Full of Beans

Jennifer Holm, the author of the Babymouse graphic novel series wrote this historical fiction story set in Key West Florida during the Great Depression of the 1930's.  Beans is a local boy who is barely scraping by trying to earn a nickel or two for his family.  When a smuggler asks him to help him in exchange for some serious cash, Beans can't resist.  But what is the money worth?  Beans' lying and bad choices start to eat at him.  He realizes that the people from Washington who are trying to make Key West a tourist destination could use some help, and may help cleanse his guilty conscience.
(FIC HOL)

My Life as a Book

Fans of the Wimpy Kid series will like this quick read with a 12-year-old boy as its main character.  Derek hates reading and his summer reading assignments are ruining his whole vacation.  However, a mystery that he is intent on solving spices his summer up, even though his parents make him go to Learning Camp.  I found the kid somewhat of a brat and quite unlikable at the beginning.  I also found many elements of the story quite random and not developed well at all.  This is the first in the series.  I hope my students like it more than I did.  I did like the illustrations which described vocabulary words in the book, though.  (FIC TAS)