Published by HarperCollins

Summary:  After a 25-year hiatus, Louis Sachar has produced another installment in the Wayside School series, this one dealing with a large cloud that’s rolled in over the school, bringing with it a sense of doom.  Of course, the plot is secondary to all the weird goings-on at the school. Familiar characters like Mrs. Jewls, Maurecia, Calvin, and yard teacher Louis are all here, with the same mix of silly supernatural happenings and ordinary school events.  Each of the thirty short chapters starts with an illustration and tells a complete story, making this a natural choice for a read-aloud. 186 pages; grades 3-5.

Pros:  Louis Sachar’s still got it, as I found myself chuckling aloud at some of the stories.  It looks like the other Wayside School books are being reissued with covers similar to this one, so we can look forward to introducing a new generation to the fun on the thirtieth story.

Cons:  Mrs. Gorf was nowhere to be found, even in ghostly form, although Miss Zarves finally made an appearance.

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Published by Holiday House

Summary:  Isaac “Itch” Fitch is dealing with the usual sixth grade issues of fitting in and escaping the bullies.  But he and his best friend Sydney have some chronic health issues to deal with as well. Isaac has idiopathic angioedema which means he sometimes breaks out in itchy hives for no apparent reason, earning him his nickname; Sydney has life-threatening food allergies.  With his mom away on an extended business trip to China, Isaac tries to deal with his issues on his own. When Sydney collapses after a lunch-trading issue and is taken to the hospital, Isaac blames himself. It takes a few missteps, some caring adults, and a bit of soul-searching for Isaac to finally get himself straightened out and to realize who his true friends really are.  256 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A realistic look at kids with chronic health conditions, how they affect their everyday life, and how they find the strength to cope with them.  Isaac and his friends’ experiences ring true and readers will find plenty to relate to.

Cons:  The Ohio State football craziness seemed a little over the top.  

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Published by Balzer + Bray

Summary:  Wade is crushed when his grandmother’s fall means he has to spend his summer at the rec center.  His hard-working parents are taking double shifts to try to buy their own house, and they need easy, affordable care for their son.  Wade is an introvert who hates spending the day running around with the other kids. One day, he wanders next door to an abandoned church that immediately sparks his imagination.  When he discovers a girl, Jolene, who’s trying to grow papaya plants there, the two must figure out a way to share the lot. They slowly get to know each other and eventually form a tentative friendship while trying to figure out how to keep their secret kingdom away from developers.  When Wade’s artist uncle gives him a movie camera, Wade discovers a hidden talent that may also be the key to saving the church. While he wishes at the beginning of the summer to be “normal”, by the end, he has come to appreciate his own unique gifts that he uses to help himself and his new friend.  320 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Introverts and sensitive artist types will make a connection with Wade as he slowly comes to appreciate his empathy, artistic tendencies, and enjoyment of his own company.  The various parts of the story all came together in a very satisfying conclusion.

Cons:  I didn’t really start enjoying this book until I was about halfway through it.  Kids may not have the persistence to get through the somewhat slow beginning.

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Published by HarperCollins

Summary:  David and Sammie have been friends for years.  David has discovered recently that he has a crush on Sammie, but is too shy to tell her.  When new kid Luke starts flirting with Sammie, David is jealous and feels like he should make his move.  In a swift, confusing series of events on the bus one day, David tries to kiss Sammie but accidentally touches her inappropriately.  She feels betrayed, and considers their friendship over. David is devastated, but doesn’t know how to make things right. Forced to go their separate ways, each of them discovers new friends and interests.  David joins the art club and finally gets up the nerve to tell his dad that he’s more passionate about drawing than baseball. Sammie finds new friends on the softball team and has to tell her father that she’d rather be on that team than playing baseball with the boys.  When Sammie experiences further sexual harassment from Luke and his friends, David must find the courage to speak up and tell the truth. 352 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  Another #metoo inspired book, this one told in the alternating voices of David and Sammie.  The middle school angst with friends, crushes, and parents feels real, and the problems the kids face are realistically messy and complicated.  Tweens and young teens are sure to find a lot to relate to here.

Cons:  I was expecting some further insights into Luke’s life by the end of the story, but I never felt like I learned enough about him to understand his motivations.  Although he initially seemed like the villain, by the end it seemed like the author was trying to portray him as a troubled kid, but I didn’t feel like I had enough information to decide.

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Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Summary:  Mia is excited to be moving back to Burlington, Vermont, where she hopes she can help save her grandmother’s cricket farm.  Although Gram is feisty and determined, she’s recently had a stroke, and it’s beginning to look like someone is trying to sabotage her farm.  During summer vacation, Mia gets involved with two day camps: one a place where she can create a business plan to help her grandmother, and the other a camp where kids learn to navigate Ninja Warrior-style obstacles.  Mia’s not quite up to the obstacles, having suffered a badly broken arm at gymnastics not long ago. As the summer goes on, the reader learns of the sexual harassment by one of the coaches that led to her accident and destroyed her confidence.  By summer’s end, she’s begun to regain some of that confidence by making friends, growing physically stronger, helping Gram, and finally talking to some other women in her life about her gymnastics experience. 240 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  There seem to be more middle grade novels lately that address the sexual harassment issue, and this one does it with lots of other fun plot lines, including a pretty good mystery.

Cons:  The story seemed a bit too agenda-driven; it would have been nice to see some strong, sympathetic male characters as well as the many female ones.

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Published by Crown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Scoob has had some troubles at school, so he’s only too happy when his grandmother shows up with an RV, announcing that she’s sold her house, and takes him on an impromptu road trip across the southern U.S.  Along the way, she shares stories with Scoob about his grandfather, their interracial marriage in the 1960’s, and how Grandpa ended up in jail. Scoob learns about racism past and present when he discovers a well-worn copy of the Green Book in the RV and notices some people’s discomfort at seeing a black kid with a white woman.  G’ma’s behavior gets stranger as the trip progresses, and Scoob tries to figure out her frequent license plate changes on the RV, the large pile of money he discovers, and the reason why she refuses to take his dad’s increasingly frantic phone calls. The ending isn’t entirely happy, but Scoob finds he has grown and changed during the trip and gained a greater understanding of his family and their history.  240 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Scoob and G’ma are fun characters and readers will find plenty of humor in their adventures, while learning about civil rights history and race issues from the past and present.  The light tone, fairly short text, and plentiful illustrations would make this a good choice for reluctant readers.

Cons:  This book has been reviewed positively everywhere, but I was not a big fan.  The revelations about G’ma’s character were hard for me to understand and made her unlikeable to me.

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Published by Katherine Tegen Books

Summary:  When Zoe gets a letter from her father on her 12th birthday, she is stunned.  Marcus has been in prison all her life, and she has never had any contact with him.  She begins to secretly correspond with him, and learns that he has written her many letters that she’s never received.  When he tells her he didn’t commit the crime he’s imprisoned for, Zoe wonders if she can find the alibi witness from so many years ago who might be able to verify Marcus’s story.  With the help of her friend Trevor and her grandmother, Zoe sets out to discover the truth about her family and learns that even a 12-year-old can make a difference in the world. 304 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Readers will be happy to get to know Zoe, an aspiring baker who hopes to win a spot on a Food Network show for kids.  The messages about racism in the justice system come through but are woven into a story full of love and friendship that would be perfect for starting some interesting discussions.

Cons:  I wished Zoe’s Froot Loops cupcake recipe had been included somewhere.

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