Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick.

Released in October.

It rarely happens, but every so often I start reading a book and realize on the first page that this is a book I am really going to enjoy.  This is one of those books. 

Alex is a 16-year-old who is angry at his parents for splitting up.  So he decides to shake them up a little by driving to his father’s house and telling him off.  Unfortunately, Alex has also been drinking and ends up beheading a neighbors lawn gnome. 

Alex is sentenced to 100 hours of service at a senior center where he is assigned to their toughest resident, Sol Lewis, a wise-cracking, hard-as-nails man who completely confuses Alex by calling him names in Yiddish.  Slowly and realistically, Alex and Sol begin to bond through their guitar playing and humor. 

The writing in this book is zingy, sparkling and energizing.  It is pure pleasure to read the wry observations of Alex that play off of Sol’s insults.  The adults, from Sol to the nurses to Alex’s parents, are well-drawn and fleshed out.  The novel speaks to the power of music, forgiveness of family members, and the forging of new connections.  But it is not heavyhanded because of the infectious humor.   There is no sex in the novel and the only violence comes from a beheading of a lawn ornament and Alex’s best friend Laurie’s anger at a headboard.   Teens with a sense of humor, and that is most of them, will enjoy this book. 

Readers are sometimes warned to have a tissue ready, but in this case make sure you are reading where you can laugh out loud.    This one makes it on to my top five of the year.  Solidly. 

Let’s Play in the Forest While the Wolf Is Not Around by Claudia Rueda. 

This winning picture book is based on a Colombian play-song and has the simple melody appended at the end of the book.  You can either read the book aloud or choose to sing it.  Either way, it is a lot of fun.  The book is about a group of animals who decide that they are going to play in the forest as long as the wolf is not there.  They call out, “Wolf are you there?” and the wolf replies that he is putting on his underwear, combing his hair, etc.  Then the next verse starts with them once again declaring that they will  play in the forest.  It goes round and round again, rhythmically building the tension as the wolf gets more and more ready….for school.

This is a natural read aloud that kids will adore.  It is even better if you learn the simple melody and sing it along with the children.  I can see this becoming a staple in preschools that is asked for again and again.  Enjoy!

Lush by Natasha Friend.

Sam is a teenage girl living in an alcoholic household.  She can’t have friends over for sleep overs, has to hide her father’s drinking from the neighbors, and finds herself getting angrier and angrier.  To relieve some of the pressure, she picks a nice looking older teen to send a note to about her situation.  But the note doesn’t get read by the person she wants it to.  Instead she finds herself not getting sympathy, but getting tough love.  Sam keeps on writing, intrigued by the person writing her back.  As her father’s drinking becomes worse, Sam finds that she can no longer help him by hiding it. 

Friend, author of Perfect, has done it again.  She has created a well-written, accessible book about a real teen girl who has to make heart-rending decisions that not only affect her but her entire family.  The book is a quick read that is sure to be popular with teen girls looking for problem novels.  But they will discover that some problem novels, like this one, are the best of the bunch.

Ella Sets the Stage by Carmela and Steven D’Amico.

If you haven’t read any of the Ella books yet, you are missing a treat.  The books have an old-fashioned feel of Babar and Curious George that is warm and welcoming.  Ella is an enchanting elephant who is quite shy.  So for her, it is hard to figure out what to do at the upcoming talent show at her school.  She tries and tries to figure out what her talent actually is, but even on the night of the show, she doesn’t know what she is going to do.  Luckily, her natural talent of helping others comes to the rescue. 

These picture books are slightly longer than most, but don’t let that turn you away.  The text flows well and tells a direct story with touches of humor throughout.  It is the perfect length for use with Kindergarteners.  Make sure you go back and share the whole series!