2010 Best New Books for Middle Grade and Young Adult Readers

2010 Top Summer Reads for Middle Grade and				no escape. As he says, "We were always together."
Young Adult				When their father sets a course for Bermuda and
Brennan, Sarah Rees. Demon's Lexicon. Simon &				disappears overboard one night, the boys have little
Schuster Children's Publishing/Margaret K. McElderry.				time to wonder if he jumped or fell before they're
2009.				struggling to stay afloat in a fierce Atlantic storm. Lost
From School Library Journal				at sea in a damaged boat, they find their way to an
Starred Review. Grade 9 Up–In this riveting debut				island where they are stranded with little food, little
novel, 16-year-old Nick and his older brother, Alan, are				water, and little hope of rescue. Herlong's first book is
accustomed to life on the run. Since their father was				a great survival story and a fine portrayal of family
murdered, the boys have been forced to slay demons				relationships in a time of crisis. Justifiably angry, yet
set on them by magicians seeking the powerful charm				logical, reflective, and at times compassionate, Ben
stolen by the boys' mother. Nick is furious when Alan				makes a sympathetic protagonist, and his brothers are
receives a first-tier demon mark while saving a				no less appealing. With enough detail to make the
neighborhood boy. While seeking to remove it, Nick				settings real and a minimum of metaphor, the
begins to suspect that his brother is lying to him about				first-person narrative is clean and direct. This
the reason for the magicians' attempts to kill them and				page-turner of an adventure story is also a convincing,
about why their mother screams whenever Nick				compelling, and ultimately moving novel. Grades 6-10.
touches her. Fans of the Supernatural television series				–Carolyn Phelan
will be hooked from the novel's opening lines (The pipe				___________________________________
under the sink was leaking again. It wouldn't have been				Berryhill, Shane. Chance Fortune in the Shadow Zone.
so bad, except that Nick kept his favorite sword under				Starscape. 2009
the sink.). Even teens who don't consider themselves				From Publishers Weekly
genre buffs will appreciate the solid writing, fast-paced				Readers weary of Potter-esque fantasy but hungry
plot, and sense of authenticity that Brennan gives to				for another semi-humorous / semi-serious school
the shadowy world between ordinary, modern-day				setting, and lovers of superhero stories in general, will
London and the otherworld of demons and magicians.				delight in this first volume in the Adventures of Chance
Though Nick and Alan's story is mostly resolved with				Fortune series, ideally structured for many further
Nick discovering the truth behind his father's death and				adventures.
his mother's fear of him, readers will no doubt clamor				From VOYA
for the next book in this planned urban fantasy				Berryhill's debut novel kicks off an engrossing series,
trilogy.–Leah J. Sparks, formerly at Bowie Public				The Adventures of Chance Fortune, that takes
Library, MD				formulas both old and new and gives them a zippy
�				twist…. A lively and engrossing tale that neither takes
Brown, Mary Calhoun. There Are No Words. Lucky				itself too seriously nor underestimates its
Press. 2010				readers….Here's hoping Berryhill has several series
From Midwest Book Review				entries ready to go.
The most terrifying future is a future you cannot				__________________________________
change. "There Are No Words" tells the story of a				Ecton, Emily. Night of the Living Lawn Ornaments.
mute girl who finds herself with a voice, but sent back				Aladdin. 2009
decades ago. With the knowledge of a train wreck				From TeensReadToo(dot)com
that will kill one of her grandfather's friends, Jaxon				When Arlie woke up that morning, she had no idea
MacKenzie finds herself in a time before said accident.				that her life would be turned upside down in a matter
But a twelve year old girl can't do much to stop a				of minutes. Arlie's mom had given some of her toys to
government train…can she? "There Are No Words"				their neighbor, Cookie. When Arlie stepped outside, she
is a charming story of determination and friendship,				saw Cookie removing the inner workings of her old
highly recommended.				orange kangaroo Fred's head. Arlie snatched it from
From Feathered Quill: 5 Stars				her and ran, only to run over Tina's friend, Bethany
There Are No Words is narrated by Jaxon, a				Burgess, ruining her new white capris.
