From the title of Jonathan Auxier’s fascinating, original (and more than a little creepy) version of a Victorian ghost story, one might suppose that The Night Gardener is, like The Secret Garden, a sweet, perhaps a bit sentimental, coming-of-age story. And while the novel does share some elements with the classic tale, including orphans (Molly and her little brother Kip); a creepy mansion; spoiled children (Penny and Alistair Windsor); and somewhat magical growing things, The Night Gardener is decidedly darker—in the most delicious and delightful way.

When Irish orphans Molly and Kip arrive to work at the Windsor estate, they find a family out of sorts, a father in financial trouble, curious muddy footprints and, of course, a mysterious room at the heart of the house. As Molly and Kip seek to free the Windsors and themselves from the malevolent presence that stalks the family, they find unexpected sources of courage and allies, including an old storyteller.

This is exactly the sort of scary, spooky story kids love.

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is The Great Trouble.

This article was originally published in the June 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

It is true that Lisa Graff’s latest book, Absolutely Almost, brings to mind someone else’s work, but not because Graff is in any way imitative—she’s far too brilliant to sound like someone else. Lately the patrons of my school library have been asking, “Do you have any books like Wonder by R.J. Palacio?” and now I have the perfect offering. Like Wonder, Absolutely Almost is the story of a boy struggling to fit in. Unlike Auggie, however, Graff’s protagonist Albie doesn’t have any noticeable problems; he just cannot succeed at school. Reading is hard. Math is impossible. So much so, in fact, that he can no longer attend private school. His busy parents are not happy. Albie, who now has to adjust to fifth grade in public school, is definitely not happy. A reader might hope for a magic answer: Does Albie have a learning disorder? Will the new nanny fix everything? Something will make it all better, right? Maybe. At the end of Wonder, Auggie was still Auggie—a kid with problems, both ordinary and extraordinary. Albie is also just a kid trying to find his way.

Graff has an uncanny ability to sound exactly like a 10-year-old boy, which allows the reader to feel the “almost” that Albie confronts every day. Graff almost won the National Book Award for A Tangle of Knots; here’s hoping she gets a big award soon. Like Albie, she deserves it.

Jennifer Bruer Kitchel is the librarian for a Pre-K through eighth level Catholic school.

This article was originally published in the June 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

BookPage Children's Top Pick, June 2014

Following Countdown, Deborah Wiles’ tale about the Cuban Missile Crisis and the first book in her Sixties Trilogy, Revolution spotlights the Freedom Summer of 1964. During this volatile time, black and white volunteers from four major civil rights organizations joined efforts to register as many African-American voters as possible in Mississippi, at the time one of the country’s most racist and dangerous states. These “invaders” have been strategizing for months, but for 12-year-old Sunny Fairchild, it all begins the night she and her new stepbrother sneak into their Greenwood, Mississippi, whites-only swimming pool. They’re not expecting company, especially not Raymond, the “colored boy” with high-tops.

At first Sunny doesn’t understand the uproar when she hears about integration, civil rights and voting registration. Don’t blacks have their own churches, restaurants and schools? She witnesses white students and black citizens being berated and jailed for even attempting to register to vote. When the hatred turns violent and affects her own family, Sunny realizes that doing what’s right often means taking risks.

Readers get the true flavor of this tumultuous and groundbreaking summer as Sunny catches the latest Hayley Mills movie and her parents listen to Walter Cronkite report on the escalating war in Vietnam. But what sets this book apart from other historical fiction is the wealth of photographs, quotes, profiles and song lyrics on topics that range from President Johnson and the three murdered Freedom Riders to Willie Mays and Cassius Clay, better known as Muhammad Ali. For today’s children, these events will be just as much of an awakening to equality as they are to Sunny.

This article was originally published in the June 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read a Q&A with Deborah Wiles about Revolution.

Everyone should read Harper Lee’s classic To Kill a Mockingbird; at least that’s what eighth-graders Lucy and her friends Michael and Elena think. In fact, they believe so strongly in this summer reading-list classic that they decide to put their clever and surreptitious marketing skills to work to get everyone talking about—and searching for—the book. The trio begins creatively “hiding” copies of the book in stores and libraries; they’re not doing anything illegal, just generating some buzz.

