liking to a new girl, Bijou, from the nearby, all-girl school. He finds out she's from Haiti, which  is a problem for cultural reasons. Her family doesn't believe she should socialize outside of school with anyone, let alone a boy, so their relationship must be kept secret. Bijou's and Alex's friends help get them together, but there are other classmates who are not as helpful. Bijou's brother is supportive of them, and he even teaches Alex to play Haitian drums. However, the lies they must tell in order to see each other may lead to their doom.

I don't recall reading any books that involve the Haitian culture. The relationship between Alex and Bijou is realistic, and Bijou's family structure creates interesting conflicts. They're good kids learning about relationships, but it's difficult living with the expectations and influences of others. Overall, it's a good story.

Odette's Secrets by Maryann MacDonald

This book is being considered for a Cybils award, so I'm not giving it my normal rating. Odette is a young Jewish girl living in Paris, but she must keep her faith a secret. Many people believe the Jews are bad luck, and Odette's family can lose everything if they're discovered. Her father joins the army when Hitler's armies invade France, but he soon becomes a prisoner of war. Odette's mother is helping others hide from the Nazis, but it eventually becomes too dangerous to stay in Paris. Odette, and later her mother, move to the country where things are better, for awhile. The fear of Jews is also in French peasants, so Odette learns to be Christian in order to survive. Living among this fear, and with Germans all around, life is dangerous and hard.

This book is written in poetic form, but it's easily read as a novel. It's an interesting view of Jews during the Holocaust who didn't live in concentration camps. The author captured Odette's fears, excitement, and confusion as she questioned her life and beliefs. Overall, it is a powerful novel.

Duke by Kirby Larson

This book is being considered for a Cybils award, so I'm not giving it my usual rating. Hobie loves his dog, Duke, a playful, loyal German Shepherd. His father enlisted to serve his country during WW II, but Hobie is questioning his own bravery and support for the soldiers. He decides to donate Duke to the military, and he has mixed emotions about it from that moment on. Meanwhile, Hobie must deal with the normal kid problems in the 1940's, with the bully picking on the new kid who's grandfather is from Germany, and with the fear of safety for his father and Duke.

The plot is similar to a less-intense version of Letters From Wolfie. It captures the innocence of kids hanging out together and blends it with the intense patriotism during the war. The author shared the conflicting emotions of fear, guilt, and bravery experienced by Hobie. Different concepts of bravery were shared.

Hold Fast by Blue Balliett

I'm not going to give an "official" rating for this book, since I'm on the panel to choose finalists for the 2013 Cybils book award in middle grade fiction. Early's father, Dash, works on the sixth floor of a large Chicago library, and he's taught his family to love words and rhythms. They dream of moving from their apartment into their dream house. Dash takes on a side job to inventory old books, but it's done late at night and no one can say anything about it. He's also hiding away large amounts of cash received in plain envelopes. Then, Dash disappears, and the family's whole world falls apart. The police suspect Dash was doing something illegal, and the family loses the apartment after thieves break down the door and trash the place. Early, along with her mom and little brother, move into a homeless shelter where they'll stay unless they can solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Dash.

The plot was interesting and kind of read like a mystery. It shared the lives of people who were forced from their homes and ended up in public shelters. The most confusing part of the book was Dash's love of rhythms and patterns. He seemed to be sharing clues in cryptic messages about them, but it was pretty abstract for casual readers to understand. The book had a nice message about maintaining hope.

The League by Thatcher Heldring

This book is a new release (2013), and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Wyatt is a 98-pound eighth grader, and he needs to get control of his own life. He's been bullied by Spencer since the first grade, and he's being forced to play golf by his dad. He really wants to play football, partly to impress his cute neighbor, but his parents won't even approve of his playing in a touch football league. So, Wyatt decides to start a series of lies in order to play in a secret tackle football "league" with his teenage brother. Playing tackle football for the first time is really scary for Wyatt, but he soon comes to love it. Hopefully, playing a game he loves won't totally ruin the rest of his life.

I was never close to being the biggest athlete in school, so I can identify with Wyatt. The bullying, interactions with his brother and sister, and dealing with parents who don't seem to listen are common adolescent problems. The overly protective mother lives in many homes across the country. I liked how Wyatt tried to take control of his situation, although lying to his parents wasn't a great idea. The relationship with the neighbor girl had a realistic ring to it, and it gave balance to Wyatt's life.

Mountain Dog by Margarita Engle

This book is written in poetic form, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Tony's mom came to America from Cuba, but she got involved in illegal dogfighting. Tony is placed in foster care with his Uncle Tio after his mom is sent to prison. His uncle lives in the Rocky Mountains and serves as a volunteer rescuer with his dog, Gabe. Tony is leery of making new friends, and he is having trouble adjusting to feelings about his mom. Uncle Tio teaches him about search and rescue with Gabe, and Tony also learns survival techniques for the wild. Living in the middle of a mountainous forest may make this information come in very handy.

The poetic format (it doesn't rhyme) seemed unusual for this type of story, but it worked. It helped express Tony's feelings about life in the middle of nature, his mom, Gabe, and trying to move on. Also, most of the book is written from Tony's point of view, but some are written from the dog's point of view. The dog helps with the description of Tony's ever-changing emotions.