WHAT MAKES A SPIDER A SPIDER?

As the title Frank the Seven-Legged Spider implies, our lovable protagonist faces a bit of an existential crisis in this spirited and rollicking picture book from author-illustrator Michaele Razi. Frank begins the story as an eight-legged spider (which immediately gave this reviewer some anxiety, of course, as we know by the title that things will inevitably go terribly awry!) who spins the most magnificent webs, but wakes up one morning to find one of his precious legs has mysteriously disappeared. Where could it be? If Frank can't find his lost limb, will he still be able to do all the things he loves? And, most importantly, is Frank still a spider if he only has seven legs? 

Young readers will follow Frank's search for his missing appendage--and ultimately his identity apart from physical attributes like the number of legs he has--with fascination, empathy, and more than a few laughs along the way. This silly yet sincere story of self discovery and finding your inner strength is perfect for sharing with preschoolers through second graders. 

WHO YOU THINK YOU ARE IS NOT WHO YOU ARE

That's what Laura Ebony found out during a two week forced stay with her grandmother.  Although she wants to be a fashion model and popular, she's more of an outsider, called Larda by her classmates and the popular girls.  She thought all that would changed this year until she finds out that her class will be going on a field trip to her family's "slave shack". A shack to Laura's mind that has nothing but bad memories and now the whole class will know about her family's horrible past.  

The Laura Line by Crystal Allen turns in another engaging coming of age story weaving in history, genealogy, self esteem and even baseball.  For readers in grades 5th -8th. 

SMALL IS ONLY SMALL TO BIG

Avon the snail is leading an uneventful life. He reads books all the time, and all the characters have GREAT BIG adventures while he has none. So one day Avon decides to have an adventure of his own, and along the way meets Edward the Ant. Avon and Edward have a very interesting adventure and make many new friends on their path. In THE END OF THE BEGINNING by Avi, both characters learn many things about themselves that might seem pretty funny to a lot of readers. The illustrations are very nice as well. For grades 2-5.

YOUNG FREDLE

You might wonder what can a small, white- brownish mouse with pink ears teach you about life's hard lessons or the extend of adventures the little one might be able to embark on. How can it be possible for Fredle, who happens to be this mouse, fight raccoons, chickens, and humans? Well... get ready to be blown away by this precocious mouse's great discoveries and adventures in ways that only perhaps Superman could embark.
Fredle is such a curious and smart mouse that nothing in his surroundings satisfies him and even though he knows that certain things are not good for him, he still goes out and tries them anyway. Like for example, eating too much chocolate. However, he must pay for his "curiosities" in order to learn life's hard lessons...

YOUNG FREDLE by CYNTHIA VOIGT is a fun summer read not to be missed.

For grades 4th and up.

A PORTRAIT OF PIA

At first, Pia might seem like your average typical thirteen years old girl who is interested in boys and doing the fun stuff. However, there is a lot about Pia that even she does not know yet. Her living in New York has enriched her life on so many levels. Being exposed to great food, art and culture in general has contributed to her good upbringing. However, Pia also has family issues that have never been resolved. For example, finding about who her father is, or why her brother suddenly quit a very prestige school. In addition to all the madness that she is going through, she is also attempting to create a self portrait. The metaphor being that until she does not find herself in life, her portrait will not be complete! A PORTAIT OF PIA by MARISABINA RUSSO is an outstanding book that has so many great elements, one which I liked the most is the idea of Pia being such an avid reader and an art lover!

For grades 5th and up.

YOU!

For Kyle Chase, things just don't seem to go the way he plans. He is confused whether his actions are being sabotaged or if he is just making the wrong choices in life and hanging out with the wrong people. Because every time that he wants things to go smoothly in his life, they go in the exact opposite directions.

He is not sure if it's because he chooses to hang out with the wrong people or it's because his destiny is set and that there is not much that he can do. There are a lot of unanswered questions in his life and his brain is working too fast to try to figure out what he is not doing accordingly. YOU by CHARLES BENOIT is an excellent, fast paced read that will take you on a cool journey with Kyle while he investigates the things that should have or should have not happened to him.

For grades 7th and up.

HAMLET, YOU ARE SPECIAL

Hamlet's parents are Shakespearean professors. Not only do they teach about Shakespeare, they wear the clothes, speak in the style and eat the food of Shakespeare's time. You get the idea. Shakespeare fanatics. And that's how Hamlet came to be called Hamlet and her sister Desdemona. But, it doesn't end there.


Hamlet thought eighth grade was going to be her year to be at the top of the heap and everything would go smoothly, but no. Her genius seven year old sister, Dezzie, who needs to fulfill her arts requirement before going off to college will be going to be going to school AND attend classes with her. What's worse, in English and Social Studies, they will be studying all things Shakespeare. And just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, it does.


