Book cover

Sniff.  Sniff, sniff, sniff….  [sound of nose gently blowing]  Sigh!

“The Naming of Tishkin Silk” is one of the most sweetly sad novelettes I have read since “Sarah, Plain and Tall”.  Griffin Silk must go to public school rather than be home schooled since his mother and baby sister have gone away.  Where mother and the baby (which Griffin has privately named Tishkin) have gone is a mystery that beckons the reader gently through the book’s 102 pages.

“The Naming of Tishkin Silk” by Australian writer Glenda Millard with wonderful black and white illustrations by Texan Patrice Barton is a lovely, gentle story accessible to younger readers but with enough sentiment to capture middle-schoolers.  And my wish for each child is to have a friend like Layla.

Read it and sniffle!

Scarlett cover

Anyone who works closely with children knows that they are impacted by divorce.  How the parents handle the break up and subsequent relationship can make it either easier or downright impossible for the kids.  “Scarlett” is a very realistic look at a young British girl who reflects her mother’s anger after the divorce.  With ketchup red hair and a pierced tongue Scarlett is looking for trouble at school.  She finds it.  Packed off to live with grandma and then an uncle she blows her last chance and is kicked out of yet another school.  At the end of her rope, Scarlett’s mother packs her off to live with her Dad whom Scarlett has deliberately not communicated with since early in the divorce.

Dad is remarried and living in Ireland.  Scarlett tries to rebel, but her genuinely caring stepmother and 9 year old stepsister begin to crack Scarlett’s hard boiled shell.  When the local school doesn’t work for Scarlett, home schooling does; but it is meeting Kian, a mysterious dark haired boy, who helps Scarlett begin to let go of her anger and find peace within herself.

A lovely story and a very engaging read.  Young female readers, especially, will appreciate the minor romance with Kian.  British author Cathy Cassidy has written a winner.

Vive la Paris - cover

This 210 page novel (if it were a person) is a real mensch but I think less experienced readers will be left meshuga. Paris (a 5th grader from Chicago) takes piano lessons from Mrs. Rosen (jazz lover and holocaust survivor).  Woven throughout the narrative are song titles and occasionally some lyrics.  Actually, a sound track to go with this novel would be valuable!  I’m left humming… but young readers are going to be left fahklumpt (look it up yourself – it’s Yiddish).

Strengths of the novel include a struggling but strong family, a main character with a strong and unique voice, wonderful character development in terms of beginning to view others empathetically, and a friendly culture clash of Chicago black and white.  I absolutely adored Miss Pointy, especially in Chapter 9!  Esme named her appropriately ’cause she is one sharp teacher!

If you want a novel focused on an individual topic, this is not it!  Esme Codell has included race, the Holocaust, bullying, peaceful protest, friendship, enemies, piano lessons, brothers, teenage pregnancy, death, God, fifth grade, and more all through the eyes of Paris McCray.  Paris is a unique character, with a unique voice, and while Codell manages to make it all come together in the end, it felt a little A.D.D. along the way.  That probably makes it perfect for many young readers.

I would recommend this narrative for better fifth and sixth grade readers through eighth graders.

Forest Born - cover

The fourth in Shannon Hale’s “Books of Bayern” series does not stand-alone as well as I would wish for young readers.  I recognize that a lot of books have gone under the reading bridge for me since “Goose Girl”, “Enna Burning” and “River Secrets”, but I found myself wishing Hale has provided more review, explainations and reintroduction of characters.  For a reader just discovering this series this will not be an issue, but a returning reader will struggle.

Razo’s younger sister Rin is the protagonist in this adventure.  A great deal of the conflict in the novel is Rin’s inner lack of self-esteem and confidence which results in great inner turmoil.  This drives her to leave her beloved family and home in the forest to follow Razo to Bayern for a change of scenery.  Adventure quickly follows. 

Rin slowly discovers that she has dual and dubious gifts of people-speaking and tree-speaking.  I found Rin’s unfolding discovery of her gifts somewhat convoluted and thus thought this the weakest book in this series.  Hale is an accomplished weaver of story, but her clarity of writing could have been better in this offering.  But fans of magic and fantasy and Hale’s previous Bayern titles will enjoy the book regardless.

