Death by Toilet Paper, Donna Gephart. Benjamin has a flair for jingles and slogans so much that he often wins contests for free stuff, like toilet paper. His dad died and his mom puts in extra hours to make ends meet. However, rent is due and time is running out. Mr. Katz, the landlord, can no longer delay their eviction, Zeyde, his grandfather, unexpectedly comes to stay, making his mother more strapped. Trying to help out, taking $50 he won from a contest, Benjamin begins selling candy bars at school, earning a couple hundred dollars, only to get in trouble with the principal. He is forced to work on the sly, only to have $300 stolen by Angus Andrews, his personal bully. Telling anyone will further his troubles. His last hope is to win the Royal-T Bathroom Tissue slogan contest prize money of $1500. With the help of his best friend, Toothpick, they have a plan to use Royal-T's toilet paper to dress him a zombie bride.

This is a cute story with facts about toilet paper leading each chapter. Benjamin is a character well worth getting to know.

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.

The Port Chicago 50, Steve Sheinkin. During WWII, in San Francisco sat Port Chicago, a navy base. Bombs were being made and put onto navy ships by mostly teenage black boys to be sent to the fighting troops. At the height of the war, an explosion occurred killing and wounding hundreds of men. The young black men were ordered to go back to doing the exact same work, but they refused, wondering why their white counterparts weren't also ordered to work the Port. When the Navy cried mutiny, most of the men went back to work, with the exception of 50 men. Their strong stance set history in motion and tells the story not often heard before.

Sheinkin, author of Bomb, (look for a book review in this blog) in his masterful way, tells yet another gripping story not to be missed. If you are a history buff, pick this book up and be transformed. Photographs of the key figures are sprinkled throughout, bringing this heroic read even more to life.

The Fourteenth Goldfish, Jennifer Holm. Science is powerful, learns 11-year old Ellie when her grandfather comes to visit. However, her grandfather doesn't exactly show up as himself, but a teenage version of himself, diguised as her cousin, Melvin. He attends school with her, serves detention and makes a friend in Raj, who discredits the Sagarsky theory. Melvin Sagarsky, the scientist that doesn't make it into any textbooks, is always on the search for the fountain of youth. "Melvin" believes in Ellie and her future as a scientist. The day comes, however, when he must move on, leaving Ellie with a a sense of discovery and possibility.

Okay for Now, Gary Schmidt. It is the 1960s and Doug Switeck's abusive dad informs the family they are moving to Marysville, upstate New York, because Ernie Eco can get him a job at the Ballard Paper Mill. Upon exploring the new small town, Doug finds his way to the Marysville Free Public Library where he lifts a card of the Arctic Tern, drawn by John James Audubon. He meets Lil, who gives him a cold Coke when she finds him sitting on the library steps waiting for it to open, not realizing it only opens on Saturdays. Lil's dad owns Spicer's Deli, and he gets a job delivering groceries to local customers. Between meeting his weekly customers and getting to know them, including Mrs. Windemere, and spending time with Mr. Powell, one of the librarians who helps him draw the Audubon paintings, he copes with living in "stupid" Marysville, while avoiding his drunk father and spiteful brother. One of his teachers, Mr. Ferris, realizes he can't read and connects him with another teacher, Mrs. Cowper, to quickly learn. As Doug spends more time at the library, he realizes several of Audubon's paintings are missing, being sold to various buyers to get out of debt. His quest is to get them back. Mr. Ballard, of the Ballard Paper Mill hosts an annual picnic, and with the hope of winning the Babe Ruth contest, Doug's father takes the family. While wandering over to the horseshoe pit, unknowingly, Doug meets Mr. Ballard himself, who takes him under his wing.

There is so much more to this fabulous story. It needs to be read to be appreciated and probably reread over and over. It is a National Book Award Finalist and well worth the honor. Pick up this book soon.

The Neptune Project, Polly Holyoke. Set hundreds of years into the future when humans ruined the Earth, Nere is forced by her mother to live in the sea. Without her knowledge, she, along with other kids, have been genetically changed to live like a fish. She learns that her father, whom she presumed dead, is actually alive, but to get to him, she must travel through dangerous waters, the Western Collective and The Marine Guard who are willing to pay for their capture. The Neptune Project, created to provide a safer life below the waters, is an adjustment she is not sure she likes. Surviving with a group of kids, she is soon deemed the leader. Surrounding them are a pod of dolphins with whom she can communicate telepathically and count on for support and safety. Dai, the one boy that seems misplaced with her group, gives them all pause for concern, and yet, he continues to surprise them with his skills and awkward friendship.

Holyoke takes the reader on a twisting, turning adventure into the underworld of sea life. Surprises await, as do sadness, disappointment and acceptance. A surefire entertainment for science fiction fans.

Stella by Starlight, Sharon Draper. Set in the south with the Ku Klux Klan a constant reminder of how segregation divided us by color, Stella lives with her family. She witnesses things no little girls should witness: physical abuse, prejudice, hatred unfairness. Stella and her family try their best to avoid confrontation; however, when her father, and other neighbors, walk to town to register to vote, they are looked upon with disgust by the white court official. They must take a written test, even though white men don't have to take it. They pass despite scrutiny and plan to join so many others in voting Roosevelt into office.

When Stella's little brother gets too sick for their mother to cure him and the black doctor out of town, Stella is asked to find the white doctor who refuses to tend to him and is comfortable with the possibility of letting him die. Stella has suspicions that he is the head of the KKK and responsible for the burning of the Spencer house with their many children. When Hazel, the youngest is missing and feared in the house, Stella remembers a special spot she just might be hiding and finds her safe and sound.

Not all white people in the south were full of hatred. In fact, one day two white ladies came visiting with clothes and goods for the Spencer family. With so much generosity, Mrs. Spencer came with extra clothes and shoes for Stella and her brother, their first pair ever. She also brings a typewriter, for which she has no use. Stella, a struggling student, wants nothing more than to write, so she sneaks outside late at night to practice her writing, until her dad tells her it is much too dangerous.

Draper is a master writer. With this story, she shares the horrors of segregation and the racism running so rampant in our not so distant history. A book well worth reading and sharing to help children learn history in a way that connects us so strongly with Stella.