Published by Scholastic Press (Released September 15)

Summary:  Mia Tang from Front Desk is back, along with her friends and family from the Calavista Motel.  Mia’s family is enjoying owning the motel that they purchased at the end of book 1, but still have to work hard and pinch pennies.  Meanwhile, Mia’s best friend Lupe is worried about the impending vote on Proposition 187, which will prohibit undocumented kids like her from going to school anymore.  And Mia’s former enemy Jason Yao is trying to prove that he’s not like his parents and is worthy of the girls’ friendship.  When Lupe’s parents run into trouble with the law and Mia and her friends experience racism at school, Mia must once again use her talents for writing and leadership to try to help her friends.  Includes an author’s note on her childhood experiences with Proposition 187, and how current immigration policies closely resemble it.  288 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  I don’t often read sequels, but I am so glad I made an exception for this book, which proved to be every bit as good as the first one.  I know from experience that Front Desk is a popular book club choice; Three Keys also has a lot of timely discussion topics presented in a kid-friendly manner.  I’ll keep hoping for some Newbery love for Kelly Yang.

Cons:  As much as I would enjoy using this in a book club, I think readers would benefit from starting with Front Desk to get the background for book 2.

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Published by Greenwillow Books

Summary:  Bird, Fitch, and Cash are siblings in the seventh grade (Bird and Fitch are twins, and Cash was held back a year), but their orbits rarely intersect.  Bird is a good student, passionate about space exploration, who longs for her family to be closer.  Fitch loves hanging out at the arcade playing video games, but struggles with his anger.  Cash is feeling like he’s not good at anything after failing seventh grade the first time and getting cut from the basketball team.  The story is told over the course of the weeks leading up to the Challenger launch in January, 1986. Each sibling’s story is told in alternating chapters, showing their perspective about this event and the other happenings in school and at home.  The Challenger explosion shakes all their worlds, especially Bird’s.  She starts to doubt herself and to give up on bringing the family together, and the boys finally begin to notice  her contributions to their home.  There’s not a definitively happy ending, but the three siblings discover a newfound appreciation for each other and a commitment to provide support for one another. Includes an author’s note and additional resources on the Challenger. 400 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Erin Entrada Kelly may add to her Newbery collection with this beautifully written book about three kids trying to figure out their lives against the backdrop of the Challenger disaster.  Their family, which appears okay from the outside, is pretty dysfunctional with selfish parents who fight constantly and don’t seem to be too concerned with the fairly serious problems their kids are dealing with.  The short chapters and three different perspectives keep things rolling along and will draw reluctant readers in quickly.

Cons:  It was painful to read pretty much any interaction between the two parents.

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Published by Candlewick

Summary:  Victoria (Tory) lives with her parents and younger brother, Jacob,  in Providence, RI, where she chafes under the expectations of her parents and strict Aunt Lavinia.  When her father loses his job and proposes going west with Jacob to seek gold, Tory sneaks on board their boat, revealing herself only when it’s too late to turn back.  The three of them are dismayed by the primitive living conditions, filth, and lawlessness of San Francisco.  Determined to improve their fortunes, Father leaves Jacob and Tory in a temporary tent home and heads out to the gold fields.  Tory starts dressing as a boy and finding carpentry work to support her and her brother, while Jacob grows more and more despondent about their situation.  One day, Tory gets delayed working; when she returns after midnight, Jacob is gone.  She learns that he may have been kidnapped to be used as a cabin boy on a ship heading back east.  Hundreds of abandoned ships, called Rotten Row, sit in  San Francisco Bay.  It’s up to Tory and her new friends Thad and Sam to figure out which ship Jacob is on and rescue him before it’s too late.  Includes an author’s note and a map showing where ships from Rotten Row have been discovered in San Francisco.  320 pages; grades 4-7. 

Pros:  You can always count on Avi for exciting, well-researched historical fiction, and this book really brings the California gold rush to life with lots of adventures and a winning heroine/narrator.  The end definitely leaves open the possibility of a sequel.

Cons:  Fond as I am of Avi’s The True Adventures of Charlotte Doyle, I was expecting more plot twists and edge-of-your-seat suspense than I found here.  

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