BRANFORD, Anna. Violet Mackerel’s Personal Space. illus. by Elanna Allen. S & S/Atheneum. Sept. 2013. ISBN 9781442435919. JLG Level: I+ : Independent Readers (Grades 2–4).

Investigating theories is one of Violet Mackerel’s specialties. The summer her mother remarries she decides that if you leave a small something behind (like a shell or a bit of sea glass), a tiny part of you gets to stay forever. Her brother Dylan struggles with the news that the family will be moving to a larger house. When he moves outside to his father’s beat-up tent, Violet focuses on helping her brother adjust. Planning for the wedding redirects her own fear of change, until the day the last box is packed. A big part of her wants to stay in the house she has lived in for her whole life. Does her theory really work? Violet’s musings offer young readers the opportunity to reflect on the spaces they leave behind as well.

COVILLE, Bruce and Elizabeth Levy. Paula Danziger’s Amber Brown is on the Move. illus. by Anthony Lewis. Putnam. Sept. 2013. ISBN  9780399161698. JLG Level:  I : Independent Readers (Grades 2–4)

Moving is never easy, and even worse, Amber has to pack her own things. At school, she falls behind in standardized testing preparations. Saturday Academy for Amber! When her class begins to take ballroom dancing, she has trouble keeping up with that as well. Her dad decides they should take lessons together, but he falls for the dance instructor. Now Miss Isobel (who can never remember Amber’s name) joins the pair on her weekends of musical theater movie watching. Stepfather Max nags at Amber to pack. No wonder she can’t focus. There’s too much change and Amber begins to feel hopeless. How can she get back on track? Coville and Levy guide the endearing girl through a hard year when Amber must learn to take change one step at a time.

HENKES, Kevin. The Year of Billy Miller. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. Sept. 2013. ISBN 9780062268136. JLG Level: I+ : Independent Readers (Grades 2–4).

The summer after Billy Miller hits his head, he worries if he will be smart enough for second grade. His teacher, Ms. Silver, assures him that he is. Now that Billy is older, he wants to call his papa, Dad. How will his father react? Will it hurt his feelings? And papa is struggling with his big art break. What can Billy do to help him? Little sister Sal can be a pain. She even gets glitter on his bat cave project! And his mom becomes the subject of his class project, though it’s really hard to write about her. (He’d rather write about volcanoes.) Henkes divides Billy’s tale into four character-focused sections, enabling readers to understand more fully how Billy conquers fears, works through problems, and grows up―just a little bit.

KLISE, Kate. The Show Must Go On! illus. by M. Sarah Klise. Algonquin. Sept. 2013. ISBN 9781616202446. JLG Level: I+ : Independent Readers (Grades 2–4).

Sir Sidney has the best circus in the world. Everyone leaves happy. He treats his animals like family. When he grows old and tired, he places an ad in the paper for a new circus manager. Dozens of applicants appear, but they seem more interested in meeting him than in running a circus. Barnabas Brambles, Certified Lion Tamer, has other ideas. He wants to see change―energy, new vision, and a new attitude! Sir Sidney gives him a one week trial, and a free hand to run the business. The stipulation is that he should treat everyone―large and small―with respect. Nothing could be further from the truth. Brambles doubles the performances and prepares to sell Sir Sidney’s beloved animals. Something must be done! The sisters Klise introduce an entertaining cast of characters in an amusing new series (“Three-Ring Rascals”) for independent readers.

MACLACHLAN, Patricia. The Truth of Me. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Bks. 2013. ISBN 9780061998607. JLG Level: I : Independent Readers (Grades 2–4).

Robbie’s grandmother Maddy is his best friend, though not many kids would say that. Maddy has many friends, but most of them are wild animals. It worries her daughter, but Robbie knows that it proves that Maddy has special powers. He believes she shared a piece of corn bread with a bear while sitting on a log in the woods. The summer that he spends with his grandmother while his musician parents go on tour provides an opportunity for Robbie to experience her gift of talking to the animals. MacLachlan’s tender story of a boy who finds courage inspires readers to observe the truth in their own lives.

For audio/video versions of these booktalks, please visit JLG’s Shelf Life Blog.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.

GALE, Eric Kahn. The Bully Book: A Novel. HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. ISBN 9780062125118. JLG Level: HIM : High Interest Middle School (Grades 5–8).

