SWALLOWED WHOLE

THE YEAR THE SWALLOWS CAME EARLY by Kathryn Fitzmaurice is very well written for an author's first novel. Set in a small oceanside town, Eleanor "Groovy" Robinson witnesses her father being taken to jail. Turns out, it's her mother that's sent him there, and all of a sudden her normal world swirls into chaos. She's so upset she can't even do the one thing she loves - cooking. She discovers unlikely friends in peculiar people and places, and comes to terms with things not always being what they seem. Very easy to read, with vivid imagery and an engaging plot. For grades 4 and up.

EVERY ROSE HAS ITS BULLY

When all you want is a basketball, and you get a plot of dirt, wouldn't you be annoyed? Jackson Jones is less than thrilled when his mom gives him a garden plot for his birthday instead of a basketball. But Jackson turns lemons into lemonade by planting beautiful flowers he can sell to buy his own basketball. His plans are ruined one day when a mystery blooms smack dab in the middle of his flower bed. Can you figure out who is trying to ruin Jackson's plans before he can? Jackson is funny and smart, and comes up with some great ideas for pleasing his mom, avoiding his six-year-old neighbors, and still getting what he wants in the end. JACKSON JONES AND THE PUDDLE OF THORNS by Mary Quattlebaum is a fun book for 3rd-6th grades.