Sometimes it’s hard to say what a book is about when there is no grand adventure, car chase or great battle. Sometimes a book is just about one girl, one summer and a slow discovery. That description doesn’t sound like much, but The Thing About Luck, the latest novel by Newbery Medalist Cynthia Kadohata, is just such a book, and every word of it is worth reading.

Twelve-year-old Summer is a Japanese-American girl living in the heart of wheat country with her younger brother, parents and grandparents. Every year they go to work for contractors who harvest acres and acres of wheat for farmers in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. When Summer’s parents must go to Japan to help some of their elderly relatives, she goes on harvest with only her brother, Jaz, and her very Japanese grandparents, Obaachan and Jiichan.

As the narrator, Summer tells us about their year of no good luck, or kouun in Japanese. Her grandmother’s back is causing her excruciating pain, her little brother’s only friend moved away, her parents have to be gone a long time, and Summer herself suffered from a rare case of malaria caused by a mosquito bite. By the time they leave to begin the harvest, she has recovered, but she’s obsessed with mosquitoes and bug spray. She says facing death has made her think about life differently than most 12-year-old girls. Her observations about herself, about life and death, about boys and friendship, are told simply and beautifully—and compellingly. Near the end of the book, she is faced with a challenge: to be brave and make a hard choice that might bring an end to their year of hard luck.

Kadohata’s ability to write in a young girl’s voice is without question. Middle school girls have already fallen in love with her earlier books (Kira-Kira, Cracker!, Weedflower) and they will no doubt adore this one, too. Even if it seems to be about nothing in particular—finding out who you are in a moment of a real-world crisis is everything to a 12-year-old girl.

Jennifer Bruer Kitchel is the librarian for a pre-K through 8th grade Catholic school in Nashville.

In The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail, the smallest mouse in the Royal Mews, Mouse Minor, makes life harder on himself by also being the most inquisitive and the scrappiest. It could be simply his nature or perhaps it has something to do with his tail, which, as the book’s title indicates, is curiously shaped like a question mark. Either way, the little guy is always asking something. As we soon find out though, the only questions that truly matter are: Who am I and where did I come from—questions that are as important to humans as they are to mice.

In this elegantly written companion novel to Secrets at Sea, Newbery Medal-winning author Richard Peck creates a rich world where mice behave like people. Set around Buckingham Palace, the novel takes place during Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebrating her 60 years on the throne. The Royal Mews where Mouse Minor lives isn’t just bustling with people, it’s also teeming with mouse activity. As the reader learns, “for every job a human holds, there is a mouse with the same job, and doing it better.”

An orphan with a big mouth, Mouse Minor soon finds himself fleeing from school in search of his parents. In the midst of the jubilee preparations, the young mouse is struck with the brilliant idea to ask the queen herself about his parentage. After all, who would know his story better than her majesty, the omniscient, all-powerful ruler of the realm? And so the mouse’s adventure of a lifetime begins.

Young readers will love the tiny intricacies of mouse life that Peck eloquently describes (like the human scissors the mouse guards use for swords) and they will get a kick out of Mouse Minor’s humorously arrogant demeanor.  An entertaining romp, The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail is perfect for fans of other great mouse adventures like The Tale of Despereaux and Stuart Little.

Werner Berlinger, 12, has seen the Nazis pounding on the doors of his Jewish neighbors and knows why entire families have disappeared. In this second book in Rosemary Zibart’s Far and Away Series, which offers fictionalized accounts of unaccompanied and displaced children who found their way to the United States during World War II, Werner’s father gives him a passport and a ship’s passenger ticket from Hamburg to America just as Germany invades Poland in 1939.

Though he was hoping to find something grand in America, Werner ends up in New York City’s Lower East Side with his mother’s cousin, Esther, who has been struck by polio and lives in a tiny apartment. He quickly discovers that the land of freedom has its own bullies, hardships and even Nazi sympathizers. On a jaunt to Harlem with one of the first African Americans to befriend him, he also learns that fear and prejudice plague both sides of the ocean.

