Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Practicing the Piano (But She Does Love Being in Recitals) by Peggy Gifford

Two things disappointed Moxy about the recital tonight. The first was the fact that "Heart and Soul" was such a short song. She thought it should go on at least five minutes longer.
The second thing was that her twin brother, Mark Maxwell, who was seven minutes younger, was going to play a solo called "The Flight of the Bumblebee." Moxy thought that if Mark was going to play a solo then she, Moxy Maxwell, should be able to play a solo too.(6)

Peggy Gifford's Moxy Maxwell series is quickly growing, with a new book every year for the last three years. Some of you might remember Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuar Little or Writing Thank You Notes. Well, now Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Practicing the Piano. She's more concerned with practicing her bow with her younger sister, making sure her mom made 150 cupcakes after an all night flight from Africa, and trying on her cape and crown to make sure they fit perfectly. Oh, and warm up her singing voice, just in case she gets asked to sing. She is not concerned about the fact that she does not stop playing the song in the right spot. She's confident she'll succeed, because she's Moxy. Right?

AMY

Slant by Laura E. Williams

I turn and walk back, my eyes lifted to the sky. More stars are out, but that first one I saw is still burning the brightest. I hope it's not a planet instead of a star. Wishing on a planet doesn't work, does it? Just in case, I pick another pinprick of light and wish on it too. I kinda worry, though, that this is negating my earlier wish since this really isn't the first star I've seen tonight. Have my two wishes canceled each other out? I comfort myself with the thought that at least I had my birthday wish. And a birthday wish, especially for a girl turning thirteen, should be pretty powerful. Not that I'm obsessed or anything. (11)

Laura E. Williams tells the story of newly turned thirteen Lauren who is hoping, wishing, and praying for one thing; the chance to have an operation to fix her eyes. There's nothing wrong with them, except as an adopted Korean teen she feels out of place with her classmates. They call her Slant and other names. When the boy she likes calls her that, she's flabergasted. But she becomes even more flabergasted when her grandmother comes for a visit and a past secret surfaces. But it's not just Lauren who has surprises in store for her.

AMY

The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart

Noel had been kissing Ariel Olivieri.
Kissing.
Ariel.
Ag.
I felt shattered.
Except, how could I be shattered? We weren't together. We would never be together, because of Nora liking him. We had barely spoken to one another since the term started.
Get over it, I told myself. You're not allowed to be shattered.
He's your Chem partner. You're his bodyguard.
Nothing more. (50)

E. Lockhart continues Ruby Oliver's journey through high school in the latest installment The Treasure Map of Boys. Following the events of The Boy Book, Ruby Oliver is faced with the dillema of being in a perpetual state of noboyfriend. That doesn't mean that she still doesn't have boy trouble though. She's conflicted by her feelings towards her ex-boyfriend Jackson who cheated on her with her ex-bestfriend Kim. Noel also seems to like Ruby, but Ruby is trying not to let Nora find out because she promised Nora (who likes Noel) that Ruby wouldn't date him. And then there's the little fact that Nora recently got fired from her job at the zoo for calling a dad drunk. Overall, it's no wonder that Ruby is having panic attacks. If only life wasn't so complicated.

AMY

The Search for the Red Dragon by James A. Owen

Sitting in a disarray of just-blooming bluebells, mud, and free-floating feathers was a small girl. A small girl with wings. [...]
"More of a cherub, really, don't you think, John?" said Charles.
"And you would know this how?" asked John. "When have you ever seen a cherub?"
"Look," said Charles, "when he said 'angel,' I was expecting something a little more grown-up. This cherub can't be more than five years old."
"I'm eight, I'll have you know," the girl piped up. "Next Thursday, anyway. And I'm not a cherub or an angel, whatever those are. I'm Laura Glue, and Laura Glue is me." (16)

In the sequel to Here, There Be Dragons, James Owen begins the story nine years later. Charles and John have been contacted by Jack's brother to come immediately. Upon arrival, they are greated not only by Jack and his brother, but by a tiny winged girl with a message for "Jamie" that "The Crusade has begun." Jamie turns out to be Sir James Barrie, the previous Caretaker of the Imaginarium Geographica. After calling on their old friend Bert, they discover that children, including Aven's son, have all gone missing along with the dragon ships. As the conduct The Search for the Red Dragon, they're transported to Never Land where they meet some familiar characters.

AMY

I came to court last autumn to serve the new queen, and awaited her winter arrival with the rest of her ladies-in-waiting. But by early spring the gift of the sapphire made the focus of the king's affection clear for all to see. At fifteen years old, I am on the brink of gaining great wealth and great privilege for my family. Or so I have been told. I had best act properly, I am often reminded, or else squander all of our chances. The king is forty-nine and not as well as he once was. Time is precious, fleeting. (5)

Abby Libby presents a fictionalized account of Catherine Howard in The King's Rose. For those not familiar with the story, King Henry VIII is currently married to wife number four. But when he catches sight of fifteen year old Catherine Howard (cousin to wife number two Anne Boleyn), he promptly divorces his wife and weds Catherine. Catherine, however, is less than estatic, having been foisted on the king by her ambitious family instead of courting the man she actually loves. Court intrigue and politics make it dangerous for Catherine, who must produce an heir before the king looses interest in her or is convinced by his advisors to get rid of her.

