The Brothers Torres by coert voorhees

Summary: Frankie Towers (torres is spanish for towers) lives in Borges, New Mexico where there is not much to do but plenty happens in this saucy story about two brothers and the classes of people in their town. Frankie is not that muscular, not athletic, not so sure of himself or as popular as his brother Steve a senior. But he is okay looking. Frankie has his sights on a hot girl named Rebecca. Nerves abound as he is just about to ask her to homecoming but is cut off by Dalton an preppy, rich kid, easy to loathe who is on the soccer team with his brother. Steve is cool but not so cool that he has the respect of the local cholos. (not a gang but a group of badasses). After Frankie is beat up by Dalton, his brother Steve and his buddies rough up (John) Dalton just enough so that he doesn't come after Frankie again. When Dalton's mom and dad buy the family's restaurant, Steve's rage and hatred for Dalton is unstoppable until a final showdown during the Homecoming Dance. Frankie who is on the sidelines must decide where he stands and take action.

Ages: 14 and up

Comments: Lots of Spanish words and phrases. Lots of Mexican food. Be prepared to have you mouth water when some of his mama's cooking is described. Be prepared to be grossed out as his best friend Zach (who loves to blow up things) not surprising has only one eye after an incident. What is gross is that will pop his eye in his mouth for a cleaning even during lunch. I can relate to the main character, Frankie. When he gets nervous his emotions totally take over and his is in touch with how his body is responding making it hard for him to speak. Claudia W. liked the fact that this is about a family with a mother and father who are still married, who still love each other and who are in touch with their children (the good and the scary) and who show genuine concern for their sons. Did I say saucy to describe this book? Oh yes, it's got saucy food, saucy fights, saucy love and saucy guts. Brotherly love in this story has evolved with time, is fragile but never severed.

Bang! by Sharon Flake

Mann, age 13, and a talented artist lives in a neighborhood where random shootings are the norm. His own family has not escaped, his seven year old brother was shoot dead on the front porch of their home two years ago. His mother and father live with the constant fear of losing their other son yet they don't know what or how they can insure this does not happen. Still reeling in grief his mother bakes a birthday cake each year for his brother. His father grieves by withdrawing his love and support of the emotional feelings of his family. Determined to change Mann from a boy to a man his father leaves him and his friend Kee-lee in some woods where they are to find a way to survive until they make their way home. There is more tragedy before the end of this book but there is also growth and redemption.

Ages: 13 and up

Comments: Readers can enter a real, violent world with real people who live in it everyday. Hope is never lost or abandoned in this gripping and disturbing story.

The Last Invisible Boy by Evan Kuhlman Illustrated by J. P. Coovert

Summary: After losing his father Finn Garrett begins to physically fade. He is becoming transparent and his hair has changed from black to white. His journal/book with short, short chapters (some half a page and others four pages) are replete with cartoon drawings. Through this conversational prose Finn describes his family, school friends, grief, remembrances, and daily life without his father.

Ages: 11 and up

Comments: I was looking for something like Diary of a Wimpy Kid fans. This should work because of the style, however, you should warn potential readers that this story is on a single painful topic. There is some humor but I did not experience any laugh-out-loud moments like I did during the reading of Diary. Finn thoughts about the viewing and funeral are candid and vivid.

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker (audio)

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker. 2006.
Audience: Grades 2-4; 7-10
My Rating: 4.5*s of 5
Summary: While sorting through difficulties in her friendship with her neighbor Margaret, eight-year-old (third-grader) Clementine gains several unique hairstyles while also helping her father in his efforts to banish pigeons from the front of their apartment building.
Comments: A great narrator and delightful story! Clementine is put-her-in-your pocket lovable. Her "spectacular ideas" and eventual mishaps create many laugh out loud moments. Can't wait to read more about her!

Awards:
Read-alikes: Ida B. by Hannigan, Ramona books by Beverly Cleary, Judy Moody books by McDonald

Year of the Dog by Grace Lin (audio)

Year of the Dog by Grace Lin. 2007.

Audience: Grades 3-5; 9-12

My Rating: 3*s of 5

Summary: It's the Chinese Year of the Dog, and as Pacy celebrates with her family, she finds out that this is the year she is supposed to "find herself." Universal themes of friendship, family, and finding one's life passions make this novel appealing to readers of all backgrounds.

Comments: Fantastic narrator! I enjoyed the character of Pacy/Grace as well as her friend Melody. While the mother's "did I ever tell you?" stories were interesting, I occasionally found myself groaning at the arrival of another one. Forgive me for sounding ignorant, but this book made it seem to me that money is one of the most important things in Taiwanese culture. It seems that Chinese-American young readers may especially enjoy seeing their culture and identity in this story.

Awards: Bluebonnet list, 2008

Read-alikes: The Year of the Rat by Grace Lin

Forever Princess by Meg Cabot (audio)

Forever Princess (Princess Diaries, book 10, Finale!) by Meg Cabot. 2009.
Audience: 12 and up
My Rating: 4.5*s of 5
Summary: Mia, who is finally a senior at Albert Einstein High, faces difficult choices about boys and her status as princess while her future, and Genovia's, hang in the balance.
Comments: I heart Meg Cabot. It is official. I have now read enough of her books to safely say that she never disappoints. As she does so well, Cabot gives us another character who, for much of the book, cannot seem to make the right choices (veeeery similar to the way her target audience might think/behave? Bless my adult, fully formed pre-frontal lobe!). The love triangle between Mia, J.P., and Michael is delicious as are the interspersed excerpts from Mia's senior project, a medieval romance book called Ransom My Heart (published under Meg Cabot as an adult romance! Clever Meg). My only prior Princess exposure was part of book 1, but I still completely enjoyed this royale finale.
Awards:
Read-alikes: duh

Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston

Katrina Katrell is a bored imaginative child who would love to explore. She gets a glimpse into her future when she spots a creature, Morty while waiting to ride the subway. While escaping her guardian Mrs. Kabone a dreadful woman who has summoned a brain doctor to "treat" Katrina,she meets up with the creature, Morty a zorgle. Morty and Katrina, determined heroine team up to find out why the zorgles have all left Zorgamazoo. Along the way they meet Winnie, another creature whose family has disappeared. Their journey inside a mechanical creature lands them on the moon and there they meet Dullbert Hohummer, the Third. He is the one behind the plan to make earth less interesting by kidnapping the creatures who inhabit earth. Without the creatures, humans would produce more Tedium Steam (boredom) which powers his planet.

Ages: 4th grade and up

Comments: The rhyming was a distraction at first. If kids will check out a story that rhymes, I think they will enjoy the tale.Will Katrina and friends succeed in saving all? This I shall not tell because this nonsensical book was pretty swell.