As Werner struggles to fit into his new life, elements of surprise and wonder—such as hotdogs, kind shop owners and the thrills of Coney Island—ease his longing for the rest of his family. The boy’s eagerness to become American shows in his curiosity and letters sent back to Germany, while the author’s use of street slang helps set the scenes among New York’s working class.

Although it’s easy to surmise what probably happened to Werner’s family, Zibart presents the harsh realities of Jewish life both in Germany and as an immigrant in the U.S. in a manner appropriate for middle grade readers. Despite his many setbacks, Werner comes to realize that he is lucky to be alive. This inspirational series continues to be an eye-opening look at World War II’s youngest survivors and heroes.

Considering the continuing popularity of the Star Wars franchise among young people today, it’s a wonder that science fiction as a literary genre isn’t in much demand at school libraries. It should be, and as a fan of all forms of sci-fi, I have a few choice selections to encourage the children at my school to try. Starbounders just got added to my list.

Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson, the award-winning authors of the fantasy series The Familiars, have created a story in which Earth is pretty much the same as it is now, it’s just that there is a secret galactic force that protects us from alien invasion and works with other alien races to keep the peace. How do people end up serving on that force? Well, first they have to go to a special, secret school, of course.

Zachary Night gets to go because his father and mother went, and his grandfather and his great-grandfather. . . . The pressure to succeed weighs on Zachary and he’s not sure he can be as great as his forebears. He’s pretty sure he has messed up badly when he gets sent on a space freighter to do clean-up duty as punishment for breaking the rules. Zachary’s two friends, Kaylee and the alien Ryic, are also being punished, and together the three of them find that cleaning the deck of a freighter that’s been sabotaged is more excitement than they bargained for.

This very fast-paced book is full of everything a sci-fi adventure should have: a wide variety of strange aliens, space ships, cool equipment and a great story that transcends its genre. The science can get a bit iffy in places, but not in a way that a young reader would notice.  Readers of all ages will love Zach and his ability to think fast on his feet.

Readers who don’t think they like science fiction should try Starbounders. Trust me, this is the book you’re looking for.

Jennifer Bruer Kitchel is the librarian for a pre-K through 8th grade Catholic school in Nashville.

Award-winning author Wendy Mass takes a detour from her usual realistic fiction with her latest book, the extraterrestrial adventure Pi in the Sky. As always, however, her characters are wonderfully accessible and their self-explorations are timeless.

Thirteen-year-old Joss will tell you that all that “special” stuff about being a seventh son is just hooey—even if you are the seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe. All it means to Joss is that his brothers got all the cool jobs—creating new species, composing the music of the spheres, etc.—and he got stuck delivering pies. Yes, pies. The Powers That Be use the cosmic pies as the germination for their endeavors, and they need someone to deliver them. Joss is pretty sure it’s just a made-up job to keep him busy. Everything in The Realms where he lives can be instantly altered in appearance, so why can’t the pies be instantly delivered?

It all becomes irrelevant when an Earthling looks through a telescope one night and can see The Realms. This act places the whole universe in jeopardy—removing the Earth from Time and Joss’ best friend along with it, and depositing a human girl named Anika in the Supreme Overlord’s office. Suddenly, Joss’ job is no longer to deliver pies, but to bring back the Earth. Can Joss really do that? Or, better yet, should he? As he and Anika work together, Joss discovers secrets to the universe even he didn’t know. At the same time, young readers trying to figure who they are will relate to Joss’ discovery of the secrets about himself.

Mass has done an admirable job creating a strange world “behind the stars,” although she doesn’t take the fantasy too far into the incomprehensible. She opens each chapter with a quote about science or the universe from such real-life notables as Carl Sagan and C.S. Lewis. Her preface and author’s note at the end of the book are essential reading as she explains her inspiration and encourages her readers to further scientific exploration.

Unlike Harry Potter, 13-year-old Matt Thorsen has always known he has magical powers. As descendents of the Norse god Thor, Matt and his family hold various leadership roles in their small town of Blackwell, South Dakota. Meanwhile, descendents of trickster (and shape-shifter) god Loki, including Matt's classmate and nemesis Fen, are perpetually causing trouble . . . especially when they use their magic to transform into wolves. And Fen's cousin Laurie has special powers too, although the exact nature of her talent remains a mystery to her.