AMY

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

It's not like Froggy Welsh the Fourth is a huge catch. First of all, there's his name. Not a nickname for Frank or Frederick or even Frog. I'm still shocked that his great-great grandparents named a son Froggy. But what astounds me to no end is that three subsequent generations decided to follow suit.
Froggy is medium height and slender. His ruffled blond hair crests into a cowlick. His dollop of a nose reminds me of a lamb's snout. Especially since it's always pinkish, probably from so much tweaking. Whenever his pubescent voice cracks, he sounds like a screeching chicken. Put his name and traits together and you've got a farm. (8)

In The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, this is the boy that Virginia Shreves is allowing to make out with her every Monday after school, before her parents come home and before he has to go to trombone lessons. Needless to say, this is the first of many less than perfect aspects about her life, especially when she compares her larger-than-average self to her feminist older sister Anais and her idolized off-to-college brother Byron. Life is perfect for them, at least that's what Virginia thinks, until the family receives news that shatters their efforts of a perfect life. Carolyn Mackler's witty portrayal of a self-deprecating teenager won a Printz Honor when it was first released.

AMY

Jolted: Newton Starker's Rules for Survival by Arthur Slade

Newton Starker knew he would most likely die from a lightning strike. The bolt would deliver three hundred kilovolts of electricity to the top of his skull, burning his scalp and popping thousands of brain cells like popcorn. Then it would arc along his nervous system, arteries and veins, frying his heart and lungs. The lightning would leave deep burns at the exit points as it blew off his shoes and scraps of his clothing.
It would happen in the blink of an eye. Zap! One fried fourteen-year-old Newton, the last male heir of the Starker line. [...]
Lightning had blotted out nearly ever member of the Starker family tree, including his grandfather, his uncle Darwin, his mother. (2-3)

After his mother's inevitable death by lightning strike, Newton Starker feels he has no choice but to enroll himself in the Jerry Potts Academy for Survival, where they wear kilts, give their students traditional knives to wear, and teach them out to eat bugs. Here, he hopes to learn how to prevent himself from becoming the next lightning casualty, which has been happening since the late 1700s to every member of the Starker family. Instead of making friends however, he looses his kilt in front of the entire class and then looses fist fight with a girl. But with a scent tracking pig who seems to understand more than is normal, will Newton be able to save the day before the approaching storm gets him? Get Jolted with Arthur Slade's novel about finding yourself, with the help of a pig.

AMY

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney

For me, summer vacation is basically a three-month guilt trip.
Just because the weather's nice, everyone expects you to be outside all day "frolicking" or whatever. And if you don't spend every second outdoors, people think there's something wrong with you. But the truth is, I've always been more of an indoor person.
The way I like to spend my summer vacation is in front of the TV, playing video games with the curtains closed and the lights turned off. (1)

It's here! The fourth installment of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney has arrived! In Dog Days, Greg is dealing with the effects of a bad economy. His family can't afford the country club pool like Rowley's dad, so he's forced to endure the town pool. Heather the life guard makes it bearable, but Greg is forced to pay for all the smoothies that he and Rowley ordered. They start a lawn mowing company together even though neither one has access to a lawn mower, but Greg is NOT going to step over the dog turds that cover the yard. When Greg's dad has to pick him up early from a not so fun camping trip with Rowley's family, which included no television or video games, Greg gets worried that he's going to be sold, and calls the cops. Greg's story is anything but predictable.

AMY

Fade by Lisa McMann

"We've done complete background checks on all the teachers. Everyone comes up squeaky clean. And now we're stuck. Cabe, Janie, this is why I had you at the all-nighter. I'm looking for any information you can give me about Fieldridge teachers who might be sexual predators in their spare time. Are you up for the challenge? This one could be a bit dangerous. Hannagan, chances are, the predator is male. If we can determine who we're after, we may need to use you as bait so we can nail him. Think about it and get back to me on how you feel about it. If you don't want to do this assignment, you're off the hook. No pressure." (14-15)

In Fade, the sequel to Lisa McMann's Wake, Janie Hannagan is becoming decidedly more hands-on with her second police investigation. Rather than relying on her dreams, she puts herself in the thick of things trying to track a sexual predator. While she's gaining more control over her dream powers, she's also realizing that there might be consequences to them that she was never aware of originally. On top of that, she's trying to keep her overly-protective boyfriend a secret from everyone and deal with senior year responsibilities. When she begins to get in over her head, who will help her distinguish what is real and what is the dream world?

AMY

Wake by Lisa McMann

She closes her eyes. Tries to think. Holds up a weak finger, letting him know she needs a moment. But she feels the next one coming already. She doesn't have much time. And she has to prepare him. She doesn't have a choice.
"Cabel. Do not freak if--when--I do that again, okay? Do NOT stop the bus. Do NOT tell a teacher, oh God, no. No matter what." She grips the armrests and fights to keep her vision. "Can you trust me? Trust me and just let it happen?"
The pain of concentration is excruciating. She is cringing, holding her head. [...] Cabel is gawking at Janie. "Okay," he says. "Okay." (74)

In Lisa McMann's first book Wake, seventeen year old Janie Hannangan is getting fed up with her special ability to jump uncontrolably into people's dreams. It's been happening ever since she was eight, with increasing frequency now that her classmates are falling asleep in school and on fieldtrips. She's kept her curse a secret, until classmate Cabel starts trying to determine what's different about Janie. Her ability reveals that Cabel also has his own secrets to hide, and they just might be more than she ever realized.

AMY