Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan

Ok, confession. I loved this book. It is a story which is very violent at times (which I always struggle to introduce to my students) but is a great story, strong characters and still has such a strong message, revealing a nasty part of our world to people in an accessible way-no preaching. It is the story of Amadou and his little brother who end up at a cacao farm in the Ivory Coast in Africa. They are forced to work there under pretty brutal circumstances and have resigned themselves to work. Amadou is just worried about surviving day to day and keeping his little brother safe. And then the wildcat arrives. She is a girl who seems as though she had been wealthy (there are NO girls there at all) and is willing to fight anything and anyone even though she is constantly beaten and then restrained. She and Amadou eventually become uneasy friends and their lives and future are forever intertwined. Grades 6-8 (violence)

Beneath by Roland Smith

This is a story that mixes fantasy and realistic fiction, as most of it feels realistic fiction until the end where it is a bit too much to be real. Anyway, the protagonist Pat lives in a life where his parents are useless and his brother has disappeared. Eventually his brother reaches out and they communicate for a while until all of a sudden, he disappears again. Pat decides to go find his brother. He runs away to New York and retraces his brother's steps. His brother was living in underground New York and slowly Pat befriends the right people and his adventure really begins. It's an interesting tale, but one that makes it look all to easy to run away to NY and not have awful things happen to you...not very realistic there either. Grades 5-8

Restart by Gordon Korman

Have you ever actually met an awful bully? I've read about them and I have met kids that had potential, but never a really mean person who destroys other kids just for kicks...but we all read about them, right? And I know bullies exist and can be very destructive but it's just never as easy and clean as it is in books. This book is no exception. The twist to this one is that the bully, Chase Ambrose, falls and hits his head, losing all memories of his life. As he returns to school and life, we get to see inside his head as well as a few other characters heads. His realization that he was a jerk and how he is feared and then his subsequent wrestling with who he really is is interesting. As always, Gordon Korman creates strong characters, albeit too stereotypical at times. An easy, entertaining read.
Grades 5-8

Masterminds by Gordon Korman

Can you imagine a “perfect” town? Well Gordon Korman shares what he thinks is a perfect town where everyone lives a comfortable middle-class life. Eli lives in this town Serenity and, when he and his friend break a rule, things begin to unravel. His friend is sent away to care for his grandfather and Eli and his friends begin to discover some deep dark secrets. This book reminds me of Powerless in some ways and it was a fun ride. Grades 4-8

Paper Cowboy by Kristin Levine

This is a historical fiction novel that takes place during the 50’s. The protagonist is a boy named Tommy who has a few struggles. His mother, after having a baby, is struggling with postpartum depression. This is during a time when behavior such as hers was swept under the rug and wasn’t talked about. His father does nothing to help and Tommy ends up caring for his younger siblings and fearing his mother. All his rage comes out in anger towards his peers as he begins to really develop as a bully. This is a thoughtful book about how a bully can be developed and how they can think. It’s a sympathetic look and doesn’t really deal with the reactions of the victims, but it’s a powerful message as Tommy struggles to make things right. The underlying message is that he’s good down deep but needs help finding it. Interesting to see how students respond to it. Grades 5-8 and there is some violence from the mother. 

The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brusker Bradley

This is a  historical fiction novel that takes place in Britain just before the bombing started in World War II. The heroine is a girl Ada who is forced to stay home because her mother is ashamed of her deformed foot. Her little brother is afforded all kinds of freedoms Ada isn’t allowed but Ada believes her mother when she tells her she is rubbish. Because of the impending war, all the children are sent to the countryside to be cared for so they don’t perish should London be bombed. This is the story of Ada and her brother escaping London to live in the country with a woman who wasn’t interested in caring for anyone else. It’s a sweet story in some respects but the mother is awful and the struggles of wanting your mother to love you when she won’t is a difficult concept for younger students who haven’t experienced the darker sides of life. Might make for interesting discussions though. Grades 4-8

Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

This is a fantasy/mystery/ghost novel. London is infiltrated with ghosts and demons and only special investigators have the skills to rid the world of these horrors. One such group is Lockwood and Co, which is a trio of teenagers who are skilled but untested. Lucy is new to the group, Anthony is the leader and George is the jack of all trades that runs the behind the scenes. Together they attack a couple different ghosts and learn about working together as a team. The storyline, at times, felt disconnected but the characters came alive for me, so that made it better. It is also pretty gruesome, so those faint of heart won’t enjoy this. Grades 5-8