Here’s something new in the world of children’s literature—a documentary novel, in which the narrator’s fictional story set in 1962 is interwoven with photographs, newspaper headlines, song lyrics and ads. The narrative, however, is not stuck in one particular era; it extends back in time through Uncle Otts’ stories of World War I, and forward through the author’s expository pieces on such topics as John F. Kennedy and the later Civil Rights movement. It’s an effective way to demonstrate how our lives are wrapped up in our times, affected by the past and shaping the future.

Franny Chapman is 11 years old and in fifth grade, trying to balance her home life, school life and all of the bad news about the state of the world. TV reports about Vietnam and the Cuban Missile Crisis and duck-and-cover-drills at school make her confused and fearful. She composes a letter to Khrushchev, keeps up with her school work and helps around the house, but she’s convinced she’s “a goner, a kid who stays up half the night trying to figure out the horror of the world and trying to survive it.”

She has to survive fifth grade, too—a new awareness of boys, a first boy-girl party, a friend who becomes not so friendly and an older sister who doesn’t seem to have time for her anymore.

Franny rings true, her voice pitch-perfect, as an intelligent and earnest young girl just trying to get along. She does survive and even becomes a hero, loses a friend and regains her, and finds a sense of herself in the larger scheme of things. By the end of this innovative and finely wrought novel, Franny sees the sense of her older sister’s advice: “There are always scary things happening in the world. There are always wonderful things happening. And it’s up to you to decide how you’re going to approach the world . . . how you’re going to live in it, and what you’re going to do.”

Countdown is a sure contender for this year’s Newbery Medal.

Ten-year-old Ellie Stewart knows she’s in for a hard time when she’s forced to spend the summer of 1954 with her taciturn Grandma Acklebee, whom she’s never known, in her home on the prairie of Western Canada while her struggling single father travels the countryside selling Marvelous Cookware. Ellie tries to please her grandmother, but the hardened woman blames the lonely girl for every fault, including the death of Ellie’s mother, who died the day Ellie was born.

Gradually, the girl manages to find relief from the monotony of farm life and her grandmother’s harsh judgments. New acquaintance Marcy and her know-it-all antics show Ellie how friends are not supposed to act and, in contrast, prove Ellie’s levelheadedness and respect to her grandmother. Uncle Roger, burned after saving his cows from a barn fire, brings fun to the household and helps Ellie see how Grandma has closed herself off from any emotions. Ellie’s greatest enjoyment, however, comes from Sammy, an injured magpie, which she nurses back to health.

Reminiscent of Sarah, Plain and Tall, this heartfelt story chronicles a prairie family adjusting to grief and change. As she explores the familial relationships, author Valerie Sherrard also provides fascinating descriptions of life in rural Canada.

The return of Ellie’s father leads to a bittersweet transition. Although her prayers are finally answered, the girl’s goodbyes to her uncle and grandmother are harder than expected. In the process of learning to see and appreciate one another, this new family has also found love.

Open up My Life as a Book, and you’ll immediately be drawn in, whether you’re 9 or 90. Young Derek Fallon, the narrator, has a breezy style and lots of things going on in his life. The good news: It’s summer. The bad news: Derek hates to read, and he’s got a summer reading list. He’s been labeled a “reluctant reader,” and that’s an understatement. He likes to draw, however, and he enjoys making stick-figure drawings to illustrate vocabulary words. These fun drawings appear throughout the book, created by author Janet Tashjian’s 14-year-old son, Jake.

At the heart of Derek’s summer is a mystery: He encounters an old newspaper clipping about a teenage girl who drowned on Martha’s Vineyard while she was babysitting Derek. Derek was just a toddler and remembers nothing, and he naturally wants to know more. His mother doesn’t want to discuss it, so Derek becomes a detective, leading to a series of discoveries and adventures.

By the end of the summer, Derek has barely read one of his three assigned books, but he has learned many lessons. As he explains to his teacher, he learns that “we all mess up sometimes and struggle with things that are difficult. That even if reading is hard, everyone needs stories. I didn’t want to read the books on the list, but I wound up surrounded by stories anyway.”

My Life as a Book is a fabulous, fast-paced choice for reluctant and avid readers alike.

The heroine of Princess Says Goodnight is an average young lady in an average family, with a mom, dad, older brother and sis, a cat and a dog, all of whom relax in their family room one evening and slump on their green plaid couch.

But ah, the transformative powers of imagination! As the tired and yawning parents escort their youngest to bed, she radiates energy in her pink tutu and socks, ready to dance the night away. She curtsies in the mirror, sees a gold crown atop her red locks and imagines herself “At the palace in the nighttime,” leaving the ball.

