Full Cicada Moon, Marilyn Hilton. It is 1969 and Mimi Yoshiko Oliver, half-black and half-Japanese has her dream of being an astronaut. Apollo 11 is preparing for its take off and Mimi and her parents move from California to Vermont, next door to Mr. Dell, who doesn't take too kindly to her family, along with most of the local people. She is tired of the question, "Where do you come from." Mr. Dell's nephew, Timothy, often stays with him and likes to play with Pattress, the dog, outside. Mimi learns there is a telescope in Mr. Dell's garage and Timothy lets her look through it when Mr. Dell is gone.

As a school project, Mimi is building one on the moon phases; however, girls are not allowed in the shop class. Timothy helps her get access to Mr. Dell's tools, in exchange for her dad teaching him how to bake bread. In 1969, girls took home economics and boys took shop and neither needed to learn the opposite trade.  However, with Mimi's perseverance, she continues to dog Mr. MacDougall, the principal, to make a change, although a small one.

When Mimi and her mother realize Pattress, self proclaimed watchdog to their turkeys, is missing, along with one of the nine turkeys, they go looking, only to find him hurt and alone. Reluctantly, Mimi goes to get Mr. Dell for help.

Mimi's grit and determination keep her moving forward and thinking of her waxing future, which will include the moon.

House Arrest, K.A. Holt. What a story. Timothy has been court ordered to keep a journal for 52 weeks. He is under a house arrest, with a tracking device, only able to go to school, and to see his probation officer and counselor. The reason? He stole a wallet, hoping to buy medicine for his baby brother, Levi, who was born with health issues. He has a tracheotomy and efforts to avoid germs and infections is always a concern. His dad skipped town, leaving him and his mom to care for Levi by themselves. James, his probation officer and Miss Bainbridge, his therapist, are key characters in helping him get through the year. Told in verse, this story is one that you won't put down easily.

Crossover, Kwame Alexander. I cannot say enough about how much I love this book. Beautiful words from start to end. When I finished, I was ready to start all over again. Josh Bell, or Filthy McNasty, as his dad calls him, is the narrator. Through his poetic words, we follow him onto the basketball court, where he takes after his famous dad, "I'm da man, Chuck Bell." His brother, Jordan, and him are close, until Miss Sweet Tea (Alexis), a beautiful girl steals the eye of Jordan, causing a riff that proves tough to repair. When he deliberately lands the ball in his brother's face during a game, he is benched by his mother, who happens to be the assistant principal.

That's as far as I'm going to go. Find the book. Read it. Love it. Treat yourself to a gem.

Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson. A truly beautiful story/memoir written poetically of her growing up years, alternating between the south with grandparents and the north with her mom. She speaks of riding in the back of the bus with her grandmother, even though the Civil Rights movement allowed differently, just because it was easier. She remembers being teased because her skin was brown, or because her brother, Hope, had a girl's name. She grew up in the church of Jehovah's Witness with the only night, Friday, being hers to explore and play and be a kid. She recounts stories of Maria, her forever friend, and still is to this day. She was surrounded by story tellers and despite not reading as fast as expected, she loved words from a young age. Her sister, Dell, was the brain and her younger brother, Roman, had the lighter skin.

This book was gorgeous and I found myself drawn to Woodson's poignant and important words, one that will stay with me with fondness and gratitude.

Odette's Secrets, Maryann Macdonald. The true account of young Odette, a Jewish girl living in Paris, during the height of the Nazi regime. With her father joining the  French army and her mother the Resistance, she is sent away to the countryside to live with friends until better times bring them together again. Odette, forced to keep secrets and look like a normal Christian girl, questions her past but during this traumatic historical time, no answers are forthcoming. She makes friends and learns to live a new kind of life, at times, forgetting what her old life, including her father, were like.

This story, written in a series of short poetic chapters invites the reader to live along side Odette, as she struggles with living a lie, but a lie to save her life. A couple of scattered pictures throughout help the reader see her as a real girl, living in a horrific time.