When the Blackwell town council realizes that Ragnarök—an event which some view as the end of the world but others see as simply a time of great change—is approaching, Matt is unexpectedly named Thor's intended champion. But how can he be a champion of the gods, Matt wonders, when even standing up to Fen is a challenge? And who are the mysterious kids who suddenly arrive in his life, offering him advice on how to defeat the terrible Midgard Serpent?

Putting aside their differences, Matt, Fen and Laurie set off on a journey across South Dakota, seeking descendents of other Norse gods as well as a series of magical objects. Along the way, they encounter tornadoes, trolls and a group of companions—some friends and some foes. All of them know the endings of the ancient myths: Loki leads an army of monsters against Thor, who is later killed by the legendary serpent. Will the old tales repeat themselves . . . or has the time come to create new stories?

Writing under their initials, adult/young adult authors Kelley Armstrong (Women of the Otherworld series) and Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely) team up for their debut middle-grade collaboration, the first in a planned trilogy. References to Norse mythology abound, but all names of gods, monsters and events are defined within the text, making the story accessible both to readers already steeped in Norse traditions and those encountering these tales for the first time. Strong male and female characters, plus a combination of action, adventure and humor—and numerous full-page illustrations— make Loki's Wolves a particularly promising choice for reluctant readers, especially fans of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

Kyle Keeley just doesn’t stand out. He’s not as strong as his brother Mike, and he’s not as smart as his brother Curtis. However, there’s one thing that can level the playing field between him and his brothers: board games—specifically, board games created by the famous Mr. Lemoncello. Winning board games depends on a good card, a lucky roll of the dice or some quick thinking. In Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, written by Chris Grabenstein, Kyle learns that his hometown’s new library was designed by Mr. Lemoncello himself, and he plans on doing whatever he can to get inside.

By using some quick thinking and ingenuity, Kyle is invited to the invitation-only lock-in at the new library, along with 11 other children. They anticipate an evening of snacks, books, games and fun. What they don’t expect is to be locked in the library and told that they must win a game created by Mr. Lemoncello himself to escape—with the winner starring in advertisements for Mr. Lemoncello’s games! If there is one thing Kyle is good at, it’s games, and he is determined to win this one. Kyle must decide, however, if he can win this game alone, or if he must work with others to decipher the clues, puzzles and tricks laid out for them.

Young readers will find themselves flying through the pages of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library wanting to know what happens next, all while jumping in surprise at what leaps off the page. A mix between playing a game of “Clue” and reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library is a fun, fast-paced story, filled with interesting characters and complex puzzles that will keep just about any reader rolling the dice, spinning the spinner and flipping the cards all the way to the end.

Have you ever dreamed of living in a treehouse? Terry and Andy live in a towering treehouse beyond anything I ever imagined spending a night in. This amazing home has everything two boys could need: A secret lab, a see-through swimming pool, a giant catapult and a lemonade fountain are just a few of the surprises.

Terry and Andy work as a team to make books for their publisher, Mr. Big Nose—Terry as author and Andy as illustrator. But with all of the fascinating distractions of the treehouse, they have missed the deadline for their next book. While waiting for inspiration, the boys run into every imaginable—and unimaginable—situation, from sea monsters and mermaids to an out-of-control marshmallow shooter. Along the way, each will learn lessons in friendship and responsibility.

Australians Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton, who collaborated on such previous hits as Killer Koalas from Outer Space, star as their younger selves in this clever and entertaining romp. Denton’s black-and-white illustrations, filled with expression and imaginative detail, will draw in even the most reluctant reader. From monkey poop to a burping contest, there’s also plenty of guy humor woven into the story.

In The 13-Story Treehouse, the first in a new series, young readers will find themselves giggling at the crazy antics of Terry and Andy—and undoubtedly dreaming of a treehouse all their own.