The Lemonade War, cover

I always thought the worst part of school was math.  OK, it was PE.  But despite my ineptitude I understood PE and did NOT understand math… so math was the most dreaded class for me when I was a student.  This novel’s many detailed math portions felt obviously planted for the reader’s mathematical enlightenment.  I just skipped over them in annoyance.  I’m sure there will be young readers who feel the same.  Given a reader who enjoys math I’m not sure the mathematical sections of the narrative will be entertaining.  But face it, since I will never be entertained by numbers I am not the best judge.

I did appreciate the very realistic sibling conflict in this book.  Jacqueline Davies has created two very rich and believable characters in Evan and his younger sister Jessie.  Jessie is academically talented but socially inept.  Evan cannot compete with Jessie academically and fails in his own mind, especially, to measure up.  The catalyst for conflict is the impending school year where Jessie will be skipping a grade and will be, not only in the same grade as her brother Evan, but in the same class.  Evan’s unexpressed angst over the situation and Jessie’s inability to read social cues spark a competition between the two of them to sell the most lemonade.  It is war and it isn’t pretty.

Told in alternating voices, Evan and Jessie’s individual viewpoints richly illustrate the difficulties in communication within a family.  If this novel provides young readers with insight into the fact that another person views a given situation completely differently and that not everyone thinks exactly like they do, it would be worth plowing past the didactic math portions.  I especially appreciate the fact that both Evan and Jessie, while in conflict and confusion, are never totally uncaring about the other.  They have a solid, loving relationship beneath the communication issues and immature decision making ; that is what ultimately sees them through.

At 173 pages, plus illustrations, this is a very accessible novel for young middler readers… if they skip the math!

Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff

Patricia Reilly Giff is a “giffted” writer, but there are eleven reasons this is not one of my favorite Giff titles.

1.  This narrative does not have Giff’s usual pace and flow.  The characters are well developed but the plot takes too long to spin out.  

2. Sam’s discovery of a newspaper clipping in the attic listing him as a missing child seems overly familiar. 

3. Cooney did the missing kid thing better in “Face on the Milk Carton”. 

4. Giff seemed to allow too many elements of the narrative as part of the mystery.   So many details are revealed slowly that there is not enough base to launch a solid story.    

5. The wonderful side characters, Onji and Anima, remain unexplained too long.  

6. The title conflict, Sam’s mysterious aversion to the number 11, is never believable and somewhat contrived.

7. Sam’s angst over his “missing” status is also not completely believable. 

I did, however, like Sam’s issues with reading disability and his friendship with a new student, Caroline. 

A nice novel in terms of length (165 p) for fourth and fifth graders, but I fear it will not keep their interest.

And – like the novel – my list falls short.  I did not quite make it with “Eleven” and neither did Giff.

Near Hit:  Here Today by Ann M. Martin

Realistic Fiction and Historical Fiction (sort of) rolled into one.  It is 1963 and Ellie has a dysfunctional family due to a self-absorbed beautiful mother who splits before the novel is over.  Well told story of the situation where the child has to be the parent.  The Dad does step up before the novel ends.  Also interesting is the neighborhood of Witch Tree Lane – a diverse community which cares about one another, but suffers derision from the wider world.  (Especially the “two elderly ladies…who lived together for years and were not related” as Ellie explains.) Well told story.  Limited audience.

Near Miss:  White Sands, Red Menace by Ellen Klages

Sequel to The Green Glass Sea which I loved, this novel tries to hard.  Dewey is still living with the Gordons.  The big plot line is Dewey’s mother’s appearance on the scene.  The book details the early opposition to nuclear weapons.  Klages obviously did a lot of research for the book and I painfully felt every bit of that research as I read the narrative.  I also found it hard to care about the characters in this sequel.  Not particularly recommended – even for fans of Green Glass Sea.

Hit! : The Hero by Ron Woods

This narrative surprised me – and after all the novels all these years that is not easy to do.  Not as strong as Cummings’ Red Kayak, never less this is a excellent look at a main character exhibiting character under tough circumstances.  Good hearted narrator Jamie, bossy cousin Jerry, and misfit neighbor Dennis make up the threesome of boys building a raft.  There is disaster coming – you can feel it through the entire novel.  But The Hero will surprise you.  He isn’t who or what you think.  Highly recommended!

