Counting by 7s

I loved this Great Stone Face book from this past year.  A 12-yr-old girl named Willow is the main character.  She does not fit in at school.  She is a genius and very unique with her interests and style.  When her parents die suddenly, a group of (almost) strangers rally around her to help her find her way.  The theme is mature, but for mature 5th graders, I would recommend it highly.  It is a touching, feel-good story about being different and realizing it is the only way to be.

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to NOT Reading

This book was very funny and engaging.  I read it to see if I should buy it for my shelves.  Unfortunately, as much as I enjoyed it, I think it belongs in a middle school library.
The main character is a boy who has never read a book and is very proud of it and wants to continue his streak.  He bribes others to read for him.  He puts more effort into NOT reading than it would take to read.  As you would imagine, it becomes a cautionary tale about the problems in this philosophy.  I enjoyed it very much.

The Hypnotists

This is the first in a big-kid fiction series by popular author, Gordon Korman.  A boy with special powers is drafted by a secret agency to use his powers in a bad way.  It is a story of right and wrong and following your conscience.  I  loved the book.  It was very exciting.  The ending left you wanting to read the next one.

The Center of Everything

I found this big-kid fiction book by Linda Urban to be slow.  It was a short read about a young girl who has recently lost her beloved grandmother and a wish she made.  Although I have liked some of her other work, I was not a fan of this one.