Todd Hasak-Lowy’s first book for young readers, 33 Minutes . . . Until Morgan Sturtz Kicks My Butt, is a funny story with some serious insights about middle grade boys and their friendships. While there are a lot of books out there about the friendships of girls, it’s easy to forget that boys have their own codes and paths of growth as they navigate into adulthood. 33 Minutes allows us to peak inside and see how a boy’s brain works.

The first chapter begins on a day in school at 11:41 a.m.—33 minutes until recess and the butt-kicking that Morgan plans to do to our narrator, Sam Lewis. The last chapter ends at 1:16 that afternoon, but Sam manages to tell us all we need to know in that short time. How, for instance, he and Morgan have been best friends for years but now Morgan is so angry that he can barely look at his former pal. Sam explains how the new kid Chris comes between them, along with divergent interests in football and academics, but he is hesitant to say what one thing happened that prompted Morgan to want to beat him up. By the time Sam tells us about the incident, we understand that it wasn’t just that one thing, that there were numerous little things that added up to a busted friendship.

Hasak-Lowy’s fast-paced book keeps the reader wondering—and dying to know—about Sam and what he’s going to do as the fight approaches. The story is about growing up and moving on, but It’s told with great humor as Sam tries to figure his way out of the mess. Bethany Barton’s illustrations add an immediate quality with hand-drawn pictures and funny lists. Morgan and Sam do not end up as you might expect, but the conclusion is highly satisfactory.

Hasak-Lowy has created a genuine voice in Sam Lewis, one with which any reader, whether jock or nerd, can sympathize.

Many readers know the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the story of a flying car that saves the Pott family from gangsters. However, few readers may be aware that the book’s publication in 1964 occurred a few months after the death of its author, Ian Fleming—yes, that Ian Fleming, who also created James Bond.

Two years ago, Fleming's family commissioned Frank Cottrell Boyce, of Millions and Cosmic fame, to write a sequel. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again (2012) retained the British charm of the original book, and Boyce follows that entry with Chitty Chitty Bang Band Rides Again, which ups the level of adventure—and stands on its own for those who haven't read the previous entries in this magical series.

Chitty’s new owners, the biracial Tooting family comprised of Dad, Mum, Jem, Lucy and Little Harry, have discovered a “Chronojuster” lever on Chitty, which allows them to time travel. At the story’s start, the Tootings find themselves in the Cretaceous period with a hungry Tyrannosaurus rex ready to devour them. Amid lively banter among the Tootings, the ever quick-acting Chitty rescues his family again. While the Tootings set a course to find the Potts and save the world from evil supervillains, Nanny and Tiny Jack, Chitty, always the real one in control, steers them all to 1920’s New York City and the Prohibition Era.

As the Tootings hobnob with Duke Ellington and Count Bassie, they meet Chitty’s first owner, Count Zborowski, who’s set to drive in the Prix d’Esmerelda’s Birthday Cake. Boys in particular will appreciate the race’s death-defying moments and the continued mad-cap escapades, chases, kidnappings and narrow escapes.

And as the Tootings are whisked away once more to 16^th century Amazon and a lost city of gold, Chitty goes from Bang Bang to “Bling Bling.” Boyce leaves the ending open for another sequel and time to read (or reread) the original.

Have you ever had a dream so vivid, you were sure it was real? One that you dreamed over and over until you knew the world in the dream as well as you did the real world? What would you do if you found out that world was real? In Haunters, the thrilling new novel by British author Thomas Taylor, David Utherwise must confront this question, and more. After dreaming repeatedly about a boy named Eddie who seems to live in another time and place, David is snatched by a mysterious man and introduced to a secret organization called the Dreamwalker Project.

At the Unsleep House, the heart of the Dreamwalker Project, David begins to learn about the implications of his dreams. It turns out that when David visits Eddie in his dreams, he is visiting a real person in his own time. In fact, David is visiting his own grandfather, the person who eventually discovers the ability to dreamwalk. David must quickly learn as much as he can about dreamwalking because there is a slight problem – someone is determined to bring an end to the Dreamwalker Project, and by default, David himself. In order to save the project and ensure that he will still exist, David must partner with a team of experienced dreamwalkers to discover and stop The Haunting.

