High, Linda Oatman. One Amazing Elephant. 272p. HarperCollins. Feb. 2017. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780062455833.

Gr 4-6 –If your mother were a trapeze artist and your grandparents traveled with a circus, you might imagine that you’d get such perks as free cotton candy, the chance to befriend sideshow performers, and behind-the-scenes tours. While this lifestyle might excite most tweens, Lily Pruitt views the circus as dangerous. She fears even being near her grandparents’ beloved elephant Queenie Grace and dislikes that the demands of circus life have separated members of her family. Rather than travel with the performers, Lily lives with her father on Magic Mountain Campground, leading a quiet, simple life with her paints, her Christmas traditions, and her yearly visits from her grandparents and mother. Following a tragic death in the family, Lily flies to Gibtown, FL, where circus performers flock in the winter months. During this visit, Lily overcomes fears, learns forgiveness, and befriends a boy with alligator skin. The author’s use of changing perspectives between Lily and Queenie Grace provides readers with a deep understanding of and empathy for the elephant’s experience. Through Queenie Grace’s senses and Lily’s interpretation of social cues, readers gain a heightened awareness of the many characters in Gibtown. High’s deeply emotional yet realistic novel untangles Lily’s twisted relationship with her mother and shines a light on the lasting impact that relationships between humans and animals can have, even through death. VERDICT Hand this to animal lovers and readers looking for a tear-jerking family drama.–Mary-Brook J. Townsend, Episcopal Collegiate School, Little Rock, AK

Lambert, Mary E. Family Game Night and Other Catastrophes. 256p. ebook available. Scholastic. Mar. 2017. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780545931984.

Gr 4-7 –Annabelle’s family seems to be slowly slipping out of control. In order to establish a sense of order for herself, Annabelle creates a few self-imposed rules. First, nobody from school is allowed within five miles of her house. This is pretty easy, since her family’s increasingly run-down abode is miles outside of town. Second, no unnecessary items are allowed in her room, and she checks for this daily. Finally, and most important, nobody outside of Annabelle’s family can know what really goes on at home. She does not want anyone to know that her mom collects things. In fact, she hoards them. Room after room has been taken over by items like newspapers (arranged by weather forecast), canned goods, items purchased from infomercials, Beanie Babies, and egg cartons. As a result, Annabelle’s little sister has nightmares, her brother spends as little time at the house as possible, and her father throws himself into his work. After an incident with one of her mother’s stacks of newspapers, Annabelle’s parents have a fight that threatens to tear the family apart. Can Annabelle’s overbearing, bossy grandmother step in and save the day, or will she do more harm than good? Will her mother ever be able to function without hoarding? This poignant tale with an authentic and memorable narrator will resonate with many young readers—whether they have personal experiences with hoarding or not. VERDICT Move this to the top of the realistic fiction purchase list in libraries serving middle graders.–Carli Sauer, Carmel Middle School, IN

Laso, Maria D. Otherwise Known as Possum. 240p. Scholastic. Mar. 2017. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780545927956.

Gr 4-6 –Eleven-year-old LizBetty Porter, better known as Possum, loses her mother and newborn baby brother. Like most tweens, Possum thinks she has all the answers. In her worldview, if she remains at home, her life will be the same as it was before her mother died. She will not attend school, because she already knows everything. Instead, she will be a companion to her distraught father. Even when neighbors try to help by bringing food or providing company, Possum does her best to discourage them. But change comes. Possum is forced to go to school and must share a desk with a stuck-up girl named Mary Grace. Quickly, Possum becomes aware that her pretty teacher is interested in her father. As the tale unfolds in vignettes and episodes, some of her beliefs and attitudes undergo dramatic reversals. This coming-of-age novel takes place in 1932, in Depression-era Appalachia. Folksy wisdom shared by various secondary characters and the natural beauty and simplicity of the environment help Possum overcome her grief. But more life-affirming than scenery is the support of caring friends and neighbors who Possum finally allows into her painful world and who permit her broken heart to start to mend. VERDICT A tender grief story that will appeal to fans of Ali Benjamin’s The Thing About Jellyfish.–Lillian Hecker, Town of Pelham Public Library, NY

Murray, Martine. Molly & Pim and the Millions of Stars. 192p. Knopf. Jan. 2017. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780399550409.

Gr 3-6 –In this Australian import, 10-year-old Molly just wants to be normal. She is jealous of her best friend Ellen’s organized parents, clean house, and prepackaged muesli bars from the grocery store. Molly, on the other hand, has a space cadet mother who wanders off into the woods to gather herbs, makes potions, fills the house with odd trinkets, and prepares strange homemade food for Molly’s lunch. But as annoying as her mother can be, when she accidentally turns herself into a tree, Molly is devastated—and desperate to get her back. The problem is that she’s too embarrassed to tell anyone what has happened, except for Pim, a fellow misfit. When Molly’s mean neighbors threaten to chop down her mother’s tree, the situation becomes all the more urgent. Ultimately, Molly discovers that love, trust, and friendship matter more than being “normal.” Molly and her friends are fully realized characters in a richly developed world. VERDICT Imaginative middle graders will relish this gentle story with a fairy-tale feel. A stellar addition.–Eliza Langhans, Hatfield Public Library, MA