But thanks to the power of the Internet and social media, the plan that starts in their small Connecticut hometown spreads nationwide, creating a dearth of the beloved novel and making everyone desperate to find one. Mission accomplished, right? Conspiracy theories abound over who is plotting this literary revolution, why they are doing it and when it will end.

Paul Acampora has crafted a savvy, witty and funny novel about the power of friendships, the lure of a good book and the influence of social media. Throw in lively characters like Fat Bob Nowak and one of the funniest graveside scenes ever written (R.I.P. Fat Bob), plus budding puppy love and a bookstore owner named Dobby, and you’ve got a can’t-miss middle-grade winner.

Smart literary references, funny interludes and spot-on tween dialogue are keenly interwoven, and readers will keep reading to see where this farce finally ends. Just as this trio wants people to read Mockingbird, clearly Acampora hopes his own readers will be inspired to pick it up, too. This is one of the best new middle-grade titles.

Sharon Verbeten is a freelance writer and children’s librarian in De Pere, Wisconsin.

Jaleigh Johnson has created a uniquely imaginative world in her first book for middle-grade readers, The Mark of the Dragonfly. Thirteen-year-old Piper is a feisty, orphaned girl who survives by discovering and restoring flying objects from meteor showers. What she doesn’t count on is finding Anna, who is being chased by a member of King Aron’s army and bears the mysterious mark of the dragonfly. In the hopes of earning a reward for her safe return, Piper decides to help Anna get home, but the two girls soon form a close, sister-like bond—and find themselves on an action-packed journey through a magical landscape.

This page-turning novel takes the reader on a heart-thumping adventure filled with rich, imaginative characters. The fantastical world of Solace is filled with surprising creatures like the sarnun, who communicate telepathically, and chamelins, who shape-shift from human to lizard-bird-human hybrids. Piper is a strong, gutsy heroine with plenty of her own secrets, and although she’s been dealt a rough hand, she is willing to sacrifice whatever security she may have to ensure Anna’s safety. The story lends an air of mystery as readers try to determine the reason why Anna is being hunted, the significance of the dragonfly marking, and how Piper will be able to save her.

Middle-school readers will delight in the fast-paced, thrilling action and fictional otherworld, while rooting for two strong female characters who do not disappoint.

Under the Egg starts out with a horrific bang: 13-year-old Theodora Tenpenny sees that her beloved grandfather Jack has just been struck by a cab. She’s just in time to hear his dying words, “Look under the egg,” with instructions to also look for a letter and a treasure.

A treasure is urgently needed, because Theo lives in a 200-year-old Manhattan townhouse with her unstable (but pleasant) mother, who spends her hours sipping expensive tea and working on a math dissertation that’s been unfinished for years. The family funds in Jack’s money jar are rapidly dwindling, with only $384 left, leaving Theo to subsist on their chickens’ eggs and beets from the garden.

One day, as Theo mulls her fate in her grandfather’s art studio, a mouse runs up her leg, causing her to spill a bottle of rubbing alcohol on one of Jack’s paintings. It turns out that another painting lies underneath, which upon further inspection might be a Raphael. Theo is bewildered and a bit alarmed, because Jack was a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Could this treasure be stolen?

Laura Marx Fitzgerald’s fiction debut reminds me of a middle-grade version of Donna Tartt’s award-winning The Goldfinch, which also involves a teen whose guardian suddenly dies and who becomes the unexpected caretaker of a valuable work of art. Both novels share a certain Dickensian quality, along with an abundance of action and plot twists and turns.

Just as Tartt’s hero gains a sidekick, Theo soon meets Bodhi, the daughter of famous actors, who quickly becomes her friend and fellow detective. The pair roams New York City, tracking down clues about the origin of this mysterious artwork. Their search is a riveting exploration of art history and world events, especially once Theo and Bodhi unearth the fact that Jack was held captive in a German POW camp during World War II and was involved in a secret mission.

Readers will sail through this novel, thanks to Fitzgerald’s skilled writing, which includes just the right amount of historical details to make this caper riveting from start to finish.

