Mick Harte was one of the neatest kids you'd ever want to meet. Mick is also the kid who would still be alive--if only he had worn his bicycle helmet. This is Phoebe's poignant story about her beloved brother, and how she struggles to deal with her grief.

Awards won: Rebecca Caudill Award

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/29/2009

ISBN-10: 0679877355

ISBN-13: 9780679970880

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When he is 10-years-old, Charlie discovers that he is able to look at photographs, and hear conversations, even thoughts, that were taking place at the time the photos were taken, a legacy of his ancestor, the Red King, whose descendants all have different magical abilities. Charlie hears one conversation that sets him on a search for a girl who has been missing for years, and, when he begins attending Bloor's Academy, an elite boarding school for the rich and the endowed (as the Red King's descendants are called), his life becomes full of intrigue and danger. Charlie, his friend, Benjamin, and other allies try to unlock the secrets of a mysterious case that could get the girl back, while the sinister Bloors and Charlie's ghastly relatives, who are endowed, try to thwart them. While the parallels with Harry Potter are obvious, this fantasy has its own charms, chief among them being the endoweds' often-odd magical abilities.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/27/2009

ISBN-10: 0439474299

ISBN-13: 9780439474290

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Commenter: St. Charles Reader, grade 0

Brat has only known a life of hardship. She has never known her parents, and lives by working, or begging, for food. She usually sleeps outdoors, keeping warm by sleeping in a dung heap. That is where the village midwife finds her. Brat is kept by the midwife as a servant, cleaning the house, caring for animals, and running errands. No job is too disgusting, but Brat is happy to be warm and well-fed. Bit by bit, Brat learns the midwife's tricks of the trade, and, when the midwife is called away, Brat manages a difficult delivery, and earns the village's admiration. She decides she is worthy of a better name and a better life. Will she earn the place she feels she deserves? Will she ever find someone who loves her for herself?

Similar books: Never Trust a Dead Man by Vivian Vande Velde and The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan by Jennifer Armstrong

Awards won: John Newbery Medal

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/13/2009

ISBN-10: 006440630X

ISBN-13: 9780064406307

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Three animals find a crown in the forest on a rock labeled, 'For the Mightiest.' Soon, the elephant, bear, and lion are arguing about who deserves the crown. They decide that whichever one of them can frighten a little old woman the most will win the crown. One by one, they jump out to scare her, and soon they are fighting over which animal was most terrifying. Suddenly, a giant appears, and he takes the crown and seizes the animals. Will someone come along to save the animals? Who could be mightier than the giant?

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 6/4/2010

ISBN-10: 0399235868

ISBN-13: 9780399235863

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Millicent has all the normal problems that go with being eleven: she has trouble making friends; she is forced to tutor a boy she doesn't like; and her parents are embarrassing! In fact, the only thing that makes Millicent other than normal is the fact that she is a genius. At two years of age, she visited Jay Leno and rattled off the names of U.S. presidents, in order of years of service, and in alphabetical order. She is probably the only eleven-year-old girl about to graduate high school. Being a genius stands in the way of making friends, but not always in the way Millicent thinks it does. When she meets Emily, Millicent decides not to tell Emily that she is a genius. Their budding friendship is threatened, however, by the fact that Emily is attracted to Stanford, the boy Millicent is tutoring. The feeling is mutual, and Stanford makes Millicent swear that she won't tell Emily that Milli is tutoring him, which leads to Emily's embarrassing conclusion that Stanford is tutoring Milli. Will Millicent have the courage to tell Emily the truth, before it is too late?

Similar books: Ever After, a Novel by Rachel Vail; Tangerine by Eric Bloor

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 6/1/2009

ISBN-10: 0439425190

ISBN-13: 9780439425193

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