RICK by Alex Gino

Many readers will remember Melissa and her journey as a young transgender girl in the book GEORGE. Author Alex Gino has returned to Melissa's world, but this time the focus is on one of her classmates, Rick. Rick's story is sure to help even more readers wondering and questioning their place in the world. 

Rick considers Jeff his best friend. Jeff may not be liked by some other kids, but Rick likes the fact that Jeff will restart a video game so he can join in even if it means Jeff's character dies. Rick is comfortable hanging out at Jeff's and Jeff is willing to come hang out at Rick's. However, recently Rick has not been feeling comfortable when Jeff makes crude comments about girls. 

Just before Rick's sister heads off to college, he tries to have a conversation about the fact that he isn't attracted to girls the way Jeff is. His sister tells him not to worry and even asks if maybe Rick is into guys rather than girls. Rick is pretty sure that's not the case either.

As he starts middle school, Rick is a bit overwhelmed by the fact that kids from a number of different elementary schools are being thrown together in one school. It is quickly obvious to Rick that many of the new kids think Jeff is a jerk. Rick is also surprised that his own grandfather announces that he thinks Jeff might be a jerk, too.

When Rick sees the posters advertising a student group called Rainbow Spectrum, he decides to attend the first meeting to hopefully find some answers. He makes sure Jeff doesn't know he's going to the meeting because he certainly doesn't need that kind of hassle. The kids at the meeting are friendly and leave Rick with a lot to think about, and he really begins to question his friendship instincts when discovers Jeff defacing the Rainbow Spectrum club posters. Maybe Jeff is a jerk.

RICK is targeted at middle grade readers, but any reader looking for a better understanding of sexuality and all it encompasses will find RICK a thoughtful and encouraging read.

THE SILENCE BETWEEN US by Alison Gervais

Maya is starting her senior year in a new school away from her lifelong friends. When her mother's company transferred her to Colorado, it meant Maya would have to leave Pratt, a high school for the deaf. Now Maya would be attend Engelmann, what she calls a hearing school.

Having lost her hearing after an illness when she was thirteen, Maya managed to learn signing and she was now comfortable with her new world. With the help of Kathleen an interpreter provided by her new school, Maya just wanted to get this year over with and head to college. 

On her first day she is assigned Nina as a guide to her classes and the rest of what makes up Engelmann. Nina seems nice enough, but she doesn't sign and like most of the people Maya meets, doesn't understand she needs to look at Maya directly if there's any hope of lipreading. In her first class, Maya also meets Beau. It is soon clear that he is an excellent student and involved in student council and most of the other extracurricular activities. He has a great smile and cute dimples, but Maya knows better than to fall for a hearing boy.

Much to Maya's surprise, Beau begins signing, and as the weeks go by, he's getting pretty good. More relaxed with both Beau and Nina, Maya begins to adjust and become part of the Engelmann community. Her new friends begin to reveal more about their personal lives and Maya lets down her guard as well.

THE SILENCE BETWEEN US by Alison Gervais is a interesting read as two worlds, the hearing and the deaf, are woven together. Gervais relies on her own experience as a deaf individual which lends believability to Maya and her relationships with the other characters in her life. Overall, I highly recommend as an addition to any collection representing diversity and inclusion.

DANCING AT THE PITY PARTY by Tyler Feder

DANCING AT THE PITY PARTY: A Dead Mom Graphic Memoir by Tyler Feder details a mother/daughter relationship after the mother's diagnosis and death from cancer. Ten years after her mother's passing, Tyler Feder has created this inspiring graphic memoir that chronicles the emotions of loss.

Tyler's mother received a stage four cancer diagnosis at the end of Tyler's first year in college. Their relationship had always been a close one, and Tyler considered her mother a best friend. She fondly recalls her mother's unique personality and individual quirks remembered from childhood. The strength and guidance her mother provided are what helped Tyler manage as she watched her mother struggle through treatments and ultimately fade away. 

Whether readers have had similar experiences or come to this amazing book without personally knowing the pain of loss, they will appreciate Tyler Feder's brutal honesty about the pain caused by losing a loved one much too early. Filled with compassion, hurt, and often humor, DANCING AT THE PITY PARTY is a courageous story that needs to be shared.

HURRICANE SEASON by Nicole Melleby

HURRICANE SEASON is the story of music, art, love, and mental illness. A tender, yet powerful story that will remain deeply etched in the minds of most readers.

Fig's mother left her shortly after her birth. Living with her father has always been a challenge. He clearly loves Fig, but there are times when he "leaves" Fig to disappear into his own mind. Once a talented musician and composer, he gives private piano lessons when he can and his attempts at composition can be found crumpled around his piano.

