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Oh, my heart: hard truths,
decisions for my (second-)
favorite fifth grader.

True Things (Adults Don't Want Kids to Know) by Jimmy Gownley. Atheneum, 2010, 176 pages.

Happy Bunny guy
is a worthy successor
to John Callahan.

Dog Butts and Love. And Stuff Like That. And Cats. by Jim Benton. NBM Publishing, 2014, 96 pages.

Approved by fifth-grade
daughter, second-grade son, and Mom.
Rip-roaring fun!

Cleopatra in Space #1: Target Practice by Mike Maihack. Graphix, 2014, 176 pages.

Super-charming
revisionist history
featuring kickass girls.

The Case of the Missing Moonstone (Wollstonecraft Detective Agency #1) by Jordan Stratford, illustrated by Kelly Murphy. Knopf, 2015, 240 pages.

It's Spring! With Batty!
And you will cry and cry and cry.
And then rejoice,

The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall. Knopf, 2015, 352 pages.

A satisfying
goodbye to one of my
favorite knuckleheads.

Completely Clementine by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee. Hyperion, 2015, 192 pages.

Raises tons of questions,
answers almost none -- and
does so beautifully.

How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon. Holt, 2014, 352 pages.

Title: GUYKU A Year of Haiku for Boys Written by: Bob Raczeka Illustrated by: Peter Reynolds Published by: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, New York, 2010 Themes/Topics: seasons, poetry, haiku, nature Suitable for ages: 4-8 Opening: The wind and I play         … Continue reading →

Beautiful meditation
on life, death, and friendship.
Worth all the buzz.

The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart. Scholastic, 2015, 240 pages.

Ecoterrorism
with benign intent.
Scarily plausible.

Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar. Delacorte, 2015 192 pages.

It feels like Alaska
outside, so snuggle in
with Bo and the gang.

Bo at Iditarod Creek by Kirkpatrick Hill, illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Holt, 2015, 288 pages.

CREEPY AS ALL HELL,
and wonderfully rich and
compelling to boot.

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll. McElderry/S&S, 2014, 208 pages.

A different story
of internment, with
complicated characters.

Gaijin: American Prisoner of War by Matt Faulkner. Disney, 2014, 144 pages.

A story of wartime
bravery, tainted by
shameful racism.

The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks. Broadway Books, 2014, 272 pages.

Gamer girl figures
out the rules aren't always
black-and-white. Hardcore smarts.

In Real Life/IRL by Cory Doctorow, illustrated by Jen Wang. First Second, 2014, 192 pages.

Personal fulfillment
in the modern workaday
world. Plus stealing.

Shoplifter by Michael Cho. Pantheon, 2014, 96 pages.

Behold: your go-to
gift for the karate* kid
in your life. (*I know.)

Tales of Bunjitsu Bunny by John Himmelman. Holt, 2014, 144 pages.

Not bad, surprisingly:
real kid fears handled with
real kid solutions.

Nightmares by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller. Delacorte, 2014, 368 pages.

A fair bit of stiff
exposition, but you
can't help liking Stella.

Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper. Atheneum, 2015, 336 pages.

Briefly confused by
narration, but I loved these
guys and loved their game.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. HMH, 2014, 240 pages.

ETA: OMG I TOTALLY SCHEDULED THIS ONE PRESCIENTLY, EH?

Masshole makes good,
makes us all laugh, kicks some a$$
in the process. Rock on.

Yes Please by Amy Poehler. Dey Street Books, 2014, 352 pages.

I had a crush on
Ed Grimly and I'm not
ashamed to admit it.

I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend by Martin Short. Harper, 2014, 336 pages.

We need diverse books
because Gabi's is a
universal story.

Gabi, Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero. Cinco Puntos Press, 2014, 208 pages.

Is this pint-sized
sociopath actually growing
on me? Oh dear.

We Meet Again (Timmy Failure #3) by Stephan Patsis. Candlewick, 2014, 272 pages.

Pointless fluff in its
most charming form.
Anybody want a peanut?

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes and Joe Layden. Touchstone, 2014, 272 pages.