Kids Contemporary Fiction
FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER by E.L. Konigsburg
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Claudia knows that she is under-appreciated, and she intends to teach her parents a lesson. That is why she begins plotting to run away. She selects her younger brother Jamie as her companion, for although Claudia has all of the grand plans, she lacks Jamie’s sense for financial planning. They hide in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, originally planning to return after a few days, when their parents are sure to no longer take Claudia for granted. But when they discover a mystery surrounding a museum sculpture, the adventure becomes even more exciting and Claudia is determined not to return home until the adventure has changed her from the ordinary girl she was into someone heroic and different.
Winner of the 1967 Newbery Award, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is a children’s literature classic. It addresses themes of growing up, the balance between fun and responsibility, and finding adventure in ordinary life. If you liked From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, I would also recommend Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. For teens, I would recommend Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt.
THE FANTASTIC SECRET OF OWEN JESTER by Barbara O’Connor
Owen hates that his family had to move into his grandfather’s house. First off, the horrible housekeeper, Earlene, has no sense of humor and yells at Owen for the stupidest things. And now that Owen doesn’t live on the same street as Travis and Stumpy, his friends always do things without him. Worst of all is Viola, his annoying, know-it-all next door neighbor who always sticks her nose into Owen’s business. There only good thing about living at his grandfather’s house is Tooley, the biggest bull frog in Carter, Georgia, who Owen caught in his grandfather’s pond. But when Tooley starts looking ill, Owen needs to find a way to make the frog happy. And when he hears a crate fall off of a train in the night, Owen realizes he may have another exciting summer project–both of which he is determined to accomplish without Viola’s help.
The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester is a story about responsibility and friendship. As Owen matures throughout the novel, he is able to empathize, first with his frog and then with Viola, and he begins to make less selfish decisions. The book will most likely appeal to upper-elementary age readers who enjoy realistic fiction or stories with detailed Southern settings.
If you liked The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester, you might like The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, The Missing Manatee by Cynthia DeFelice, and Moon Over Manifest by Claire Vanderpool.
FRANKIE PICKLE AND THE CLOSET OF DOOM by Eric Wight
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Frankie Piccolini and his trusty dog Argile go on many adventures. They hunt for treasure in the Amazon, fight vicious lava monsters in subterranean caves, and save the world from the onslaught of giant mechanical robots–and they do it all without ever leaving Frankie’s bedroom. But when Mayor Mom gives Frankie a choice–clean your room or deal with The Consequences–Frankie chooses The Consequences and the Pickle Cave quickly turns into a giant bottomless pit of dirty clothes, broken toys, and half-eaten, rotting sandwiches. Although it was glorious at first, Frankie’s mess starts to get in the way of his superhero adventures. Even Argile will no longer enter the Pickle Cave. Will Frankie Pickle have to relent and take care of The Consequences once and for all?
One of 2012-2013’s VSRA Virginia Reader’s Choice Award nominees, Frankie Pickle is a prose/graphic novel hybrid about a boy’s incredible imagination and the adventures of real life. This short and humorous book may appeal to reluctant readers, particularly in grades 3-5. It is the first in a series, followed by Frankie Pickle and the Mathematical Menace and Frankie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000.
If you liked Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom, you might like Captain Awesome to the Rescue.
CAPTAIN AWESOME TO THE RESCUE by Stan Kirby
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Starting a new school at age eight can be a terrifying experience. Luckily for Eugene McGillicudy, he has an alter-ego as a superhero: Captain Awesome, the MI-TEE-est superhero ever (except of course for Super Dude, the hero in the comic books Eugene likes to read). Dressed in his Captain Awesome outfit, Eugene is prepared to defend his toys from the drool of Queen Stinkypants from Planet Baby (aka, his little sister); he is prepared to face the horrible mind-reading powers of his new teacher Ms. Beastly—err, Beasley; he may even be prepared to face the torments of the pink-ribbon wearing nightmare Meredith Mooney who sits near him in class. But will he be able to figure out who stole Turbo the hamster before he gets accused of losing the precious class pet? And will Charlie Thomas Jones turn out to be the superhero-loving potential best friend he claims to be or just another super villain in disguise? Find out in Captain Awesome to the Rescue! by Stan Kirby.
Different from the typical humorous superhero book for the 2nd-4th grade reader, Captain Awesome himself possesses no superhero powers and fights no real supervillians. The books are about a boy using his huge imagination to survive in the average everyday world with which readers will be familiar. His adventures continue in Captain Awesome vs. Nacho Cheese Man.
11 BIRTHDAYS by Wendy Mass
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From birth, Amanda and Leo were destined to be best friends. They were born on the exact same day and for ten years had always celebrated their birthdays together. But at their tenth birthday party, Amanda overheard Leo make a nasty comment about her, and suddenly the idea of sharing another birthday party with Leo seemed repulsive. So for her eleventh birthday, Amanda decides to plan a party on her own. But Leo plans his party for the same day, and all of their friends are forced to choose whose party to attend. And of course Leo’s party is much cooler than Amanda’s. Finally, the terrible day ends and Amanda goes to bed, hoping to forget that her eleventh birthday ever happened. Unfortunately, when she wakes up, she discovers that somehow it is her eleventh birthday again. Everyone else at home and at school seems oblivious to the repetition, acting out their day in the exact same way they did before. The only people aware of the time loop seem to be Amanda and the one person she doesn’t want to be stuck with: Leo. Amanda and Leo are forced to begin rebuilding their friendship as they try to figure out what is going on and how to break out of the endless loop of eleventh birthdays.
