A Whole Nother Story, by Dr. Cuthbert Soup

Mr. Cheeseman (not his real name) is perfecting his Luminal Velocity Regulator (LVR) which, when complete, will bring his wife Olivia back to life. Until it is complete, though, Mr. Cheeseman and his three children must outrun the "coats" who want to steal the invention for evildoing. Along the way, readers meet many interesting characters like Mr. Cheeseman's son, Crandall, who is never without his one-eyed sock puppet named Steve. Interestingly, Dr. Cuthbert Soup is both the author and the narrator of A Whole Nother Story.

Because this a book full of "suspense, danger, adventure, mystery, simple yet delicious recipes for squash, and, of course, paper" it is recommended to tweens with all sorts of interests. This is one of the most creative and inventive (some pun intended) books I have picked up this semester. Warning: sense of humor required!

Cuthbert, S. (2009). A Whole Nother Story. New York: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books. ISBN 978-1599904351

The Same Stuff as Stars, by Katherine Patterson

Stars backlight the story of eleven year old Angel, who lives with her seven year old brother Bernie at her grandmother’s house. Angel takes on much of the responsibility for Bernie as Grandma simply sits by the fire most of the day and wraps herself in poverty and despair. Angel is thrust into the adult world by having to keep a constant watchful eye on her little brother and help out her old grandmother, when she just needs to still be a little girl.

The butt of mean girls at school, Angel keeps to herself and sometimes talks to the stars… or even to the entire universe or any power out there; she just wants to be heard. Fortunately, she is befriended by her uncle who lives on the property and he teaches her about the stars in which she takes her only solace.

The drama takes a twist when Bernie is unannouncedly picked up from school by her low-life mother, and Angel finally makes grandma face all the hard facts from which she has been hiding. Guided by her faith in the stars and belief that someone is listening, Angel rises to her challenges and teaches the adults in her life that they must move past obstacles and hurtfulness and find the positives in their given lot.

Entertaining and gripping, The Same Stuff as Stars is a great book for any tween and most meaningful for any older sibling responsibly caring for and loving a younger brother or sister.

Patteron, K. (2002). The Same Stuff as Stars. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 978-0618247448

Harry Sue, by Sue Stauffacher

Harry Sue has a plan at eleven years old to toughen up and become a criminal. She ultimately hopes the calculated moves will land her far away from her grandmother’s home, granny’s disturbing in-home day care and into jail where her mom is serving hard time for cooking and selling crystal meth. Harry Sue knows Mom was only trying to do the right thing and help them get by.

Harry Sue has a tough name, and with humor, sassiness and urban grittiness, she tries to make a tough way for herself. But Harry Sue really does have a kind heart and learns many lessons about love and helping other people in unlikely places.

Stauffacher vividly describes in jive language the various settings, layered characters and meanings of everyday life. This novel does include a lot of mature content but it is mentioned in a manner that keeps it appropriate for tweens, and Harry Sue is definitely a story worth reading again and again.

Stauffacher, S. (2005). Harry Sue. New York: Random House. ISBN 9780375932748

Sideways Stories From Wayside School, by Louis Sachar

In this first installment of the Wayside School series, the reader is introduced to the quirky building and its quirkier students through thirty vignettes, one for each of the school's thirty stories (except for the missing nineteenth floor of course). We meet stinky Sammy, John who can only read upside down, and Mrs. Jewls, who has very unconventional ways of teaching her students. Sachar's Wayside School series continues to be a favorite even after three decades. I am always seeing this book on reading lists of funny stories and I would highly recommend it for those on the younger end of the tween spectrum.

Sachar, L. (1978). Sideways Stories From Wayside School. New York: harper trophy. ISBN 978-0380731480

Loser, by Jerry Spinelli

Donald Zinkoff is that kid. The awkward, sometimes loud and different kid who never fits in the neighborhood or at John W. Satterfield Elementary School. In a naive Junie B. Jones sort of way, Zincoff bumbles through life not noticing all the eyes cast his way with lids in widened amazement. We all know one of these stand-out kids who “just doesn’t get it.” One thing Zincoff does get is the freshness and excitement of a snow which is “sticking” and beacons to him one evening after supper. As he envelopes himself in visions of a forthcoming snow day and glances up and down his street, he spies some reflecting red lights which draw him to the next street and upon a crisis involving what he perceives to be to a search for a missing toddler named Claudia.

