Saturday Night Dirt by Will Weaver

Small town dirt-track racing

One thing I liked about this book was the diverse group of racers and people involved with the raceway. You get to see into the lives of a few different race car drivers and teams as well as into the lives of several of the people who work at the raceway. The entire book takes place between noon and 8 p.m. on a Saturday night.

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: people who like cars and racing; boy appeal

Topics: northern Minnesota dirt-track racing, girl race drivers, racing accidents, Father/daughter business, tough times, Indian reservation, Iraqi war vet, sabotage, choir, street stock, osprey, super stocks, modifieds, late models, mechanics, small towns

Mrs. Beckwith's rating 4 of 5

Cautions: a few instances of swearing, but overall, no worries

Amazon Reviews

Enter Three Witches by Caroline B. Cooney

Honestly, if I wouldn't have "had" to read this book, I probably wouldn't have. After the first few chapters I was saying, "I don't want to read this book." However, I kept going, and found that I really enjoyed it. It just took awhile to get all the characters introduced and to establish the setting.

It is a retelling of the story of Macbeth. From what I can tell, it does a good job of following the general plot of Macbeth, but the story is witnessed from the eyes of Mary, a 14-year-old Lady in training. Initially, I didn't like the character of Mary since I like strong female characters, and Mary was not depicted that way.

This is not a story for either the faint-of-heart or of mind. You really have to think to keep everything straight...many characters and subplots. Also, there is a lot of bloodshed, same as in Macbeth.

Genre: historical?

Audience: probably 8th grade up

Topics: Macbeth, Scotland, nobility, power, greed, murder, witches, betrayal, love

Mrs. Beckwith's rating: 3.5 of 5

Amazon Reviews

Out of Order by Betty Hicks

This is an entertaining story about a blended family. The summary in the books says, "four youngsters, ages nine to fifteen, narrate one side of the story of their newly blended family's adjustment, interwoven with grief and loss." Anyone who has brothers or sisters will be able to relate to some of the events in the story.

Audience: 6th, maybe 7th graders

Genre: contemporary, realistic fiction

Topics: blended families, birth order, false accusations, rock-paper-scissors, cicadas, Shrek, self-discovery, sibling death, fund raising, science project

Mrs. Beckwith's Rating: 4 of 5

Amazon Reviews

If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko

This story alternates between Walker (Walk) and Kirsten, two seventh graders at a private, mostly white school. Walk is a black male, and Kirsten has gained 30 pounds over the summer. The two begin to develop a friendship of sorts on the first day when they arrive at school and are both tardy to class. Kirsten's best friend has become friends with the "popular" group leaving Kirsten left out. Walker is the new "black" kid at school trying to make his way.

Audience: middle school

Genre: contemporary

Topics: race, fighting parents, friends, fitting in, mean kids, family, being smart, false accusations, popularity

Mrs. Beckwith's Rating: 3 of 5

Amazon Reviews

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Loved this book! Hale took the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale "Maid Maleen" and wove this fantastic story of Dashti, the maid of Lady Saren. Lady Saren is in love with Khan Tegus, but is promised by her father to Lord Khasar, a vicious man. When Saren refuses to marry Lord Khasar, her father locks Saren and Dashti into a tower for seven years. This is their story told through the diary of Dashti.

Audience: girls

Genre: fantasy, fairy tale

Topics: Mongolia, yaks, nobility vs. commoners, war, diary, strong female character, commitment, hardship, healing songs, making hard choices, cats, romance

Mrs. Beckwith's rating: 5 of 5

Note: would pair this with Jessica Day George's Princess of the Midnight Ball...both have strong characters and are based on fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm.

Amazon Reviews

Diamonds in the Shadow by Caroline B. Cooney

I'm not quite sure how to classify or describe this book. It encompasses so many different things. An African refugee family of four is sponsored by an American family of four. During the course of the book, you have a chance to see things through the eyes of each of the eight characters, each of whom is very diverse. You learn of what life is like for many refugees in Africa, and what it's like to see America from new eyes. There is a thread of suspense woven throughout the book. The end of the book is very fast paced.

Audience: middle school

Genre: Contemporary suspense

Topics: African refugees, blood diamonds, American affluence, church problems, suffering, sponsors, family, trauma, theft, violence, refugee camps, refugee agency workers, forgiveness, questioning goodness of God, immigrants

Mrs. Beckwith's Rating: 3.5 of 5

Notes: some violence

Amazon Reviews

One-handed Catch by M. J. Auch

This was a great read. WWII has just ended. Norm, a twelve-year-old, loses his left hand in a meat grinder at his dad's butcher shop. Norm's mom doesn't allow any time for pity. There are many tasks he has to relearn how to do, and he doesn't let that stop him. Norm loves baseball and art. He applies his artistic abilities in a humorous way in Boy Scouts and at Halloween.

Audience: anyone, but especially boys

Genre: historical fiction, realistic fiction

Topics: perseverance, determination, baseball, art, boys, physical disability, friendship, acceptance

Mrs. Beckwith's rating: 5 of 5

Notes: this would be a great read-aloud

Amazon Reviews

Ethan, Suspended by Pamela Ehrenberg

Ethan gets suspended from his school in suburban Pennsylvania and is sent to live with his grandparents in Washington, D.C. Ethan experiences a world he's not used to. He is the only white student in a largely black and Hispanic school. His grandparents are the only remaining Jewish white people in the neighborhood. Ethan learns to survive in a unfamiliar setting and makes a diverse group of friends. His parents are newly separated which adds to his problems. Things start to look up for Ethan when he joins the school's jazz band.

Genre: realistic

Audience: boys and likely girls

Topics: misunderstandings, fitting in, Civil Rights movement, family issues, old people, music

Notes: contains some swearing

Mrs. Beckwith's rating: 3.5 of 5 (5 of 5 for the right kid)

Amazon Reviews

The Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence

This is a series of many books set in different locations of the Roman Empire starting in 79 A.D. The primary characters are Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia, and Lupus. In each book, they have to solve some sort of mystery. Details about what life was like during that time period in Rome are very vivid. In The Secrets of Vesuvius, the kids discover signs that Mt. Vesuvius is about to erupt.

Audience: 6th graders

Genre: historical fiction with a twist of mystery

Mrs. Beckwith's rating: 3 to 5 depending on which book

Amazon Reviews
Thieves of Ostia, bk 1
The Secrets of Vesuvius, bk 2