By Piranha T.

When seventh grader Nora Tucker’s school announces this year’s summer homework—a contribution to a town-wide time capsule—she doubts anything worth writing about will happen. Wolf Creek may be home to a secure correctional facility, but the most interesting things which happen are cookouts and carnivals.

But when two prisoners break out of the Wolf Creek Correctional Facility, Nora’s life becomes much more tense. Suddenly, her mom doesn’t let her go outside, police are pouring into town, and her little brother has her check for inmates under his bed.

She also meets Elidee Jones, an African American girl from New York City whose brother is in the prison. And as the search continues and tension runs higher, Nora begins to realize that no matter how welcoming Wolf Creek believes itself to be, it’s still prejudiced—both inside the correctional facility and out.

Breakout was an unusual book which confronted issues of criminal justice and racial prejudice in a way which felt completely natural and was very well done. Kate Messner narrated it in a series of documents submitted by Nora to the time capsule project, mainly by Nora, her best friend Lizzie, and Elidee. This gave the book an unusual feel and depth, and uniqueness, too—there are few books effectively told completely in documents! But instead of becoming dry, it was a really engaging format.

​This book was recommended to me, and if it hadn’t been, I don’t know if I would have read it; however, I’m glad it was. Breakout was an interesting book which covered a lot of issues which I don’t often see in middle-grade books. For anyone who remotely likes realistic fiction, this is a book which is good to read. I would highly recommend Breakout to readers ages ten and up.

By Piranha T.

Francie knows there are other worlds besides the one she’s grown up in. Like the big city over the river, where children don’t have to scavenge the streets to find trash to sell to the local junkman, and people have enough to eat. But what would it even be like to live there? All she’s ever known is life on the streets, where her hardworking mother can barely make enough to support her family: Francie, her mother, her younger brother Neely, and their occasionally working father, widely acknowledged as an alcoholic. The world beyond the ragged streets of Brooklyn is unreachable to Francie and the others who live in New York’s slums.

Francie dreams of visiting the city, although she knows it is impossible. There is little hope of leaving Brooklyn, even as her family gathers pennies in a milk can, imagining gathering a whole fifty dollars to buy their own land. She has a hard life, but she accepts it. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the story of how she grows up, overcoming hardships, finding work, learning the ways of that world and the one outside Brooklyn, too.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a partially autobiographical account of the author’s life in Brooklyn, New York just after the turn of the twentieth century. It is an amazing, compelling, and beautiful story. I don’t often prefer historical fiction, but this book was unusual; instead of focusing on the times themselves, it highlighted what happened in them. Although outside events were mentioned, this is a personal story, one of the rare books which makes you feel like the character and live her world as she would have a hundred years ago. Francie is a strong and sympathetic protagonist. This book makes you not just love it, but feel it, too. It is one of those classics which has stood the test of time, remaining accessible and real to the modern reader. I would highly recommend A Tree Grows in Brooklyn to readers ages eleven and up.

By Piranha T.

In Inside Out & Back Again, Thanhha Lai narrates the story of ten-year-old Hà, a girl who has grown up in Saigon during the Vietnam War. Forced to flee her home with the end of the Vietnam War, Hà struggles to make a new life for herself in Alabama, while trying to learn the language, make friends, and understand the world around her.

Inside Out & Back Again was a moving, beautifully written book in free verse. Hà’s life was a moving and very real journey, from a war-torn homeland to peace in a foreign country, the story of a girl who longed for her old life despite all the horrors which were taking place where she had once lived. That reality in the story made it in some ways more powerful than many historical fiction novels which I’ve read—not a fictitious story, something imagined many years later by someone who had never experienced what they were writing about, but something based in real life, in the confusion and dreams of a relatable girl in a terrible situation.

This isn’t a book I’ll forget soon, and I doubt anyone will. I would highly recommend Inside Out & Back Again to readers ages ten and up, particularly those who love Farewell to Manzanar or Brown Girl Dreaming.

By Piranha T.
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Eleven-year-old Trinket’s father was a teller and a bard. He would tell stories for a living, traveling the countryside, but he would always return to Trinket and her mother, and their house by the sea. But for five years, he hasn’t returned. And Trinket is determined to find him.

With the help of Thomas the Pig Boy and a map which her father left when he disappeared, Trinket travels across the countryside, finding the seven stories she needs to become a true bard herself. She tangles with Gypsies and a seer girl, helps rescue a child stolen by selkies, aids a skilled young dancer bargain with faeries, and has many other adventures besides. But as her search turns up no trace of her father, she begins to wonder if she’ll ever find a trace of him—until she hears a story which changes everything she believed.

