1) "Nest" by Esther Ehrlich
A little girl’s world disintegrates after her mother’s illness and severe depression result in family tragedy.
Nicknamed “Chirp” because she loves bird-watching in her native Cape Cod, 11-year-old Naomi’s devoted to her free-spirited mother, who’s always been a dancer. Unfortunately, her mother’s inability to cope with a multiple sclerosis diagnosis leads to her hospitalization for depression. Ironically, Chirp’s hyperanalytical psychiatrist father seems clueless about what’s happening emotionally to his family, while her older sister blames him for sending her mother away. Meanwhile, Chirp quietly withdraws, finding comfort in her birds and the unlikely companionship of her neighbor and classmate, Joey, whose own family has “significant issues.” When her mother returns and commits suicide, Chirp’s shocked, bereft and in deep denial, until Joey helps her find her way. Chirp’s first-person account of how she and her family react to the events leading to her mother’s funeral presents a nuanced chronicle of loss. Ehrlich’s ability to get inside Chirp’s head, to create beautifully rounded characters and to flesh out details of life for this Jewish family in 1972 Cape Cod adds to the overall realism. Frequent textual references to wild birds and relevant children’s books provide interesting depth.
A poignant, insightful story of family crisis and the healing power of friendship. (Historical fiction. 8-12)
2) "Under the Egg" by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
This debut novel weaves art appreciation, restoration and dating techniques, and bits of history from the Renaissance and World War II into a fast-paced mystery.
As the novel opens, 13-year-old Theodora Tenpenny explains her thrifty hobby of collecting trash from the city streets and turning it into useful objects. Then she recounts what happened merely three months ago: She found her adored grandfather, Jack, lying bloodied on a city street and heard his dying exhortation to “Look under the egg.” Theodora, who has spent her life living with her emotionally incapacitated mother and her crusty, artistic, capable grandfather, knows she must follow this clue in order to become the family’s next breadwinner. (Readers must suspend disbelief regarding social services in Manhattan.) Fortuitously, Theodora befriends Bodhi, also 13 but a member of a family of Hollywood celebrities. Theodora’s knowledge of art history and Bodhi’s skills in acting and in technology enable the girls to puzzle out the importance of Jack’s final words. All the characters are relatively flat, including first-person protagonist Theodora, but an original plot with humorous swipes at rich-and-famous lifestyles and authentic references to New York City will keep readers interested. Occasionally, there are awkward or dense passages, but they are balanced by quirky encounters, as with Eddie, a tattooed librarian.
If Dan Brown of The Da Vinci Code wrote middle-grade novels, this would be the one. (Mystery. 9-13)
3) "The Family Romanov" by Candance Fleming
Fleming examines the family at the center of two of the early 20th century’s defining events.
It’s an astounding and complex story, and Fleming lays it neatly out for readers unfamiliar with the context. Czar Nicholas II was ill-prepared in experience and temperament to step into his legendary father’s footsteps. Nicholas’ beloved wife (and granddaughter of Queen Victoria), Alexandra, was socially insecure, becoming increasingly so as she gave birth to four daughters in a country that required a male heir. When Alexei was born with hemophilia, the desperate monarchs hid his condition and turned to the disruptive, self-proclaimed holy man Rasputin. Excerpts from contemporary accounts make it clear how years of oppression and deprivation made the population ripe for revolutionary fervor, while a costly war took its toll on a poorly trained and ill-equipped military. The secretive deaths and burials of the Romanovs fed rumors and speculation for decades until modern technology and new information solved the mysteries. Award-winning author Fleming crafts an exciting narrative from this complicated history and its intriguing personalities. It is full of rich details about the Romanovs, insights into figures such as Vladimir Lenin and firsthand accounts from ordinary Russians affected by the tumultuous events. A variety of photographs adds a solid visual dimension, while the meticulous research supports but never upstages the tale.
A remarkable human story, told with clarity and confidence. (bibliography, Web resources, source notes, picture credits, index) (Nonfiction. 12 & up)
4) "The Riverman" by Aaron Starmer
When a classmate asks him to write her biography, 12-year-old Alistair Cleary never dreams the story will “change everything.”