Miss:  All Shook Up by Shelley Pearsall

Great premise to this novel – Dad is an Elvis impersonator.  Unfortunately there is no interesting plot nor any character development in evidence.  Not recommended.

Near Hit:  Sparks fly Upward by Carol Matas

Set in turn of the century Saskatchewan and Winnipeg, this is the story of a Russian immigrant family and their struggles and disasters.  The author’s family history provides the inspiration for the story, and it is rich with details of life in a Kosher household with a huge extended family.  Insight into the cultural challenges and prejudices from within and without the family, this book is interesting reading.  This narrative is unique.  For better readers who enjoy historical fiction.

Bird Lake Moon

I have always preferred Kevin Henkes picture books to his novels, but I kept an open mind as I read ”Bird Lake Moon”.

There is something about Henkes’ novels that seem uncomfortable to me as a reader.  It isn’t the the intense subject matter that makes me uncomfortable, rather it is that he seems to try too hard.  Henkes’ novels certainly aren’t contrived, but they don’t flow for me either.  I am too aware, as I read, that the narrative has an author and I am not lost in the story quite enough.

“Bird Lake Moon” brings together two young protagonists, each with a family in pain.  Mitch Sinclair’s father has recently left home for another woman.  Mitch and his mother come to her parent’s home on Bird Lake to help themselves adjust. 

Spencer Stone’s family owns the cottage next door, but have not used it for several years.  Spencer’s brother, Matty, drowned at the lake six years previous and the family’s brave return to the site provides additional conflict for the story.  Random acts committed by Mitch are noticed by Spencer who assumes they are signs from Matty’s ghost.

The narrative leaves too many questions unanswered, I believe, to be satisfying to middle school readers.  Why is Cherry crabby?  Why does Mitch call his grandmother Cherry?  What did happen to Matty? 

Too much vapor – not enough substance.

Too much art – not enough action and drama.

Too much conflict – not enough character development.

I have always preferred Kevin Henkes picture books to his novels.  After reading “Bird Lake Moon” … I still prefer his picture books.

Waiting for Normal

But “Waiting for Normal” by Leslie Connor is a standout among the above mentioned ‘normal’ books.  (Although I did love the Creech book!)  Obviously the main character, 12 year old Addie, is not from a ‘normal home”.  Her “all or nothing” mother alternately smothers her or neglects her.   As her ex-stepfather Dwight tells her, Addie is indeed resilient; she makes the best of her less than normal life.  But as the plot develops, so does Addie’s character.  By the end Addie stands up for what she wants and needs… with a little help from her neighbor Soula and a cast of truly supporting characters.  Characters which truly support Addie, that is…

This is a novel I will only recommend to female readers, however, as there are several moments in the narrative that revolve around developing “boobs” and the start of menstruation; my 4th thru 8th grade male readers may find it uncomfortable reading.  But it is wonderful read!  Booklist said it best:  “Connor takes a familiar plot and elevates it with smartly written characters and unexpected moments.”  This book is above average.  Or should I say, “above normal”?

Amanda and Leo have celebrated every birthday together, but at their tenth they had a falling out and have not spoken for a year.  With no joint party for year 11, neither of them is truly looking forward to it and it ends up as horrible as they expect.  Not only is it horrible, but they find they have to repeat the day again and again.  At first neither realizes that the other is having the same experience, but finally they team up to try and end the cycle of the repeating birthday.

This is an excellent offering for young middle school students.  I liked it much better than Mass’ previous books which I have read:  A Mango Shaped Space and Jeremy Fink and The Meaning of Life.  Mango had an interesting topic, synesthesia, but the writing was somewhat uneven in my opinion.  Jeremy Fink felt contrived in some parts of the narrative and was borderline didactic.  But in 11 Birthdays Wendy Mass has written a narrative that flows with enough action to keep a young reader engaged and enough surprises to keep a good reader guessing.  And the choices made by Amanda and Leo as they have the opportunity for do-overs demonstrate increasing maturity yet the premise of the repeating day makes any message seem natural. 

Worth reading.  Worth recommending to grades 4-7 and better third grade readers.