Next to Mexico

Next to Mexico by Jennifer Nails

Outspoken, impulsive Lylice has skipped fifth grade, but she finds that getting along at Susan B. Anthony Middle School is more difficult than she expected, until she befriends another newcomer to sixth grade.

My Thoughts - As a teacher, I really liked Lylice (although I'm still not sure how to say her name!) and thought some of the situations she got into were totally unfair, but realistic. The story gave the reader a glimpse into the middle school type groups with the in kids and the out kids and showed that everyone has problems.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Poor Little Witch Girl

Poor Little Witch Girl by Marie Desplechin

Eleven-year-old Verbena thinks her hereditary witchcraft is a curse that will keep her from having a normal life and marriage one day, but her mother and grandmother, who help tell the story, are eager to start her training.

My Thoughts - Verbena is certainly and interesting name! Having different narrators tell different parts of the story was nice because you got to see everyone's point of view.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Diamond Willow

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost

Diamond Willow lives in a very remote town in Alaska and she loves helping her dad take care of their dog sled team. Willow is anxious for the day when she will be allowed to take the dog sled team out on her own. But tragedy strikes and Roxy, the prized lead dog, is severely injured. Can Willow do what it takes to save her?

My Thoughts - This was a great dog story! It was so interesting how the author wrote the story in the diamond shapes. I liked the parts where Willow's ancestors helped her. Everyone should read this book! It is a very fast read!

Vibes

Vibes by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Kristi hears other people's thoughts and it nearly drives her crazy! It started a couple of years ago when her dad left for Africa. It helps her avoid her mom, the surgeon who works all the time. But it also hurts to know that the hottest boy in school thinks she's sick and her former best friend, who is now a "mean girl", thinks she's a goth freak. But when Kristi's dad comes home and her new friendship with Mallory goes wrong, Kristi begins to question her abilities. Has she been wrong all along? Is she crazy? Or can she really read minds?

My Thoughts-I liked Kristi a lot! She showed how easy it is to assume things about people. I liked her creative sewing! I wish I could see her creations in real life!

The Luxe

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

In Manhattan in 1899, five teens of different social classes lead dangerously scandalous lives, despite the strict rules of society and the best-laid plans of parents and others.

My Thoughts - This was a fun historical romance with a cliff-hanger ending!

Wintergirls

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Lia and Cassie have been friends since they were little girls. When Lia learns of Cassie's death from an bulemia, it only strengthens her resolve to weigh less as she hides her own relapse of anorexia. Lia is obsessed with calories, exercise and her weight. She asserts an iron will over her thoughts of food and every bite that passes her lips, despite the pleas of her family. Lia vows to remain strong, even as she is haunted by Cassie's death. But can she survive at her goal weight? Does she even want to survive?

My Thoughts: This was another powerful story about eating disorders and how they impact the lives of many young women. It helped me understand a bit about how someone can starve themeselves to death as way to deal with the pain in their lives.

Jane in Bloom

Jane in Bloom by Deborah Lytton

Lizzie is the perfect older sister in the family and Jane lives in her shadow. Even on Jane's twelfth birthday, Lizzie captures the family's attention when her eating disorder spirals into a fatal end. It takes a camera, a puppy, a grandmother, and a boy to help Jane bloom into her own person in the midst of the grief.

My Thoughts: This was a fabulously powerful story that made me cry more than once! I loved Jane and how she was able to deal with the loss of her sister Lizzie! A must read!

Somebody

Somebody by Nancy Springer

She is tired of always moving, always getting a new name, always changing her hair color, never having any friends. She doesn't even know her real name or birthday anymore. Why does her Dad keep making them move? What is he hiding? One day she decides to find out and she goes to the library to search on the Internet. Will she be able to deal with what she finds? Whill she be able to get back to the person she is supposed to be? Will she be Somebody or nobody?

My Thoughts: This was a quick fun read that pulled me in from the very first page! I had to see what she found out and what decision she made! If you liked The Face on the Milk Carton, you will love this book!

Bull Rider

Bull Rider by Suzanne Morgan Williams

When his older brother, a bull-riding champion, returns from the Iraq War partially paralyzed, fourteen-year-old Cam takes a break from skateboarding to enter a bull-riding contest, in hopes of winning the $15,000 prize and motivating his depressed brother to continue with his rehabilitation.

My Thoughts - This was a great story that had me turning the page to the very end! (In fact, I was really tempted to peak and make sure things turned out ok!) I think that boys will really like this one!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Along for the Ride

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Auden gets a chance to recapture the carefree teen life she missed while her parents were going through a divorce when she goes to spend the summer with her dad and his new family in a charming beach town and meets fellow insomniac Eli, an intriguing loner fighting demons of his own.

My Thoughts - I loved this book! It made me laugh! It made me cry! I thought that Sarah Dessen did a great job of showing how confused Auden was at times when there was disagreement amoung the characters. I liked Auden's courage! That was the best! She showed the reader that it really is ok to take risks in life and to just take things one step at a time!

*Summary taken from CIP data.