FAMILY TIES

Eleven-year-old Jaden lives with his loving adoptive parents and has everything he needs, but he is still not very happy. He feels betrayed by his biological parents who gave him up, and constantly feels like his adoptive parents are disappointed in him. The only thing he really cares about is electricity, which he did not have in the Romanian orphanage where he was raised. Now, his adoptive parents are taking him to Kazakhstan to adopt a baby brother for him, and Jaden is as usual not very happy. When they get to Kazakhstan, Jaden and his parents encounter many challenges, but there are also surprising silver linings. And what Jaden does not expect to find is a friend, and a kid he won't mind calling his brother.

Half a World Away is a book that deals with international adoption, which is a tough but fascinating topic. It is a realistic fiction novel that's smart and easy to read, and provides great insight about what it is to be a family.


For grades 5 and up.

READING IS DELICIOUS...BUT NOT FROM A CAN

High schooler Linda has been by her aunt's side since she was a baby, but now aunt Elba is sick and she being sent thousands of miles away to Aunt Pat's in Pittsburgh. Aunt Pat is famous on public television for cooking from cans, which Linda can't understand because she and aunt Elba cook from scratch for their restaurant because that's how food should be made.  

Aunt Pat's house is full of adopted kids and everyone seems to appreciate her cooking except for Linda, who is marked from the beginning as "difficult".  Feeling homesick and misunderstood, she's got to figure out how to make things work in Pittsburgh since it looks like Aunt Elba's illness is worse than first thought and she will be staying MUCH longer than she wants.  

A fast fun read about how food is much more a part of life than one would ever think.  Sizzle: A Novel by Lee McClain is not just a cooking story but a story of empathy and friendships and how to put your own prejudices aside for the sake of others.  

For readers in 6th and up.  

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL SAFE

Gemma has a rough life. Going from foster parents to family she didn't know existed, she is thrown into the world of her mother, who abandoned her at a young age. She is tormented by dreams of "Redboy," has an interesting yet distant relationship with her new-found twin brother, and a strained relationship with her new family. Typical life of a young girl, right? Gemma does have hope - and she hopes to get back to her foster family as soon as possible. Her life may be upside down, but she ends up right where she should be. I'll Sing You One-O by Nan Gregory is for grades 6 and up.

August 2012

NOW AND THEN

T.J has always taken care of his sister, Angela.  In and out of foster homes, T.J. was the only one who could coax his sister out of her bad moods.  He was the only one who knew why she made origami paper cranes and let them fly whenever she could.  He tried to protect her from the truth about their mother until neither of them could bear the lies anymore.  Now, though, T.J. is waiting in the Emergency Room for his sister to wake up from a bad fall.  They have a new life now, with new parents, and a new house, but their painful past still haunts them.  As T.J. sits waiting for Angela to wake up, he remembers all of the things - good and bad - that got them to this point and will shape their future - if she ever wakes up.

Waiting to Forget by Sheila Kelly Welch is a heart-breaking story of a young boy coming to terms with his past and looking toward a brighter future.  This book would be great for middle school fans of A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer.

THE CEMETERY IS HIS PLAYGROUND

This year is going to be different. Linc has decided that going to public school instead of being homeschooled will be an exciting change, in a normal kind of way. He will not tell people that he lives next to a cemetery, or that his mother is a cemetery expert, or that he spends most of his free time there or that his close friend is the groundskeeper. His parents had been taking him to cemeteries since he was small. When his father died suddenly, it's just him and his mom. His mom has an unusual job and dresses oddly and for now, he just wants to be a normal middle school kid.

His fantasy plan goes bust when the teacher announces that the big project of the year will be to research one grave and write a historical report about the person. Linc picks a notorious grave to research and discovers interesting facts about his own family.

Here Lies Linc by Delia Ray is a perfect little odd book about an oddball kid. For readers in 6th-8th grade.

WHAT IF YOUR SISTER DIDN'T WANT TO KNOW YOU?

Sunny Skyland has run away from her foster home to find her long lost twin sister, who she hasn't seen since she was three years old. Sunny's had a rough road, and think that reuniting with her twin will make everything better. Along the way across three or four states, Sunny finds a dog who teaches her a lot about love and communication, and she begins to regret leaving her latest foster parent without saying anything. When she finds her twin, Starr, things don't exactly work out like she's planned. RUNAWAY TWIN by Peg Kehret is great for 4th-8th grades.

SEARCHING FOR A BIRTH MOTHER

You're adopted? Your family is Italian? You don't look Italian.

When a new Korean family moves into the neighborhood it gets Joseph thinking about his Korean birth mother. At thirteen he's starting to question his identity and chafing at his father's idea of traditions - somehow they don't feel like his traditions. Joseph begins a search for his birth mother so he won't feel like a "fake Korean" or any other kind of fake.

Kimchi and Calamari by Rose Kent is a coming of age story about an adopted boy's search for his identity.

For 6th-8th graders.