The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg

I listened to this book while on a car trip to Wisconsin's Door County.  It was fun to realize that the setting of this book is not only Alabama but also Wisconsin!  Fannie Flagg reads this story in the audio versions and she does a fabulous job.  She is an amazing storyteller!

The story starts with Sookie Poole of Alabama discovering by accident that she is adopted and was never told in her 60 years of life. She begins to secretly investigate her background. The story then switches to Wisconsin in the 1940's and tells about a family who runs a gas filling station. Later the children in the family serve in the war and the girls actually fly planes for the military in the WASP program (Women Air Force Service Program).  Sookie quickly learns that her mother was from this family. 

The story goes back and forth between the two stories but eventually they come together and you learn the mystery of who is Sookie's biological mother. In the meantime, you are entertained by all kinds of interesting characters from both stories.  I highly recommend this book in audio.  I enjoyed it a great deal!

Pilfer Academy by Lauren Magaziner

Maud Hart Lovelace 2018-2019 Reading List

• Genre:  Humor - Adventure
• Grade Level: 3rd - 7th
• Reading Level: 5.1 (7 points)
• Length: 272 pages
• Publisher:  Dial Books (February 16, 2016)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4
• Readability: Fun to read - very humorous!
• Division: Crossover 
• Summary:  When George is brought to Pilfer Academy, a secret school for training young thieves, he has the time of his life, until he realizes he's much too goodhearted to actually steal anything.

George has a talent and love of stealing things from his family and friends.  One day, he is kidnapped and brought to a secret school which teaches how to be the very best thieves in the world.  At first, George loves this new acadmey but eventually realizes that there is something really wrong with the school and he is not able to become a thief after all.  But, getting out proves to be quite the adventure!

This story has a silly tone and so everything doesn't always make sense. I just went with it and enjoyed the adventures. I loved the ending where we see that George really has a great heart and isn't going to end up in the life of crime!

The Only Game by Mike Lupica

  

    

• Genre:  Sports - Baseball
• Grade Level: 4th - 6th
• Reading Level: 5.0 (9 points)
• Length: 320 pages
• Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (February 17, 2015)
• My Rating: 3 out of 4
• Readability: If you love baseball talk... this book is great.  I skimmed most of the book when they started describing the games.
• Division: Crossover 
• Summary:  Sixth grade is supposed to be the year that Jack would lead his team to the Little League World Series, but after the death of his brother, he loses interest in baseball, and only Cassie, star of the girls' softball team, seems to understand. Book #1 in Home Team Series

I buy all of the the Mike Lupica books. He is a sure bet for a sports book that boys will like. This series should be another winner.  Since I am not a sport person, the play by plays of the games just bore me and I let myself skim through them. This book gave me a lot of skimming! If you are a sports announcer, as the author is, I imagine this is his wheelhouse. 

I found the first hundred pages very interesting as the characters were being developed.  I loved Cassie, the star of the softball team.  She is feisty and a strong leader. The other character, Teddy, who was being teased and lacked confidence in sports was also interesting. These characters, along with Jack's best friend Gus, appear in all of four of the series. 

I gave this book a 3 because I would recommend it as a good read to kids who loved sports. I really like the characters but would have liked to have more story about them instead of the baseball games. If I was reading this for myself, I would have quit! Just too much baseball talk. 

Waiting for Unicorns by Beth Hautala

• Genre:  Realistic - MN Author
• Grade Level: 4th - 7th
• Reading Level: 5.3 (8 points)
• Length: 256 pages
• Publisher:  Philomel Books (January 22, 2015)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4
• Readability: Great setting, characters, and story!
• Division: Crossover (not on the list yet)
• Summary:  After her mother dies, 12-year-old Talia McQuinn goes to the Arctic with her father, a whale researcher. Over the course of one summer and several unlikely friendships, Talia learns that stories have the power to connect us and pull us out of darkness.

Talia is dealing with the grief and heartache of losing her mother to cancer.  Her father, a researcher, who has spent many summers in Churchill, Manitoba studying beluga whales takes her with him but has to leave her behind with a friend while he goes on his weeks long expedition.  Talia feels alone but discovers friendship with others who are also in Churchill for the summer.  She  begins to open her heart again to relationships including Sura, the local Inuit woman they are staying with.  