Who hasn’t imagined a new life, with new parents, in an exciting place? And a castle—definitely a castle! With chefs and maids and servants—everything you could ever want. In Flights and Chimes and Mysterious Times, written by Emma Trevayne, 10-year-old Jack gets exactly this. Unfortunately, things are not as wonderful as they may seem. Jack’s new life takes him out of London to Londinium, a parallel city where the pollution is so bad that people have filters installed in their nostrils, and non-functioning body parts are replaced by devices both mechanical and magical.

Jack first discovers Londinium by accident. All he did was follow Lorcan, the strange man who wanted to take Jack on as an apprentice, through a door at the base of Big Ben. When Jack emerges from the other side, he finds himself surrounded by clockwork and wind-up dolls who can think. The Lady, ruler of Londinium, wants a new son, and Jack is to be that boy. The persistent queen will do anything to have her new, perfect, flesh-and-blood son. Jack receives help from the most unlikely of sources, and must decide whether life in luxury with the Lady is worth the terrible sacrifices it requires.

Flights and Chimes and Mysterious Times is set in a world that draws heavily from the burgeoning steampunk culture—intricate clockwork, detailed mechanized creations, elaborate clothing and accessories. It is a visually rich novel with a unique setting, full of fascinating, complex characters who hold the reader’s attention until the very end. Flights and Chimes and Mysterious Times is a refreshingly distinct voice in middle-grade literature, and will be enjoyed by fans of adventure, steampunk, fantasy and mystery.

Suzy’s summer begins with an emergency: Mrs. Harden, her neighbor and honorary grandmother, suddenly collapses. Thanks to the quick thinking of Suzy's little brother, Parker, who calls 911, Mrs. Harden is whisked to the hospital and is soon on her way to a full recovery.

But while all ends well for Mrs. Harden, the incident is just the beginning of Suzy’s troubles. First, there’s the neverending onslaught of attention Parker receives as the town's littlest hero. Parker is featured in the newspaper, receives balloons and stuffed animals, and is invited to ride with the mayor in the 4th of July parade. And then Parker tops off his stint as the most obnoxious younger brother on the planet by managing to get himself lost on the very day Suzy and her dad have baseball tickets to celebrate her 12th birthday.

The only good thing about Suzy’s summer, she decides, is choosing Emily Dickinson as her character in the Tween Time library program. As it turns out, impersonating the reclusive poet becomes the perfect way to express her dissatisfaction with the world. As Emily, Suzy wears white dresses, rarely leaves the house, hides from her best friend Alison, and avoids a conversation with her friend Gilbert. But Emily Dickinson is also the poet who wrote, “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers— / That perches in the soul.” And before summer’s end, Suzy finds a way to soar.

Written in easy-to-read, accessible free verse, Eileen Spinelli’s story of a rollercoaster summer is perfect for young readers who may find, like Suzy, that trying on other roles is one way to feel better about being yourself.

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is The Great Trouble.

By age 6, Kara Westfall has seen and suffered unimaginable loss: Her mother was convicted of witchcraft, and Kara was accused as well. By 12 she’s developed a dark sense of humor, but she’s a dutiful sister to younger brother Taff and tries to care for her grieving father. Their village hates and fears her, so when a strange bird appears in her path and leads her into the Thickety, the oppressive forest that surrounds them, she’s frightened but curious. What she finds there will reshape her destiny.

Author J.A. White packs The Thickety: A Path Begins with genuinely scary scenes, many of which revolve less around magic than simple human cruelty. Kara’s nemesis Grace is a Bad Seed / Crucible mashup, solicitous to all adults while torturing and enslaving her playmates in the pursuit of ultimate power. Kara’s helplessness to allay her father’s grief, and her anger when she has to mother him and shoulder his share of the work, speak to the adult pressures many kids face daily. It’s no wonder that a taste of power turns her own head, and threatens to sink her entirely.

The story ends with a blindsiding twist, after which nothing is certain and everyone’s potentially in peril. Fortunately the subtitle A Path Begins promises more to come, because readers who enter The Thickety will want to return.

Heather Seggel reads too much and writes all about it in Northern California.

If you are—or ever were—a kid who couldn’t wait for school to start in September, get ready to meet Magnolia Jane Mayfield. It’s 1988, and Maggie’s starting sixth grade. She’s thrilled to have a lunch table all to herself, because she can spread out her books better that way. Her mother has a new and glamorous (or at any rate, glamorous-sounding) job; her father tells jokes even while his limbs get increasingly “sleepy”; and a boy named Clyde is beginning to make her understand her older sisters’ interest in lip gloss. But her career aspirations come first: After all, she plans to be president of the United States someday.