​The Seven Tales of Trinket was a fairytale-like tale of a girl searching for her father intertwined with Gaelic folklore. Shelley Moore Thomas creates a vivid world of magic in the stories Trinket finds, from faeries to banshees to selkies and more, very much in the flavor of the Celtic myths much of the story was drawn from. I loved the stories and adventures Trinket had, which were vivid and multilayered, all standing easily alone but intertwined into her adventure in different ways. I would recommend The Seven Tales of Trinket to readers nine and up, especially those who love folklore or The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander, and anyone who is a fan of  lyrical, enchanting stories of family, quests and adventure.

By Piranha T.

Long ago, the founders, aquatic beings with blue-green scales and powerful magic, raised stone from the sea and sang the City of Islands into being. But when the founders disappeared, the most powerful of their song-spells vanished with them. Now, although many of the songs are still remembered, the most ancient and complex have been lost to time.

Mara has always dreamed of mastering spell-songs and learning to become a mage. But after the death of not just her parents, but also of the mage Bindy, who took her in after they died, that dream seems unlikely. Instead, the Lady of the Tides employs her to dive in the ocean around the City of Islands to find artifacts from the time of the founders. She rarely discovers anything of interest, but her earnings are enough to keep her from the streets.

One day, Mara discovers a deposit of bones on the ocean floor which seem to be left over from the time of the founders and sing with spell-song. And when she shows them to the Lady of the Tides, it seems that they can be traced back to one person—the same mage who killed Bindy two years before.

As Mara delves deeper into secrets which someone powerful has done quite a lot to hide, she finds herself caught up in something much bigger than just the mysterious bones. And she might be the only one who knows enough to stop the mastermind behind it before it’s too late.

City of Islands was an engrossing book. Kali Wallace expertly wielded the details of the world and the spell-songs, creating a setting which felt absolutely real, and an unusual type of magic which is now one of my favorites. Mara was a heroine with her own desires and personality, and the plot surprised me at every turn, two things I always love in a story. The whole book felt completely unique, to the point that when I tried to come up with a similar book, I couldn’t! I would highly recommend City of Islands to lovers of multilayered worlds and complex plots ages ten and up.

A note from Piranha T: If you like City of Islands, check out our interview with the author here! 

By Piranha T.

The weather in Alorria is perfect. There is no such season as winter. Every day is sunny and temperate, and it rains only when the farmers request it. Everything is kept this way by storm beasts, bound to their human guardians, who together work the weather and make it perfect for all the land.

Twelve-year-old Mina has been waiting for the day when her storm beast will hatch. She cares for her egg every day, letting the unborn creature absorb her personality through the shell of the egg as all storm beasts do, so when it is born, beast and guardian will be perfectly matched in temperament.

But when Mina’s beast hatches, everyone believes there must have been a mistake. A fiery, unpredictable lightning beast is the last creature anyone would associate with quiet, timid Mina. But Mina and her lightning beast, Pixit, are sure there’s no mistake. They only have to show everyone else that it’s true.

Mina and Pixit are enrolled at Mytris Lightning School, where she learns how to become a storm guardian. But as she learns more about her country and about its history, she realizes Alorria’s flawless weather comes with a cost. And the more she discovers, the more she is determined to make her voice heard.

​Spark is an exciting, fast-paced fantasy with an intriguing world full of mysterious creatures and deep secrets. Mina is a sympathetic heroine learning her place in the world, and attempting to change a way of life which has been in place for generations. I would highly recommend this well-developed, unique fantasy to readers ages ten and up.

By Contributing Reviewer Abby E, age 11

Renegades, by Marissa Meyer is a wonderful fantasy with romance, secret identities, crazy powers, revenge and justice. A girl, a boy, thrilling adventures, what more could you want? Although on different sides in this battle, the work together and become friends. In this spellbinding tale you enter Nova and Adrian's world of prodigies. With heroes and villains you won't want to put the book down. and when you're done reading it you'll be clawing for the next book.

​Note from Super Kitty and Piranha T: We love this book (and series) too! 

By Piranha T.

Molly Ayer, an orphan who lives with a foster family in Spruce Harbor, Maine, doesn’t feel like she’s wanted. She feels out of place among the kids at school, and with her foster parents at home. When she steals a book from the library, she’s told to do twenty hours of community service for repentance, and is assigned to Vivian Daly, a rich ninety-year-old woman who wants help sorting out her attic.
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Molly expects it to be a tedious task, but when Vivian begins reminiscing about her childhood, Molly learns about interesting pieces of history. Vivian was an orphan too. She was sent away from New York on one of the trains which distributed city orphans to families in the countryside who wanted a child, or simply an extra pair of hands. It’s a piece of history Molly has never heard about before—one that has shaped Vivian’s life.
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Orphan Train Girl was an interesting book, teaching a piece of history I didn’t know much about. The story alternated from past to present—between Molly and a younger Vivian—and in doing so, Christina Baker Cline narrated the stories of two different orphans in two different situations who were both searching for acceptance. I would recommend Orphan Train Girl to readers ages nine and up.