This book has some fantasy elements, in terms of the time loop (reminiscent of the film Groundhog Day), but it mostly focuses on friendship and forgiveness. The characters and their situations are easy to relate to, though it will likely appeal to girls more than boys, as Amanda is our narrator. I would recommend this story to middle grade readers who enjoy realistic fiction about school and friendship.
MIDDLE SCHOOL IS WORSE THAN MEATLOAF by Jennifer Holm
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Ginny has a number of important items on her seventh grade “to do” list. Among them are getting a new dad, getting her older brother Henry to “chill out,” and getting the role of the Sugarplum Fairy in her ballet school’s Nutcracker. Unfortunately, her goals have unexpected challenges and complications. Having a step-dad is more difficult than she thought it would be, and her ballet rivalry with Mary Catherine Kelly may have ended their friendship for good. On top of all of that, Henry seems far from chilling out and may end up in a military academy. Thank goodness for Grampa Joe, Becky Soo, and yellow sweaters. But will they be enough to get Ginny through seventh grade?
This story is told in an interesting style–as a scrapbook with notes and documents from Ginny’s life. It may take a while to get settled into the pattern of reading the story, but in the end it captures the story of Ginny’s life very nicely. This book will likely appeal most to middle grade girls, and the creative storytelling style may appeal to reluctant readers as well!
If you liked Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf, you might like Dumped by Popular Demand, Dork Diaries, Babymouse, and Smile.
MISSING MAY by Cynthia Rylant
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Summer grew up with Uncle Ob and Aunt May, in the first home where she felt she truly belonged. But May’s death leaves a gaping hole in her life and Ob’s, and they both find themselves spending all of their time just missing her. With the help of their strange neighbor, Cletus, Summer and Ob begin searching for May’s spirit and for the peace to continue living their own lives.
I often hear complaints from people who do not like Newbery Award winning books because they are always about death and dealing with grief. Missing May certainly fits that profile. But this novel deserved its Newbery for more than just its weighty subject matter. Missing May is very well-written, with wonderful characters. Rylant takes you through a realistic heart-warming journey from grief to hope and renewed joy in life. I highly recommend this book! The audiobook is narrated by Frances McDormand.
If you liked Missing May, you may like Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech.
IDA B: . . . AND HER PLANS TO MAXIMIZE FUN, AVOID DISASTER, AND (POSSIBLY) SAVE THE WORLD by Katherine Hannigan
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Ida B spends most of her time with her mother and father in their Wisconsin orchard. She has no brothers and sisters or neighbors to play with, but she has an incredibly creative imagination, and befriends all of the trees, the river, and the animals in the orchard. She tried going to public school in kindergarten, but the rules and rigid structure of her strict teacher’s classroom were so suffocating to her that her parents decided to let her stay at home and be homeschooled. But when her mother is diagnosed with cancer, everything changes for Ida B and her family. They will have to sell part of the orchard—the trees who were Ida B’s friends—in order to pay for her treatment, and perhaps worst of all, Ida B will have to start public school for fourth grade. Horrified by her parents’ betrayal, Ida B decides to harden her heart. She will go to school, but she will not enjoy herself. She will not make friends. She will not allow herself to like her warm-hearted teacher. She will feel nothing. At least she will try. . . .
Although the premise may sound depressing, Ida B is an incredibly uplifting, funny, endearing book, with a spirited, witty narrator and the wonderful teacher who softens Ida B’s hard heart. Its intended audience is upper elementary readers, although I suspect many adults will find it as relatable and touching as I do. I highly recommend it!
THE STRANGE CASE OF ORIGAMI YODA by Tom Angleberger
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This book is a casefile compiled by sixth grader, Tommy, as he struggles to figure out the truth: does Origami Yoda have magical powers? Dwight, who created Origami Yoda and wears him on his finger, is the weirdest kid in school, and it seems like he never does anything right. So how is it possible that when Dwight is speaking as Origami Yoda, he gives the best possible advice and even sees into the future? It is vitally important to determine whether or not Origami Yoda is really magic or just a hoax, because Tommy needs to decide whether to take Origami Yoda’s latest advice in a matter of life-changing proportion.
This book is incredibly funny and great for upper elementary and middle school students; it is especially popular among boys. It includes instructions for creating your own personal Origami Yoda (magic powers not included).
If you liked The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, you might also be interested in How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell, Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, and the Big Nate books by Lincoln Peirce.
THE GOLLYWHOPPER GAMES by Jody Feldman
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Gil Goodson has had a very difficult year. Since his father was accused of embezzling money from his employer, the Gollywhopper toy corporation, no one has treated his family the same way. Even though his father was found not guilty, all of Gil’s friends believe that he did it and have forced Gil out of their social circles and off of his sports teams. But now, one year later, Gil has the chance to escape it all. Gollywhopper is hosting a huge scholarship competition called the Gollywhopper Games. If Gil wins the games, his family could afford to move to a new city and leave The Incident behind them. Much to the dismay of the Gollywhopper CEO, Gil is determined to solve every puzzle they throw at him. But personality differences among his teammates make the task much more difficult than he had previously anticipated.
If you like brainteasers, solving puzzles, and unraveling mysteries, this is a very fun book! It is aimed at an upper-elementary school audience.
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