Maggie’s fear and confusion as she learns more about her father’s illness are direct and authentic. A contemporary tween would go online for information, not chase after a missing encyclopedia volume as Maggie does, but the retro feel only adds to the charm. The Meaning of Maggie does for middle-grade fiction what John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars did for teen literature: Both portray coping with serious illness as one aspect of a complex character, not as the single issue that defines them. Details of life with multiple sclerosis are spot-on, but what ultimately stands out is the way Maggie describes her world, including her footnoted observations about everything from butterscotch to the unbreakable Law of Mom. Funny, sweet, smart and poignant, this is a book not to miss.

Jill Ratzan reviews for School Library Journal and works as a school librarian at a small independent school in New Jersey.

This article was originally published in the May 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

From the best-selling author of Airborn and This Dark Endeavor comes another cinematic adventure. In this historical steampunk folktale, young William Everett is traveling across Canada on the maiden voyage of The Boundless. With seven miles of cars, including enough freight cars to form a circus “town,” The Boundless is the longest train in the world. When Will witnesses a murder related to the railway’s golden spike, hidden in the former railway president’s funeral car, he finds himself the next murder target. Hiding from a villainous brakeman and his accomplices is no easy feat, especially on a moving train that winds along perilous curves, through pitch-black tunnels and lands inhabited by menacing creatures.

As Will notices his world becoming larger and stranger, his daring escape becomes an opportunity to reinvent himself and discover his artistic talents. With real-life historical figures, literary allusions, astonishing gadgets and scary beasts, this atmospheric pageturner is indeed boundless with nonstop action.

This article was originally published in the May 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

For the first time ever, it will just be Adam, his mom and his aging grandmother at their cabin on Three Bird Lake. His parents have recently divorced, and although it will be a different kind of summer, 12-year-old Adam looks forward to escaping the routine of school, sitting on the dock by himself and watching the loons. But his grandmother has other ideas and decides he should learn to canoe around the lake by himself. After disappointing her with his inept efforts, he finds a curious note in her handwriting that sends his summer in a new direction.

There has been talk of a cute new girl in the neighborhood, and Adam resists his family’s expectation that they’ll become boyfriend and girlfriend. But when Adam and Alice take a daylong canoe trip, she turns out to be much better friend material than he’d expected. The two end up spending every day of the summer together, canoeing, swimming and tackling a mystery set in place years ago when his grandmother was young and in love with someone else—not Adam’s grandfather.

Three Bird Summer will charm readers with its tale of a summer that is very different indeed.

Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

This article was originally published in the May 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Twelve-year-old Kester Jaynes is locked up in a “school” for troubled children that is more like a jail with solitary lock-up and nothing but goop to eat. He’s been there for six years, living in drudgery, until one night when a flock of pigeons and a gathering of cockroaches insist he break out to save the last bit of wild. These creatures are the first Kester has encountered in years, since it seemed all the animals on Earth had died of the Red-Eye virus. They’re certainly the first he has communicated with. Kester can’t speak, but as he has just discovered, he can speak telepathically with critters.

The pigeons were sent to bring Kester to a place where, hidden from everything, animals somehow survive. The head of the group, the Wildness, needs Kester’s help; there has to be a cure, a dream told him so.

Bigger than even the virus, there is a darkness controlled by a corporation. All of the world’s crops have been torn out, all of the farm animals are gone, and all that is left to eat is a formula produced by Facto, the company in charge of everything.

This dystopian world is full of adventure for Kester, who meets a girl who guards her cat with a gun, rides on the back of a magnificent stag and faces the threat of danger in every chapter. Kester is a likable character, full of longing, self-doubt and, eventually, inner growth. Readers will root for him to face his challenges and to make a difference in the world.

Author Piers Torday reveals through the eyes of animals just how cruel humans are to the wild. Reminiscent of Orwell’s Animal Farm and 1984, this tale is not light-hearted, but it has heart-touching moments, plenty of action, a powerful story and a white pigeon of whimsy.