This book is so good!  I loved learning about village life in Churchill, Manitoba. Talia and her father arrive early summer and temperatures are still between 0 and 30 degrees! The characters in this story are so interesting, I was also fascinated by the culture of the contemporary Inuit village. There is a little natural science in this book as you find out a little bit about whales and even the elusive narwhal whale.  

This is a story of dealing with grief and loss and healing and new friendships.  I highly recommend this book.  The author is from Minnesota - I think around Brainerd. I don't see this book out in paperback yet.  Kind of disappointing since it would make a great Maud Hart Lovelace selection.  The author has a second book coming out next spring (2018).  I look forward to reading it. 

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis

·         2017 Copyright – Amazon Best Book of the Month – June – Grades 4-6
·         Genre: Fantasy
·         Grade Level: 3rd - 7th 
·         Reading Level: 4th
·         Length: 256 pages
·         Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (May 30, 2017)
·         My Rating: 4 out of 4
·         Readability: Fun dragon story and enjoyable to read.
·         Not eligible for MHL or Newbery because the author lives in Wales.

Summary:  After drinking enchanted hot chocolate, a brave young dragon is transformed into a twelve-year-old human girl with a passion for chocolate.

Adventurine is a young dragon who is bored and restless and decides to leave the safety of her cave and family and seek adventure.  The first person she encounters is a magician who turns her into a girl after inviting her to drink a cup of hot chocolate.  Who could blame him, because he doesn’t want to get eaten himself!  After the transformation, Adventurine sets off to the village to figure out how to live as a girl. She has also fallen in love with chocolate and sets off to get more to satisfy her intense craving.  The village happens to have three chocolate restaurants and she figures that finding work in one of these establishments.  Of course, not understanding the culture of people gets her into all kinds of trouble.  But the real trouble is when the dragons start searching for Adventurine and as a result put fear into the village people.  

What a fun fantasy story about dragons!  I admit, it is a girly cover and the audience will probably be girls. I can picture this book being a great movie! 

Confessions of an Imaginary Friend by Michelle Cuevas

• Maud Hart Lovelace Reading List
• Genre: Fantasy
• Grade Level: 3-5
• Reading Level: 4.8 (4.0 pts)
• Length: 176 pages
• Publisher: Dial Books (September 8, 2015)
• My Rating: 3 out of 4
• Readability: Fast read, a little confusing at first, got better and better with a great ending!
• Division 1 
• Summary:  Jacques Papier thinks everyone except his sister Fleur hates him but is shocked when he finally learns the truth: He is Fleur's imaginary friend. When he convinces Fleur to free him, he begins a surprising, touching, and funny quest to find himself.

This book is a memoir of Jacques, an imaginary friend to a little girl.  Jacques narrates this story as he tells about his adventures after being a friend to Fleur and then what happens to him when he looks for a new friend.  It is a quirky story that is written with a wonderful literary style that reminded me of books written by Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss, Neil Gaiman, and Kate DiCamillo. Since Jacques doesn't really believe he is imaginary, his point of view is of a "real'' person.  I think that threw me when I started to read this book - a little confusing for me.  I was going to quit reading but decided to give it a few more pages.  It just got better and better!  The ending was so satisfying.

So, I rated it a 3 out of 4 because of the slow beginning. I also think this book might need some coaxing for kids to read since the cover seems early elementary.  I am anxious to find out what other readers think of this book.  

Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar

• 2017 Copyright 
• Genre: Historical Fiction/Immigrants from Cuba/Coming of Age
• Grade Level: 5th and up
• Reading Level: 4th grade
• Length: 256 pages
• Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books (April 11, 2017)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4
• Readability: Couldn't put it down, lots of spanish sprinkled throughout which I didn't know what it meant but didn't affect my enjoyment of the book.
• Division 2 
• Summary:  In 1960s New York, fifth-grader Ruthie, a Cuban-Jewish immigrant, must rely on books, art, her family, and friends in her multicultural neighborhood when an accident puts her in a body cast.