Living off the royalties of pieces he sold years ago, father and daughter live in a small house along the coast of New Jersey. In addition to music, Fig's father is fascinated by storms. He connects to their power and beauty in a way Fig doesn't understand. The real trouble began when Fig was forced to call the police to rescue him as he stood at the water's edge watching a hurricane come ashore. That's when authorities from social service started their file on Fig and her father.

Keeping him safe and keeping his condition a secret become Fig's most important goals in life. Little does she know that a friend from school and the tall stranger who moves into the yellow house across the street will soon become two people she can count on to help her discover what's best for her dad.

Nicole Melleby's novel HURRICANE SEASON is a must read for anyone looking for a better understanding of living with mental illness. It's scary and inspiring and filled with love.

JACK KEROUAC IS DEAD TO ME by Gae Polisner

Relationships are proving difficult for JL Markham. Her father has been away on business for over a year. During his infrequent contacts, JL feels their former closeness slipping away. Her mother isn't handling his absence well. Typically plagued by depression, things have gotten even worse, and JL's grandmother is in denial about just how rocky things are getting. 

In the past JL relied on her best friend Aubrey for support and guidance, but when they started high school, Aubrey began hanging out with new friends who haven't welcomed JL into their circle. Now the only person JL can trust is Max Gordon. He's a senior and at nineteen he's older than 10th grade JL. Definitely seen as a "bad boy" by most, she prefers to keep their relationship on the downlow. That isn't hard with her father across the country and her mother out of it most of the time. Nana, having married young and remained a romantic, thinks Max is perfect.

Butterflies also give JL comfort. She is fascinated with them and with a little early birthday money from Nana, she has a setup for raising several tropical varieties. When she isn't at school, she spends most of her time in her room with Max and the butterflies. 

Loving Max is easy. Recently, he's been a bit more insistent that he wants to have sex. He knows just how to make JL feel good, but she wants to wait until she's sixteen. They have come close to completing the act, but JL manages to stop him, promising more soon. Max makes it known that upon graduation he plans to head to California on motorcycle, and he wants JL to come with him. As JL's other relationships crumble, she decides that she will join him and even help finance his plan.

JACK KEROUAC IS DEAD TO ME by Gae Polisner is an intense and emotional tale of a young girl's first love and her efforts to find stability in a chaotic family. JL is pulled in multiple directions by her need for connections and her thoughts that independence will free her from the pressure she feels at home. With her smooth style author Gae Polisner gently pulls readers into JL's life where they will at times reel with the sensual aspects and other times fume with the frustration that leaps off the pages.

GOLDEN ARM by Carl Deuker

Carl Deuker is the perfect author for teen readers who would rather play sports than read about them. His books feature enough play-by-play action to keep the attention of sports fans combined with just the right amount of human interaction for readers looking for more than just a story about sweaty athletes. GOLDEN ARM is Deuker's latest addition, and this reader hit it out of the park in two days.

Living in a rundown trailer park with his mother and half-brother means that the odds are against Laz Weathers. He's been playing baseball as long as he can remember, but recently he's been recognized for his excellent pitching, and now he has hopes of using his arm as a way to improve his future.

Going into his senior year at North Central, Laz learns the bad news that the school is dropping its baseball program. His chances of breaking into the professional baseball are dwindling quickly. Playing in a neighborhood summer league gets Laz into some games where his talent might get noticed, but major league scouts aren't likely to show up at some crappy city league game.

When Laz strikes out local hitting star Ian Thurman during one of the summer games, he gets his break. Ian's father invites Laz to join the Laurelhurst fall practice program. It's all above board since Laz's home school isn't offering a program this year. If all goes well in the fall practices, Laz might be invited to join the team at Laurelhurst.

Despite the fact that Laz's brother Antonio seems to be getting mixed up in a drug selling ring, and they are about to lose their home because a development company plans to demolish the trailer park, Laz's baseball career is revived. The Laurelhurst coach does want Laz's talent on his team when the season starts. Mr. Thurman offers Laz a place to stay in his home so going to Laurelhurst for his last semester and playing baseball for a team whose talent frequently draws big league scouts, means Laz's baseball dreams are still possible.

Now it's up to Laz to provide the discipline and dedication needed to seal the deal. Can he compete on a championship team? Will his family support his efforts? Or, will things fall apart just when they are about to go his way?

THE ORACLE CODE by Marieke Nijkamp

Barbara Gordon was on the rooftop with her best friend when she was shot. Now in a wheelchair, she is dropped off at the Arkham Center for Independence for physical and emotional rehab. She isn't planning to stay long, let alone get close to any of the other "inmates," but she didn't expect to meet Jena Newton.

On one of Barbara's first nights at ACI, little Jena enters Barbara's room and offers her help after Barbara awakens from a nightmare. Jena begins a regular routine of telling Barbara stories. She says the stories have helped her twin brother who escaped a house fire that took the lives of their parents.

