Mr. Lemoncello’s Great Library Race Mr. Lemoncello #3 by Chris Grabenstein Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) Mr. Lemoncello is having a competition to teach his trustees about research. However, when Mr. Lemoncello is accused of stealing ideas, his trustees need to find a way to clear his name. Review #2 * * * Stars (Pretty good) Mr. Lemoncello has a new game, a library race to win a trip across … Read more
How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom by S.J. Goslee Funny LGBTQ Realistic Fiction Romance * * * * Stars (Great!) Nolan Grant’s family loves him like crazy, but his slightly older sister takes her sisterly responsibilities a little too seriously and intensely sometimes. She wants to make sure Nolan is adequately prepared for life – particularly life after she goes away to college and can’t be there for him constantly. Her goals (for … Read more
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Zoey is in 7th grade and she tries to keep a low profile because other kids have opinions about her that she can’t do anything about. She’s poor, she’s moved around a lot (when her family wasn’t living out of her mom’s car), sometimes she doesn’t have enough to eat or clean clothes to wear, she’s got 3 … Read more
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Lucy Callahan is a math savant. She acquired her “superpowers” after being struck by lightning and suddenly developed an affinity with and for numbers. There were some negative side effects, though – she also has some obsessive-compulsive tendencies and a fear of germs that other people often perceive as weird or freakish. Raised by her Nana, and homeschooled since … Read more
Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya Realistic Fiction Tween * * * * Stars (Great!) Marcus Vega is an enterprising 14-year-old, who looks much older than his actual age (6 feet tall, 180 lbs, mustache). To help his single-parent mom out with bills and emergencies, he runs a number of different businesses – charging kids at school for littering or using their cell phones (both against school rules), and offering a fee-based protection … Read more
From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess book #1 by Meg Cabot Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) 6th grader Olivia Grace Clarisse Mignonette Harrison suddenly starts getting bullied by Annabelle, a fellow 6th grader, for being a princess. Olivia has no idea why because she is NOT a princess! But she finds out that she actually is when Princess Mia picks her up from school one day and … Read more
New Kid by Jerry Craft Graphic Novel Realistic Fiction Tween * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Because seventh grader Jordan Banks’ parents want the best education for their son, he ends up attending Riverdale Academy Day School instead of art school (but you get to see lots of his artwork/comics here!). It’s a wealthy, fancy pants place far from his neighborhood. At first Jordan doesn’t think he’s going to like it – it’s low … Read more
Thanks for the Trouble by Tommy Wallach Realistic Fiction * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Parker Santé hasn’t spoken in 5 years when he meets the mysterious, silver-haired Zelda Toth, whom he’s attempting to rob in the dining room of the Palace Hotel. He’s so distracted by her presence that he leaves his notebook at the scene of the crime. When he returns to retrieve it, she’s reading it. Intrigued by what she’s read … Read more
My Heartbeat by Garret Freymann-Weyr Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Ellen, 14, is close to her older brother Link (short for Lincoln) and his best friend James. She’s had a crush on James for as long as she can remember, which both Link and James think is adorable. They often allow her to tag along on their adventures and be a part of their conversations. It’s not until Ellen starts high school … Read more
To Night Owl from Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan & Meg Wolitzer Funny LGBT Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great) Bett Devlin and Avery Bloom first “meet” when Bett discovers that their dads are secretly dating, secretly sending them to a fancy schmancy summer camp, and secretly planning to explore China by motorcycle. The girls are outraged. They like things fine just the way they are. As they continue to exchange messages, however, … Read more