With her considerable storytelling skills King weaves all of these elements together in an engrossing tale, told by eleven-year-old Obe Devlin. He has always been a loner, spending hours at Devlin Creek, picking up trash. One day he encounters an animal never seen before. Obe is fascinated and escapes to the creek whenever possible, spending time with this strange creature. Eventually long absences come to the attention of his family, a classmate, and school personnel. How long can Obe keep his secret? What is the cost of revealing his discovery? What is the cost of remaining silent? So much to consider.
King surprised me. I thought that this story was headed toward a predictable conclusion. I was wrong. The ending is not what I expected. Not at all. However, the outcome is very satisfying.
A thoughtful exploration of social issues ​

Meet Julia Marks. She's the student who is always positioned in the front for school class photos. She's selected last on the basketball team.  She can crawl through the dog door when accidentally locked outside of her house. 
That's right. Julia is vertically challenged. 
And now her precious dog Ramon, the family pet for the past five years, is dead.  Julia acutely feels this loss.
The school year has come to an end and her two best friends will away for most of the summer.
Summer vacation is not looking too promising for Julia.

Her mother comes up with a plan: Julia and her younger brother Randy are to perform in a local production of The Wizard of Oz. 
Julia is not sure about this. Not sure at all. However her size makes her an ideal candidate to be a cast member: a munchkin, of course. 
Julia faces her fears of singing and dancing in public and even dares to venture into the air, high above the stage. 
She learns more about others, life, and herself; all in the course of one short summer. Her story is one of humor and heart.

Life is anything but rosy for Norah Dean. Louise Gornall paints a portrait of a teen suffering with a mental illness which is both heart-wrenching and acerbic.
Full disclosure. In this book:

• No one dies
• No one discontinues treatment
• No one completely recovers

Under Rose-Tainted Skies is painfully realistic:
Life goes on. Illness goes on. Coping goes on. The reality is that Norah Dean's life is a struggle. Each moment of each day she bravely fights to live an authentic life as a person with agoraphobia and OCD. Readers will empathize with her and cheer for her as she constantly confronts hundreds of tiny battles.
With regards to the ending, you'll get no spoilers from me. Starting with Chapter 35, Gornall weaves together all details (which initially appear to be extraneous) to create a climax that left me breathless, frantically reading to find out what would happen.

What a story. What a life. What a book.

​"This is probably dumb, but no one remembers Charles Darwin as the guy who suffered from panic attacks. Ludwig van Beethoven isn't the bipolar composer, he's the composer who was bipolar."

​"The beyond-your-control speech is my least favorite of all the pep talks...It's the hardest one to corrupt. It's immortal, the adamantium of arguments."

​"Another new/scary/terrifying thing to add to my list. Before long, I'm going to need a wheelbarrow to lug this list around."

"Everything seems so complicated, like a Rubic's Cube with twenty-six sides. No matter how much my mind turns it over, my explanations won't make any sense. It's too much; there are too many facts."

​"It would be so easy to tighten the gap between us and press my mouth against his.
Except: petri dishes, full of little alien life forms that live on the human tongue."

"...blackbird jumping around on my windowsill.
Your mind adapts to what worse is. Suddenly, that thing that seemed so terrifying at first is dwarfed by the next challenge that comes your way. but you adapt again and again and again..."

One Thing Stolen
​by Beth Kephart

Challenger Deep
​by Neal Shusterman

A close-knit family: father, mother, daughter and her doll find themselves in a difficult situation. They are homeless. Mother and daughter are able to find sanctuary in a shelter for women and children, while dad must reside in a separate shelter for men.
Despite obstacles this family finds ways to remain close and connected. They strengthen bonds of love by spending time together in the local park, creating a private family space under a tarp, and finding creative ways to celebrate important occasions. This young girl has learned to feel safe and cared for in spite of the family's circumstances. She knows that they are still a family.

​Jo-Shin Lee's illustrations take a duel perspective. She beautifully and simply captures images of the family and contrasts them with child's perceptions of her family life.
A terrific book to share with children who are homeless. An important book to share with all young readers, helping them to understand the struggles and courage of the displaced.
Thank you Brenda for this gentle and hopeful introduction to the plight of the homeless.
Back matter includes an author's note  and  additional resources to help children understand and serve the homeless.
​How I love this little gem.

When is a book more than a great story? When the reader becomes a participant in a mystery: searching for clues located in the text, studying the diagrams and illustrations, using a special red acetate overlay (included), and cipher wheels (included) to discover secret information. Even the introduction on the first page can provide a tip to solving the puzzle.
​Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring is a thrilling adventure based on the real life experiences of Mary Bowser, a courageous African American free woman who posed as a slave in the home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. At great personal risk, she provided valuable information to the Union leaders.
The story is filled with heart-stopping action and puzzles to solve. In addition to innovative page design with intriguing use of text size and placement, Tony Cliff's illustrations help to bring the story to life with detailed art which enhances the drama and provides additional clues.

​Ruthie Mizrahi and her family left their home in Cuba for a new life in Queens, New York. Already struggling to learn a new language and understand a different culture, Ruthie is devastated when a car accident leaves her in a body cast. Here world shrinks to the life inside her bedroom. She no longer attends public school or plays sidewalk hopscotch.
Slowly she discovers a different world. She finds joy in creative expression when a neighbor introduces her to painting and her father gives her a typewriter.
Over time she confronts her ultimate challenges: learning to forgive those responsible for the car accident, and having the courage to trust her legs to support her as she learns to walk again.
Lucky Broken Girl, Ruth Behar's tale of a young immigrant who perseveres and overcomes tremendous obstacles is a personal account filled with heartbreak and hope. 

​A fledgling contemplates leaving the safety of the nest and attempting to fly. ​Drew Sheneman's Nope extracts multiple layers of meaning with cleverly designed pages featuring cinematically arranged panel sequences, a variety of visual points-of-view, strategically placed layouts, and expressive body language. Text is kept to the bare minimum, allowing the colorful images to speak for themselves.
Conclusion: sometimes a daunting task requires just a little nudge in the right direction.