Shortly after Jena's nightly stories begin, she comes to Barbara for help. She says she can't find her brother. He has disappeared from ACI. Barbara's hobby of hacking computers to solve mysteries kicks in and she leaps at the chance to help Jena, hoping it will help keep her mind off her own loss.

THE ORACLE CODE, a graphic novel by Marieke Nijkamp, follows Barbara's quest to find the missing boy and further investigate questionable activities in the center. Finding a hidden therapy area has Barbara and her new friends concerned about just exactly what goes on in the place they have been took will help them. Diversity abounds in this graphic mystery.

NOT IF I CAN HELP IT by Carolyn Mackler

First of all, don't you just love the eye-catching cover?! That alone will have the target middle grade students grabbing it off the shelf. They will also find the story inside won't disappoint.

Fifth grade Willa struggles with a condition known as Sensory Processing Disorder. If she were to explain it, she would say she isn't as comfortable in her body as most people are in theirs. However, Willa chooses not to reveal her condition to anyone outside her family. Her biweekly visits with Maureen, an occupational therapist, help Willa control her fidgets and feelings for the most part. She keeps her at home behavior/reward charts a secret. Her parents and her brother understand her peculiar habits and help her keep on track.

Willa loves legos, gummy bears, and her best friend Ruby. Willa and Rudy are eagerly awaiting their middle school letters that will indicate which middle school they'll be attending next year. Both of them are hoping their test scores and interviews have earned them spots at Maya A., one of the most prestigious schools in the city. 

It has taken awhile, but Willa has finally adjusted to her parents' divorce. Living in the city with her father Monday-Friday and with her mother and step-father on the weekend has become normal. But, things are about to change for Willa and her friend Ruby.

When the girls learn that Willa's father and Ruby's mother have fallen in love and plan to marry, their reactions couldn't be any different. Ruby is thrilled and Willa is scared to death. What will happen when her best friend becomes her sister? What will happen when Ruby learns Willa's secret?

Author Carolyn Mackler does a superb job painting a picture of the struggle of living with Sensory Processing Disorder and dealing with impending life as a blended family. Readers will immediately become fans of Willa and Ruby. They will root for them as they come to terms with their changing lives. It isn't easy to make the necessary adjustments as disappointments threaten the girls' dreams of the future, and characters like the awful Avery create unwanted tension. Pick up a copy for the middle grade readers in your life. Now, I'm off to see if KEEN shoes really exist because if they do, I'm buying a pair!

JANE ANONYMOUS by Laurie Faria Stolarz

If you are looking for a suspenseful read to take your mind off daily worries, give JANE ANONYMOUS a try. Laurie Faria Stolarz ramps up the tension in this novel that alternates between "Then" and "Now" as a young girl deals with the trauma of  being abducted.

Jane was simply picking up her friend's birthday gift when her life took a frightening turn. It was after hours, but the good looking guy pleading at the door convinced her to open the store. His story was that he had to pick up a gift for his girlfriend or their relationship would be over. A little disappointed that his pick was a bracelet Jane herself had been coveting, she prepared to sell it to him. What was supposed to be a quick sale to help out a guy in a romantic jam, became seven long months held captive and traumatized beyond her wildest dreams.

Jane never made it to Shelly's house with the birthday gift. Instead, she has drugged and thrust into the trunk of her abductor's car. When she woke, she was in a totally white room with the bare necessities. Fear drives Jane to extremes as she struggles to survive. At times she rebels and refuses to eat, sleep, or bathe. Other times she realizes if she follows her captor's rules she might be able to convince him to release her or at least use his point system to earn rewards she could eventually use to escape. 

A friendship with a fellow captive named Mason helps Jane cope during her seven month ordeal. When she manages to escape and return to her family, she is shocked to discover how much she misses Mason, and even more shocked to discover that no one believes he was even real.

Readers learn Jane's story through the memories of her time held captive and her present struggle to readjust to the world when she returns. She definitely struggles with PTSD as she copes with horrific memories and tries to communicate her fears with parents and friends who just can't understand.

AUGGIE & ME: Three WONDER Stories by R.J. Palacio

After recently reading WHITE BIRD by R.J. Palacio, I realized I had never read my copy of AUGGIE & ME. Since the character of Julian, featured in the Palacio books, is one of the three stories, I decided to move it up to the top of my pile. I highly recommend it for any fans of WONDER who haven't read it yet.

Julian, Christopher, and Charlotte all have roles in the original WONDER. Each of them interacts with Auggie in their own way, but that isn't particularly the focus of AUGGIE & ME.

Julian shares his struggles after bullying Auggie. His suspension, his upcoming move to a new school, and his summer in France learning more about the sacrifices of his Grandmere. He eventually understands the true meaning of remorse and the importance of kindness.