This book is based on the life and experiences of the author growing up as a refugee from Cuba and living in New York City. The story starts with Ruthie being able to go to a regular classroom when her English is good enough.  Later, her father brings home a dream car and they have an accident with a drunk driver. Ruthie ends up with a broken leg and put into a body cast and bedridden for a year. Despite such a terrible situation, she finds friendship, love of literature, art, and storytelling. She struggles with forgiveness, God, boredom, fear, but overcomes despite all her struggles.  It is really an amazing story.

I hope teachers assign this as a book to read or for a book club. I think there are a lot of discussion points.  I did wonder why she struggled so much with God when her family is Jewish. Perhaps they didn't pass on their faith to her. The story does show how kids do think about such things and find comfort in prayer in difficult situations. And even though this is a book about a struggle, there is joy in the story and Ruth has a turning point in her life in this year as she looks to what she wants to do in the future which will include art and writing.

I read this book quickly and was surprised and how connected I became to this book.

Dove Arising by Karen Bao

• 2019 Maud Hart Lovelace List
• Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopian
• Grade:  7th & Up
• Reading Level: 6.1 (13 points)
• Length: 336 pages
• Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (February 24, 2015)
• My Rating: 2.5 out of 4
• Readability: Felt long, made me sleepy, lots of science background 
• Division 2
• Summary:  Introvert Phaet Theta, is a model citizen whose faith, and beliefs are tested when she is forced to confront disturbing truths about her society and its government in order to save her family. Book #1

This story is set on the moon in the future.  The people who live there have escaped the earth and have colonized on the moon. They have also made their own governing system which turns out to be very restrictive with little freedom. 15 year old Phaet ends up joining the militia so she can free her mother from a life long prison sentence or death and becomes a star student who uses her intelligence and strength to help her family. 

This book is written by a very gifted teenager who knows a lot about science.  Really amazing that this is her first book. However, it was hard for me to stay awake!  There are a lot of fighting scenes and maybe that is what caused me keep dozing off. When I watch a movie with lots of action and little dialogue I also fall asleep. So, this book went on forever for me.  I did love the whole premise of the story and wanted to really love the book but I found that I just wanted to finish and it was taking forever.   

There is a little bit of a love story and a lot of fighting and action. They swear using made up words from their moon colony.  The author is driving home the point that a government that permits free speech and print is one that can be very dangerous. 

I gave it a 2.5 because I was impressed with this author's first novel, but it was a disappointing read for me..

The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox

    

·        2019 Maud Hart Lovelace Reading List

·        Genre: Horror - Historical Fiction

·        Grade Level: 5th grade and up

·        Reading Level: 5.0 (12 points)

·         Length: 400 pages

·         Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers (March 15, 2016)

·         My Rating: 2 out of 4

·         Readability: Not my cup of tea...long and plodding. 

·         Division 2

·         Summary:  In 1940, during the Blitz, Katherine, Robbie, and Amelie Bateson are sent north to a private school in Rookskill Castle in Scotland, haunted by dark magic from the past. The plot contains violence.

This story starts out with a father sending his children away from London during WW II to a Scottish castle and boarding school where they should be safe from the bombing. The school is run by a woman who uses her dark magic to steal the souls of children. She wears a chatelaine which is a set of short chains attached to a woman's belt, used for carrying keys or other items. She has 13 charms to use in her quest to gain 13 souls. 

This book has many violent and very creepy scenes. It is also full of vocabulary that I had to look up since I didn't have background knowledge.  I did learn a few new words...include chatelaine which is the key element in this book.  I was determined to finish this book and not abandon it but it just wasn't for me. The plot was just too slow and complicated.  

Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan

 

Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan Interview

• 2017 Copyright
• Genre: Realistic Fiction - Musical Theater
• Grade Level: 3rd - 7th 
• Reading Level: 5.3 (10 points)
• Length: 304 pages
• Publisher: Dial Books (January 31, 2017)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4
• Readability: Easy to read....a little longer....lots of humor. 
• Division 1 or Crossover
• Summary:  Very short for her age, Julia grows into her sense of self while playing a munchkin in a summer regional theater production of THE WIZARD OF OZ.

Julia is a very short 5th grader and her mother enrolls her and her younger brother into the local summer theater where they get to play munchkins.  Since Julia is smaller than most 5th graders, she is still able to be a munchkin.  Because she is older, she is allowed to take on some leadership roles and get the chance to have the role of a flying monkey too.  She meets her neighbor and develops a wonderful relationship with a former ballerina who creates some of the best costumes for the play. The neighbor is able to take part in the production too. Julia also becomes friends with the senior director and an adult actress who is a dwarf. 