12-year-old girl with autism who lives with her				She couldn't stop, so she ran past a very surprised Ty
grandparents. Though she shares with the reader that				and ended up in a tree near Mrs. Wombat's house. Ty
she cannot speak and describes her intense reactions				showed up a few minutes later and ends up in the
to sound and touch, this is not really a book about				tree with Arlie.
autism. It is an adventure whose protagonist happens				While in the tree, Arlie finds a black dragonfly pendant
to be autistic.				and that's when the craziness really takes off. The
Jaxon also proves to be a strong, quick-thinking girl				pendant turns out to have an odd power – it turns
with a crush on a black boy and a friend who, in 1918,				inanimate objects into living, breathing things. Pretty
likes to wear boys' pants and shoes under her				soon lawn ornaments and other objects all over town
dresses. Author Mary Calhoun Brown defies many				are awake and wandering around. Arlie, Ty, and Mr.
stereotypes. Teachers and parents looking for a book				Boots have their work cut out for them trying to get
with strong female characters or gentle, nurturing men				everything back to normal.
will find them here. The book also promotes				I found NIGHT OF THE LIVING LAWN ORNAMENTS
awareness of autism without presenting it as a				to be even funnier than her last book, BOOTS AND
problem to be overcome. In fact the main problem				PIECES. The characters were engaging and hilarious.
from Jaxon's point of view is that other people do not				Kids, teens, and even adults will laugh out loud while
understand autism and treat her as though she is				reading this book. -Reviewed by: Breia "The Brain"
stupid or, to use her word, unworthy.				Brickey
We see the world through the eyes of someone who				_______________________________
is extremely sensitive to touch and to sounds. Jaxon				Napoli, Donna Jo. Alligator Bayou. Random House /
also pays close attention to details and colors. The				Knopf. 2009
descriptions of the world around her– the feel of				From School Library Journal
the carpet, the sounds of the rain– are peaceful and				Grade 8 Up—Building on her extensive research
poetic. Jaxon, who has much difficulty communicating				conducted after reading a newspaper article about the
with others, including her own mother, is still able to				lynching of Sicilian grocers in Tallulah, LA, in 1899, Napoli
paint for us beautiful images of the world as she sees				presents a moving, sobering story about an aspect of
it.				American immigration that is probably unknown to
When Jaxon is magically transported through a painting				most readers. After his mother's death, 14-year-old
and back in time, she finds that she is able to speak. In				Calogero leaves his bustling Sicilian home for the
fact she seems to have no trouble communicating				sleepy southern town to help his uncles and younger
whatsoever and to be unusually good at intuiting the				cousin run their grocery store. White customers
feelings of others. In Tennessee in 1918 Jaxon's autism				expect to be served before blacks and make their
is not a problem, but she soon discovers that racism,				displeasure angrily apparent when the Sicilians fail to
an issue that she had been unaware of before her				do so. Barred from the white school and unaware that
time-travel adventure, is a huge one.				he can attend the black school, Calogero learns English
There Are No Words is a quick read with thoroughly				from a tutor who also tries to help him comprehend
likable characters. The relationships between the				Southern American behavior. The cousins meet some
characters are sweet while still being very real.				African American boys who take them on a terrifying
Readers will be inspired by the patience of Jaxon's				alligator hunt that firmly cements their friendship.
grandparents and the kindness of her friends.				Calogero is attracted to Patricia, a African American
Quill says: A dream-like adventure that reads like				girl, but fails to fully understand the danger behind her
poetry while challenging stereotypes				fear of being seen in public with him. Although he has
___________________________________				heard his uncles' stories of the recent lynching of
Griffin, Paul. The Orange Houses. Penguin/Dian				Sicilians in New Orleans, he is unprepared for the
Books. 2009.				horrifying tragedy that befalls his family when a local
From Booklist:				white doctor kills Uncle Francesco's goats and then
Starred Review Much like Rita Williams-Garcia's				convinces an angry mob that the Sicilians plan to
Jumped (2009), this story follows three kids through				retaliate violently. Historical events are smoothly
the pressure cooker of inner-city teenage life as it				integrated with vivid everyday details, strong
moves toward its crushing conclusion. Whereas that				characterizations, and genuine-sounding dialogue.
book mined the minor humiliations and overblown				Ultimately, the author expands her themes beyond the
dramas that swirl during a single school day, this has a				story's specifics, encouraging readers to reconsider the
much more diffuse scope. The three characters				motivations behind this calamity and other
couldn't be any more different: Tamika Sykes is a				manifestations of racism.—Ginny Gustin, Sonoma
partially deaf student agonizing over whether she really				County Library System, Santa Rosa, CA
wants to hear all the noise surrounding her; Fatima				_________________________________
Espérer is a 16-year-old refugee who fled the				Tubb, Kristin O'Donnell. Autumn Winifred Oliver Does
violence and poverty of her unspecified African				Things Different. Yearling. 2010.