Christopher and Auggie were the best of friends beginning almost before their births. Life takes people on different journeys, and Christopher learns how those different paths can disrupt even the most solid friendships.

Charlotte is proud of her good grades and her excellent reputation. When a change in her circle of friends shakes her confidence, she begins to have doubts about whether being nice is worth her time and energy. She discovers there is a difference between being nice and being kind.

DOG DRIVEN by Terry Lynn Johnson

Fourteen year old McKenna has been dogsledding since she could walk. Her mother was a champion racer, and McKenna is following in her footsteps. The Great Superior Mail Run race will be the longest race McKenna has ever entered, but there's another reason she wants to win this one. Emma, McKenna's little sister, is providing the motivation for McKenna to enter and win this race. Emma was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, a degenerative condition that destroys the retina eventually resulting in blindness. 

The Great Superior Mail Run race pays tribute to the mail couriers who used to deliver mail by dogsled back in the 1800s. The race will follow one of the routes used by the original mail couriers, and as an additional challenge, each of the modern-day dogsled racers must carry a bag of letters across the finish line. The letters McKenna will be carrying have been written by the students in Emma's class. Emma's letter is particularly special as she wrote it to the Foundation for Fighting Blindness asking for research to fight Stargardt disease.

As McKenna prepares for the race, she hides a secret. For some time now, her own vision has been deteriorating. Recent changes in her sight have her convinced that she also has Stargardt disease. Winning the race could help her sister, and it could also show her parents that she can be independent even though her vision is compromised. But, it is soon clear to McKenna that running her dogs and keeping her condition a secret may be more of a challenge than she bargained for.

DOG DRIVEN by Terry Lynn Johnson has just the right combination of action, emotion, and history to appeal to middle grade readers and up. This Junior Library Guild Selection book is a fast-paced, must-read. I hope to read more about McKenna Barney and her future adventures.

WHITE BIRD by R.J. Palacio

R.J. Palacio is the author of the well-known book WONDER. In her graphic novel debut, she continues the story of Julian, a character many will remember as the bully who torments Auggie Pullman. WHITE BIRD sheds new light on Julian and lets readers know that his outlook on life and his understanding of his role as a human being has changed.

Julian has a school project that requires a report about a person he knows. He decides to ask his grandmother to share the story of her experience as a young, Jewish girl during WW II. Through a Facetime communication, Julian's grandmother remembers her childhood and the years she spent hiding from the Nazis in wartime France.

A major focus of Sara's story is the young boy, who despite being crippled by polio, risks his life to help her survive and avoid capture during the Holocaust. She learns to value kindness and sacrifice while hiding in a barn on the his family's property. Her story also explains the significance of the name Julian that she later gave her own son, and that he in turn passed on to her grandson. 

Before hearing his grandmother's story, Julian admits that he regrets his past actions toward Auggie, and after learning about her experiences, Julian recognizes that kindness can have an even more important impact than he imagined.

WHITE BIRD should be placed proudly on bookshelves next to memorable books such as THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL, NIGHT, and NUMBER THE STARS. R.J. Palacio illustrates that understanding the role of kindness in history must serve as an example to humanity today.

SICK KIDS IN LOVE by Hannah Moskowitz

SPOILER ALERT: (Right on the front of the dust jacket) "They don't die in this one."

Isabel is a junior in high school. At around the age of 8, she was diagnosed with RA - rheumatoid arthritis. With the help of routine infusions, she lives a fairly normal life. Pain is a familiar part of that life, but having a doctor for a father means she is given the advantage of the latest treatment options.

On thing Isabel has decided is that dating is not for her. She believes it is easier, safer, and just plan better that way. It has never even been an issue until the day she meets Sasha. Isabel is sitting in the hospital as her medication dips through the IV into her arm when a pale, yet handsome, young man enters. He is soon hooked up to a similar IV and conversation begins.

Sasha was sick the moment he was born. When it was discovered that he suffered from Gaucher disease, his life became a battle to keep things on an even keel. Fortunately, his version of the disease is the one that allows its victims to live a normal span, but that doesn't mean there aren't complications along the way. 

Long story short, Isabel and Sasha connect again at the hospital and quickly become friends. Their friendship isn't exactly focused on their individual illnesses, but their health issues provide a common ground that neither of them can ignore. Now Isabel must decide if it is time to end her pact to never date. Sasha makes it very tempting to just jump right into a relationship, but relationships are always easy, safe, or better.

SICK KIDS IN LOVE by Hannah Moskowitz is a refreshing tale of two teens exploring what it means to take a chance with love and all the ups and downs of a romantic relationship. Moskowitz crafts realistic characters and true to life situations that are captivating and inspiring.