SWEEPING UP THE HEART by Kevin Henkes

Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Divorce, Grief, Sculptors, Friendship183 pages


Description"A seventh-grader in 1999 wonders when her real life will start—this spring break, she’ll find out. Her friend Natalie is spending a year in France, while Amelia’s widowed, emotionally distant father won’t even take her to Florida for one week! Love, support, and the excellent baking of their housekeeper, Mrs. O’Brien, a neighbor in her 70s, partly reconcile Amelia to staying home in Madison, Wisconsin, where at least she’ll have time for creating ceramic animals at Louise’s clay studio. At first Amelia’s dismayed to find a strange boy there—it’s Louise’s nephew, Casey, visiting while his parents go on a retreat, hoping to save their failing marriage. Casey confesses that his campaign to keep them together isn’t going well. Amelia can relate. Her mother died when Amelia was 2; with her father seldom home and Natalie in France, she feels unsettled and adrift. Active imaginations and shared creativity strengthen the preteens’ bond. Spotting a woman who resembles Amelia, Casey suggests she could be her mother, possibly reborn. Pursuing this intriguing idea spawns unexpected developments that spur Amelia’s emotional growth (reflected in the Emily Dickinson poem quoted in the title). Captured on the threshold of puberty’s tumultuous changes, Amelia and Casey quiver with hope and longing. Like a Chinese brush painting made of words, this short novel distills the slow-building impatience of early adolescence down to its essence—not much happens, yet everything does. The primary cast presents white. Spare, luminous, lovely. (Historical fiction. 8-12)"  (Kirkus Reviews Starred December 1, 2018)


My CommentsThis is a sweet, gentle book that shows ways to deal with the difficulties of growing up and how to understand others. Henkes deftly conveys the idea that it's okay to be yourself. I love the way Amelia immerses herself in her pottery. I would give it to thoughtful students.

THE YEAR WE FELL FROM SPACE by Amy Sarig King

Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Divorce, Family, Mental Health, Meteorites
262 pages

DescriptionAfter her parents separate, a Pennsylvania preteen struggles to accept the new normal. "Liberty, 12, loves creating star maps and connecting stars in new patterns, forming new constellations (rendered by Goffi). After their dad moves out, she and her anxious little sister, Jilly, 9, don’t see him for months. Their mother avoids answering questions. Lib abandons her star maps; the promise and possibilities they represented no longer feel real. Peer relationships suffer, too. Former friend Leah “excommunicates” her. Finn, offspring of another rocky marriage, ignores her. Being shunned isn’t all bad; Lib enjoys eating lunch with a fellow outcast, Iranian American Malik (other characters default to white). Reconnecting with Dad, the girls are upset to learn he’s dating. Desperate to restore her family, Lib bargains with the stars and meteorite she lugged home, utilizing magical thinking to bring about Dad’s return. Counseling helps, too. Lib may not be clinically depressed like Dad, but what ails her is equally huge. “We co-own a divorce. Split four ways,” she tells him. “It’s ours.” Lib’s precise, present-tense narration sensitively reveals how divorce changes each family member, not just their relationships. It’s a painful truth, but for Lib, sharing that hard-won insight is also empowering. Acclaimed as a YA novelist (Dig, 2019, etc.), King pens a middle-grade book that will especially resonate with readers confronting or affected by family turmoil. Quietly compelling. (author’s note, resources) (Fiction. 8-12) "(Kirkus Reviews August 15, 2019)

My CommentsLove the book, but wish the author had not made Liberty a new sixth grader. The book explores complex feelings and family relationships. This is a wonderful book for grades 7-8. It is not a book that I would give to many fifth or sixth graders. I wish that authors would refrain from stipulating an age or if necessary at least make the age one or two years older than the intended grade level. It is difficult to get a 7th or 8th grader to read about a 6th grader. That said, I love it, especially the star maps.

ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Nonfiction, Space and Time, Astrophysics

Description"What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There's no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than... astrophysicist and... author Neil deGrasse Tyson. But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day" (Publisher)Neil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist and Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City.

My CommentsYes, I have to read sections over multiple times trying to wrap my mind around the relationship of space and time and matter and energy, but it is well worth it! This book will foster many great discussions with your middle schooler. Give it a try!

NINE DAYS A QUEEN by Ann Rinaldi

Historical Fiction, Lady Jane Grey, King Henry VIII, Great Britain 


Description
Lady Jane Grey speaks from beyond the grave to tell her convoluted story, which Rinaldi does her best to simplify. Jane, related to the Tudors through her mother, becomes third in line to the throne following the death of her cousin, King Edward. Unfortunately, Jane is betrothed to the son of a nobleman who is determined to keep Mary, who is Catholic, from assuming the throne. Finagling puts Jane on the throne for nine days--after which she is beheaded. This well-known end to Jane's story takes up a small part of the book; a greater part recounts her life of privilege; her friendship with her cousins Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth; and happy times spent away from her cruel parents. Numerous details about food, clothing, and amusements decorate the story. Knowledge of English history will certainly be helpful to understand the politics, but this works well as the story of a young woman buffeted by events, whose few moments of happiness are her most valuable possession.

My CommentsHeartbreaking and riveting. There is nothing that this poor girl could have done to avert her fate, but she faced it with courage and dignity. Novels like this bring a time period alive, portraying the beliefs and perspectives of people during this time. This is a vivid account of the famous schism between the Church of England and Roman Catholics, and how it played into the fight for the throne of England. If you like this, explore the rest of Ann Rinaldi's excellent historical fiction novels.