Kids Contemporary Fiction
THE SWEETEST SOUND by Sherri Winston
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Cadence Mariah Jolly made a deal with God. If He found a way to get her the exact digital piano she’d been longing for, she would share the amazing singing ability she’s been hiding by actually singing in public. It was an easy promise to make because she never in a million years imagined that her dad could afford the piano. But when he surprises her with it, Cadence knows she has to come through on her promise–and the church gospel choir auditions seem like the perfect opportunity, especially since her two best friends want to audition with her. First she just has to overcome the crippling shyness that earned her the nickname “Mouse.” And then maybe she can post the most amazing audition video ever–one that will make her mom, wherever she is, proud enough to come home.
This sweet story about a girl finding the courage to be herself and open up to her community was a nice gentle read. Young readers will relate to Cadence’s friendship and family pressures and her fears about the consequences of being vulnerable in front of others. Of course, her bravery is ultimately rewarded as her loving community accepts her with open arms and she finds her identity independent of her estranged mother. A nice, gentle read for middle grade realistic fiction lovers.
TOWERS FALLING by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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Deja hates that her family has to live in the homeless shelter. She hates that her father can’t seem to pull himself together, get out of bed, and get a job. She is determined not to get too close to people who might make fun of her. But when she starts at her new school, not only does she immediately meet two kids who seem determined to be her friend, but she also connects with one of their lessons. Deja has lived in Brooklyn all her life but she has never heard about the towers that fell fifteen years ago. Now, as she and her classmates gradually uncover the story of the tragedy, Deja learns how the past can have ripple effects in her own life and community.
Intense, but good. Graphic, but not gratuitous. Challenging, but important. Since much of the book takes place in the classroom, parts of it read like a lesson with both characters and readers learning from the same lectures or classmates’ Q&A. The history is intertwined with both classroom and real life lessons about what it means to be a family, community, and society. This context adds depth to the discussion of the tragedy, helps illuminate why students should care about history, and steers the book away from the territory of pure horror and violence. I would recommend this book to middle schoolers, mature younger readers, and adults searching for a way to broach this subject or other challenging similar subjects with children.
ALVIN HO: ALLERGIC TO GIRLS, SCHOOL, AND OTHER SCARY THINGS by Lenore Look
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Alvin Ho’s first day of second grade confirms his fears: he is still allergic to school. Since the first day of kindergarten, he hasn’t been able to speak a word at school, and second grade will be no different. Even worse, his desk buddy is once again Flea, who—despite having an eye patch and stiff leg that makes her look like a pirate—is a girl and therefore an undesirable desk buddy. But through many misadventures involving chicken pox, Shakespearean curse words, and Johnny Astro, Alvin struggles to make friends and avoid scary situations—which for Alvin, means practically everything.
The Alvin Ho series is funny, realistic fiction for readers who have transitioned from Easy Reader books to chapter books. The sense of humor and cartoon drawings may appeal to kids who enjoy the Junie B. Jones books and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books—particularly readers who are not experienced enough readers to tackle DWK on their own. I would recommend Alvin Ho to first through third grade readers who enjoy humor and/or realistic fiction.
THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY by Susan Patron
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Because of her job cleaning up after the various “anonymous” meetings in her tiny California town, Lucky gets to hear a lot about how the alcoholics and smokers and gamblers hit “rock bottom” and found their Higher Power. Unfortunately, they never share the specifics of exactly how they found their Higher Power. Still, while she deals with her sadness over her mother’s death, her fears that her Guardian, Brigitte, will leave her, and her dreams of becoming a World Famous Scientist, Lucky is determined to find a Higher Power of her own.
Winner of the 2007 Newbery Award, The Higher Power of Lucky is a quirky, heart-warming coming-of-age story that focuses on themes of family and community. Although it is a slender book, it is intended for a middle grade audience.
If you liked The Higher Power of Lucky, you might like Rebel McKenzie by Candice Ransom, Savvy by Ingrid Law, Moon Over Manifest by Claire Vanderpool, and Saffy’s Angel by Hilary McKay.
THE MISSING MANATEE by Cynthia DeFelice
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Skeet Waters loves living in his small Florida town. He loves going fishing with his father, listening to his eccentric Memaw sing karaoke, and speeding out on the water in his own little boat, going nowhere in particular. But over Spring Break, two things happen that threaten Skeet’s peace of mind. First, his mother kicks his father out of the house for good. Second, Skeet discovers a dead manatee with a bullet wound in his head. Horrified that anyone would kill such a gentle creature, Skeet hurries to fetch the sheriff. When they return to the scene of the crime, however, the manatee’s body is gone. Without evidence, there is nothing much the sheriff’s office can do. And so Skeet forces his parents and his homework out of his mind and decides to solve the mystery himself.
There is a bit of suspense in this mystery story, but The Missing Manatee is primarily about relationships, particularly family relationships. DeFelice blurs the line between right and wrong and forces her protagonist to accept that many situations–and all people–are more complicated than they seem. A fun mystery and coming-of-age story, sure to be enjoyed by middle grade readers who like mysteries and/or the great outdoors.
