Published by Nancy Paulsen Books

Summary: (266 pages)  Ally has made it all the way to all the way to sixth grade without learning to read.  Her father’s in the military, and she’s gone to seven schools in her life, too many for teachers to figure out that she has dyslexia.  School is a nightmare for her, and the kids tease her for being dumb.  When her teacher goes out on maternity leave, Ally’s nervous about the substitute, Mr. Daniels.  But he turns out to be an amazing teacher, able to see the gifts that each kid contributes.  He draws Ally into the class and actually thinks she’s smart and artistically talented.  Will he be able to get her the help she needs to make it in school?

Pros:  Ally’s a great kid, and you will cheer her on with every hard-won success.  The story is fast-paced and engaging, with a whole host of interesting characters.

Cons:  The characters sometimes seemed one-dimensional and like stereotypes.  The mean girl.  The quiet, scientific boy who gets picked on.  The amazing teacher who is able to finally help Ally.  Too many events in the story were predictable.

Published by Scholastic Press

Summary:  “The mountain was calling me.”  12-year-old Dan is running away from home with his dog Beau.  As the story unfolds, the reader learns that Dan has had cancer for 5 years.  He was in remission, but the cancer has returned.  Unable to face more treatment, he has decided to fulfill a life-long dream to climb Mount Rainier, even if it means he dies in the attempt.  Most chapters are told by Dan, but there are short half chapters (e.g., Chapter 9 ½) that tell what’s happening back home from the point of view of his best friend Jessie.  Some of these half chapters include Jessie’s memories, which serve as flashbacks that flesh out Dan’s story.  There may be a few tears at the ending, but there is a bit of hope there, too.

Pros:  Dan encounters numerous obstacles, including confronting a gang of kids who beat him up and rob him, getting kicked off a bus in the middle of nowhere on a cold snowy day, and having to rescue his dog from falling down a crevasse.  Readers will have a tough time putting this book down until they find out whether or not Dan makes it to the summit of Rainier, and more importantly, back down again.  Fans of The Fault in our Stars will enjoy this.

Cons:  I’m not a fan of The Fault in our Stars.  Like the characters in that book, Dan and Jessie did not ring true to me.  Dan was a little too into reflecting on his life and writing about it (in haiku, no less) in his journal.  Although Jessie and Dan call themselves “best friends”, there was definitely a romantic, you-and-me-against-the-world quality to their friendship that didn’t quite ring true for 12 year olds.  While the book was a quick read for me, the characters didn’t engage me, leaving me to ultimately not care a great deal what happened to them.

Published by Harry N. Abrams

 Summary:  Miles is the new kid at school.  He’s hoping to establish himself as the best prankster there, a title he held in his last school.  His pranks keep backfiring, though, and he finally learns why: Niles, the apparently goody-two-shoes kiss-up kid is actually a prankster extraordinaire in disguise.  The two eventually put aside their differences and team up to become “The Terrible Two”, ultimately bringing their nemesis Principal Barkin to his knees.

Pros:  You can’t go wrong with a prankster, and two pranking geniuses are sure to be appreciated by the elementary school crowd.  Both Miles and Niles have their different charms, and humor abounds throughout the story.  Short chapters and plenty of illustrations will keep reluctant readers engaged.

Cons:  The whole slacker-kid-outwitting-the-adults thing has become practically its own genre, spawned by the wimpy kid.  It’s starting to seem a little tired.