The Girl Behind the Glass

This is very original ghost story written by Jane Kelley for 4th and 5th graders.  Rather than a book narrated in the third person that contains a ghost, this one is narrated by a ghost... an angry ghost.  The ghost alerts the reader of many key plot happenings.  I enjoyed the resolution of the story very much.

Birdwing

In this follow-up to a Grimm fairy tale, a boy retains one swan wing from a curse.  Fitting in neither the bird or human world, he must find his place and decide who he wants to be.  I found the story a bit slow and the characters not fully developed.  It is also not a book for an elementary library, as some scenes are quite mature in content.

Katie and the Cupcake Cure

The first in this big-kid fiction series by Coco Simon was a sweet little read.  A simple story about staring middle school, it tackles some common themes of bullying and friendship.  When a girl loses her friend to the "popular club" , she soon realizes it is not the end of the world.  Her new friends start a cupcake club, and thus the adventures start.  Each in the first of the series highlights a different friend.

Powerless

This big-kid fantasy story by Matthew Cody was a fun, exciting read.  In it, a boy moves to a town and makes friends with a group of misfit kids who turn out to be superheores.  Their powers are threatened, though, and it is the Daniel, the kid with no powers, who must save them.

Ungifted

This Great Stoneface nominee by Gordon Korman was a wonderful middle-school book.  When an impulsive middle school boy causes a disaster at school, he has to hide at the local school for gifted kids.  He doesn't belong there yet he is a breath of fresh air to the misfits there and causes a change in them.

Critter Club

In this new early reader chapter book series by Callie Barkley, a group of four friends help to solve a mystery.  They are so successful, they form a club to continue.  The books are centered around an animal shelter after the first in the series, so animal lovers will like them.

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms

In this mystery book by Lissa Evans on the great Stoneface list this year, a young boy moves to a new town where his magician uncle, who disappeared years ago, has left a room full of his creations to the one who is able to find it.  A wonderful scavenger hunt follows, and the end leaves you wanting to read the next in the series.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (#1)

I just re-read this book by J.K. Rowling.  (FIC ROW). It is one of my all-time favorite reads.  You do not have to like magic or fantasy books to like this.  It is an amazingly creative world that provides the setting for a perfectly written story.  She is brilliant.

My One Hundred Adventures

This big-kid fiction book by Polly Horvath on the nooks was a bit slow for me.  It also left many unanswered questions and did not seem to have a clear theme or message.  This was not a favorite of mine.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

This book on the Nooks is a wonderful story written by Chris Grabenstein.  Reminiscent of Willie Wonka, 12 children embark on a treasure hunt in a library to win a prize.  Filled with references to classic works of fiction and with references to the Dewey Decimal system, any lover of books and libraries will love this fun and exciting read!

Listening for Lucca

I loved this latest book by Suzanne Lafleur. (FIC LAF). It is a wonderfully unique story about a girl and her brother.  Siena is literally haunted by ghosts of the past and her brother, Lucca, has chosen to stop speaking.  Siena's "gift" helps her find a way to help not only her brother, but the spirits in her new house.  It is a great read for middle schoolers.  I would not suggest it for anyone younger than 5th grade.

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

When I started this, I immediately thought of Suzanne LaFleur's Eight Keys... a deceased parent leaving a mystery for their child to bring them some peace. It was that, but much more.  It was a wonderful story of friendship and discovering that life is about the little moments that we choose to string together.  That is a message that young adults can not hear too much.

Fourth Grade Rats

This wonderful beginning chaper book by Jerry Spinelli follows Suds, a new fourth grader, as he tries to navigate through his new grade.  Other grades, and his best friend, have expectations of how he should now act.  Suds has to figure out for himself what it takes to be a real young man.  This was a great story with a wonderful lesson.  I have the e-book version on our Nooks.

Timmy Failure

I purchased this big kid fiction e-book, written by Stephan Pastis, thinking it would be a similar alternative to Wimpy Kid.  I found it funny but quite advanced with regards to vocabulary.

Tracing Stars

Tracing Stars by Erin Moutlton (FIC MOU) is a big-kid realistic fiction story about friendship and accepting yourself for who you are.    I liked it very much.

Love, Aubrey

This is a big-kid realistic fiction book written by Suzanne LaFLeur, one of my favorite new authors.  I LOVED this book (FIC LAF).   Aubrey has experienced a tragic event in her life and through a series of letters placed throughout the book, she slowly comes to grip with it and learns to heal with the help of family and a good friend.  It is a tear-jerker!

George Brown Class Clown

This is a series of beginning chapter books by Nancy Krulik (E KRU).  George is a young boy who is known as a class clown, but who tries to be good.  It is full of humor along the lines of Horrible Harry or Captain Underpants.... boogers, underwear, burps, etc.  Created to appeal to emerging boy readers, it will be attractive and funny to all young readers.

Investigator Anne

This is a wonderful new e-book series available through Barnes and Noble.  I have some of these on my Nooks.  It is a beginning chapter book mystery series about a young girl who wants to solve mysteries.  What I like about the series is the unique feature of a glossary at the back and an at-home science experiment based on the story.  For example, in the first story, Anne's mother loses her watch and in her attempt to find it, Anne discovers what buoyancy is, and therefore there is an experiment on buoyancy at the end of the story.

Justin Case

Justin Case by Rachel Vail (FIC VAI) is a funny, realistic fiction book about a young boy who feels anxious about everything...school, the dark, etc.  I enjoyed his humor, but found that it was a little over-the-top with what he was worried about.  I think upper level elementary readers will love it.

Land Of Stories

In this fantasy series written by Chris Colfer, a set of 12-yr-old twins experiences great adventure when they fall into a Fairy Tale book.  There seem to be a lot of these books out there now... Sisters Grimm comes to mind immediately.  It is unique enough to be very entertaining and I did enjoy both the first and the second in the series.   However, I found in the 2nd installment, the similarity to Harry Potter was disappointing.  (FIC COL)

Wild Wings

This summer I read Wild Wings by Gill Lewis (FIC LEW).  It was a beautiful realistic fiction book about friendship and loss.  A rare bird is tracked from America to Africa and a wonderful friendship is made.