Read all about The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne. A tragic comedy for readers in 6th - 8th grade.

THIS IS MARGARET!

Margaret is in sixth grade, trying to figure life out as she also tries to understand about religion, sex, girlhood and boys. She has grown up in a family of different religions and the quest to just have one in her life makes her uncomfortable and inquisitive about her life. She tries to establish better relations with her grandparents as well, however like any other family; she does end up liking some more than the others with minor confrontations. I think that this book is a serious book and it reinforces that no matter how times have changed, the human struggle, in this case for Margaret is timeless. The inner conflicts don't necessary change with time, the story is relatable and it will connect with girls now as well. ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME MARGARET is by JUDY BLUME.

For grades 5th and up.

WHAT DOES SEVENTH GRADE LOOK LIKE?

Emma-Jean Lazarus is NOT your typical seventh grader. At least in this book, her perception of her friends, family and the world around her is not the same as most seventh graders you'll meet. She is EXTREMELY logical and scientific. She does not bubble and squeal over the upcoming Spring Fling. She doesn't understand why boys are suddenly getting her attention. It's like her life is one big science experiment. EMMA-JEAN LAZARUS FELL IN LOVE by Lauren Tarshis is the sequel to EMMA-JEAN LAZARUS FELL OUT OF A TREE, but you don't need to read the first to enjoy the second. Even though Emma-Jean isn't your usual seventh grade girl, the way she sees life is fascinating and makes the book worth reading. For grades 4-8.

GONE FROM HOME...

GONE FROM HOME: SHORT TAKES by ANGELA JOHNSON has some pretty cool stories that will keep you so focused that you won't want them to end. If you are a girl, imagine dressing up like a boy to survive the tough streets of your neighborhood, if you are a boy, imagine stealing animals from a pet shop, so that the new owners of these animals won't cage them, or saving a baby from an abandonment but can not really do much to save your self. You will meet some really couragious kids that might at first seem to be asking for trouble, however if you look a bit deeper into their hearts, you will see that they all are striving to make things better not only for themselves but the community that they live in. Their selfless acts take them to different paths and the reader won't miss home much since their journies are so inviting...

For grades 4th and older.

THE SUMMER OF MILLICENT, STANFORD AND EMILY

This trilogy is set in the summer right before the start of middle school. Three kids come together in friendship, well for two of them a mutual understanding. Millicent, Girl Genius, is enlisted to tutor Stanford Wong, (who) Flunks Big Time, in English for the summer. Along comes So Totally, Emily Ebers, who just moved into the area and befriends Millicent.

Millicent is socially challenged and has never had a close friend before. Because everyone thinks she's a freak, she will do almost anything to keep Emily from finding out that she's so brilliant that she is homeschooled. Stanford can't stand Millicent but needs her to pass the class so he can play basketball next season. But, he can't let Emily, whom he thinks is absolutely adorable, know that he's being tutored! Or any of his friends for that matter. Emily on the other hand substitutes her father's absence in the wake of her parents' divorce by charging everything on the emergency credit card and buying friendships. She seriously has a crush on Stanford and doesn't get why Millicent is so hard on him.

Everyone has a secret that they want to hide, but not for long. Each have to deal with their perceived failures and shortcomings in their own way. A fantastic trio of companion books from each person's point of view. Start with Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee.

For mature readers in 6th - 8th grades.

HOW TO BECOME A CATHOLIC

Abby thought there must be a list somewhere telling her what to believe in order to be Catholic. At first she just wanted to piss off her parents, and going to catechism classes and mass on Sundays seemed the easiest way to anger them. She knew she didn't really believe. She couldn't wholly believe. She didn't understand how to believe. What's there to believe in? God? Sure. But believe in Jesus? Well, that would take a leap of faith.

Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is a thoughful story of a young girl searching for a place to belong and someone to believe in her. For middle schoolers and up.

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.

CAUGHT BETWEEN GIRL AND GROWN-UP

Alice has turned thirteen and is in-between. In between childhood and woman-hood, that is. She and her two best friends still act silly sometimes, but more talk of boys, boobs, and bothersome brothers shows that they're not little girls any more. Alice lives with her father and brother, as her mother died of leukemia when she was five years old. Now Alice is the "woman of the house," her friends are changing all around her, and she seems stuck between being a kid and growing up. ALICE-IN-BETWEEN by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is the fifth in the "Alice" series. There are over twenty books in the series, but you can start anywhere and still understand what's going on in Alice's world. For fourth grade and up.