Zincoff uses his laser focus and takes off in a childlike search for the little one. In only Spinelli fashion is the reader drawn into Zincoff’s world and realizes only in the end what has happened. Perception becomes reality with OMG moments as young readers will learn to build empathy with those amongst us challenged cognitively and or socially.

Spinelli, J. (2002). Loser. New York: Harper Trophy. ISBN 978-0060540746

The Trouble Begins, by Linda Himelblau

Du and his grandmother recently left Vietnam and traveled to California to reunite with the family they haven't seen since Du was a baby. So far, Du hates a lot of things about America:

• His old, nosy neighbor called the police when Du picked berries from his yard
• The school cafeteria food and American frozen food are both disgusting
• The principal doesn't understand that being quiet doesn't mean you are disrespectful
• Americans say stuff is free when it's not
• His name in English means 'dog poop'
  

His older brother and two older sisters, who speak perfect English and totally understand the American way of life, think Du just messes around all the time and isn't thankful for his new home. Du slowly starts to realize that maybe he should try harder to impress his father, who is constantly disappointed or angry with him.

Himelblau's novel provides young readers with a heightened awareness of the norms in other countries. While other students may speak different languages or do things that appear weird, they are probably facing the same fear and insecurities as everyone else. This is also a great book for any kid who has ever felt like an outsider. Just like Du, we can all discover our inner Dragon and overcome life's challenges.

Himelblau, L. (2005). The Trouble Begins. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0-385-73273-2

Stranded in Boringsville, by Catherine Bateson

After her parents' divorce, Rain and her mother relocate from a bustling Australian metropolis to her late grandmother's delapitated house in the country. With a slow combustion cooker instead of a normal stove and no pizza joint for miles around, Rain tries to convince her mom that they shouldn't even bother unpacking. They should just rent out the old Clarksville house and move back to the city. Slowly, though, memories of time spent with her grandma in the garden and eating delicious, home-cooked meals return. Rain also meets the quirky but charming neighbor, Daniel, who is one year younger and proclaims himself "phenomenally bright." When Daniel eventually reveals a secret to Rain, she realizes that perhaps she doesn't have as much to complain about as she thought. This is a moving story about two isolated kids who find friendship and solace with the other.

Adding to the story are the many different forms of writing. As the cover art suggests, Rain and her mother communicate through refrigerator magnet poetry. This is their forum to express all the emotions that are difficult to share with eachother elsewhere. The point of view also switches from Rain in traditional prose format to Daniel, who communicates through his Star Trek-esque Captain's Log. Presenting both characters points of view makes this story feel "whole" and makes it a great book for girls and boys alike. And at 138 pages, Stranded in Boringsville is an excellent addition to lists of recommended short books.

Bateson, C. (2002). Stranded in Boringsville. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 0-8234-1969-X

Wringer, by Jerry Spinelli

The cover gave me the creeps the second I plucked it from the chelf, so of course I had to check it out. In Wringer, Palmer is dreading the day when he turns ten. That is when young boys are expected to work as wringers at the town's annual Pigeon Day shooting contest. And wringers, well, they get to finish off the birds that get wounded instead of shot down and killed immediately. Will Palmer accept the role that is part of a long-standing tradition in his community or will he stand up for what he believes in? Those who liked The Chocolate Wars will enjoy the similar sinister tone and moral dilemma faced in Wringer.

Spinelli, J. (1997). Wringer. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0-06-440578-8

So You Think You Can Dance (on Fox)

Having been a huge fan of this American Idol spin-off a few seasons back, it was fun to revisit the show with a tween perspective in mind. If the throngs of screaming girls in the audience are any indication, they are the target audience. So You Think You Can Dance shows that ordinary teens can be catapulted to stardom through hard work and dedication, and by avoiding dance floor injuries and the judge’s harsh critiques. The contestants are extreme cases of success, but I think it still proves to tweens that you can mold your own future. Aside from a few suggestive outfits and dance moves, So You Think You Can Dance is an excellent show the whole family can watch, and even place a few friendly wagers on, together.

(The image above shows Allison and Ivan two of my favorite dancers from Season 2.)

The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline B. Cooney

Imagine if you suddenly had reason to believe that the people you called Mom and Dad were not actually your parents. (And what teen hasn't thought that at least once?) That's exactly what happens when Jane Johnson comes face to face with her own picture on the back of a milk carton. Because Cooney's novel was published in 1990, today's readers will likely notice the characters' glaring lack of computers, media, and cell phones as Jane searches for answers. However, it remains a very clever and suspenseful storyline and Jane (who eagerly anticipates driver's training, daydreams about her future children, and constantly tries out more glamorous spellings of her name) will resonate with many female readers.

