Published by Delacorte Press 

Summary:  Norbert is new to south Florida, living with his mother and grandmother and attempting to recover from what happened to his father, while trying to manage his own bipolar disorder.  Tim has lived in town with his parents and sister all his life, but is fighting his own battle, trying to get up the courage to start eighth grade as a girl named Lily.  Their paths cross before the first day of school, when Tim gives Norbert a new nickname, Dunkin.  Each of them wants to become friends, but their secrets get in the way.  When eighth grade starts, Norbert is unexpectedly recruited for the basketball team and starts spending his time with the same group of guys that regularly torture Tim.  As the year moves on, each of them slowly comes to terms with what is going on in their lives until both Dunkin and Lily are brave enough to show the world who they really are.  362 pages; grades 6-8.

Pros:  Told in alternating first-person narratives, Dunkin and Lily explores the inner lives of kids dealing with heartbreakingly difficult, and potentially dangerous (particularly in middle school) issues.  The courage each of them shows is for the most part realistic, and the supporting players of friends and family members in their lives are sympathetically portrayed.

Cons:  One can only hope that there are a few more vigilant and courageous teachers than there seem to be at Dunkin and Lily’s middle school.

Published by Scholastic 

Summary:  Joe is dreading the start of fifth grade.  His only two friends moved away, and his learning disability makes it hard for him to focus and an easy target for Dillon, the class bully.  Ravi is freshly arrived from India, accustomed to social, academic, and athletic success, and in for a rude awakening when his skills don’t always translate well to American culture.  He’s sure that Dillon, the only other Indian boy in the class, will be his new friend.  Each day of the first week of school brings new troubles, until both boys take Thursday off, ready to call it quits.  Fortunately, both Joe and Ravi have loving and supportive, if occasionally misguided, families who are willing to listen and try to help them.  By Friday, they’ve each come up with a new plan, and, by working together, manage to at least temporarily derail Dillon and discover that a new friend can be found in the most unlikely circumstances.  240 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  A heartwarming and accessible story for elementary readers.

Cons:  Ravi may come across as arrogant at the beginning of the story.  Don’t give up on him…he learns some important lessons by Friday.

Published by Candlewick

Summary:  What is the most important thing a father (or grandfather) can give his son?  Avi ponders this question in a collection of seven short stories about boys whose fathers (or grandfathers) are married, divorced, dead, distant, loving, know-it-all, clueless, proud, disappointed, or more than one of the above.  Ranging from the poignant (a beloved father unexpectedly dies the afternoon of a fishing trip to his son) to the appalling (Damon discovers on his once-a-month visit that his divorced dad has remarried and has a new baby on the way…all since his previous visit) to the humorous (Ryan devises a screening and application process when a man wants to marry his widowed mother), these stories explore many aspects of the parent-child relationship.  224 pages; grades 5-7.

Pros:  This would be a perfect book for a parent-child book discussion group.  With so many different stories and characters, there is much to look at and consider.

Cons:  The first story, in which an estranged grandfather heals his decades-old war wounds by talking non-stop to his newly-acquainted grandson, seems to be resolved too quickly and easily.

Published by Atheneum 

Summary:  Sylvie and Jules are sisters who have also always been best friends, even closer because their mother died suddenly when they were both quite young.  Sylvie’s greatest wish is to run fast, although she never can articulate why she wants this so much.  One day she goes running into the woods, racing to get to a dangerous part of the river the girls’ father has warned them about, and she disappears.  While Jules and her father are still reeling from grief, in another part of the woods, a fox cub is born, a rare animal that is connected to a human spirit.  The book alternates between Jules’ story and the fox’s…until one fateful evening when the two of them are brought together.  272 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A beautifully crafted book, filled with sadness, hope, grief, and healing.  I expect this one to be on the short list for the Newbery.

Cons:  Every main character in the book is grieving for someone, making it a bit of a heavy read.

Published by Candlewick 

Summary:  Raymie Clarke has a plan to win the 1975 Miss Central Florida Tire contest.  In addition to the $1,975 prize money, she wants her father to see her picture in the paper.  Then maybe he will change his mind about running away with a dental hygienist and come back to his family.  Part of Raymie’s plan is to take baton lessons, and it’s here she meets Louisiana and Beverly.  Louisiana is an orphan living with her impoverished grandmother, looking for Archie, her cat that she was forced to give to a shelter.  Beverly, whose father has moved to New York and whose mother is responsible for the bruise on Beverly’s face, is already an expert twirler.  Her motivation for entering the pageant is to sabotage it.  Slowly, unpredictably, these three girls form a bond that results in a wild night together, culminating in Raymie Clarke, renamed Raymie Nightingale by Louisiana, saving her friend’s life.  272 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A bittersweet story about three girls trying to find their way in a world of sad, lonely, and angry adults.  By the end of the book, a friendship has been formed, and each girl has grown up a little in her own unique way.

Cons:  Clearly I’m in the minority, but I just don’t get the appeal of Kate DiCamillo.  Her characters are so quirky they don’t even seem real to me.  The first half of this book seemed like a random string of bizarre occurrences; there is a “look-at-how-clever-I-am” quality to her writing..  However, my opinion notwithstanding, I’m sure by this time next year, the cover of Raymie Nightingale will be sporting a shiny silver or gold Newbery sticker.

Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  Cedar, her mother, and younger brother are spending the summer in a newly purchased vacation home following the death of her father and middle brother in a car accident.  Their new house is in the town her mother grew up in, which is also home to the Summerlost Shakespeare Festival.  One day, Cedar sees a boy riding his bike in a costume.  Leo is a neighbor who works selling concessions at the festival, and he recruits Cedar to join him.  They quickly become friends, and Leo confides that he is starting a secret tour about the life of Lisette Chamberlain, the most famous actress ever to come out of the festival, who died mysteriously 20 years ago.  Soon Leo and Cedar are both giving the tours, and slowly learning to trust each other with their hopes, dreams, and fears.  As the summer progresses, Cedar gradually begins to come to terms with her grief and to start thinking about healing and moving on with her life.  272 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A beautiful tale of friendship and healing, with a little bit of a mystery thrown in.  Despite the subject matter, the story was surprisingly upbeat.

Cons:  I almost decided against reading yet another story of a kid dealing with a tragedy; however, I was glad I persevered.