You are really in Julia's head in this book and sometimes she is thinking all over the place.  One thought leads to another thought with lots of funny insight.   I like quirky characters and Julia is fun to get to know..  Interestingly, I had just read another musical theater book (Jack & Louisa) and I think this one has more depth and more character development. 

I thought  this book was going to be about a girl who was a dwarf.  It isn't. She is just a late bloomer. :) If you watch the interview above you find out that this book is autobiographical based on the author's life as a child. 

Jack and Louisa: Act 1 by Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Kate Wetherhead

  

• MHL 2019 Reading List
• Genre: Realistic Fiction - Musical Theater
• Grade Level: 3rd - 7th 
• Reading Level: 5.7 (6 points)
• Length: 240 pages
• Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (February 10, 2015)
• My Rating: 3 out of 4
• Readability: Easy and quick read.  Very specific story about musical theater.
• Division 1 or Crossover
• Summary:  In separate voices, 12-year-old Jack and Louisa tell of Jack's reluctant move from New York City to the suburbs of Shaker Heights, Ohio, where his new neighbor Louisa urges him to audition for "Into the Woods."

I was little lost in this book because I have never seen the musical or movie called Into the Woods. I did put them on queue to watch this summer on my Amazon movies account. It sounds like they might be fun to view. As when I read some sports books, I felt a little lost since I didn't have all the background knowledge that the story was immersed in.

Anyway, this is a light read with a simple and steady plot. I think the right kid may just love it if musical theater is their thing.  I am currently reading Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan and it seems to not only be about musical theater (Wizard of Oz) but the author does a better job of just telling a well rounded interesting and funny story. 

There are three book in this series so far:

Midnight Without a Moon by Linda Williams Jackson

• 2017 Copyright
• Genre:  Historical Fiction
• Grade Level: 5th - 7th 
• Reading Level: 6th
• Length: 320 pages
• Publisher:  HMH Books for Young Readers (January 3, 2017)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4
• Readability: Good story!  Well Written. History comes alive. Mature Readers....not sensitive readers....violence, language, tough issues... Newbery Contender!
• Division 2
• Summary:  Rose Lee Carter, a thirteen-year-old African-American girl, dreams of life beyond the Mississippi cotton fields during the summer of 1955, but when Emmett Till is murdered and his killers are unjustly acquitted, Rose is torn between seeking her destiny outside of Mississippi or staying and being a part of an important movement.

This book took me a few chapters to want to continue reading. I have been on the track of abandoning books lately. But, I continued and was very pleased with this book.  It is a book that might be tough to read because it has lots of violence and language.  I would be particular about which 5th grader I would give this book to. It is not for a sensitive reader.  

I kept thinking that this book took place in 1955 and that is not ancient history but it felt maybe even 100 years older. The culture of the deep South and a African American family are the key elements of the story. It is something that is not familiar to someone raised in Minnesota. 

This book has been well reviewed and may be one of those books that will tossed around as a Newbery contender for the writing and story for 2018. 

This book is the author's first novel for middle grades.  She has a sequel coming out in January 2018 called A SkyFull of Stars. 

Maud Hart Lovelace Division 2 Nominees 2018

Here is my Spark Video for Division 2! MHL II 2018

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

• Genre:  Fantasy
• Grade Level: 4th - 7th 
• Reading Level: 5.7 (11 points)
• Length: 400 pages
• Publisher:  Aladdin; First Edition edition (August 30, 2011)
• My Rating: 5 out of 4
• Readability: Great and can't put it down book!  Not for sensitive readers. 
• Not eligible for MHL (too old)
• Summary:  In a society that purges thirteen-year-olds who are creative, identical twins Aaron and Alex are separated, one to attend University while the other, supposedly Eliminated, finds himself in a wondrous place where youths hone their abilities and learn magic.
  

This title is featured on the Barnes and Noble summer reading journal as one of the choices for 5th and 6th graders. The catch line from Kirkus Reviews that is written on the cover of the book says  "The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter".  I would say that is pretty accurate!  I was concerned as to the level of violence in the book. So, I decided to read it.  I loved it and couldn't put it down.  It does end with a violent battle at the end a few characters do face death, however, it is not to the extent of violence as The Hunger Games series.

