The Book of Bad Things, Dan Poblocki. Cassidy Bean is spending her third summer with the Tremont family in Whitechapel. She and Joey are fast friends, but this summer, he is sullen and reserved. The previous year, his dog, Lucky, died a horrible death and she is convinced he blames her. Cassidy worries she is not welcome when Rose and Dennis Tremont forget to pick her up at the bus station. Almost as soon as she gets settled in, she sees the ghost of Ursula Chambers, the old grumpy hermit, outside her window. She quickly finds out that she, Joey and Ping, a new neighbor, all see ghosts of dead people, including Lucky. The house of dead Ursula seems to be calling to them, saying, "give it back," and they figure out that the greedy people coming to take things out of her house await a fate, sometimes ending in death. It is up to these three, along with Hal, that must save Whitechapel from itself. Cassidy's "book of bad things," a notebook of great personal value that she keeps to help her deal with her own past demons must be surrendered for the wandering ghosts to cease. And as they enter the haunted house of Ursula, they learn she may not have been the evil, wicked witch, the town came to know. A book sure to keep readers biting their nails and reading short chapter after short chapter to its chilling end.

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.

100 Cupboards, N.D. Wilson.  The first in a series of three books, this will delight young fans of the fantastical world of what lies on the other side of the doors - cupboard doors, that is. Young Henry, off to live with his Uncle Frank, Aunt Dotty and three cousins: Anastashia, Penelope and Henrietta, the one with whom he travels to other worlds, hears some thumps and bumps in the night. Henry pulls the wall apart in his room to find various sized cupboard doors, of different sizes and shapes that had been hidden for years. Some lead to goodness and others lead to evil. He and Henrietta, having found a journal, explore many of the doors, only to get lost, escape danger and pursue the mystery of their grandfather and how the cupboard doors came to be. This book was recommended to me by a student and this story is sure to win the hearts of many young readers.

A Long Walk to Water, Linda Sue Park. A true story of Salva, a "lost boy"  of Southern Sudan, in 1985. Attending school one day, war came to his small village, changing his life forever. Told to run by his teacher: from his village, from his family, from everything he knew and he did. The story takes us with him, as he, along with others, trudge through deathly deserts toward Ethiopia and a hoped that things might be better. Along the way, he finds his uncle, the apparent leader of the refugees. His words of wisdom get him through many difficult times. After living in a refugee camp, the people are forced to flee yet again, forcing them to cross the crocodile infested Gilo River, back to Sudan. Death, desperation and despair surround him, yet hope is around the corner.

Paralleling Salvo's story is Nya, a young girl that must walk eight miles a day for water. Day in, day out, she walks. The year is 2008. How their stories connect is heart warming and unforgettable.

Linda Sue Park, author of A Single Shard, masterly tells an important story that kids ought to know. I highly recommend sharing this story with students, perhaps, as a read aloud. It is a slim book, sure to capture their attention.

Be sure to catch Linda Sue Park as she shares the importance of books and how they can change a life. It is definitely worth the 12 minutes.

Twerp, Mark Goldblatt. Julian, upon his suspension from sixth grade, takes up his teacher's invitation to keep a writing journal in place of other required writing assignments. Mr. Selkirk, recognizing Julian's writing talent, is hoping that he will share what really happened with Danley and the egg escapade. As the year moves along, Julian records major events in his life: causing an accident by dodging cars, writing a note to Jillian, the hottest girl in class, for his friend, Lonnie, being bested by a faster runner than himself, firecrackers in the abandoned Ponzi lot. We meet his close friends. We go on the humiliating date that he makes with Jillian when she doesn't believe that the note was not "really" from him. We feel the cold shoulder he gets from Lonnie when he finds out about the date. We meet Eduardo, the foster kid, that is so much faster than him. Through it all, he knows that Mr. Selkirk is waiting for the one entry that Julian needs to write. We, as readers, have to wait for it, but it does come and when it comes, it comes with a shudder.

13 Treasures, Michelle Harrison. Tanya, a young girl visited by evil fairies that torture her, confounds her mother who does not see fairies, is sent to live with her hateful grandmother. One day, upon entering the vast forest behind her grandmother's house, and unable to find her way back out again, she comes across another young girl, Red, that appears to live in the forest. She proves to be an important character throughout the story. Tanya and Fabian, the groundskeeper's son, form a friendship that takes them back into the forest to learn the real secrets behind the "13 treasures" and the story behind them. Dwarves, trolls, fairies and witchery hide behind every corner of these pages. One morning, Tanya awakes to a room full of her own hair growing at such a rate that it fills the room. On a final journey into the woods, she and Fabian are confronted by the aged Morwenna Bloom, who reveals the secret of why Florence, Tanya's grandmother, has been so distant. About to be captured and exchanged for her youth, Fabian hightails it out of the forest and away from Tanya. Readers will be kept on the edge of their seats right there with Tanya, hoping that, against all odds, someone will come to her rescue.

This is a story sure to be enjoyed by your fans of the mystical and mysterious. Suspense, intrigue and curiosity await all that pick up this book.

Loot, Jude Watson. March McQuin and his father, Alfie are jewel thieves. After watching his father fall to his death, March soon learns that he has a twin sister, Jule and both are being sent away to an orphanage. However, they have no intention of staying. Carlotta Grimstone, a rich baronness wants March and Jules to find her seven stolen moonstones, return them to her and earn seven million dollars. She needs them before the next blue moon (two full moons within one month) to prevent her own death. With their new found friends, Izzy and Darius, they embark on a jewel heist of all heists. With hints from their dead father and their own skills, they come face to face with danger and a sliver amount of time remaining. A fast paced, thrilling story with likable characters, readers will find themselves rooting for the young thieves to outwit those out to stop them and continue the legacy of their father, Alfred March.