Published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Donte wishes he could be less visible, like his lighter-skinned older brother, Trey, but his dark skin makes him stand out at the elite Middlefield Prep in the suburbs of Boston.  After being unjustly accused by a teacher, Donte winds up being arrested and sent to jail before being suspended for a week.  It’s during this suspension that he finds out about a former Olympic fencer who works at a Boys and Girls Club in Boston.  Donte’s worst enemy at Middlefield is the star of the fencing team, so he decides to seek out the coach to train him.  To his surprise, he ends up excelling at fencing, and his love of the sport eventually eclipses his desire for revenge.  Trey, Donte, and a brother and sister from the club form a fencing team, and their participation in the Massachusetts regional championships bring the story to a satisfying conclusion.  240 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  While last year’s The New Kid brought to light microaggressions against kids of color at an elite mostly-white prep school, this book features much more blatant racism from students, teachers, and administrators.  Fans of Kwame Alexander and Jason Reynolds will enjoy this fast-paced sports story, and readers everywhere will learn the importance of seeing othersand being seen by others.

Cons:  As is so often the case in stories about school bullying, educators came across by and large as clueless chuckleheads.

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Published by Wendy Lamb Books

Summary:  12-year-old Bea looks back over the last few years of her life, starting when she is 8 and her parents are getting a divorce.  They give her a notebook with the beginnings of “A List of Things That Will Not Change”, which starts with her parents’ love for her.  Two years later, her father and his boyfriend Jesse announce their engagement.  She’s thrilled, especially when she learns that Jesse’s daughter, Sonia, is also 10.  Bea will be getting the sister she’s always wanted, even if Sonia spends most of her time in California.  But the road to the wedding proves to be a bumpy one, as Bea has to deal with the fact that Sonia doesn’t seem quite as happy about being sisters; that Jesse has a brother who can’t accept him and has stopped speaking to him; and most of all, that she is carrying a terrible secret from the previous summer that she worries is about to come back to haunt her.  As the wedding day draws near, Bea must learn to trust her friends and family enough to tell them what is going on so that she can embrace the changes happening in her family.  224 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Rebecca Stead once again proves her mastery at writing an absorbing middle-grade novel.  The plot could be nothing special in the hands of another writer, but Stead’s characters and attention to detail are what really make the magic happen.  This is sure to get some Newbery consideration.

Cons:  I enjoyed this more than Liar & Spy (I wasn’t much of a fan), but not quite as engaging and emotionally complex as Goodbye, Stranger.  And will anything ever match When You Reach Me? 

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Published by Dial Books (Released August 11)

Summary:  Della and her older sister Suki have just been placed in foster care with Francine.  It’s pretty clear from page 1 that some horrible things have happened to them.  Early on, Della tells how her mother got sent to jail several years before for setting fire to a hotel room while cooking meth with both girls in the hotel with her.  But, Della continues, that’s not the hard part of the story.  It’s not until many pages later that the reader learns how Clifton, the mother’s boyfriend that the girls ended up living with, tried to molest Della.  How Suki caught him and took a picture.  And how, slowly, Della realizes with horror what has been happening to Suki for years.  The unremittingly grim trajectory of their lives, though, begins to change.  Francine turns out to be an unlikely, no-nonsense heroine.  A girl named Nevaeh reaches out to Della and becomes a friend.  And when Suki finally finds her pain unbearable, doctors and therapists are available to help her.  Della decides the wolf is her favorite animal, and as the days with Francine go by, she learns to be strong like the wolf, but also to lean on the strengths of the rest of her pack.  272 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  This book is tough to read, but I couldn’t put it down and read it in less than a day.  You’ll recognize some of the elements that made The War That Saved My Life so memorable.  The flawed, but unforgettable young narrator.  The unlikely guardian who ends up creating a family.  The traumatized sibling.  The unlikely humor.  Kimberly Brubaker Bradley has created another masterpiece, as well as shining light on an issue that often stays in the shadows, especially for the intended audience.  A Newbery contender for sure.

Cons:  Fans of The War That Saved My Life will undoubtedly be clamoring for Bradley’s latest book., but the subject matter may raise a few parental eyebrows., so be ready for some potentially difficult questions.  On a lighter note, if you have parents who object to language, Suki tells Della to use the words snow, snowman, or snowflake instead of curse words.  That’s how the words appear on the printed page, but it’s usually pretty easy to guess what she’s really saying by how other characters react.

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