Aaron and Alex are twins who live in the land of Quill. On their 13th birthday children are sorted in this dystopian type of community.  The Wanteds go the University, the Necessaries do all the work, and the Unwanteds are eliminated.  They are eliminated because they are creative and that is not tolerated at all in Quill.  It is pretty horrible to read about them as they leave their families and go on a bus to the Death Farm where they face dying in a boiling lake of oil.  However, when they get there, they find a beautiful world full of magic and color, and love. Aaron is a Wanted and Alex is an Unwanted. 

The plot continues with Alex longing to rescue his twin who lives in Quill and yet his twin is becoming a powerful leader soon to be in line to take over the kingdom.  Secrets are told and eventually the  land of Quill discovers this unknown world of magic and a battle between good and evil is played out.  
There are 7 books total.  I looked on Good Reads and it seems as though the series is really liked.  I will have to see about ordering them for my library. 

Billy Sure: Kid Entrepreneur by Luke Sharpe

• Genre:  Humorous
• Grade Level: 3rd - 5th 
• Reading Level: 4.2 (3 points)
• Length: 160 pages
• Publisher:  Simon Spotlight (May 26, 2015)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4
• Readability: Funny, Fast and Easy Read!
• Division 1 and crossover
• Summary:  Famous young inventor Billy Sure is hosting an online contest to help other kid inventors.

Billy Sure has invented the All Ball over the summer; it makes him famous and the All Ball is selling like crazy. When he gets back to school in the fall his teachers, friends, and even the principal treat him differently. They want money or their own ideas invented or as in the case of the adults, they want him to inspire the school population. Billy decides to hold a contest and asks people to submit their ideas for a new and great invention to get everyone off his back.  But one thing is bothering Billy, he is not sure he really came up with the All Ball idea on his own. 

This book is funny and a little fantastic as it somewhat spoofs inventing shows and contests.. Yet, it is inspiring for kids to know that with work and ingenuity, they can come up with lots of new ideas that the world might need. I really liked it because it was a quick read and yet mature enough for a middle school student to enjoy.  Billy is in seventh grade. However, this book is also appropriate for 3rd graders. There are tons of books in this series already. (12!)  I hope the rest of them are as good!

Introducing the Maud Hart Lovelace 2017-2018 Nominees

Maud Hart Lovelace 2017-2018 Nominees

The Warden's Daughter by Jerry Spinelli

• Genre:  Historical Fiction
• Grade Level: 5th - 8th
• Reading Level: 4.1 (9 points)
• Length: 352 pages
• Publisher:  Knopf Books for Young Readers (January 3, 2017)
• My Rating: 3 out of 4
• Readability: Easy to read, lots of things happening, easy to lose track 
• Division 2
• Summary:  Living with her warden father in an apartment above a 1950’s prison, Cammie O’Reilly struggles to come to terms with the loss of her mother, who died saving her from harm when she was a baby, and interacts with some of the inmates. 

In the summer between 6th grade and 7th grade, Cammie comes to grip with the trauma that has always haunted her because her mother died to save her life when she was just a baby. Cammie's anger and frustration 

sends her to set a fire, smoke, shoplift, and just be hard to live with. Lots of characters in this book interact with her, including her best friend, some of the  inmates from the prison her father is a warden of, and other people in the town. Cammie has a reputation for being tough and a "curmudgeon". Hope, however comes to Cammie and she finds transformation during this particularly tough summer when she misses having a mother. 

This book reminded me of Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Choldenko and the musical Hairspray. One of the plot lines is about the TV show Bandstand in Philadelphia along with some of the music of the era.  I had to look up some of the lines in the book and then realized that Spinelli was referring to music lyrics. 

I don't think elementary kids would get this book since it seems to refer to history without giving much explanation. A lot of things happen in this book and it was hard for me to keep track of everything.  I did, however, like how Cammie found hope at the end of the book. It reminded me that kids with trauma in their lives do have a hard time dealing with it and many times are destructive or take it out on everyone else. Even though Cammie's father seems rather distant in this book, he seemed to be taking the outlook that his daughter needs to struggle and she will come out of it OK.