Girl Stolen

Girl Stolen by April Henry

Waiting for her step-mother to fill her antibiotic prescription for her case of pneumonia, Cheyenne Wilder is just hoping that the medicine will make her feel better. But when the car she is resting in is stolen, and the thief doesn’t realize she’s in the backseat, Cheyenne is sure that she is going to be able to talk her captor into letting her go, especially since she hasn’t seen his face. But the thief panics, plunging Cheyenne into a nightmare that she might not wake up from. With twists and turns, April Henry tells a suspenseful tale with characters that make you see both sides of the story.

The Book of Blood

The Book of Blood by HP Newquist

Most of us know the basics of how blood helps us live, but The Book of Blood covers everything from how ancient civilizations used blood in rituals, the history of the study of blood, the science behind how blood works, and the legends and myths that surround blood. Told in short chapters with helpful central idea statements and illustrations, The Book of Blood gives readers interesting information about the red liquid that flows through our veins and arteries.

I Kill the Mockingbird

I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora

After losing their favorite teacher Mr. Nowak to a heart attack, Lucy and her friends decide to live up to his example by raising awareness of one of his favorite books, To Kill a Mockingbird. Starting with making copies of the book “disappear” from their normal place on the bookstore shelves, to starting a social media campaign called IKilltheMockingbird.com, their intention is to get people reading and talking about the book. But they can’t foresee the effect it will have when the entire country gets involved in their cause. Juggling baseball, friendship, and family issues, the three friends spend their summer showing just how much one small act  of rebellion can have a global community. This book is funny, sad, and thought-provoking, and should not be missed by anyone who likes a good book about good books.

Crossover

Crossover by Kwame Alexander

This story of twin basketball players, told in poems from the point of view of Joshua Bell, details the events of a basketball season marked by triumph and tragedy. Being the son of a former NBA recruit isn’t easy, but for Josh and his twin Jordan, basketball is how they make sense of everything going on around them. But now Jordan is distracted by a new girl, and Josh’s parents are fighting more than usual about his father’s health. As the basketball season progresses, Josh’s conflicts off the court spill into his game, until a tragedy forces him to face his own fears.

Dust of Eden

Dust of Eden by Mariko Nagai

When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, America entered World War II. The government also rounded up Japanese-Americans and placed them in internment camps, taking them from their homes, businesses, and friends.  Mina doesn’t understand why her father is sent to prison, while she has to leave behind her friends, her cat, and her grandfather’s roses to go live in a horse stall on an old fairground just because her parents came from Japan. What they hope will be a short stay turns into three years of challenge, during which time her family is torn apart, then put back together again. Told in free verse poetry, this short novel is an emotional account of one family’s struggle to survive when their own government turns against them.