Naomi Howland’s simple, rhyming text transforms the little girl’s nightly ritual into something grand: “Will she hold a candelabra / while climbing up the stairs / and have a frothy glass of milk / with chocolate cream eclairs?”

This is every little girl’s dream come true, and David Small’s always delightful illustrations show the princess’ now-majestic bedroom, containing a four-poster gold bed with a purple canopy and bedspread. This princess’ entire family is also transformed; they are suddenly decked in royal attire. Look closely, and notice how the brother’s red-checkered pajamas transform so nicely into a jester’s outfit as he takes his sister’s lovely slippers away on a tray.

The house is, of course, completely changed into a fairy-tale castle, as the princess gazes out of one of its turreted towers. Who wouldn’t love a bathtub in the shape of a giant golden swan, with different towels for each toe?

The royal treatment continues, with a lullaby and story, but at the end of the evening, our princess is in need of one thing only: a kiss from her very own mom and dad, back in her own bed. Nothing is more comforting than that, after all.

Princess Says Goodnight is a sweet read for young princesses everywhere waiting to be tucked in.

Why do people write? To express themselves? To reach others? To inspire? Whatever the reasons, five fourth graders in Miss Cash’s class are about to get the lessons of their lives—courtesy of visiting author Ms. Mirabel.

Ms. Mirabel brings with her not only a melodious name and ebullient spirit, but what she calls “magical words.” And BFFs Lucy, Henry, Evie, Russell and May are spellbound—both by having such an interesting visitor and by learning how to tell their own stories, word after word after word.

“I, myself, write to change my life, to make it come out the way I want it to,” Ms. Mirabel tells the kids. But she encourages them to find their own words and their own reasons for putting pen to paper. Words have power, but it’s up to the writer to find the right ones for them.

One of the kids faces family relationship issues. Another deals with a serious family illness. All of them, however, share their stories underneath the lilac bush at Henry’s house after school. And that’s where the magical words fill their notebooks with the poems and prose that reflect their own lives.

In Word After Word After Word, Newbery Medal winner Patricia MacLachlan weaves a gentle, funny story about five friends, their camaraderie and the words that ultimately stir each of them. Ms. Mirabel’s encouragement is a timeless—and well-stated—lesson in creative writing.

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, John Grisham’s first book for middle-grade readers—and book one in a planned series—will no doubt have wide appeal. Precocious tween bookworms will admire Theodore Boone, a 13-year-old wannabe lawyer, and reluctant readers will keep flipping the pages due to an action-packed plot.

The only child of two busy attorneys, Theo’s passion in life is the law. He hangs out at the courthouse in his small city, and he knows every lawyer, judge, court clerk and cop in town. In a closet-sized office, he gives legal advice to classmates when their parents are filing for divorce or their pets are charged with violating the leash law. When a big murder case goes to trial, Theo organizes a field trip for his government class to observe the first day’s proceedings.

In Emily’s Fortune, Newbery Award-winning author Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has penned a fast-paced Western adventure perfect for summer afternoons. The story is a delightful departure for this versatile writer, and a wonderful comic romp for young readers.

The heroine, Emily Wiggins, is a shy eight-year-old. She lives with her mother, who works for the wealthy Miss Luella Nash (also known as Loony Lu). Emily is quiet and well-behaved, and it’s a good thing. Miss Nash is of the firm belief that children should be seen (rarely) and not heard (at all).

One day, a terrible carriage accident leaves Emily alone in the world—except for her turtle, Rufus, and some well-meaning neighbors. At this momentous crossroad, Emily sets her hopes on going to live with kind Aunt Hilda in Redbud, a long stagecoach ride away. But all is not resolved so easily. Miss Catchum, of the infamous Catchum Child-Catching Services, informs Emily that she must live with mean and nasty Uncle Victor.

“Now what in a devil’s doughnut should Emily do?” Run away on the next stagecoach, of course. And that’s exactly what Emily does, launching a series of adventures that test her gumption, her new friendship with a (stray) boy named Jackson and even the steely nerves of Rufus the turtle. Readers will find themselves on the edge of their seats asking, “What in pickin’ poppies could possibly happen next?”

With its colorful old-West expressions, delightful illustrations by Ross Collins and inventive use of fonts aimed at grabbing even the most reluctant reader’s attention, Emily’s Fortune is just the book to launch a summer of reading adventures. 

“Put on your veil, grab your hive tool, and light up your smoker we’re going into a beehive,” begins The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe. 

With its clear, readable text, amazing photographs and attractive design, the latest title in the “Scientists in the Field” series not only takes readers inside a beehive, but provides a fascinating look at how scientists and beekeepers are working together to research an alarming drop in honey bees.