country to live in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty;				From Booklist:
and depending on who you ask, Jimmy Sixes, already				In1934, spunky 11-year-old Autumn Winifred Oliver lives
a disturbed veteran at age 18, is either a street poet or				in picaresque Cades Cove, deep in the Great Smoky
a junkie. The three form an unusual friendship,				Mountains. Her crusty Grandpa is involved in a federal
connecting both artistically and emotionally. All this is set				plan to convert the surrounding land into a national park,
in a city that has become a powder keg of				which would allow the locals to cash in on the
anti-immigration sentiment (thanks to a recently passed				anticipated tourism. But after Autumn realizes that the
law that rewards citizens for reporting illegals) and is				government is actually plotting to level Cades Cove,
perilously close to the ever-present spark of gang				she tries everything in her power to stop the
violence. Griffin clearly knows teens, especially the				destruction. She writes a letter to Mr. John D.
way they speak. In another writer's hands, this story of				Rockefeller, requesting that he withdraw his funding,
three outcasts might have turned into a sentimental				and she even turns her flatulent bloodhound loose on a
mess, but he keeps the depth of emotion honest as				group of park builders. While the eventual compromise
his characters battle alienation and find strength in				is not entirely pleasing to either side, Autumn is satisfied
sacrifice. Although readers will be prepared for an				that she did her best to keep her precious holler "as
unnerving journey from the opening scene, they will				durn near perfect as possible." Tubb's inventive heroine
nevertheless be floored by some of the turns in this				comes across as a female version of familiar
swift, tense, and powerful book. Grades 10-12. –Ian				characters, such as Gary Paulsen's Harris or Robert
Chipman				Newton Peck's Soup. This homespun tale, full of folksy
__________________________________				humor and based on historical fact, will appeal to young
Reisman, Michael. Simon Bloom and the Octopus				fans of Deborah Wiles' and Ruth White's books.
Effect. Dutton Juvenile. 2009.				Grades 4-6. –Jennifer Hubert
From Audiofile:
Nicholas Hormann narrates Simon Bloom's third				Small, David. Stitches: A Memoir. W.W. Norton &
fantastical adventure as the 12-year-old explores the				Co. 2009.
Order of Biology, an undersea world of strange				From Publishers Weekly
creatures. Hormann meets the challenge of a large				Starred Review. In this profound and moving memoir,
cast of characters and multiple settings with an				Small, an award-winning children's book illustrator, uses
abundance of accents that differentiate and add color.				his drawings to depict the consciousness of a young
He characterizes the story's omniscient narrator with				boy. The story starts when the narrator is six years
crisp British enunciation that matches his detached				old and follows him into adulthood, with most of the
view and depicts a sea creature with gurgles. He				story spent during his early adolescence. The youngest
portrays the passionate director of the underwater				member of a silent and unhappy family, David is
realm with drama. When Simon and friends are				subjected to repeated x-rays to monitor sinus
enriched with octopus DNA, they develop special				problems. When he develops cancer as a result of this
powers that are especially helpful when they confront				procedure, he is operated on without being told what is
their archenemy, Sirabetta. Hormann embraces the				wrong with him. The operation results in the loss of his
story's inventive spirit, leading listeners through				voice, cutting him off even further from the world
adventure and intrigue.				around him. Small's black and white pen and ink
___________________________________				drawings are endlessly perceptive as they portray the
Herlong, M.H. The Great Wide Sea. Penguin/Viking.				layering of dream and imagination onto the real-life
2008.				experiences of the young boy. Small's intuitive
From Booklist:				morphing of images, as with the terrible postsurgery
Starred Review Soon after their mother's death,				scar on the main character's throat that becomes a
15-year-old Ben and his two younger brothers are				dark staircase climbed by his mother, provide deep
stunned when their father sells their home, buys a				emotional echoes. Some understanding is gained as
sailboat, and announces that they will live on board and				family secrets are unearthed, but for the most part
cruise the Bahamas for the next year. Wrenched from				David fends for himself in a family that is
everything he knows and forced to obey his				uncommunicative to a truly ghastly degree. Small tells
father-captain's orders, Ben starts out angry and finds				his story with haunting subtlety and power.

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2010 Best New Books for Middle Grade and Young Adult Readers