I just finished listening to Becoming Naomi Leon by Pan Munoz Ryan on audiocassette. What a wonderful way to discover this gem of a book. This book has gotten great reviews from many places and I completely agree.
This is one of those books that is perfect for teachers to use in a classroom setting, as long as they are comfortable with the Spanish words scattered throughout. Teachers, parents, share this one with a kid, especially a girl, and they will love it. Personally, I had problems stopping the car when I got to the end of my drive because then the story would end. It was one that I couldn’t wait to return to, not only to find out what happened next but also to be re-immersed in Lemontree and Mexico.

Ghost Girl by Delia Ray (0-618-33377-0)
In the remote Blue Ridge Mountains, April, called Ghost Girl because she is so blonde and skinny, lives with her parents. Her entire family is still grieving the death of her younger brother. When President Herbert Hoover builds a school for the children in her area, April desperately wants to attend, but her mother refuses. Luckily, April’s grandmother, Aunt Birdy, steps in and convinces her mother to let her attend. This is the first step in a series of changes in April’s life and future.
When I started this book, I had expected the normal poor girl off to school story, but this becomes something different part-way through. It becomes a story of courage, of individualism, and of honesty. The story has its own rhythm that is very natural and unforced. When picking it up again, it is like returning home. Lovely writing combined with interesting characters and a plot that has nice pacing, makes this a great book to recommend to kids. I only wish the cover was a bit more kid-friendly. It will take a bit of pushing to get kids to try this, but I expect that they too will tumble happily into April’s world.

Messenger by Lois Lowry (0-618-40441-4)
I took a few days to digest this one and to read some of the postings on email lists about children’s lit. Unlike many others, I really enjoyed this book. And I was simply amazed that people read The Giver and thought that Jonas died! Of course he lived! Ah well, that ambiguity at the end was what made the book work.
I would heartily recommend this one to kids who have read the other two books. It contains the same sort of magic as the other two. Once again, I was caught up in this world that Lowry has created and left breathless and amazed at the ending.

SECRETS IN THE FIRE by Henning Mankell (1-55037-801-5)
This amazing book based on a true story has a breathtaking heroine named Sofia who lives war-torn Mozambique. Her village is attacked, her father killed, and she flees with her mother, sister and younger brother. After travelling on foot for an amazing distance, they reach a new village where people driven from other destroyed villages have come together. This new village is surrounded by landmines, and people are told to keep to the paths. Sofia is playing a game and steps off the path and onto a mine. The rest of the story tells how she survives against all odds.
The cover of the book grows more and more evocative as you read the book. The deep oranges, purples and browns grow richer and Sofia’s eyes more and more wise.
This gem of a book will have to be brought to kids’ attention. Give it to children who like true stories, adventures, and tragedy. Those girls looking for books that are sad and have lots of emotional tugs will really enjoy this one.

THE FIRST PART LAST by Angela Johnson (0-689-84922-2)
With all of the awards this book has won, including the Coretta Scott King and the Printz, it is not surprising to hear that I loved it!
This is the story of Bobby, who decides to keep his baby daughter Feather rather than giving her up for adoption. It is written with poetry and strength. Images here will stay with you long after you finish. Bravery is captured here, as is shame and heartbreak and hope. It is simply a lovely book.
The cover is one of the best I have seen and will help the book circulate well. Teens of both sexes will enjoy it immensely. And even better than enjoying it, they will come away with insight that they did not have.
Wonderful! My only regret is that I cannot read it for the first time all over again.

Target by Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson (0-7613-1932-8)
Grady was attacked by two men and raped a year ago. Now he is starting a new school, many pounds thinner, unable to eat, unable to speak, unable to stop thinking about what happened to him. He builds a shell around himself, not interacting with anyone, but then Jess enters his life. Jess is a chatty kid who deals with Grady’s silence by talking even more. This novel is a testament to friends who will accept you as you are.
I really enjoyed this book. Grady’s pain is shown so clearly that the reader’s own bones begin to ache with it. Jess is the perfect character to have next to Grady’s pain with his wisecracks, bad language, and kindness. The unlikely pair are what make the entire book work. It would have been far too painful a book without Jess.
This book is one that I would want kids to find on their own. It has a graphic depiction of the rape through a series of flashbacks. It also has a large amount of profanity. It is a powerful book that will stay with the reader long after they finish.

The Battle of Jericho by Sharon M. Draper (0-689-84232-5)
Jericho is a teen who just wants to have a girlfriend and belong. When he is invited to pledge to the Warriors of Distinction, he is thrilled. But as the pledging week continues, Jericho is drawn deeper and deeper into a dark web of hazing.
This is an important book for teens to read. The voices of the characters are authentic and the pace of the book brings the reader along with the characters, building the tension and horror at what is being done. Where is the line between teasing and hazing? What should a person do? The answers are not easily found here, but the path to the answers is.
Recommended for teen boys. The tension and fast pace will let more reluctant readers enjoy the novel too.

Blackwater Ben by William Durbin (0-385-72928-6)
13-year-old Ben spends the winter of 1898 with his father cooking at a lumberjack camp in the northern Minnesota woods. The book is filled with incredible characters like the man who sharpens saws and hasn’t bathed in over 15 years. It also contains facts that bring the hardship of camp to life, like the amazing temperature of -50 degrees below zero, when the horses couldn’t work because they would die from the cold.
Ben is a wonderful narrator, he sees the logging camp from the vantage point of the kitchen, where all the loggers come every day. The story is funny, factual, and colorful.
I would recommend this book to any boy looking for a great read. It would also be a fun book to choose for a kid looking for a historical novel for an assignment. The colorful characters keep the story moving almost as fast as a a team of sawyers can eat 200 scones.

Swear to Howdy by Wendelin Van Draanen (0-375-82505-3)
Rusty and Joey are best friends getting into all sorts of trouble together, putting frogs in older sister’s underwear drawers, plinking cans, and other stunts. Each time trouble find them, they make a blood pact not to tell. But when does friendship mean breaking a promise?
This is a great book for boys. It is fast paced and kids will relate to the sorts of trouble the boys get into. Some parts will have you laughing outloud while others will have you reacting just like the two friends in the story with your mouth open in amazement. The best part of the writing is that it all reads so true to life.
Give this one to boys who are reluctant readers. They will be immediately hooked by the first chapter and enticed by the short length, and they will have discovered a book that is deeper than they ever expected.