Cooney, C.B. (1990). The Face on the Milk Carton. New York: Bantam Doubleday. ISBN 0-440-22065-3.

Tripping Over the Lunch Lady and Other School Stories

Tripping Over the Lunch Lady is a hilarious compilation of short stories from popular young adult authors. Sarah Weeks (whose novel So B. It I am currently reading and will be reviewing here shortly) presents a clever solution to writer's block in Experts, Incorporated. Using the graphic novel style, author James Proimos and illustrator David Fremont retell Proimos' monotonous days as a grade school student living with his heavily accented Italian grandmother in The Grade School Zone. Readers will especially love the interviews and author photos that accompany each story, proving that the authors dealt with lunch ladies and dreaded assignments themselves once upon a time. This is a great collection for reluctant readers or for family read-alouds.

Mercado, N.E. (ed.). (2004). Tripping over the lunch lady and other school stories. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 0-8037-2873-5

Boy Meets Boy, by David Levithan

Boy Meets Boy focuses on gay tenth-grader Paul, who attends a very accepting California high school, where many students are open about their sexuality. Paul has openly dated many boys in his school but suddenly finds himself in a dead end relationship-wise. That is, until he meets the adorable, green-eyed Noah in the self-help section of his favorite bookstore...

My favorite sections of the novel involve Paul's coming out stories. At five years old, he announces to his mom, “I'm gay!" In response, his mother shouts across the house to Paul’s father, “Honey, Paul’s learned a new word!” Levithan also brings to life several colorful characters. We meet drag queen Infinite Darlene, who is both the Homecoming Queen and the star of the football team. We also see how Paul's best friend, Tony, battles his homophobic parents and a religion that does not accept homosexuals.

The tween literature landscape is already rife with a variety of races and backgrounds, characters with handicaps, kids with a variety of interests, and many different family structures. It is great to finally see so many characters with which LGBT teens can relate. Levithan’s novel provides kids with an excellent example of what an accepting school and community looks like and could provide much-needed hope for LGBT kids whose home and school lives are not so welcoming to their sexuality. Simply because the central characters are already well into high school, I would recommend this book mostly for seventh through ninth graders. I would also recommend Boy Meets Boy to straight and gay readers alike; yes, this book focuses primarily on homosexual characters, but it's not far off from any other tween novel that focuses on love and relationships.

Levithan, D. (2003). Boy Meets Boy. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-82400-6

Rotten School: The Teacher from Heck

Having been a huge fan of R.L. Stine's Fear Street books many years ago, I already considered the author a master of creative suspense. Although his Rotten School series elicits far more laughter than horror, Stine continues to entertain readers with his original and cleverly crafted stories. In The Teacher from Heck, the eighth installment in the series, student Bernie Bridges squares off against the meanest teacher EVER, Mr. Skruloose, after the sweet, old Mrs. Heinie just could not stand anymore of the rotten students. As Bernie schemes to outwit Mr. Skruloose and bring back Mrs. Heinie, hilarity ensues. Because of the short chapters, slapstick humor and overall content, I recommend this outrageous novel for students in grades 4-6.

Stein, R.L. (2006). Rotten school: The teacher from heck. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN:978-0-06-078821-6

The Klipfish Code, by Mary Casanova

While most people are aware of the horrors that took place in Germany during World War II, most do not know about the Nazi occupation in other countries. When her home country of Norway is invaded by the Nazis, Marit refuses to accept their presence. She wants to do something to return her country to peace, but what? Marit starts by secretly saving paperwork written by other resistance fighters. Then she wears a paperclip on her collar as a covert sign of solidarity among the Norwegian people. But when her family members start to disappear, she knows she needs to take much bolder actions. Marit and her younger brother use what was known as the klipfish code and risk their lives to see their family again.

This is obviously heavy subject matter, especially with Marit’s separation from her parents when they join the Nazi resistance, but Casanova handles the topic in a manner appropriate for tweens. I would not outrightly recommend The Klipfish Code for anyone under 10 because of the mature content, but parents can be the best judge of their child’s maturity and reading level.

Finally, this book will have a greater impact if the reader has some previous knowledge of WWII and Nazi occupation. As such, it would be an excellent addition to a classroom lesson plan on this critical time in world history.

