ALL RISE FOR THE HONORABLE PERRY T. COOK by Leslie Connor

 

Published in 2016, I somehow missed this treasure. Author Leslie Connor explores something I never would have thought about. Perry T. Cook was born in a minimum-security prison. His mother was incarcerated when she learned she was pregnant. With the help of a sympathetic warden, Perry ends up living with his mother for eleven years.

The warden acting as a sort of foster parent, creates a nursery in a small unused room that later becomes Perry's room. He gets to see his mother every day and many of the other residents become like family as he grows up. Perry attends school in a nearby town where he is best friends with a girl named Zoe. Zoe and several other people on the outside know Perry's story, but he tries to keep it fairly quiet.

Trouble starts when the local district attorney learns about Perry and decides living in a prison is not the life a kid should have. When Perry is told he will have to leave the only home he's ever known, he is devastated. 

Author Leslie Connor takes readers into life at the prison and the lives and mistakes made by those who have been sentenced to time behind bars. When Perry decides to interview some of the residents for a school project, readers learn why some of them have been given prison time. Perry is able to reveal that life may be different for some people, but everyone has something to offer.

A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING by Dan Santat

 

Presenting the National Book Award Winner, Dan Santat, and his amazing graphic tale. In A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING, Santat presents a time in his life filled with moments many teens will find totally relatable. As he leaves middle school, Santat's parents encourage him to experience the world on a school trip to Europe.

Through his great drawings and witty dialogue, readers will experience the trip right along with Santat. Not the most popular kid, he tries to spread his wings and join the crowd. Although, things don't always end well, he does experience his first love as well as some awesome sight-seeing in several European countries. Filled with heart-warming firsts and interesting characters, the Book Award was well-deserved. Perfect for middle school and high school collections.

FIELD OF SCREAMS by Wendy Parris

 

I'm always on the look out for a good middle grade mystery since they are sometimes hard to find. FIELD OF SCREAMS caught my attention with its great cover design and awesome title. I recommend it for anyone.

Rebecca has always been fascinated by ghosts, and when her friend gives her a book of ghost stories, her fascination intensifies. She takes it along on a trip to Iowa with her mother. The trip is supposed to provide time for her mother to work on writing her thesis for her PhD, and while they are staying with Rebecca's uncle and aunt, Rebecca is supposed to help out by babysitting her little cousin.

It doesn't take long for strange things to begin happening. Rebecca feels a chill in the air, hears sounds from the locked attic, and is sure she sees ghosts. When she learns from her father's younger brother that her father was also interested in ghosts, Rebecca is determined to find answers to the strange happenings on the Iowa farm and its surroundings.

Author Wendy Parris weaves together family stories, old diary entries, faded photos, and a mysterious, soon to be demolished house to create a truly creepy tale. FIELD OF DREAMS is a real page-turner.

ONE IN A MILLION by Claire Lordon

 

Being one in a million is not always a good thing. Also, as the cover states, "High school is hard enough without a mysterious illness."

In this graphic memior by author/illustrator Claire Lordon, readers will learn the painful story of her battle to have her mysterious illness diagnosed and treated. In her young teens Claire began experiencing an illness that caused symptoms like weight gain, acne, hair loss/excessive hair growth, and agonizing headaches. Multiple doctor appointments and tons of tests later, no one seemed to know what was causing the symptoms. By age 17, Claire is desperately trying to keep going to school, staying active, and managing some sort of life all the while wanting someone to figure out what is wrong with her.

Finally, Claire is diagnosed with Cushings disease which is caused by a tumor on her pituitary gland. Claire bravely takes readers through the years' worth of surgeries and treatment after her diagnosis. She tells of the anxiety, stress, and depression she experiences. She says her story has a happy ending, but she also shares the continued issues she lives with on a daily basis.

PROJECT F by Jeanne DuPrau

 

Jeanne DuPrau, author of the CITY OF EMBER series, has revisited the future in PROJECT F. It is several hundred years in the future and the use of fossil fuels is against the law. Life has changed, but everyone hopes it is for the good of the world.

Keith volunteers to take the train to pick up his young cousin Lulu. He sees it as being helpful to his busy parents and also as a brief adventure. Lulu parents tragically drowned in the ocean leaving her an orphan. It is a two-day train ride there and back to pick up Lulu and bring her back to live with Keith and his parents.

When there is a mix-up with Keith's bag and that of another passenger on the train, it results in a short detour as Keith and Lulu make the return trip. This detour uncovers an exciting secret. Keith ends up as part of an experiment that has him flying in a sort of jet pack invention. The flight is thrilling, but Keith and Lulu are sworn to secrecy.

Keith later finds himself involved in a demonstration of the new machine, but in the meantime, he learns that it is powered by coal which is one of the illegal fossil fuels. Should he still participate in the demonstration or should he turn in the men to the authorities for using the forbidden fuel?

JAWBREAKER by Christina Wyman

 

Max Plink is dealing with a lot. It is bad enough that she's in middle school where bullies abound, but she has become the perfect target. Max has what many call buck teeth. She has braces which are bad enough, but now she has headgear. Although, she doesn't have to wear it to school, she has to wear all the rest of the time.

Max's orthodontist explains that Max may have to have jaw surgery. It would require breaking her jaw and then wiring it shut for a time. She'd eat through a straw with the only bright side being she might get to eat a lot of ice cream. Wearing the headgear, Max calls the Jawbreaker, is treatment that might make the jaw surgery unnecessary. In the meantime, her jaw aches and the headgear feels like torture.

Other complications in Max's life include her parents constant fighting about money and her father's drinking problem, her annoying sister, and a best friend who seems to be keeping secrets like she never has before. When she's not worrying about all that, her horrible teeth have the bullies relentlessly teasing her at school and every day on the bus. No one seems to understand what Max is dealing with.

Author Christina Wyman has created a story many readers will relate to. Whether it's braces, parental problems, sibling issues, or bullying, there is plenty to keep readers on the edge of their seats.