Miranda lives in NY City in an apartment with her mom. Her mom loves game shows and her ex-best friend, Sal, lives below her. Sal and Miranda used to walk to school together until “he got punched in the stomach. He cried and ran home.” Miranda hates walking to school alone because a man just showed up and hangs out at the mailbox in front of her apartment building. He sleeps there staring up at the mailbox.
One day, Miranda came home from school and the door was opened. That night her mom doesn’t remember leaving the door open and she checks each room to see if anything was stolen. Everything was fine. But when she checked for the spare key that was hidden in the fire hose, it was gone. Soon after the door incident, Miranda finds the first note. “The note said, 'I’m coming to save your friend and myself. I ask two favors. 1. Write me a letter. 2. Tell me the location of your house key.” Miranda’s mom changes the locks on the door. After this Miranda and her mom get back into their routine. Miranda’s mom practices to be on a game show and Miranda goes to school. Everything was fine until November when Miranda got the second note. This one said, “Your letter must tell a true story. You cannot begin now, as most of it has not taken place yet. The trip is a difficult one. Ps. I ask you not to share this note with anyone.” Read When You Reach Me to find out what all these notes mean, why Miranda needs to right a letter, and where the key went.
Liam Digby is tall and looks like an adult. He looks so much like an adult, he and his best friend, Florida, go to stores at the mall pretending to be father and daughter. Even his principal mistook him for being a substitute teacher one day. Like any 12 year old boy, Liam also loves playing video games. When his favorite game company, World of Warcraft, sponsors a contest, he spends all day (even at school) on his mobile phone to enter the contest. Liam ends up winning the contest but the prize is for a child and their parent to visit War of the Warcraft headquarters. Liam and Florida once again pretend that they are father and daughter and go to the headquarters. However, they haven’t won a new video game. Instead, they won a trip into space. The book begins with the winners and Liam in space on a broken rocket. Find out how Liam is chosen to go into space and if they come out of space on the broken rocket by reading Cosmic.
This historical fiction and Newbery honor award winning novel is based on the true story of Manjiro Nakahama whose history-making journey began in 1841. Fourteen-year-old Manjiro is excited to go on his first fishing expedition with others from his village when catastrophe strikes. Caught in a big storm, the crew of five ends up stranded with no sail or oars in the open ocean. Days later they are washed up on a deserted island with no shelter other than a wet cave and no food other than nesting birds which they must kill and eat raw. Eventually they are rescued by an American whaling ship where Manjiro learns English quickly and soon becomes a favorite of the captain. Little does he know that his adventures have just begun! This book takes you from one journey to the next as Manjiro deals not only with growing up in a strange world as an outsider but also with extreme homesickness. The book includes actual drawings by John Mung (Manjiro’s English name) of his many experiences. I could not put this book down especially knowing that most of the events described actually happened. I give it 5 stars!
Not many books make me cry but this one did. Keep the tissues handy when you read this one. Set in post Vietnam War America, All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg is an amazing historical fiction novel written entirely in verse. Matt Pin is amerasian, his father is a US soldier and his mother is Vietnamese. When the US pulled out of Vietnam at the end of the war some of these children were rescued and airlifted out by the departing US soldiers. Matt was given up by his mother to have a better life in the United States. Feelings about the war run high in his new hometown and he is bullied and called names by fellow students. Matt has two skills which he hopes will help him fit in; his rocket pitching arm and ability to play the piano. But Matt also has tremendous guilt about the disabled little brother he left behind in Vietnam and his 12 year-old mind has decided that his mother must not have loved him if she gave him up so easily.
The author's use of figurative language enables the reader to feel as if he/she is there with Matt. This beautifully written and intense novel is a great way to begin to understand this era of US history and how discrimination affects individuals and communities.
Peak by Roland Smith is the story of Peak Marcello who is the 14 year-old son of two mountain climbers. This adventure book opens with Peak being arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper. He can either go to juvie or go to Thailand and live with his father whom he’s never met. He chooses to go live with dad but soon discovers that dad has ulterior motives. He’s determined that Peak will be the youngest human to reach the top of Mt. Everest. Be prepared to be cold when you read this book. Scaling Everest is something Peak wants to do but complications arise and he must make a difficult choice.
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