Published by Algonquin Young Readers

Summary:  Kammie Summers, new to her Texas middle school, is trying to get in with the cool girls.  As part of her initiation, they tell her to stand on top of an old well and sing a song.  Before she can finish, the rotten wood breaks and she falls into the well, where she is trapped, arms pinned to her sides.  After a few half-hearted rescue attempts, the three girls disappear, and Kammie is left alone, unsure if they will ever come back.  As the hours pass, she thinks about her past life, especially the recent arrest of her father for embezzlement, and his imprisonment that led to their move to Texas and descent into poverty.  A rescue party eventually arrives, but by then the oxygen in the well has dipped to dangerous levels and Kammie is drifting in and out of consciousness.  It’s a race against time, as the National Guard is called in and an attempt is made to dig her out of her prison.  224 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  An engrossing premise allows readers to gradually get to know Kammie and her family as her thoughts travel back and forth in time.  The pages will turn quickly for readers anxious to learn the fate of the girl in the well.

Cons:  Anyone even slightly claustrophobic may want to steer clear of this one.

Published by Roaring Brook Press 

Summary: Pete is generally a big goof; in fact, he sometimes feels like his friends get kind of annoyed by some of his shenanigans. He’s just stolen cheerleader Eliza Collins’s pom poms when he ducks into a coffee shop to hide.  He catches the eye of an eccentric woman sitting at one of the tables with two laptops and a cell phone.  Turns out she’s a movie producer, and she invites Pete to come and audition for a film she’s making.  He decides to give it a try, and, lo and behold, is chosen for the part, starring opposite teen sensation Shana Fox.  Life seems pretty amazing until his friends decide that stardom has gone to his head.  Even worse, his girlfriend is sure he and Shana are romantically involved.  When Shana invites Pete to dinner at his parents’ restaurant, the whole crisis comes to a head.  It looks like Pete will have to decide between a normal life and movie stardom.  256 pages; grades 4-6

Pros:  This latest entry in the Charlie Joe Jackson series is sure to please fans.  Pete is a likeable character who tells his story with humor and honesty, sprinkled with his own illustrations and bits of the script from his movie.  Wimpy Kid readers should enjoy moving up to this series.

Cons:  In many of the illustrations, Pete looks more like a fourth grader than an eighth grader.

Published by HarperCollins 

Summary:  Benny feels like he can’t get a break.  His father’s just out of the hospital following an accident that Benny feels was his fault, and he’s far from completely recovered.  He got Mr. Norris, supposedly the best fourth grade teacher, who is proving to be a bit of a disappointment.  And then there are the struggles Benny deals with every year, like low grades on spelling tests and keeping an eye on his older brother George, who has autism.  His oldest brother is on the basketball team and has a pretty girlfriend, even George can do tricks on his bicycle, but Benny can’t seem to find anything he’s good at.  He tries to follow his mother’s advice: when bad things happen, you should think about someone else’s problems and try to help them.  Slowly, with two steps forward and one backward, Benny begins to find his strengths and to realize he has the power to make his own luck.  240 pages; ages 8-12

Pros:  This beautifully written book will be enjoyed by fans of Wonder, Absolutely Almost, and The Meaning of Maggie…all stories of kids in difficult circumstances learning to find their own strengths with the help of caring teachers, friends, and family members.

Cons:  This is one of those books that’s hard to sell to kids.  It sounds like it could be kind of a downer without a lot of action, yet I found it so compelling I read it in less than 24 hours.