Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis

It took me a little while to get into the story, but once I did, the story flew by. Emma-Jean is a very intelligent, logical reasoning, good-hearted seventh grader. She doesn't catch some of the nuances of others which can result in humorous situations.

Genre: realistic / contemporary

Topics: friendship, single parent, school, mean girls, boys

Audience: 6th or 7th grade girls

Mrs. Beckwith's Rating: 4.5 of 5

Amazon Reviews

Masterpiece by Elise Broach

Masterpiece is a great story. An adventurous beetle named Marvin befriends James, a lonely human boy. James gets a pen and ink set from his father for his birthday. Marvin experiments with the pen and ink set and discovers he has great artistic ability. James' parents discover the drawing and think James is the artist. This starts a series of adventures that leads to uncovering a major art thief. The book is well written and engaging.

Genre: fantasy / mystery

Topics: art, divorce, friendship, forgery, thieves

Mrs. Beckwith's Rating: 5 of 5

Amazon Reviews

You are SO Not Invited to My Batmitzvah! by Fiona Rosenbloom

Stacy Friedman is getting ready for her bat mitzvah. Stacy wants to be a comedienne when she grows up, and that comes through in the dialogue. She's struggling with how she looks, her friends, her crush, and her family. This is not a deep book by any means. It's light and often humorous. Many middle school girls will be able to completely relate to Stacy's predicaments.

Target audience: girls

Genre: Chick lit, contemporary, realistic fiction

Topics: first boyfriend; first kiss; bat mitzvah; separated parents; younger brother; fight with friends; 7th grade; Rye, New York; foreign exchange student; friendships

Note: contains occasionally swearing; some may view some of the content as disrespectful parents and faith in God

Mrs. Beckwith's Rating: 4 of 5

Amazon reviews

Coastwatcher by Elise Weston

In August 1943, Hugh finds himself in South Carolina along the Atlantic Ocean coast along with his mom and sister. It's a time of worry about both World War II and the polio epidemic. Hugh is certain he saw a submarine periscope just offshore, but no one will believe him. His cousin is living with them for awhile, and Hugh's not too happy about it. There are German POWs just down the road.

Target audience: through 6th grade

Genre: Historical Fiction, Adventure

Topics: WWII, polio epidemic, German soldiers,

Mrs. Beckwith's Rating: 4 of 5

Amazon reviews

Daphne's Book by Mary Downing Hahn

I saw this book at the Scholastic book fair. I'd read another book previously (Deep, Dark, and Dangerous) by Mary Downing Hahn, and enjoyed that, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Well, I started reading it and had a hard time putting it down. It was really good. I felt a variety of emotions as I read it: sadness, anger, loneliness, hope, and frustration to name a few. Note, I didn't say funny or light.

Jessica and Daphne are 7th graders who are paired together for the Write-a-Book contest. Daphne is a new kid at school, and her classmates are really mean to her. The "popular" kids have targeted Daphne and call her Daffy Duck.

Mr. O'Brien, the writing teacher, pairs Jessica and Daphne together because he knows Jessica is a good writer and Daphne is a good illustrator. As a team, they have a good chance at winning the contest. Initially, Jessica isn't very happy about it. However, after getting to know Daphne, she looks at it differently.

I thought it was a new book until I started to read it. I came across comments like dittoed copies, taking aspirin (note: you shouldn't take aspirin if you're a kid), and the forms of communicating (no e-mail...just letter writing). I took a look at the copyright date...1983, my junior year of high school! However, the story has held up very well over time. I have a feeling there are many girls who could identify with Jessica, and some who could relate to Daphne.

Target audience: girls

Genre: realistic fiction

Topics: middle school, fitting in, friends changing, divorce, poor living conditions, writing and illustrating books, family, being different, truancy, popularity, fear of taking a stand, fitting in

Mrs. Beckwith's rating: 5 of 5

Amazon reviews

Viking Quest series by Lois Walfrid Johnson

The Viking Quest series, which begins with Raiders from the Sea, has to be one of my all time favorite series. It is set in the late 900s. Bree and Devin, sister and brother, are kidnapped during a Viking raid. Mikkel is the leader of the Viking group. You learn through the books that Mikkel feels he has something to prove to his father, a powerful Viking leader. Bree likes adventure, and because Mikkel keeps her with him most of the time, she gets in on many adventures...some more pleasant than others.

I have recommended it to many people, and even purchased a few sets for friends. So far they've all loved it. Several parents have said they enjoyed reading it as a family read-aloud. It not only captivates young audiences, but adults as well.

Genre: historical fiction, Christian

Topics: Vikings, family, kidnapping, Ireland, strong male character, strong female character

Note: Christian theme

Mrs. Beckwith's rating: 5 of 5

Amazon reviews

The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

The Maze of Bones is Book 1 of 10 in the 39 Clues series. It includes many appealing features found in successful middle school books...orphaned young heroes and heroines, the bad guys/enemies, adventure, and mystery. The premise behind the series is that the head of the Cahill dies and leaves her heirs with a choice, take a one million dollar inheritance or take Clue 1 of 39. The first person who successfully solves all the clues will find the secret to the wealth and power of the Cahill family. Some choose the money, and some choose the clue. There is competition between the four branches of the Cahills to be the final winners.

I am excited about this series because of the historical tie-ins in each book. Book 1 proved to be a fun read. Another cool feature is the online component. First you read the book, then you go online to work toward solving the same puzzle. It's not your ordinary online game for kids. You have to do a lot of reading and problem solving to make your way through the game. I think it's a great combination for today's readers.

Genre: adventure with a twist of history

Topics: Benjamin Franklin; Philadelphia; secret messages; Paris, France; brother and sister, mystery, adventure

Mrs. Beckwith's Rating: 4 of 5

Amazon reviews