By Piranha T. 

Ever since her father died and she was left in the care of her stepmother’s tyranny, Liesl has been locked in the attic of a house which was once her home, no longer allowed to leave. Lonely and heartbroken from her father’s death, Liesl draws pictures to pass the time. And one day, a ghost called Po sees them and appears in the shadows of her bedroom. He tells her tales of another, even darker world, the only world he can still clearly remember. They become fast friends, and before long, Liesl begins to plan how to escape her attic and return her father’s ashes to the place where they belong.

Meanwhile, Will, the apprentice of a powerful, unpredictable alchemist, is sent to bring the most powerful magic in the world to the Lady Premiere. But his task doesn’t go quite according to plan. The Lady Premiere obtains something decidedly less remarkable, and the magic falls into the unknowing hands of Liesl and Po.

Liesl and Po is a book which is simultaneously deep and young, the poignant story of a girl searching for friendship and a relief from her father’s death, a story in some ways simple and in others not simple at all. I would recommend this book for readers ages nine and up, but although I read this for the first time several years ago, it’s one of my enduring favorites because of the simple yet rich beauty of the story, the characters, and the prose.
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Lauren Oliver has an enticing writing style which pulled me in and characters who I truly love. There is a nice balance of magic and adventure, and mystery as well. (And the cover is one of my favorites—it depicts the book beautifully!) I would highly recommend Liesl and Po to readers ages nine and up.

By Super Kitty

Tired of fairytales featuring heroines who spend most of their time waiting to be rescued? Girls to the Rescue is a collection of ten short stories starring smart, capable girls who use their wits and talents to overcome obstacles and save the day. Some of the stories are inspired by folktales and legends, while others are original, but all share a theme of promoting strong role models for girls of all ages.

I was about seven when I first discovered this book and its sequels, and have enjoyed them ever since—there are many girl-power remakes of classic stories, and the Girls to the Rescue series is definitely a top pick. The characters are smart, brave, and believable, refusing to let anything from stereotypes to their own fears get in the way of their success, and friendship, diversity, and self-confidence replace many traditional stories’ themes of romance and needing to be rescued. They’re also perfect books for reading aloud. Overall, Girls to the Rescue is an excellent choice for readers (girls and boys!) ages seven and up looking for strong characters and clever stories from around the world.

By Piranha T.

The first time fifteen-year-old Maya Hammond sees the man who didn’t smile, she’s on a train on the way to visit her grandparents in Maine, and he’s carefully watching another woman—a woman who looks afraid. Maya has always had intuition no one else does, and when she sees the woman, she knows she must help her. When she walks past, the woman slips a mysterious book into Maya’s bag—and the next time she looks, both the man and the woman have disappeared.

Maya soon discovers that the book is known as the Book of Everything. It can give advice, spirt people through time and space, but most important of all, it tells the truth. The Book of Cinnial, sent long ago to battle the Book of Everything, spreads lies and discord wherever it can. So far, the Book of Everything usually triumphs—but if it falls into the hands of the opposing group, the world would fall apart.

Maya meets Andy, a boy from the 1970s, when the Book of Everything sends her back in time. Then she and Andy are thrown into another world, known as Ilyria, where two dukes are battling for rule, an ancient and magical forest is in danger, and nefarious forces are attempting to make a stand. There, Maya will uncover secrets and gain new powers—but will it be enough to save not one, but two Books of Everything?

Maya and the Book of Everything was an excellent fantasy. Laurie Graves wrote a well-rounded plot which kept surprising me with twists I never would have anticipated. Maya was a clever and interesting heroine who I absolutely loved. The themes on books and reading were also fun, reminding me (although slightly younger than this book) of Finding Serendipity. I would highly recommend Maya and the Book of Everything to lovers of fantasy and complex plots ages twelve and up.

A note from Piranha T: Click here to check out our interview with Laurie Graves! 

By Super Kitty

Ten-year-old Jesse Aarons gets up early each summer morning to run, sprinting as hard as he can as he trains to become the speediest kid in the third, fourth, and fifth grades. If he can win the races his classmates hold at recess, he won’t just be ‘some kid who likes to draw.’ It won’t matter that his sisters are always squabbling, his short-tempered mother makes him do most of the work around the house, and his father works such long hours that it feels like he’s never home. If he can get strong enough, Jess will be the fastest. Important. Special.

But just as the races are about to begin, a new kid—a new girl—joins the races and beats every boy competing—including Jess. Leslie Burke is considered by most to be pretty strange, and at first Jess wants nothing to do with her. But both of them are lonely, and as the weeks go by, they begin to form a friendship that will change their lives. Leslie has an incredible imagination, and one afternoon she and Jess invent Terabithia, a world of their own where they transform from outcast kids to courageous rulers.

