Published by Little, Brown and Company

Summary:  When Sunny gets a heart transplant after many months of being sick, she resolves to start a new life: finding a new best friend and finding a boy to kiss.  The new best friend soon appears in the form of Quinn, a new girl who has traveled all over the world with her wildlife photographer mother, but is settling down on the island where Sunny has grown up.  The two girls embark on their mission to find boys, but it soon becomes clear that they are more interested in kissing each other. Both have had bad experiences around their attraction to girls, so are shy about revealing their feelings.  To further complicate Sunny’s summer, her mother has come back after giving Sunny up when she was four years old. There’s a lot going on in Sunny’s new life, and sometimes she wishes she could go back to the old one, but she gradually learns to trust her new heart and open up to the people around her.  384 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  As she did in Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World, Ashley Herring Blake creates a cast of memorable characters and an engaging story that will find a place not only in LGBQT collections, but also with tweens and teens struggling with self-acceptance of all types.

Cons:  The first few chapters were a bit slow.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Published by Simon and Schuster

Summary:  Archie Drake is looking forward to another summer at Camp Shady Brook, conning rich kids out of their money with the help of his faithful sidekick Oliver.  But when a new girl named Vivian overhears the two boys scheming, she wants in on their partnership. Thinking she’s only there for a week, Archie lets her in on a few of his secrets, but when he finds out she’s staying the whole summer, he’s had enough.  They make a bet to see who can pull off the unlikeliest con, with the loser having to give up bilking kids out of money for the rest of the summer. The only problem is, no matter how much Archie and Vivian pretend not to care, they can’t help feeling bad about the hurt feelings and ruined friendships they leave in their wake.  When one of their tricks backfires and threatens to shut down the whole camp, they realize it’s time to pool their talents and turn Camp Shady Crook around once and for all. 288 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  Fun summer reading with a story told points of view alternating between Archie and Veronica, reminiscent of Gordon Korman.

Cons:  It took me awhile to warm up to the two main characters.   

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Published by Henry Holt and Co.

Summary:  Ever since her mother and two sisters were killed in a car accident, Coyote and her father, Rodeo, have been traveling around the U.S. in an old school bus.  Rodeo declares anything that would remind them of their past a “no-go”, but when Coyote hears from her grandmother that a park near her old home is being destroyed, she is determined to go back there.  It turns out that, shortly before the accident, Coyote, her mom, and her sisters buried a memory box in the park. Coyote has to figure out a way to get Rodeo back to their hometown without revealing her motivation for doing so.  As they travel from Florida to Washington, they pick up an interesting assortment of people and animals who make the trip with them and become part of Coyote’s conspiracy to get back home. As they slowly make their way, Rodeo and Coyote have to both finally face the tragedy that befell their family and start to come to terms with their grief.  352 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A fun cast of characters and a comedy of errors road trip make this an engaging story that also tugs on the heartstrings.  I have seen this mentioned on a few Newbery lists.

Cons:  The journey was fun, but once Coyote got back home, the search for the memory box got bogged down in some pretty mawkish sentimentality, something I though marred two other Gemeinhart books I’ve read, The Honest Truth and Good Dog.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Published by Wendy Lamb Books

Summary:  Nova and her older sister Bridget have been in the foster care system for years.  To Nova, Bridget has been like a mother: she’s five years older, and Nova is autistic with limited verbal abilities.  As the story opens, Nova is counting down the days until the 1986 launching of the space shuttle Challenger, not only because she and Bridget are huge NASA fans, but also because Bridget is missing and has promised to watch the launch with Nova.  Nova is with a new foster family who finally seem to understand and appreciate her, and she’s placed in a sixth grade classroom where she begins to thrive.  Her story is told in chapters that alternate between third-person narration and letters that Nova writes to Bridget–they appear mostly as scribbles to others but are meaningful to her.  When Nova sees the Challenger explode on TV, she finally understands what has happened to Bridget; it’s a sad day, but one that sets her on a path of hope for the future.  Includes an author’s note with more details on the Challenger and autism, which she herself has.  240 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Readers will gain some amazing insights into the mind of a nonverbal protagonist that may shift their assumptions about kids with autism.  There’s some depressing stuff about kids in foster care, particularly kids with special needs, but Nova’s final foster parents are nothing short of heroic.

Cons:  Another 2019 middle grade novel with themes of grief and loss.  Yay.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Published by Random House Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Grace is a collector and a scientist.  When her grandfather takes her for a tour of an old warehouse he’s recently purchased, she’s delighted to have permission to keep any artifacts she finds inside.  On a whim, she asks if she can have the 30 boxes of buttons they find there, and her adoring grandfather ships them to her home. Fast forward a few months:  her class is studying the industrial revolution, and Grace volunteers to share some of her finds from the mill. A few bags of the buttons spark a fad, and before long her classmates are bringing in buttons of their own to trade and show off. The fad turns into a war, and Grace’s longtime friendship with Ellie becomes a casualty.  Grace’s idea to use the science of economics to stop the craze backfires, but new friend and fellow scientist Hank helps her to keep things in perspective and begin to move toward a reconciliation with Ellie. 208 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  Another engaging school story from Andrew Clements; I’m already considering this for a back-to-school fourth grade book club choice that will appeal to kids starting to move into “real” chapter books.

Cons:  Ellie seemed like such an unpleasant kid for most of the book that it was hard to understand why Grace was so anxious to preserve their friendship.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Published by Walden Pond Press

Summary:  Charlie O’Reilly’s younger brother Liam went missing a year ago–but Charlie is the only one who remembers him.  His mother, struggling with depression, and his father, often away on business, assure him that he is, and has always been, an only child.  The only person who believes him is his neighbor and best friend Ana, even though she has no memory of Liam. Charlie tells Ana about the dreams he has where he is Kiernan, a boy living a tragic life first in Ireland and then in America.  When Charlie receives a mysterious note to talk to Jonathon, his kind but distant assistant baseball coach, he finally finds out what has happened to Liam. It may be possible for Charlie and Ana to rescue him, but only if they are willing to risk giving up everything they have ever known and loved.  389 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Part family story, part time-traveling fantasy, part historical fiction, this debut novel grabs readers from the first chapter and takes them on a wild roller coaster ride to a well-earned happy ending.

Cons:  There is a lot to keep track of–many characters and setting from the past, present, and an alternative world.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Published by Greenwillow Books

Summary:  Amelia isn’t expecting much from her spring vacation week–as usual, her distant father is working, and her pleas to go to Florida have fallen on deaf ears.  She decides to hang out at the clay studio the first day, where her passion for sculpture helps her forget about her troubles. When she gets there, she meets Casey, the owner’s nephew, who is spending the vacation with his aunt while his parents try to salvage their marriage.  Casey and Amelia start hanging out at the coffee shop, making up stories about the people they see through the window. When a woman resembling Amelia appears, Casey plants the idea that she might be Amelia’s long-dead mother. The vacation week turns out to be different–and better–than Amelia expected as she enjoys her new friendship, embraces her art, and meets a woman who will change her future.  192 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  This spare, beautifully-written story will resonate with many tweens, as Casey and Amelia deal with familiar issues around families and friendship.  A possible Newbery contender.

Cons:  I find this kind of book–where most of the action is internal–difficult to book talk, yet I know many kids in my school would enjoy it.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.