“The Grunt is a person. But it is also something you create. By the time you’re done, the Grunt will be the loser of all losers to everyone in your class. Your job is to make it happen.” Written in a handbook that has been passed down for years is the secret to being popular: choosing one person to be the bottom of the social order. In doing so, you become the leader of your grade. However, the handbook is secret until Eric becomes the Grunt. He finds a clue that makes him determined to change his course and maybe protect those “grunts” to come. Will he find the Bully book? Who wrote it and why? Can a kid really change his place in the social order? Can he stop the bullies?

Told in chapters alternating between the Bully Book and Eric’s journal, readers will cringe at the bullying tactics and cheer for those who stand up to their aggressors.

KLISE, Kate. Homesick. Feiwel and Friends. 2012. ISBN 9781250008428. JLG Level: C : Advanced Readers (Grades 6–9).

In 1983 (before the internet) the idea of a computer network is ludicrous. Radio is popular and everyone knows your business. In a small Missouri town, Benny has his hands full. His dad is a collector whose findings begin to take over the house. When his mom walks out, Benny is torn between his love for his mother and his loyalty to his father. His dad finds out that his son is cleaning the house for a school service project and goes ballistic―even calling to shout at the teacher. The boy even gets in trouble for throwing away stacks of pizza boxes. Benny realizes his father is more than a collector: he has a serious problem, and he needs help. The radio, the town clean-up project, and a fake piano recital might just do the trick.

Known for her works for middle grade readers, Klise delivers a powerful story about divorce, truth-telling, and the every-day challenges of life. With an amazing cast of characters, Homesick celebrates the importance of building relationships.

KRUMWIEDE, Lana. Freakling. Candlewick. 2012. ISBN 9780763659370. JLG Level: FM : Fantasy/Science Fiction Middle (Grades 5–8).

Taemon has always known he had powers that should be kept secret. He can see into an object and know how to make it work. “Be it so!” Without saying a word―without using his hands, everyone in the dystopian land of Deliverance can make it be so. Those without powers (or psi) are cast out. Taemon chooses not to use his powers for evil, and gives them up. He uses his knack for tinkering to hide his psi-less condition. Older brother Yens has a thirst for power and will stop at nothing―not even threatening the life of his brother―to get it. He will be the True Son. What is Taemon’s destiny? Will he be a freakling and forced to use labor instead of his mind? Has he really lost all his psi? What does it mean when the Elder Naseph changes the prophecy of the True Son’s purpose? How can Taemon battle the oncoming evil with no psi-power to stop it?

Krumwiede’s debut novel will rivet readers and hold them captive until its thrilling conclusion.

PATTERSON, James and Chris Grabenstein. I Funny: A Middle School Story. illus. by Laura Park. Little, Brown. 2012. ISBN 9780316206938. JLG Level: HIM : High Interest Middle School (Grades 5–8).

“No, I’m Jamie Grimm.” Delivering the punch line before the joke wasn’t his plan, but sometimes in the nerves of things, the unthinkable happens. Jamie also never planned to be an orphan in a wheelchair, but he makes the best of it. His humor keeps his spirits up, leaving echoes of laughter wherever he goes. He even stands up to the school bully, who happens to be his new adoptive brother. It seems that nothing can hold him back until he decides to enter the Funniest Kid Comic Contest. Can Jamie overcome his stage fright? What heavy burden is Jamie carrying?

Written in short chapters and full of jokes boys can use for their own material, Patterson and Grabenstein share a tale for kids who deal with disabilities, bullies, and other burdens far too heavy for kids their age.

PEACOCK, Shane. Becoming Holmes: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Final Case.  Tundra. 2012. ISBN  9781770492325. JLG Level: MM : Mystery/Adventure Middle & HS (Grades 7–11).

With the death of Charles Dickens, Sherlock Holmes sees immortality everywhere he looks. Now an orphan with a gravely ill sponsor, he sinks deeper into melancholy until he is literally kicked out of the lab. Stumbling upon yet another mystery, the young detective is determined to bring in his arch enemy, Malefactor, at last. Grimsby could not have gotten the job on his own merit. What secret is the Governor of the Bank of England hiding? Can he stop the infiltration of his nemesis before it is too late?

Peacock lays the groundwork for the most well-known detective. What motivated him to detach himself from his work? To efficiently analyze everyone he meets? To see details that no one else sees? Though the novel is the last of the series, it stands well as a story all on its own.

For ideas about how to use these books and links to supportive sites, check out the Junior Library Guild blog, Shelf Life.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.