SHAKEN by James Preller

 

Kristy's world is all about soccer. She's only thirteen, but she is already playing at the varsity level. Everyone says she'll probably win national awards and maybe play at the Olympic level someday. Soccer is on her mind as soon as she wakes in the morning and fills her dreams at night.

She doesn't really remember the play that put her on the sidelines. All she remembers is lying on the ground with her coach and players asking if she is okay. Doctors diagnose her with a severe concussion. What follows are horrible headaches, dizziness, blurry vision, sensitivity to light, and the inability to concentrate. She is told to rest, and things will improve.

How long will it take for things to improve? When will she be able to play again? She is even wondering when she will be able to sit through a day at school. Doing her classwork at home isn't working. She's failing all her classes, and she's pretty sure all her teammates hate her because the team isn't doing well. Her dad isn't talking to her, and her mother seems constantly disappointed in her. 

Months pass as Kristy tries to figure out what will happen if she can't play anymore. Maybe she doesn't even want to play anymore.

Author James Preller artfully captures the pain and disability of concussion for a young athlete. A condition that used to be dismissed as just part of sport, concussion is now getting the attention it deserves. Preller shows readers how Kristy must deal with the physical and emotional impact of a potentially career ending injury. I highly recommend SHAKEN for middle grade, high school, and even adult readers.

THE WRONG WAY HOME by Kate O'Shaughnessy

 

Fern has lived at the Ranch with her mother for six years. She was only six when they moved here after years of moving from one place to another. Dr. Ben is in charge of the Ranch. He makes the rules and makes sure everything runs smoothly. They make their own clothes, raise their own food, and keep to themselves. Fern loves it there.

Dr. Ben pulls Fern aside and tells her he would like her to celebrate her rite of passage in a few months. Fern isn't even thirteen yet, but Dr. Ben tells her he knows she is ready. She is just about to tell her mother the exciting news when her mother packs their few things and drives them off under the cover of darkness.

At first Fern believes Dr. Ben has sent her and her mother on a mission "off site," but soon she realizes that isn't the case. They drive for days from the Ranch in upstate New York all the way to California. Fern loves the sight of the Pacific Ocean, but she isn't sure about her mother's decision to stop in a small town where she gets a job cleaning rooms in a motel. They unpack their things in one of the rooms. It becomes clear this is going to be "home."

Fern begs her mother to take her back to the Ranch, but Fern realizes she will have to find a way to contact Dr. Ben so he can rescue her. She uses her wits and the resources she discovers at school to figure out how to find an address for the Ranch. Even though she is becoming more comfortable in this new place, she sends off a letter and waits to hear from Dr. Ben.

Author Kate O'Shaughnessy weaves an intricate tale of intrigue and suspense. Readers gradually discover the true nature of the Ranch and the reasons why Fern and her mother are probably safer and better off in this small town by the ocean. 

JUPITER RISING by Gary D. Schmidt

 

One of my favorite books is ORBITING JUPITER by Gary D. Schmidt. I was thrilled to meet him several years ago and even more excited to learn there would be a companion book. JUPITER RISING was just released, and I read it in a day! It has the same emotional impact as the first book as well as the same feeling of love and heartbreak.

Jack is still dealing with the loss of Joseph. Having his parents adopt baby Jupiter has made life bearable. She is now three years old. She follows Jack around the farm and brightens everyone's day. When Jack starts running cross country and training with a boy named Jay Perkins, he begins to gain some much-needed confidence. Much to his surprise, Jay and Jupiter also become fast friends.

All is going well until Jupiter's grandparents show up and threaten to sue for full custody of Joseph's little girl. Will Jack lose his only connection to his foster brother? Will losing Jupiter mean he can't keep the promise he made to Joseph?

If you haven't read ORBITING JUPITER, grab a copy soon. Once you read it, you'll want to follow up with JUPITER RISING to learn the rest of the story. 

DAD'S GIRLFRIEND AND OTHER ANXIETIES by Kellye Crocker

 

It's been just Ava and her dad for as long as she can remember. Her mother died when she was just a baby. Father and daughter get along quite well, that is until he gets a girlfriend.

Having a girlfriend is okay with Ava, but when Ava's dad announces a trip to Colorado to meet the girlfriend and her daughter, it triggers Ava's anxiety. They will be gone for two weeks! They will be flying! And, they will be going to one of the most dangerous states in the U.S.! Mountains, bears, altitude sickness - how will they ever survive.

Once they arrive, even more surprises pop up. They will be going up into the mountains for days. There will be hiking, horseback riding, and a Mud Run obstacle course. What is her father thinking? Will Ava discover that she is braver than she thought? Will she discover other people have similar worries? Will she discover her father doesn't know everything there is to know about the girlfriend?

Author Kellye Crocker takes readers into Ava's world where they will experience her worries and her fears. She doesn't always make good choices and learns there can be consequences she never anticipated. 

SYNC by Ellen Hopkins

 

Readers will be immediately hooked on Hopkins' newest characters, Storm and Lake. These twins have pretty much everything stacked against them from the very beginning. Life with their mother and Beverly (grandmother) is not ideal, and when their mother decides they are too much of a bother, they end up in foster care.

A few placements keep them together, but that doesn't last. Both end up bouncing from home to home, and for the last four years they haven't seen each other at all.

Storm is living with a man named Jim. They get along well. Jim even encourages Storm to stay on the straight and narrow. Storm's temper doesn't make that easy. After his girlfriend in raped, Storm badly beats her attacker and lands himself in juvenile detention. Given his current anger, things don't go well for Storm.

Lake ends up in a placement with a girl named Parker. They develop a relationship and fall in love. When they are caught in bed together, they decide to run instead of being split up and sent to separate homes. Life on the streets is not kind to either of them. Parker disappears for days, leaving Lake alone. She decides foster care is a better way to live and returns to the system.

Following Storm and Lake's stories will surely touch the hearts of readers. Their stories are tough and focus on a system that doesn't always work for kids in need. Hopkins' direct and often hard verse has been criticized, but her stories tell a truth that needs to be heard.