Readers of The Hive Detectives will feel like investigators themselves. The first chapter provides an engaging introduction to beekeeping by following the activities of Mary Duane, who keeps bees in her backyard as a hobby. Readers see Mary preparing a smoker and using hive tools to check the health of her bees.

Thanks to this background, it’s easy for readers to appreciate the plight of Dave Hackenberg, a commercial beekeeper, who in November 2006 discovered that 400 of his hives were mysteriously decimated. Author Loree Griffin Burns, who has a Ph.D. in Biology and writes about science for children, follows Hackenberg’s quest to bring the honey bee catastrophe to the attention of policymakers and scientists. A center spread provides short bios of four of the researchers who ultimately collaborated on investigations to discover what might be causing colony collapse disorder (CCD) throughout the country.

The Hive Detectives not only tells a compelling story, it is a visual feast, with high quality photographs, an exceptionally appealing design that draws the reader into the topic and a clear, concise glossary. Just as the scientists are profiled in a scrapbook format, the same layout is used to provide information on the parts of the insect and “bios” of the bees that comprise a hive: drones, workers and queen.

Scientists are still looking for the causes of CCD, but it’s clear that chemicals and pesticides play a crucial role. Books like The Hive Detectives are integral to helping young readers—and their parents—gain a better understanding not only of how scientists work to solve real-life problems, but how all of us can be part of solutions by the choices we make.

And that’s definitely a sweet discovery.

Deborah Hopkinson’s newest book (also about bees) is entitled The Humblebee Hunter: Inspired by the Life and Experiments of Charles Darwin and his Children. 

Who can turn down free pancakes? Bindi’s mom and aunt—proud owners of The Dancing Pancake diner—hope no one can. After all, they need a gimmick to jump-start their new business, and 11-year-old Bindi Winkler refuses to dress up like a pancake and dance around on the sidewalk. That would just be too humiliating—and besides, isn’t her life already full of enough drama?

With her father’s recent mysterious move to a new city, Bindi wonders what will become of her family. But that hope-tinged wonder is dashed when her mother announces that she and Bindi’s father are separating. On top of that, school is stressful—why doesn’t that cute boy, Noah, ever notice me?—friends are fickle and Bindi’s young cousin, Jackson, is an all-around pain.

Growing up is a full-time job, Bindi learns, laden with lots of ups, downs, milkshakes and pancake costumes. But at least she’s got her mom and Aunt Darnell—along with a cheerful teenager, a kindly homeless woman and regular customer Mrs. Otis, a perpetual complainer. They’re a motley crew, to be sure, but combined, they all offer Bindi valuable insights to help her navigate the sidewalks of adolescence.

Spinelli’s lyrical blank verse is the perfect form for story. Each short form poem is like watching a clip from Bindi’s life in progress. The text is fast-paced and easy to read, yet still provides enough detail to elucidate and endear the characters to readers.

Surprises tend to pop up along the way—and not just a fake spider in the pancakes. Some have a weightier impact on Bindi, changing the way she views both people and situations.

While the book’s rather lighthearted ending seems to arrive a bit abruptly—I was left wanting a bit more resolution about Bindi’s life going forward—it seemed to follow Spinelli’s pacing for the book. Maybe all Bindi’s loose ends aren’t tied up. . . but then again, that’s an important life lesson too.

Freelance writer and former children’s librarian Sharon Verbeten lives in Green Bay, Wis., where she loves both dancing and pancakes.

It's the second week of July, and there's something much worse than a fuel shortage going on. (“Short-age would mean there wasn’t enough. Instead, there wasn’t any.”) The lack of fuel isn't affecting only small-town Rocky Shores, where 14-year-old Dewey Marriss lives. Fuel is short all across the country; it’s a crunch. Since his mother and his truck driver father are away celebrating their anniversary—stuck near the Canadian border without any diesel—it’s up to Dewey and his older sister to be the “embodiment of responsibility” for three younger siblings on their small farm.

At first Dewey relishes managing his father’s side business, the Marriss Bike Barn, until the greater demand for bicycles and repairs becomes more than he can keep up with. Although he hasn’t been meticulous about recording inventory, he’s certain that someone has been pilfering bike parts. He doesn’t want to suspect his next-door neighbor, who’s already in the habit of helping himself to eggs and berries, or Robert, the out-of-work, recent college grad, who likes to help out in the bike shop, but times are now strange and anyone could be to blame.

As the highways clear, leaving quiet walkers and bikers traveling down the once busy lanes, a new value system emerges in which bikes are stolen, prices skyrocket, shoppers hoard what little remains on the shelves, businesses aren’t hiring and holders of precious gas ration cards are assaulted and robbed. Amid the tough times, Dewey also observes how the crunch has brought out the best in neighbors and small business owners, as they rally together to help the community.