Growing up in Thessaly, N.Y., in 1989, Alistair’s a good kid who hangs out with Nintendo-obsessed pal Charlie. His enigmatic classmate, neighbor Fiona, announces she’s chosen him to write her biography because he will “dig up the story beneath the story.” Fiona tells Alistair she can travel to a parallel world called Aquavania, where “stories are born” and children with imagination create their own unique worlds. However, the mysterious Riverman is causing children to disappear, and Fiona fears she’s next. Convinced Fiona’s bizarre story hides something bad in her real life, Alistair’s determined to protect her and unearth the truth. But what is the truth, especially when Fiona vanishes after warning Alistair about Charlie and swearing him to secrecy? Alistair’s first-person voice lends immediacy and realism to a haunting story, progressing in intensity from October 13 through November 20, as he discovers people are not who they seem to be and reality is much more than he imagined.
Lines between reality and fantasy blur in this powerful, disquieting tale of lost children, twisted friendship and the power of storytelling. (Fiction. 10-14)
5) "The Greenglass House" by Kate Milford
When his parents’ hotel fills up with a variety of unexpected guests just days before Christmas, Milo is caught up in mysterious goings-on.
The inn, hospitable to smugglers and named for its colored glass windows, sits on cliffs above the river Skidwrack. With the holiday interrupted by the demands of guests iced in by wintry weather, Milo finds both purpose and distraction in a role-playing game introduced by his new young friend, Meddy, and in a book of folklore given to him by a guest. A ghost story, a love story, a story of fabled relics and the tale of a legendary smuggler intertwine while Milo, in his game persona, finds longed-for skills and strengths. Each guest seeks a secret treasure in the old house, while Milo, out of loyalty to his adoptive parents, hardly dares name his own secret quest: to know more about his Chinese heritage. Milford’s storytelling is splendid. Stories within the story are rich and layered; clues are generously offered; even the badly behaved visitors seem fairly good-humored until the worst reveals true perfidy at the last; the many threads of the tale all tie up. Milo’s world seems comfortably contemporary; the current history of his parallel world is mostly background that’s revealed at the close.
An abundantly diverting mystery seasoned with mild fantasy and just a little steampunk.(Mystery/fantasy. 10-14)
6) "The Nethergrim" by Matthew Jobin
A dark fantasy strives for epic grandeur but mostly achieves ponderous squalor.
Edmund Bale desperately wants to be a wizard, but his innkeeper father mocks his studies; after all, their remote village hardly offers much opportunity for magic. Then the bestial servants of the Nethergrim—long thought vanquished—reappear, slaughtering livestock and kidnapping children, including Edmund’s younger brother. Now Edmund has to call upon his scanty spellcraft, the sword of his secret crush, Katherine, and the folk wisdom of the orphan slave Tom to face an ancient, monstrous evil that even the greatest knight and wizard had failed to defeat. This story aims for the detailed worldbuilding of Tolkien and grim realism of George R.R. Martin but unfortunately falls short. Despite flashes of startlingly effective imagery, the prose far too often slips into pretentious pseudo-archaism. Fully two-thirds of the narrative is spent on setup and back story, portraying a dreary landscape filled with petty, cruel and spiteful inhabitants, scarcely worth saving. Edmund himself is whiny, arrogant and self-centered, and his friends are mere caricatures of the spirited tomboy and wise simpleton. At the horrific final confrontation, Edmund does prove unexpectedly clever and valiant; but few will make it far enough to cheer.
One hopes that the inevitable sequels will discard tedious infodumps and dismal travelogues for dynamic adventure and satisfying character growth. (Fantasy. 10-14)
7) "Half A Chance" by Cynthia Lord
As deceptively quiet in tone as its New Hampshire lakeside setting, this affecting book affirms the power of art as it tackles profound issues of loss, memory, aging, belonging and the inevitability of change.
Twelve-year-old narrator Lucy has moved again, and her famous nature-photographer father, whose attention she seeks, is traveling again. She meets boy-next-door Nate, whose grandmother Lilah is descending into dementia. This may be Lilah’s last summer at the lake; her family struggles with her care and the impending changes. When Lucy discovers that her father is judging a kids’ photography contest, she decides to enter, spending the summer taking pictures and tracking the loon population with Nate. Lucy takes a picture of Lilah that captures the old woman’s terrible panic. She knows Nate would not want her to submit the photo; her father, however, would value the truth it captures. As Lucy’s dad has taught her, “Even in the midst of horrible things, there are little bits of wonder, and all of it’s true.” Both the loons and photography become metaphors for the mutability of life and the importance of savoring captured moments. Nate and Lucy’s sweet budding romance will appeal to preteens.
With winning results, Lord brings the same sensitivity to the subject of dementia that she brought to autism in her Newbery Honor book, Rules (2006). (Fiction. 8-12)
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