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.

Published by Little, Brown 

Summary: When a ship carrying 500 robots sinks in a hurricane, only one of the robots survives. She is ROZZUM Unit 7134, better known as Roz, and she washes up on an island inhabited only by animals. As she explores the island to learn more about her new home, the animals fear they are being invaded by a monster. Gradually, they learn that she likes to help them, and they, in turn, help her. When she adopts an orphaned gosling and builds a nest for herself and her new son, she becomes a full-fledged member of the community. Her building and fire-making abilities save the animals during an unusually frigid winter. Roz’s happy world is shattered, though, when her robot past catches up with her. War comes to the island as the animals seek to protect her. Can this robot really be “wild”, or must she be true to her automaton nature? 288 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros: Charlotte’s Web meets The Iron Giant in this debut novel from illustrator Peter Brown. The story is touching without being sappy or emotional, and thought-provoking without being preachy. If I were on the Newbery committee, this would be going to the top of my list.

Cons: The ending is a little dark. Until the last few chapters, I thought this would be a perfect read-aloud for grades 2 and up. After finishing it, I would say grade 3 or even 4 would be the youngest. Read it first if you’re not sure.

Published by Aladdin 

Summary: St. Edith’s is an all-girls’ school. Several years ago, the administration tried an experiment to go co-ed, but it failed miserably. When the school returned to its single-sex status, the boys who were already enrolled were allowed to stay, but one by one, they have transferred to other schools. On the first day of seventh grade, Jeremy Miner gets the news that the last boy besides himself has left the school. Now he is the sole boy among 475 girls. His single mother works at the school and gets free tuition for him and his two sisters, and she dislikes the local public school, so he is stuck. His friend Claudia comes up with an idea—stage a series of pranks so he will get kicked out of school. Jeremy’s basically a good kid, and the idea of pranks makes him uncomfortable, but he’s desperate. He makes up some rules, though: nobody gets hurt or humiliated, nothing gets broken or is permanent. But try as he might, he can’t stick to those rules, and permanent damage is done, both to the school and some of its students. Jeremy starts to think there may be worse fates than being the last boy at St. Edith’s…but is he in too deep to turn back? 272 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros: The characters are engaging and likeable and the premise is an interesting one. The pranks and consequences seemed quite realistic, and Jeremy’s dilemmas could make for some interesting discussion.

Cons: I don’t know what could have been done differently, but given such a fascinating premise, it seemed like the plot never really quite took off as much as I was hoping it would.

Published by Balzer + Bray 

Summary: Charlie’s had more to handle in the last year than any 12-year-old should have to deal with. Not only has his mother died of cancer, but his best friend Frank has disappeared. His dad is working all the time, leaving Charlie to try to help his younger sister Imogen. When Imogen starts acting strange and talking about visiting Mom, Charlie investigates and finds a trapdoor under Imogen’s bed. When he climbs down, he finds himself back in his own house…only Mom is alive in this house. He spends a wonderful evening with her and Imogen, feasting on Mom’s famous spaghetti. Returning to the house without Mom is almost impossibly difficult, though, and much to his dismay, Charlie discovers he has lost his memory of ever eating spaghetti with his family. On the next trip back, Charlie thinks he catches a glimpse of Frank walking with his deceased grandmother. Charlie is drawn to go back with Imogen, but what price will they pay for their visits? And is it too late for Frank to ever return? 304 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros: Wow, it can’t be easy to write a book about a deceased parent that includes a courageous cast of kid characters and a hopeful ending, but Jennifer Maschari has nailed it on her first try. There’s also a trace of Coraline-like creepiness that will draw kids in to the story. And a cute, heroic, slightly magical dog is the cherry on top.

Cons: This book tackles a bunch of difficult themes that kids may appreciate more with some adult guidance.

Published by Katherine Tegen Books 

Summary:  11-year-old Perry Cook has grown up in an unusual home—the Blue River Coed Correctional Facility in Surprise, Nebraska, where his mother, Jessica, is serving a sentence for manslaughter.  Perry was born in prison, and the kind warden there has served as his foster parent, allowing him to grow up near his mother.  He leaves each day to go to school, where his best friend is Zoey Samuels.  Perry loves his life, but a new district attorney changes everything.  Convinced that prison is no place for a child, Thomas VanLeer not only postpones Jessica’s parole hearing, but insists that Perry be placed in a real home…namely VanLeer’s.  It turns out Thomas VanLeer is Zoey’s stepfather, and Perry finds himself living in his friend’s home.  Using the coping skills he’s learned from the other prison inmates, he works hard to stay upbeat, and focuses on a school project collecting the stories of how his friends ended up in jail.  This eventually leads him to learn more about his mother’s own story, and makes him more determined than ever to find a way for the two of them to be together again in their own home…on the outside.  380 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A heartfelt and engaging story about a spunky protagonist who is able to rise above his circumstances to do what he thinks is best.  Although the prison setting is somewhat unrealistic, the characters are well-developed, and are motivated by trying to do the right thing…even when they aren’t really sure what that is.

Cons:  The story could be enjoyed by a third- or fourth-grader, but the almost 400-page length may be a big daunting.

Published by Algonquin Young Readers

Summary:  Kammie Summers, new to her Texas middle school, is trying to get in with the cool girls.  As part of her initiation, they tell her to stand on top of an old well and sing a song.  Before she can finish, the rotten wood breaks and she falls into the well, where she is trapped, arms pinned to her sides.  After a few half-hearted rescue attempts, the three girls disappear, and Kammie is left alone, unsure if they will ever come back.  As the hours pass, she thinks about her past life, especially the recent arrest of her father for embezzlement, and his imprisonment that led to their move to Texas and descent into poverty.  A rescue party eventually arrives, but by then the oxygen in the well has dipped to dangerous levels and Kammie is drifting in and out of consciousness.  It’s a race against time, as the National Guard is called in and an attempt is made to dig her out of her prison.  224 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  An engrossing premise allows readers to gradually get to know Kammie and her family as her thoughts travel back and forth in time.  The pages will turn quickly for readers anxious to learn the fate of the girl in the well.

Cons:  Anyone even slightly claustrophobic may want to steer clear of this one.