Better Late than Never ...

The 2010 Newbery Award medal was announced way back in January, so it's high time for the winning book to receive some attention on this blog.  If only there were a way to go back in time ...

Stead, Rebecca (2009). When You Reach Me. (Gr. 5-8)

In 1979, 12-year-old Miranda lives in Manhattan with her mother.  They have a run-down apartment in a run-down building, and she reads and re-reads a tattered copy of A Wrinkle in Time.  The homeless man on the corner and the gang of boys at the garage make Miranda nervous, but she has street smarts to keep her safe.  Everything starts to go wrong when Miranda's best friend, Sal, is punched while they're walking home from school.  Sal stops talking to her, and Miranda has no one to turn to when someone breaks into her apartment and leaves a strange note: "I'm coming to save your friend's life, and my own."  More mysterious notes accurately predict the future--and, as if that isn't enough to worry about, she has to make new friends.  Miranda has a lot of questions to answer.  Will her mom ever be able to leave the job that she hates?  Is time-travel possible?  Will Sal be her friend again?  Who keeps sending the notes?

There's a little bit of science fiction, here, but everything about the characters and the setting is realistic.  Clues are slyly dropped along the way, and everything fits together perfectly.  If you like science fiction, you'll probably like this book.  If you like realistic fiction, you'll probably like it, too.  If you like mysteries ... yep, you'll like this book.  (If you like all three genres: this is exactly the book you need to get on your next visit to the library.)  It's the kind of story that keeps turning over and over in your mind for days as you digest it all.

Especially recommended for Wrinkle in Time fans.

"The Girl Who Could Fly"

Forester, Victoria (200 ). The Girl Who Could Fly. Grades 5-8.

Meet Piper McCloud, a farm girl who has never left her hometown, not even to go to a school. When she realizes that she can fly, she amazes herself and shocks her parents. No matter how much her parents try to discourage her from continuing to fly, Piper feels that it is a special gift and that she should use it. Before she can master her flying skills, she is taken to a secret government facility, which is led by Dr. Letitia Hellion. Piper is immediately placed in a classroom with other kids who have a variety of special abilities. Piper is amazed with the quality of life at the school. Meals are the best that she has ever tasted and all of her needs are seen to. However, it is soon apparent that Dr. Letitia Hellion may not have been honest with Piper and her reason for bringing her to the facility. In order to discover the truth, Piper must work with the other children to figure out why they were all brought to the same place.

How can a plane land without a pilot?

Haddix, Margaret Peterson (2008). Found. (The Missing, bk.1) 314 pages. Grades 5-7.

Thirteen-year-old Jonah always knew that he was adopted. His parents were honest with him from the beginning. His friend, Chip, didn't learn that he was adopted until more recently. And it came as a complete shock. Unlike Jonah's parents, Chip's parents do not want to discuss the details with him and would rather he not ask them any questions. But, when both boys begin receiving anonymous letters concerning their adoptions, they begin to think that something is not right. With the help of Jonah's sister, Katherine, they attempt to figure out who is sending the letters and why. In the process, they discover that as babies, they were found on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, with no adults on board. Now it is up to the three friends to warn the other people who were on that plane before it is too late.

A boy, a flying boat, and an evil genius...

Miller, Wiley (2006). The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Basil. 126 pages. Grades 3-5.

Twelve-year old Basil lives in a lighthouse in Maine where nothing much happens...until now. An unexpected visitor arrives at Basil's window, in a flying boat! Professor Angus McGookin and Basil take a trip to the city of Helios, where they encounter interesting inventions, flying pteranodons, and an evil genius. Kids will also enjoy the colorful illustrations and comical characters.