Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  On September 10, 2010, four kids deal with difficulties in their lives.  In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Will is still grieving the loss of his father, killed when trying to help a stranded motorist on the highway.  Aimee’s mother is off on another business trip to New York City, while Aimee stresses about starting a new school in California.  Sergio is so upset with his absentee father that he skips school and rides the NYC subway, where he meets a kind firefighter who takes Sergio under his wing.  Naheed is starting middle school and for the first time in her life, is self-conscious about the hijab she wears.  Everything changes early the next morning, when events unfold across the U.S. that will impact all four children for a long time into the future.  The final chapter, “One Year Later” brings them together for the one-year ceremony at Ground Zero.  An author’s note tells her personal story of 9/11 and how she came to write this book.  208 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Four engaging stories come together on two fateful days.  Fans of the “I Survived” series will enjoy this book—while there isn’t much of the survival element, it is gripping historical fiction about a catastrophic event.

Cons:  So many characters in a relatively short book makes it hard to get to know any one of them.

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  When 11-year-old Rocco is accused of stealing from his parents’ landlord in Italy, he is sold off to a padrone who brings him to New York City to work as a street musician.  In reality, he’s little more than a beggar and a slave, forced to turn over his earnings to the padrone in return for minimal food and shelter.  Hungry and desperate to return home, Rocco joins a band of pickpockets.  He turns out to be a pretty good bandit, and for a while, it looks like he may have found a way to get enough money for a return passage to Italy.  But a bungled robbery results in his arrest, and Rocco finds himself in a reform school on an island off of Manhattan.  A daring escape during the Blizzard of 1888 almost kills him, but he is a rescued by a kind Irish man and his daughter.  Living with them begins a chain of events that puts Rocco’s life back on track and allows him to help other immigrant boys caught in his circumstances.  Back matter includes more information on the historical period covered and about the picaresque novel.  304 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Rocco’s adventures cover a dizzying array of real and imagined people and places from late 19^th century New York City.  He’s a scrappy, likeable narrator, and kids will learn a lot of history while enjoying a page-turning set of adventures.

Cons:  The author’s notes seemed a bit too long to hold most kids’ attention.

Published by Clarion Books 

Summary:  Zomorod is starting sixth grade in Newport Beach, California, the latest stop on her family’s shuffle between their native Iran and her father’s petroleum engineering jobs in California.  It’s not an easy transition, but Zomorod knows one step she can take to help herself—change her name to Cindy.  Middle school has its ups and downs, but Cindy makes some good friends, is at the top of her classes, and finds herself enjoying life in America.  It’s 1978, though, and as events in Iran deteriorate, so does Cindy’s life.  The anti-Iranian sentiment peaks with the taking of American hostages, and Cindy’s father’s job gets cut.  No one is hiring Iranian engineers, and as the crisis in Iran drags on, Cindy finds herself withdrawing from her friends.  Finally, the family is out of savings, and it looks like they will have to go back to Iran—an Iran they hardly recognize anymore under the Ayatollah Khomeini.  Just as things are bottoming out, help comes from a most unexpected source, and Cindy’s friends and neighbors show her that kindness is an international virtue.  An author’s note tells about the semi-autobiographical nature of her story and introduces the Falafel Kindness project.  384 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  If Judy Blume were an Iranian immigrant and didn’t write about puberty issues, she might sound something like this.  Cindy’s story is a perfect blend of middle school girl story, historical fiction, and lessons in compassion.

Cons:  When events from your own high school days are categorized as “historical fiction”.

Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  1943 is the year Annabelle turns 12, and a year when heart-wrenching circumstances change her life forever.  The catalyst is the arrival of Betty Glengarry, the 14-year-old granddaughter of Annabelle’s neighbors, and a girl who quickly establishes herself as a bully.  Her targets include Annabelle and Toby, a World War I veteran who lives as a squatter on a smokehouse near Annabelle’s family’s farm.  Although some of the neighbors have always been wary of Toby, Annabelle and her parents know him as a good man, if somewhat reserved and eccentric.  When Betty goes missing, Toby is a prime suspect, and Annabelle believes it is up to her to help.  Despite her efforts, tragic events unfold, and Annabelle sees the best and worst of humanity encapsulated in her small Pennsylvania community.  304 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  The beautiful writing, engagingly flawed characters, and subtle but profound messages have put this book at the top of my 2017 Newbery contender list.

Cons:  This is definitely a tragedy…there’s not a happy ending, although it’s appropriate, and in many ways, satisfying.   Young readers will need some help to understand the many layers of the story.