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

Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry
Bloomsbury, 2010
young adult fiction

Evie lives with her grandfather in a small village, where she has become known as a healer. What she wants more than anything is to travel to the city to attend the university and become a doctor.

When the king travels to Evie's village to take part in a local celebration, one of his men falls ill. Evie heals him, and the king, impressed by both her abilities and her studies
(she is second in her class), offers her a scholarship. Evie sets off for the city with her best friend and the boy next door on what becomes a challenging and exciting journey.

Full of action, adventure, a little romance, and a lot of surprises, I could not put this down. I constantly wanted to find out what was going to happen next. In the beginning, there are hints of magic and family secrets, and Berry knows how to draw these out in perfect timing.

This is Berry's second novel. The Amaranth Enchantment was her first, and it was great, but this is even better. I know this book just came out, but I can't wait to see what she does next.

Reviewed from library copy

Lisa Graff

Lisa Graff has officially made her way onto my list of favorite authors. Two of her previous books, The Truth About Georgie and Umbrella Summer*, have been featured on the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master Reading List.

In her newest book, Sophie Simon Solves Them All, Graff writes for a little bit younger audience and gives us a little bit younger protagonist. Sophie Simon is not your average third grader. She's a genius, who is completely misunderstood by her parents. Her parents simply want her to be a well-adjusted kid. They would rather she speak Pig Latin than teach herself Japanese. They are absolutely horrified when they find a calculus textbook in her backpack. And, they want her to have friends. Sophie, though, isn't sure why she needs friends. She is content to read about civil disobedience and calculus, and try to figure out to get her parents to buy her the Pembo Q-60, a $100 graphing calculator which will come in handy for her calculus.

When one of Sophie's classmates comes to her with a problem, Sophie figures out a way to help her classmate and earn some money. Soon, she finds herself helping several other classmates, and comes to realize that maybe having a few friends isn't a bad thing.

One of my favorite things about this book? The terms of endearment Sophie's parents call her - things like walnut, snickerdoodle, garbanzo bean and lemon wedge.

Sophie Simon Solves Them All by Lisa Graff, pictures by Jason Beene
Farrar Straus Giroux  2010
grades 3-5
Reviewed from library copy

*Umbrella Summer manages to be both sweet and sad - it might make you cry, but it will also make you feel good and maybe even laugh. Read it.

Currently reading: The Confession by John Grisham and Juliet: A Novel by Anne Fortier

Russian Winter

Russian Winter: A Novel by Daphne Kalotay
HarperCollins, 2010

This is the kind of book you just sink into...you start reading and don't want to stop. Russian Winter, at its most basic, is the story of a famous ballerina who used to dance at the Bolshoi, Nina Revskaya. As she prepares to auction off her impressive jewelry collection, she is flooded with memories of her life in postwar Russia. The book weaves these memories into her present-day life in Boston. Also woven into the novel are the stories of the young woman who works at the auction house that is auctioning the jewels, and a professor, who translated the poetry of Nina's deceased husband. Further tying the stories together is a necklace belonging to the professor, that matches a bracelet and earrings in Nina's collection.

The character development is wonderful and so real, and the writing is just beautiful and descriptive. Here's an example:
"And so this is a month of perfection, of leisurely freedom, of lazy afternoons spent on the terrace in long, wandering debates that spin off into the air without conclusion. Wildflowers sweeten the air, and butterflies tumble by..." (p. 226)

A story of secrets, of a time in Russia when one could never quite be certain who to trust, a tale of longing to know the truth of one's past, of love and forgiveness, this is not to be missed. It's certainly set the bar high for all other books I read this year; it will definitely be one of my favorites. And while I don't usually read short stories, I'm absolutely going to read Kalotay's Calamity and Other Stories.

On her website, you can read an excerpt of the book, and a interesting behind-the-book interview where Kalotay talks about spending years doing the research for this book - it certainly shows.

Edited to add: Reviewed from library copy