Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (0-374-32091-8)
Fifteen-year-old Liz Hall finds herself floating in a cruise ship on the ocean with a roommate who has a bullet hole in the back of her head. Though evidence is all around her, Liz takes a long time to realize that she is dead and headed to Elsewhere. Elsewhere is where all dead souls go to live their lives backwards, so Liz will become younger and younger until she is a newborn baby and is sent back to earth. Liz’s grandmother is there to meet her and give her a place to stay, but Liz is unable to deal with her death and spends a lot of time gazing back at earth watching her family try to put the pieces back together. It is not until she tries a desperate act to reach her family that she begins to realize that there is a life for her on Elsewhere.
This book is breathtakingly haunting and rich. Impossible to put down, the story and characters will catch you and hold you until you reluctantly finish. The setting of Elsewhere is vivid and the concept of aging backwards is ingenious. The book reads very quickly and lightly for all the depth that it has and will be a favorite among girls who like a little tragedy, angst and romance in their teen novels. This one should fly off the shelf all on its own. Beautiful.

The Vacation by Polly Horvath (0-374-38070-8)
Horvath’s new book is a wonderful mix of humor, poignancy and eccentricities. Henry’s parents head off on a trip to Africa, leaving him with his two aunts, Mag and Pigg. Mag gets very ill and upon recuperating, decides that they all need to go on a vacation. Hopping into the car, the three travelers head off and have a series of adventures on the open road. From a disappointing beach visit to floating down the Everglades to eventually losing Pigg in Oklahoma, the stories string together with a rhythm that replicates car travel. The pacing of the novel is perfection as is the vivid characterization of the two aunts and Henry.
This is a wonderful one to read aloud to classes, because there are plenty of laughs to match the insights that Henry comes to realize. Recommend this one to both parents and teachers to share with kids. As for kids, I think this will take some hand-selling to persuade them to try it out, but if they have read and enjoyed other Horvath novels, many of them will be more than willing to look past the cover and head off on this wonderful road trip.