Casanova, M. (2007). The Klipfish Code. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 978-0-618-88393-6

Powder Monkey: Adventures of a Young Sailor

When he is only thirteen, Sam leaves his home in England to see the world working aboard a merchant ship. He is instead forced aboard a dangerous naval ship and put to work hauling gun powder to the cannons for battle. Sam lives in constant fear of beatings, injury, or even death. Should he have just stayed at home and worked in his father’s shop? Can he earn the respect of the hardened sailors? Will he ever see his mother again? Dowswell paints an excellent (and sometimes gory) picture of life aboard a ship in the nineteenth century, and tween boys especially will appreciate this adventure on the high seas.

Dowswell, P. (2005). Powder Monkey: Adventures of a Young Sailor. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-1-58234-675-5

Boys' Life, August 2010

Any publication sanctioned by the Boy Scouts of America is sure to be squeaky clean, but it should not be assumed that Boys’ Life is therefore boring. The August 2010 edition features a story about Hurricane Hunters, an Air Force squadron that bravely flies into the eyes of brutal storms to forecast when the storm will hit and where, potentially saving thousands of lives. Of course, Boys’ Life also features scout-friendly tips, like tying a better fly fishing knot and properly planning a backpacking trip. Some of the games and anecdotes may be too juvenile for older readers, but otherwise this is a magazine that would be of interest to boys of all ages.

The Chocolate Wars, by Robert Cormier

“They murdered him.” Any book that opens with such a line is sure to be tense, mysterious and, most likely, violent. The Chocolate War will get your heart pounding and make you squirm in your seat. While it is a suspenseful story of an underground society steeped in the history of Trinity private school, it can also be viewed as an extreme commentary on the cliques and cruelty often present among teens.

After examining his father’s monotonous life, Jerry Renault decides he wants a life that stands out, where there are no days that are just “fine.” The high school freshman gets the opportunity to stand out when he challenges the school’s secret society, The Vigils, and their malicious leader, Archie.

While I don’t think girls would necessarily dislike this book, it should be mentioned that there are no female characters in Cormier’s novel; the most prominent female character is Jerry’s deceased mother, who is described through flashbacks. Also worth remembering is that The Chocolate Wars was originally published in 1974. As such, today’s young readers may not fully grasp the contrast between the prep school boys and the free-thinking hippies that pass through his town. However, this book is considered a classic for many reasons. For instance, Jerry’s maxim- “"Do I dare disturb the universe?"- will still ring true among readers. And Jerry’s eventual answer may surprise them....

Cormier, R. (1974). The Chocolate Wars. Alfred A. Knopf: New York, NY. ISBN 978-0375829871

Everything on a waffle, by Polly Harvath

What, you don’t believe you can get lasagna on a waffle? Well, talk to Primose, who believes anything is possible. Primrose stills believes her parents are stranded on an island somewhere after being lost at sea in a nasty storm and never seen again. Although suddenly faced with a tough life which includes moving in with her uncle and being teased by her peers, where only The Girl on a Red Swing diner and its the sassy chef, Miss Bowzer, seem to cheer her up, Primrose keeps beating to her own optimistic drum. Because the main character is only eleven and has a flighty innocence that older tweens may not relate to, this book is best for tweens ages 8 to 11.

Horvath, P. (2002). Everything on a waffle. Scholastic: New York, NY. ISBN 978-0439451307

Money Hungry, by Sharon Flake

Unlike most of the tween titles I have read thus far which feature female lead characters, Money Hungry’s protagonist is hardened and streetwise. With memories of homelessness and the current reality of the projects haunting her, Raspberry Hill thinks constantly of money, whether she is selling candy to her classmates or counting change to fall asleep. Raspberry hopes for a better life for her and her mother but her money hungry ways may land her into more trouble than good. Although this story is hard and raw, it is written in a way that keeps it appropriate for most tweens. Impressively, this may be a book with a female lead that would be of interest to boys as well.

Flake, S. (2007). Money Hungry. Hyperion Books: New York, NY. ISBN 978-1423103868

Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen

A favorite since its 2002 debut, Hoot remains a laugh-out-loud story about Roy Eberhardt’s attempts to avoid bullies and find some excitement in his new hometown. When Roy repeatedly witnesses a strange boy running barefoot and at full speed through the neighborhood near his middle school, Coconut Grove, Florida suddenly seems a lot more interesting… and strange. Featuring port-a-potty vandals, several burrowing owls, a couple of bullies, one oily black hair, and Roy’s dry humor, this part-comedy, part-mystery is a novel unlike any other.

Hiaasen, C. (2002). Hoot. Alfred A. Knopf: New York, NY.