Haunters is a unique novel, mixing aspects of thriller, science fiction, ghost story and historical. The mystery of dreamwalking grabs the reader in the first few pages and doesn’t let go until the exciting conclusion. For a first-time author, Taylor demonstrates a rare ability to hold the reader’s attention, and the sequel to this pulse-pounding story will be highly anticipated. 

It’s tough being Benji Wendell Barnsworth. As if being born prematurely, fainting on a regular basis and missing school all the time because of illness wasn’t enough, Benji has now ended up in the hospital after having a major seizure at school. In Jenny Lee’s Elvis and the Underdogs, Benji is faced with an impossible choice: Wear a huge, hideous helmet to protect his fragile head from falls or convince his mom to let him have a dog that can sense seizures. However, getting a dog doesn’t turn out exactly as Benji imagined.

The first clue that Elvis is not an ordinary dog is his size. He’s big—no, not just big, but HUGE! The second, and more obvious, clue, is that Elvis introduces himself to Benji as Parker Elvis Pembroke IV, the dog trained to assist the president of the United States. As in, actually introduces himself with words that Benji can understand, even though no one else seems to be able to. Unfortunately, Elvis decides that until the mistake is corrected and he is sent to help the president, he is going to use his voice to boss Benji around. This, however, begins to lead to some unintended consequences and new experiences.

Elvis manages, through stubbornness and determination, to break through the defenses of some surprising people and teach Benji that talking to new people and making friends may not be as awful as he thought.

Elvis and the Underdogs explores the hidden side of people, making the reader look at bullies, athletes and outcasts in an entirely new way. Convincingly told in Benji’s appealing voice and filled with strong, empathetic and fun characters, this heart-warming story will be enjoyed by readers trying to figure out who they really are, and where they fit in the world.

The character, Timmy Failure, may live up to his name, but the book of the same title is anything but a disappointment. Stephan Pastis, creator of the “Pearls Before Swine” comic strip, ventures into the world of children’s books with Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made, bringing middle-grade readers a hilarious, multi-layered story.

As Timmy tells it, readers hold in their hands the most valuable compendium of knowledge about detective work ever written. It is also his life story, which, has had a few road blocks—including an “idiot best friend” and a 1,500-pound polar bear—that make his accomplishments all the more impressive. Timmy goes to great lengths to tell us what a great detective he is, but Pastis’ charming illustrations tell a different story. We first see Timmy and his partner, the aforementioned polar bear, bumble the simplest of cases. A boy named Gunnar hires the pair to find out what happened to his missing Halloween candy. Timmy walks by Gunnar’s brother’s room, sees him in bed surrounded by candy wrappers with chocolate all over his mouth, and jots down a note that reads, “Gabe: not tidy.”

As Timmy works through other cases, including a missing shoe and a toilet-papered house, two major events occur that threaten to keep him from achieving his goal of making Failure, Inc. the best detective agency in the world. First, the Failuremobile (a.k.a. his mom’s Segway) gets stolen, and then at school, he is assigned to work in a group with his arch nemesis, the other kid detective in his class. Timmy has to figure out a way to keep his mom from uncovering the theft of her beloved Segway (that Timmy was not allowed to touch) while also sabotaging the grades of his sworn enemy, Corrina Corrina.

Underneath all the crazy detective hijinks, misbehavior and polar bear fluff is the story of a boy struggling to realize his own potential and of a single-parent family trying to make ends meet. It takes a clever new teacher and a moment of clarity from Timmy’s incredibly understanding mother to turn Timmy’s train wreck of a year into a celebration of achievement.

Timmy Failure is truly a book for all ages–older readers will love unraveling Timmy’s personal story and younger readers will be thoroughly entertained by his sloppy sleuthing skills.

RELATED CONTENT:

Read an illustrated Q&A with author Stephan Pastis.

Watch a sneak peek of Timmy Failure, Book 2.