Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs

Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs

Simon & Schuster, 2010

This is one of the books on the 2012 Lone Star Reading List, a list of 20 suggested titles for 6th, 7th and 8th graders, and before the list came out, it wasn't a book familiar to me. Always up for a good mystery, I quickly put it on hold at the library.

Twelve-year-old Teddy Fitzroy has a murder to solve. Henry the Hippo, the mascot of FunJungle, the huge. new impressive zoo where both of Teddy's parents work, has been found belly up in his pool. And, there is no shortage of people who are not exactly fans of Henry.

Teddy sneaks into the hippo's autopsy, which is how he discovers the hippo was murdered, something FunJungle is trying to cover up. He has attempts on his life, and finds himself working with the beautiful daughter of FunJungle's owner, although he's not always sure he can trust her. 

Gibbs used to work at the Philadelphia Zoo, and his knowledge of animals is evident. An engaging, strong mystery, I think the sprinkling of facts throughout this book may also help it appeal to readers who typically lean toward nonfiction. And, for the boys, there are several references to animal poop.

Reviewed from library copy

Reel Life Starring Us by Lisa Greenwald

Reel Life Starring Us by Lisa Greenwald

Abrams, 2011

As a fan of Greenwald's previous novels (My Life in Pink & Green and Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes), I was excited to read her latest. This one, Reel Life Starring Us, is just as delightful.

Dina has just moved to a new city and is starting eighth grade at a new school, a month late. She's artistic, enjoys filming videos, and is having to make the adjustment from a small school that encouraged differences (and where she was popular) to a bigger school filled with cliques. Chelsea is also starting eighth grade a month late, having just recovered from mono. Unlike Dina, she's starting school as one of the most popular girls, with tight group of friends. She's also starting school with a big secret. As the story unfolds, we get hints about this secret, such as her dad having traded his pin-stripe suits for work out clothes and her not having the latest pair of designer jeans.

Chapters alternate between the girls; one of the things Greenwald handles so well is changing the point of view. While Dina's chapters start with a film tip and Chelsea's start with a tip from a popular teen star, each girl also a distinct voice and you always know which one is talking.

Dina is aware of Chelsea from the moment the popular clique chants for during a badminton game as Dina watches from the sidelines. Their stories really begin to merge when the two are assigned to work on a video project together. Chelsea's reluctant about the project (she'd much rather be working with her friends than the unpopular new girl) and Dina's excited (she's got lots of great ideas and thinks this is her ticket to becoming Chelsea's friend and thus popular). Each girl thinks she can figure the other out in ten seconds, but slowly discover that's not the case.

Friendships, popularity, boys, school, family - it's all here. We (adults) hear so many real stories about kids growing up too fast, and a lot of them are...but a lot of them aren't. Greenwald excels (in all of her books) at capturing that true middle school experience for these kids - where you go over to a boy's house to study and are a little nervous about being alone in his room with him, and where parents ask about your day (even if you don't want to tell them).

Reviewed from digital copy provided by publisher on NetGalley

Girl's Best Friend by Leslie Margolis

Girl's Best Friend by Leslie Margolis

Bloomsbury, 2010

Dogs are suddenly going missing in Maggie Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood, and she's on the case. As an after school dog walker (a secret job her parents don't know about), she's in the perfect position to figure out what's happening to these dogs, especially when her ex-best friend's dog also disappears. But what will happen when it starts to look like the boy she's crushing on might be involved?

I expected a good mystery; I got so much more and really ended up loving this book. Maggie is a fun and likable character, and while the mystery will keep readers guessing, this is also simply a great story about middle school. Margolis perfectly captures that changing time between being a little kid and a teenager. When Maggie and her twin brother celebrate their twelfth birthdays with a party, she says,

"Turning twelve means you're too old to have a party organized by your parents - with activities and games and goodie bags - and too young to know what you're supposed to be doing at a party when no one is organizing it for you. " (p. 68)

And my favorite example comes when Maggie is talking about not being ready to confide in a friend about her crush.

"I hadn't told Sonya yet, either, even though we've been good friends since the third grade and great friends since the beginning of sixth. I can't because of the unicorns. She's really into them and I have this theory: you can love unicorns or you can love boys, but you cannot love unicorns and boys." (p.79)

That, is perfection. And true. And it's one of the reasons I love this book. The voice is so spot-on, in the way distinguishes between the girls being good friends and then becoming great friends.

I also thoroughly enjoyed Maggie's take on Nancy Drew, whose books she never read, because everything just seemed to perfect.

"Nancy's whole world was one gigantic lovefest, but real life is messier. It's filled with clueless twin brothers and best friends who turn evil and mysterious dognappers and crushes who hardly know you exist and who won't even take out both earbuds to listen to what you have to say." (p. 123)

That's a perfect example of what you get with this book - a sometimes messy look at life and middle school with realistic characters and issues (even though not every seventh-grader is going to be out searching for dognappers.) And I love the line that follows, where Maggie puts her Nancy Drew issues aside because she's not "looking for a great read", she's "looking to solve a mystery."

Maggie has a great website, which has lots of fun features, including a cool map of her neighborhood with various places from the book highlighted.

Highly recommended; I can't wait for more books about Maggie Brooklyn!

Reviewed from purchased copy

A Great Book for Middle School Boys

The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander

Walden Pond Press/HarperCollins, 2011

grades 5-8

This past week was rough. Rough. This book helped - I laughed out loud several times while reading it, and that's not too common.

This is a humorous book and it has some great one-liners, but Rylander also manages to successfully balance that humor with poignant truths about middle school, friendship, and tough family situations.

The kids in Mac's school, whether in first grade or eighth, all know that they can count on him to solve their problems. He mostly deals in things like test answers and forged hall passes or doctor's notes. He's built up a network of sources and collected some favors, and runs his business from the fourth stall in the East Wing bathroom, with his best friend and business manager Vince. Business is booming, and that's a good thing - the guys are die-hard Cubs fans, saving up for baseball tickets in case their beloved team makes it to the World Series.

But, when Mac tries to protect a third grader who has gotten in over his head in a gambling ring, he may have finally taken on a problem he can't fix. Not to mention he's discovered some discrepancies in his bookkeeping and a possible traitor in his midst.

I had a little trouble at times keeping the characters straight, especially when the nine bullies are introduced...Snapper's the biter, Great White is British...beyond that, I couldn't exactly remember the others but decided it wasn't central to the story. And honestly, that could have just been my tired brain. The book slows a bit in the middle, but the mystery of who stole the money (and why) and the need to see how Mac's problems end, kept me reading. While most things are wrapped up neatly, there's definitely a hint that another book about Mac may be in the future.

Reviewed from library copy