The clever teen applies his dad’s “list of the Eight Rules That Apply to Fixing Almost Anything” to running the bike shop, and also to encouraging the camaraderie of his family, friends and neighbors. The Mariss family's teamwork and quirky lifestyle make readers want to join along as they play, laugh and dine on clam chowder after a busy yet rewarding day on the farm.

Leslie Connor's delightful mystery and commentary on possible global crises will inspire children to hop on their bikes and find ways to save the planet.

Angela Leeper wishes she could ride her bike to her job at the University of Richmond.

The author of the wildly popular Percy Jackson series introduces a new set of heroes to his legions of fans in Book One of the Kane Chronicles series. Siblings Carter and Sadie Kane have been raised on opposite sides of the globe—Sadie with her grandparents in London and Carter with his father, who travels the world studying Egyptian artifacts. Once a year, the Kane siblings get together, and this time the visit starts with a bang—the Rosetta Stone explodes and their father is taken away in a magical coffin.

And that’s just in the first few pages! Part Men in Black, part Avatar, this nonstop thriller reads like a movie. Sadie and Carter, who barely know each other, are thrust into confusing situations where nothing is quite what it seems to be. They soon learn that animals, people and everyday objects in the modern world have links to Egyptian magic and religion. Indeed, the Kane family is part of a lineage that leads all the way back to the first Egyptians.

The Red Pyramid takes place in a magical world with its own rules and history; the numerous mentions of Egyptian gods had me running to reference guides and making lists of names to keep up.

Sadie and Carter spend most of their time fighting monsters and one another and just a bit of time really getting to know each other. No doubt future volumes in this action-packed adventure series will flesh out this sister-and-brother team a little more thoroughly.

Caitlin Smith’s unusual world has suddenly become even more confusing. Her older brother has been killed, and she is left to figure out how to go on, helped by her bereft father and a school counselor. The whole community is trying to make sense of the tragedy, but closure, so elusive for everyone, is especially hard for a girl with Asperger’s syndrome.

Caitlin is not good at feelings. She does not want to have friends, mostly because it’s too hard. She’s working to master the concepts that are so important in the real world, words like finesse, closure and empathy. Her brother Devon had always been there to help her decipher the mysteries of normal behavior, like making eye contact. Only Devon could help Caitlin comprehend their mother’s death from cancer. To Kill a Mockingbird was Devon’s favorite movie; he was her Jem and she was his Scout. But, alas, all that is left of Devon after the funeral is the chest he was building for his Eagle Scout project.

Author Kathryn Erskine allows the reader into Caitlin’s highly organized, literal world and captures the overwhelming grief that comes over a town when a child is killed in a school shooting. It takes Caitlin—with her newfound power of empathy and the lessons she learned from Devon—to help her father and her community come to terms with the tragedy and to heal.

This is a gentle book, gripping and poignant, but not manipulative. While middle schoolers are the book’s target audience, folks of all ages will find much to admire in Mockingbird, a story that stayed with this reader long after the final triumphant page.

When Andrew Hope’s grandfather dies, the young college professor receives an expected inheritance—the house and lands of Melstone, an ancient English estate. But Andrew also discovers an unexpected inheritance—his grandfather’s mystical “field of care.” Old Jocelyn Brandon was more than just an eccentric country gentleman; he was a magician, a wizard. The realm of Melstone was both his property and his magical responsibility, to protect from those who would sap its powers for their own ends. Now that task has fallen on Andrew.

Though trained in magic by his grandfather, Andrew never learned the true secret of Melstone, or the nature of a mysterious parchment with a black seal, which Andrew has only seen in a vision. As a result, the new magician takes over his duties with no idea of either their importance or the ancient danger rising in his realm. The danger only increases when a young teen named Aidan shows up on his doorstep, seeking refuge from shadowy beings that are hunting the boy for reasons neither he nor Andrew can fathom.

Just like her classic Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones’ Enchanted Glass is filled with rich description and wonderful, inventive characters infused with personality and depth. Jones is also a master at combining gentle storytelling with a strong undercurrent of suspense, which truly comes through in her newest work. Her language is equally beautiful, and filled with touches of humor that round out the reality of Andrew’s world.

The title comes from a mysterious stained glass window in Melstone House, but also from Andrew and Aidan’s habit of removing their own glasses in order to see the underlying magic of the world. The latter action is the key theme of the novel—that if you look at the world differently, you can see the magic. As such, Enchanted Glass is less about how Andrew and Aidan resolve the threats against them than about their growing understanding of their magical world. The final solution falls into place almost without their action, but the reader doesn’t much mind. The magic of Enchanted Glass is in the discovery.