SUMMERLOST

It’s been one year since 12-year old Cedar Lee’s father and autistic younger brother Ben both died in a car accident. Now Cedar, her mother, and youngest brother are spending the summer in the small high desert town of Iron Creek where her mother grew up. It’s a summer where everything is the same, and nothing is the same.

Cedar soon befriends a boy associated with the Summerlost Festival, Iron Creek’s distinguished Shakespearean festival, and becomes preoccupied with the decades old, unexplained death of one of its star actresses. Meanwhile, random trinkets, things that would have caught Ben’s attention, mysteriously appear on Cedar’s windowsill at night. Cedar doesn’t believe in ghosts, but what if Ben is sending her a message?

Summerlost is a middle-grade story of friendship, mystery, grief and healing. Ally Condie beautifully and heartbreakingly captures the complexity of love and guilt experienced by a sibling to a special needs child.

Share with theater lovers and fans of Gary Schmidt, Richard Peck, Cynthia Lord, and Ingrid Law.

Grades 5-8

WHAT A RACE!

It feels like I've been in a race after reading this book. Lily LOVES horses. Just like her mom. But since her mom was killed riding a horse, her father hardly lets her near them, especially the horse that threw her mom! How will she convince her father to loosen the reins and let her do what she loves so much? ASTRA  by Chris Platt is a great, easy-to-read book about Arabian horses, endurance racing, love and loss, and it is action packed! 

For grades 3-6.

OCTOBER 2012

CANCER IS NEVER EASY

Losing a parent to cancer is never easy, especially for Corinna Burdette. When 8th grade begins she must decide if the treasured memories of her mother and lessons from her are really worth keeping.  Carol Geithner offers a unique voice of a middle school student who struggles through each stage of grief. The story offers an honest look at loss as experienced by an 8th grader.

If Only by Carole Geithner is best for 6th and up.

LIFE IS JUST DIFFICULT SOMETIMES

Rafe Khachadorian decides on the first day of school to break all the rules in the school rule book. His friend, Leo, is encouraging him to do his worst, who eggs him to do some self destructive things, single mom who works a lot, and is being bullied by his mom's fiance. He's trying to cope but he can't seem to make the right choices. the cartoon drawings Rafe makes are your typical goofy and outlandish of kids his age, until you realize that they are his manifestions of his exagerations of reality, like his teacher as a dragon.

Middle School : The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson is a dark tale of a boy who is just trying to figure out how to live life.

LIFE IS JUST CRUEL SOMETIMES

Being grounded by her mother saved Daralynn's life. Her brother, sister and father die in a plane crash the day Daralynn is forced to stay home because she doesn't listen. And now, even though she still lives with her mother, who's angry all the time, and her grandmother, who's just crazy, Daralynn feels completely alone. She helps her mother do hair for the local townspeople, and comes up with some inspiring ideas to keep the town lively, but a shady character comes to town and disrupts the lives of a family already disrupted, and a gullible town looking for progress. GROUNDED by Kate Klise is historical, sad, quirky, and creative, with a little mystery thrown in to boot! For 5th-8th grade.

SILLHOUETTED BY THE BLUE

Since the death of her mother in a car accident, Serena finds herself trying to hold the family together. Her father falls into a severe depression and Serena just want to spend time with her friends and lives a normal life, but instead she has to take care of her little brother and maintain the household, cooking, cleaning, laundry, finding time for homework, does grocery shopping and all of it. Serena tries to respond to her challenges with strength and determination until they begin to overwhelm her.

Chosen for the lead in the middle school production “The Wiz” and Serena's happy because she loves to act and sing. However, things at home are getting worse. Her father spends weeks not showering or eating. He cries and sleeps all the time and she has to force him to drive her to the bank so they can buy groceries. Serena recognizes her father illness so she must find a way to get help before it’s too late. She calls the family, but her grandma has Alzheimer’s and her uncle is away on business in another country. Powerful, moving and realistic story recommended for middle school students ages 10-14. Written by Traci L. Jones.

HEARTWARMING NOVEL WITH SURPRISES

From Children's Librarian Vivian at the Casa Verdugo Branch Library:

ONE DAY AND ONE AMAZING MORNING ON ORANGE STREET

BY JOANNE ROCKLIN

Although the residents on Orange Street are different in character and age, they connect with one another in this wonderfully amazing story. A less than perfect day gives them a chance to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, and their neighborhood's history.

This story is as sweet as oranges!

Best for 4th thru 6th grade.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Griffin comes from a big family. But suddenly, things around his family really change. He is forced to go to public school, rather than be home schooled by his mother. In fact, his mother hasn't even been home - not since she went to the hospital to have another baby. Griffin can't wait to name the new baby, even though he knows it will make his family sad. Read THE NAMING OF TISHKIN SILK by Glenda Millard to find out why, especially if you are a 3rd, 4th or 5th grader. Also good for older readers that need a quick read.

IT'S A DOG'S LIFE

Dill loves her dog named Dead-End. He only listened to her mom though, and now her mom is ... well, she's not around any more. Dead-End keeps disappearing and rumor has it there's a pack of dogs running around their rural community killing sheep. Dill hopes it's not her dog doing the killing, but she hardly has time to go look for him when she's cooking for her dad who spends all his time at work, and taking care of her grandpa, who hasn't been the same since her mother...left. Not to mention her job at the barn where she does her horseback training. If only her mother were still here. Action packed with tense sadness as its climax driving force, DOG GONE by Cynthia Chapman Willis will have you reluctantly reading through some pretty emotional situations just to find out what happens. For 4th -8th grades.