If you liked The Missing Manatee, you might like The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester.
WILLIAM’S MIDSUMMER DREAMS by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
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When William and his younger siblings escaped from the home they shared with their abusive half-brothers, the Baggetts, he thought they had left their Baggett identities behind them. Adopting their aunt and new guardian’s last name of Hardison, they get a fresh start in a new town. Best of all, William may have a chance to pursue his dream of becoming a Shakespearean actor by auditioning for the role of Puck in a nearby professional production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. But although the acting portion of the summer goes just as he imagined it would, friendships and family relationships begin to make his summer more complicated. Most ominously, his understudy for the role of Puck seems willing to go to any length to get William out of the role.
Despite the fact that this book was about Shakespeare, it was not my favorite Zilpha Keatley Snyder book. The Egypt Game was significantly better. But if you like theatre and you like realistic fiction, this book may interest you. It is fairly slow-paced and focuses on William’s development as he learns more about himself, his hopes for the future, and his relationships with the characters around him.
THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY by Sheila Burnford
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When a Canadian family travels to Europe for six months, they must leave their three pets–an old bull terrier, a young Labrador retriever, and a Siamese cat–in the care of a friend who lives several hundred miles East of the family’s home. While the bull terrier and the Siamese cat settle into life with their new caretaker, the Labrador is restless. He knows that he is far from home and longs to be with his family again. So, when the opportunity presents itself, he leads his two companions to escape from their caretaker and journey across the Canadian wilderness toward home. But with bears, porcupines, and other hazards to face along the way, all three animals may not make it home alive.
The Incredible Journey is the book on which the film Homeward Bound was based. The book is less humorous than the movie, but it is filled with the same adventure and heartwarming moments. The imagery is dense and the reading level may be above the interest level. But the book would make a great family read aloud for families who have pets or love animals and have children in grades 2-5.
If you liked The Incredible Journey, you might like Babe, the Gallant Pig by Dick King Smith.
BABYMOUSE: QUEEN OF THE WORLD by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm
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Babymouse wishes she were extraordinary. She wishes she had gorgeous, straight whiskers–like Felicia. She wishes she had a cooler style of clothes–like Felicia. And although it is nice to have her one really good friend Wilson, she wishes that she had tons of adoring friends and admirers–like Felicia. Unfortunately, all of her daydreaming doesn’t make her wishes come true. It just makes her late for class. But when Babymouse has the chance to attend Felicia’s birthday party, everything in her life could be about to change.
The Babymouse graphic novels are popular among tween girls for good reason; they accurately depict what it’s like to be outside of the cool clique. Babymouse has believable insecurities and hopes that preteen girls are sure to relate to.
If you like the Babymouse series, you might like Dork Diaries, Dumped by Popular Demand, Smile, and Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf.
ROOM ONE: A MYSTERY OR TWO by Andrew Clements
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Ted Hammond loves mysteries. He loves reading them, but most of all he loves solving them. Unfortunately, in a tiny town with only one sixth-grader (Ted), there aren’t too many new or mysterious things going on. Until Ted sees a face in the window of the abandoned Anderson farm, that is. Ted’s investigation leads him to April and her family who are hiding out in the old farm and trying to avoid a man who is bothering April’s mom. This mystery is not as simple as the ones in the story books, and Ted finds that he must make a lot of difficult decisions in order to balance his friendship with April, his responsibility to be honest with the adults in his life, and his desire to make sure that April and her family are well taken care of.
Room One is more about friendship and responsibility than it is a mystery. Although there are certainly clues to unravel throughout the story, it will appeal most to readers who enjoy realistic fiction, stories about families, or stories about friendships. I would recommend this book to readers in grades 3-5.
THE ROAD TO PARIS by Nikki Grimes
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Paris and her brother, Malcolm, have lived in more foster homes than they can count since Child Protective Services took them away from their mother. In Paris’ opinion, most of the foster homes were even worse than their real home despite their mother’s drinking and their abusive stepfather. But when they finally run away to their grandmother’s house, their case worker decides to separate the children, putting Malcolm in a group home for boys his age and sending Paris to live with a new foster family, the Lincolns. Heartbroken at being separated from her brother, Paris doesn’t think she will ever be happy with the Lincolns, but she is surprised to discover that family life isn’t always as dysfunctional as her past experiences have been. As Paris begins to find her place in her new home, she still must overcome her nightmares of the past and the prejudice of some other community members who do not understand her.
This Coretta Scott King Award Honor book provides a glimpse of a loving, functional foster family without glossing over the difficulties and complications of this type of family situation. The Lincolns must work hard to earn Paris’ trust, as do the children at her new school. And when that trust is broken, it is difficult for Paris to open up again. There are some intense themes in this book, including physical and emotional abuse and racism. I would recommend this book to middle grade readers who enjoy realistic fiction.
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