Published by Alfred A. Knopf 

Summary: Narrator Jacob is the runt of his litter, born to seafaring wonder cat Mrs. Tibbs, a champion ratter who also can predict when a storm is coming. All his brothers and sisters find homes on other ships, but Jacob stays behind with his mother.  He’s devoted to Captain Natick, but not so fond of Archer, the new first mate, who’s the son of the shipping company’s owner and doesn’t have a clue about sailing.  On the first day out, Archer persuades the captain to ignore Mrs. Tibbs’ warning of bad weather.  Disaster follows, setting in motion a chain of events that eventually results in accusations of mutiny, and several sailors, including Jacob, being cast adrift.  It’s one adventure after another in this tale of life on the high seas in a nineteenth-century sailing vessel.  272 pages; ages 8-12.

Pros:  From storms to mutiny to shipwreck, the action never stops.  Jacob is an endearing narrator.  This would make an engaging classroom read-aloud.

Cons:  Beloved characters die.

Published by Farrar Straus Giroux 

Summary: Ten-year-old Manami lives happily with her parents and grandfather on Bainbridge Island, Washington in 1942. Her whole life changes when her family is ordered to leave the island for a Japanese American prison camp in the desert.  Hardest of all is leaving Yujiin, the family dog.  On an impulse, Manami hides Yujiin under her coat, only to have him confiscated when the family gets to the mainland.  Overcome with grief and guilt, Manami stops talking.  Her family is loving and supportive as they try to adjust to life in the barracks and the harsh desert climate.  Manami is a gifted artist, and she draws many pictures for Yujiin, sending them out on the wind with the hope that they will help him find the family again.  When tragedy strikes her family, Manami must find the courage to move beyond her guilt and try to help those around her.  An author’s note tells a brief history of Japanese immigrants to America and why some of them were imprisoned during World War II.  181 pages; ages 9-12.

Pros:  A beautifully written story of a loving family supporting each other through unimaginably difficult circumstances.  Manami’s present tense voice gives an air of immediacy to the story, and helps the reader watch events unfold through her eyes.

Cons: Although her family members were kind and loving, no one really explained to Manami why they were forced to move.

Published by Groundwood Books 

Summary:  12-year-old Dasha is crushed when she learns that her mother is spending a year at the University of Illinois, leaving Dasha with her grandparents in the Soviet Union.  Her father is living in Los Angeles, so Dasha feels lonely, despite her loving grandparents and two best friends.  During the year, she goes through some friendship difficulties, develops an unrequited crush on an older boy, and works hard to get into a better school.  Meanwhile, political unrest results in a few anxious days until Boris Yeltsin replaces Mikhail Gorbachev as the Soviet leader.  Things are beginning to fall into place by the spring, when her mother returns, announcing that Dasha will be joining her for the second year of her master’s program.  The book ends on an uncertain note, as Dasha arrives in Urbana, Illinois, and meets a girl who just might be a new friend.  168 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  Even though she is from a different place and time, Dasha’s feelings will be familiar to 21^st century American tweens.  A cross between a graphic novel and an illustrated chapter book, A Year Without Mom will appeal to both reluctant and avid middle school readers.

Cons: Some of the Soviet references may be a bit confusing for post-Cold War readers.

Published by Candlewick 

Summary:  14-year-old Joan Skraggs lives on her father’s farm with three older brothers, and records daily life in 1911 in a journal.  Since her mother’s death a few years previously, Joan has been doing all the housework on the farm.  Her father is a brute; the last straw for Joan is when he burns her three beloved books that were given to her by her teacher before she was forced to leave school.  She makes up her mind to run away, and in a well-planned escape, makes her way to Baltimore.  Unfortunately, her plans end there.  She is sitting on a bench with night falling, when she is rescued by Solomon Rosenthal, a young Jewish man whose wealthy family runs a department store.  Taken on as the Rosenthals’ hired girl, Joan finds a home filled with love, beauty, and books.  Pretending to be 18, she falls in love with younger son David, and finds innumerable ways to get in trouble with every member of the family.  Joan’s loving heart triumphs in the end, though, and with the help of the Rosenthals, she is well on the way to making a better life for herself as she reaches the final pages of her journal.  392 pages; ages 11-15.

Pros:  Readers will cheer for Joan (who wisely changes her name to Janet when she leaves home), a strong but impetuous girl whose roller-coaster emotions will be familiar to 21^st-century teenagers.  The historical details are interesting, too; running a household in 1911, not to mention a kosher one, was not for the faint of heart.

Cons:  The story bogs down a bit once Joan is settled in Baltimore and writes in great details about her longing for David Rosenthal and her religious struggles.