Leslie tells Jess wonderful stories and leads him on fantastical imaginary adventures, but her most important gift to him is confidence in himself. When the two of them are together, Jess feels like nothing can stop them. But when he’s forced to face his greatest fear—alone—will Leslie’s guidance be enough?
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A Newbery Medal winner, Katherine Paterson’s story of friendship and loss has become a modern classic. Bridge to Terabithia touches on a wide array of themes and emotions, exploring grief, hope, and finding your place in the world—all through the eyes of a ten-year-old. Jess’ struggle for self-acceptance and a sense of belonging makes him a strong and believable lead character, and Leslie is all but irresistible, an extraordinary girl with a radiant imagination. Moving and powerful, Bridge to Terabithia is an excellent choice for book groups, and I would highly recommend it to readers ages ten and up. 

By Piranha T.

Coriander Hobie lives a perfect life, with a loving father and a beautiful mother, a life she believes will never change. But then a pair of silver shoes slip her into another world, and although she stays there for a very short time, it changes her life forever. Only a few days later, her mother mysteriously dies, leaving Coriander and her father to navigate the political turmoil of seventeenth-century London. And then her father disappears too, leaving Coriander with her stepmother, who despises her.

Yet her stepmother isn’t the only person who Coriander learns to fear. For when she enters that other world again, she discovers someone else searching for her—someone who truly wants her dead.

I, Coriander was a beautifully written, engrossing read with a plot which just keeps getting better. Although set in a historical time frame, I, Coriander is fantasy, and I’d recommend it to fans of either genre; Coriander’s voice feels very authentic to the seventeenth century, but it still has the feel of a fantasy novel. It’s one of those books which pulls you in and weaves a spell of magic around you, written like a fairytale, but the plot and characters are much deeper than in more old-fashioned books. I would highly recommend I, Coriander to readers ages eleven and up.
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Note: The audiobook, read by Juliet Stevenson, is amazing—if you like to listen to audiobooks, I would recommend this one! I also listened to one of Sally Gardner’s other books, The Red Necklace, a historical fantasy for slightly older readers, which I would recommend if you love I, Coriander. ​

By Piranha T.

It’s been five years since ten-year-old Livy visited her grandma in Australia, so she doesn’t remember much. Sliding down the stairs. Watching the chickens. And when she sees her bedroom, she realizes she left something extremely important there—only she can’t remember what.

Then she meets Bob, a short green creature who can’t recall anything about himself. He’s been waiting for her in her closet since she left five years ago. Although Livy no longer remembers, she promised him that she’d help him find his way home. And now that they’ve met again, they’re determined to do just that.

Told in alternating chapters between Livy and Bob, Bob is a story about friendship with the feel of a modern fairytale. Livy and Bob, and their friendship, feels very real. This is a book with elements of both fantasy and realistic fiction, so I think it could be enjoyed by fans of either genre. I recommend Bob to readers ages seven and up. 

By Super Kitty
 
Just before Ari and her older brother Gage’s mother died, she made them promise to stick together, no matter what. So four years later, when Gage announces that he’s gotten an apartment and will no longer live with Janna, their prickly guardian, eleven-year-old Ari follows.

It’s only when they’ve packed their things and left Janna’s house that Ari learns the truth: Gage hasn’t found an apartment yet. He doesn’t have a job, either. Until he can find steady work and a place to live, they’ll have to sleep at friend’s houses, and occasionally the homeless shelter. Gage promises that it’s temporary, but as the weeks go by, Ari begins to feel as if her entire world is crumbling. It’s all but impossible to manage schoolwork, friendships, and activities when you don’t even know where you’re staying on any given night.

Whenever it all feels like too much, Ari plays with her Paper Things—pictures of people, furniture, and houses cut out of magazines and catalogs that form a land of paper dolls. When she’s surrounded by Paper Things, all the problems of the real world fall away and she’s part of a happy family, with parents and a house and even some dogs. In those precious moments, Ari pretends that she’s just a normal girl. And hopes with all her heart that someday, she will be.
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I listened to this book with my family, and we all enjoyed it. The characters are believable, trying to do the right thing, but also flawed and vulnerable. It’s one of those books which reminds you not to make assumptions, because everyone is facing problems that you don’t even know about. Although older readers might consider the ending a little too perfect, it’s a great book for kids and parents to read and discuss together—although it deals directly with homelessness, giving a glimpse into the lives of many children and teens today, it stays solidly middle-grade and never gets dark or inappropriate. It’s also an excellent choice for book groups. Poignant and thought-provoking, I would recommend Paper Things for readers ages nine and up. ​