Published by Roaring Brook Press 

Summary: Pete is generally a big goof; in fact, he sometimes feels like his friends get kind of annoyed by some of his shenanigans. He’s just stolen cheerleader Eliza Collins’s pom poms when he ducks into a coffee shop to hide.  He catches the eye of an eccentric woman sitting at one of the tables with two laptops and a cell phone.  Turns out she’s a movie producer, and she invites Pete to come and audition for a film she’s making.  He decides to give it a try, and, lo and behold, is chosen for the part, starring opposite teen sensation Shana Fox.  Life seems pretty amazing until his friends decide that stardom has gone to his head.  Even worse, his girlfriend is sure he and Shana are romantically involved.  When Shana invites Pete to dinner at his parents’ restaurant, the whole crisis comes to a head.  It looks like Pete will have to decide between a normal life and movie stardom.  256 pages; grades 4-6

Pros:  This latest entry in the Charlie Joe Jackson series is sure to please fans.  Pete is a likeable character who tells his story with humor and honesty, sprinkled with his own illustrations and bits of the script from his movie.  Wimpy Kid readers should enjoy moving up to this series.

Cons:  In many of the illustrations, Pete looks more like a fourth grader than an eighth grader.

Published by HarperCollins 

Summary:  Benny feels like he can’t get a break.  His father’s just out of the hospital following an accident that Benny feels was his fault, and he’s far from completely recovered.  He got Mr. Norris, supposedly the best fourth grade teacher, who is proving to be a bit of a disappointment.  And then there are the struggles Benny deals with every year, like low grades on spelling tests and keeping an eye on his older brother George, who has autism.  His oldest brother is on the basketball team and has a pretty girlfriend, even George can do tricks on his bicycle, but Benny can’t seem to find anything he’s good at.  He tries to follow his mother’s advice: when bad things happen, you should think about someone else’s problems and try to help them.  Slowly, with two steps forward and one backward, Benny begins to find his strengths and to realize he has the power to make his own luck.  240 pages; ages 8-12

Pros:  This beautifully written book will be enjoyed by fans of Wonder, Absolutely Almost, and The Meaning of Maggie…all stories of kids in difficult circumstances learning to find their own strengths with the help of caring teachers, friends, and family members.

Cons:  This is one of those books that’s hard to sell to kids.  It sounds like it could be kind of a downer without a lot of action, yet I found it so compelling I read it in less than 24 hours.

Published by Harper

Summary:  Best friends Olivia and Piper are disappointed to discover they have only one sixth grade class together.  To keep each other updated, and to avoid the detection of passing notes, they create a notebook in which they write to each other, then hand it off between classes.  They’re perfectly happy with their friendship until Piper’s  mother offers to give her a birthday party (a rare event for the third of five children), and she realizes she needs to make some more friends.  The two girls start sampling the after-school clubs.  Some are a lot more fun than expected, some a total disaster.  Each girl finds her niche, and there is some friction when they turn out to be different niches.  Drama threatens on the day of the big party, but all is resolved, and true friendship wins the day.  288 pages; ages 8-12.

Pros:  A sweet story of friendship, told in an enjoyable style, mostly through the notebook letters, but also with some texts, flyers, and other memorabilia.

Cons:  Not a lot of action, and the girls’ voices at times sound like middle-aged women trying to write like 11-year-olds.

Published by Capstone Press 

Summary: You’re out in a field looking at Saturn through your telescope when suddenly you spot a UFO. If you decide to investigate, turn to page 12.  Running away? Page 16.  There are 28 choices and 12 different endings in this You Choose adventure.  All the endings are some form of impending doom (I ended up in the aliens’ food pen) or becoming a soldier in the human army fighting off the aliens.  The last few pages look at the possibility of life in outer space; also included are a glossary, sources of additional information, a survival kit checklist, and top 10 survival tips for an alien invasion.  112 pages; ages 8-12.

Pros:  Recommend this to reluctant readers.  If they enjoy it, they may want to move on to the rest of the series, which includes surviving a zombie apocalypse, a virus outbreak, and a global blackout.

Cons:  Each library bound edition retails for a ridiculous $31.32.

 Published by Balzer + Bray 

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8ErVnRt40I

Summary: When Peter’s father goes to war, Peter is sent to live with his grandfather. His father says that Peter’s pet fox, Pax, must be returned to the wild.  We see this happening from Pax’s point of view, and the story of what happens after that is told in chapters that alternate between Peter’s and Pax’s stories.  Peter realizes he has done a terrible thing, and runs away to try to rescue Pax.  A few days out, he breaks a bone in his foot, and is taken in by Vona, a woman whose own war experiences left her so scarred, both physically and emotionally, that she has withdrawn from the human race.  Meanwhile, Pax meets up with some foxes in the woods, and slowly, still desperately hoping for Peter’s return, starts to make a life for himself in the wild.  While Peter and Pax are on their journeys, the war is slowly encroaching into both of their lives, leading up to a climactic finale.  288 pages; ages 8-12.

Pros:  This beautifully written and illustrated story will undoubtedly be a 2016 awards contender.  Filled with love, hope, friendship, and healing, Pax is a book to savor and discuss.

Cons:  This sometimes felt a bit too much like a Book With A Message (see somewhat self-congratulatory book trailer).  A little infusion of humor wouldn’t have made the story any less powerful.

Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  Tibbles is feeling down after being scolded by his newspaper editor for his inability to write about anything but cats.  He’s distracted by his worries when he comes across a young woman who’s been chased up a tree by a dog.  After rescuing her, Tibbles invites her back to his house, where she proceeds to purr, rub her head on his shoulder, and finally settle down to sleep in a cardboard box lined with newspaper.  It comes as little surprise to learn that Miss Minou began life as a cat, and an unfortunate accident has turned her into a human.  She can still talk with cats, thought, and their little town has plenty of those, each one a source of news from the humans they live with.  When Miss Minou starts sharing her stories with Mr. Tibbles, his newspaper career takes off; that is, until he writes an article accusing the wealthiest man in town of some pretty dastardly deeds, witnessed only by cats.  No one believes his story, and his career is once again in jeopardy.  Meanwhile, Miss Minou has a one-time-only chance to return to her feline form.  Will the cats of the town be able to give this unlikely couple a happily-ever-after ending?  160 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  This charming story is a classic in the Netherlands, where the original, entitled Minoes, has been loved by children since 1970.  With a quirky but lovable cast of both feline and human characters, this would make a great read-aloud for kids from the primary grades on up.

Cons:  The wealthy villain bore an unfortunate resemblance to a certain billionaire presidential candidate.