"Absolutely Almost" by Lisa Graff

This is the book "Fish in a Tree" should have been.  Albie struggles in school.  He is an "Almost" in the sense that he isn't really good at anything, just "almost good".  His overachieving parents believe he can overcome with a little more effort but no matter how hard he tries, it never gets better.  The beauty of this book (over the aforementioned title by Ms. Hunt) is that it isn't clean.  A series of complex threads intertwine to make a kind of messy, slice-of-life story with fits and starts but not simple answers.  Albie transfers schools, deals with bullies, gets a new nanny and struggles with his one significant friendship while simultaneously working to create more.  The adults are not black and white.  His nanny is great but has her flaws, his parents care but don't seemingly have the time to really understand who their son is.  His teachers are aware of the bullying but don't stop it.  In one of the Kleenex moments in the book, one teacher gives Albie advice which changes his perspective.  It doesn't solve the problem but is one of the baby steps in growing up.  The end comes suddenly and not with the kind of neat conclusion you might expect.  Albie has made some progress but still struggles, questions remain.  The "absolutely real" voice of Albie and the urban NYC setting should make this a good read for many students.  Not as upbeat as "Tangle of Knots" (my Lisa Graff fave) but hugely accessible.  Another strong hit from an up-and-coming author to watch.

"The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

I don't even know where to start with this delightful fantasy which brings a kind of freshness to the genre.  First and foremost, Brava/Bravo to the Newbery committee for going outside their Historical American Fiction comfort zone to recognize an unusual, engaging book.  A page-turner from the beginning, it kept me up at night to finish it.  There are so many threads -- a story being told from mother to child, a madwoman, babies left in the woods by leaders with a hidden agenda, an apprentice who is more than he seems, a nice witch, a child who drinks moonlight, an adorable dragon, a sweet swamp monster, a sorrow eater, paper birds and MAGIC.  Lots of it.  There are varied voices as the story veers from one character to the next, all embedded with rich vocabulary and beautiful descriptions.  Luna, aka "the girl" in the title, has a real voice and one never doubts that she is an eleven/twelve year old child even though what awaits her is stupendous.  Ancient mythology weaves in with poetry and symbolism and yet the whole thing is quite readable.  It is a strong book in any category and will hopefully be one of those Newbery winners which actually has appeal for the kids willing to tackle it. 

"Lily and Dunkin" by Donna Gephart

What saves this from being your standard problem novel are some very solid characterizations, Ms. Gephart's ability to avoid the obvious in plot development and a kind of unique "layering" of the various issues.  There isn't one issue, there are many.  Lily needs her Dad to see her as she is, but she also needs to deal with bullies at school.  Dunkin needs to be true to himself but also be honest about his own challenges.  There is a tree that needs saving and a few lessons learned along the way which are just subtle enough to make an impact without hitting you over the head.  The extensive afterwards in the book makes for some good learning.  I was surprised by information on topics about being transgender and living with bipolar issues which I was unaware of.  Don't let kids turn away from this book because of the blah cover art and the sense that this is a romance.  It isn't.  This is a novel of exploration of self.  The eighth grade age is perfect for this kind of discussion and the back-and-forth internal struggles of the two protagonists absolutely hit the right mark in terms of being realistic.  The one unrealistic part may have been the "all is well/neatly tied up" ending, but by then I cared so much about the characters that I really wanted things to work out.  It's a great read and about more topics than you might expect, given it's status as an "LGBT" title.  It's rounded -- just like life.  Enjoy.

"Juana and Lucas" by Juana Medina

This Pura Belpre Award winner is an interesting but complicated little tome.  First, it looks like a picture book but is actually a step-up chapter book.  Second, the title is somewhat misleading, in that you might think it is about a girl and her dog, but it isn't.  It is about a girl and her family and her English classes and her friends and her neighbors and her city ~~and~~ her dog.  The dog doesn't actually appear in some chapters beyond a mention.  On one hand, it gives a nice "flipped view" of what English feels like to someone who lives in another nation (it also, coincidently, gives a nice overview of life in Bogota, Colombia).  It also mixes Spanish words in, sometimes defining them, sometimes not, so that readers get a good flavor of the language without being overwhelmed.  On the other hand, this feels like one of those "preachy" books which adults write for kids to teach them something.  The vocabulary is, at times, a little high-falutin' for the audience (i.e. "illuminated", "eternally" and "neurotic").  Juana doesn't want to learn English and all the adults tell her why she should.  Near the end of the book she learns another "lesson" about idolizing an action figure who isn't what she imagined.  Like oh-so-many books, this looks like a childhood memoir in disguise, which I rarely care for and often comes off with too much adult perspective.  None-the-less, the book is saved by the artwork and layout.  Ms. Medina creates engaging child-like figures in bright colors to illustrate the tale, but beyond that she turns the text into an "almost" concrete poem, playing with word font, size and direction.  It makes the story more engaging and exciting as phrases literally jump off the page at you.  Kids will enjoy this even if I found it slightly lacking.

"Everything Everything" by Nicola Yoon

Huge kudos to Nicola Yoon for an unexpected, delightful, amazing novel.  Huge thumbs down to the Hollywood hype factory which exposes a MAJOR PLOT POINT in their 30 second commercials of a movie based on the book.  Unfortunately, knowing that plot point did reduce some of the joy in reading it, although there is much to appreciate.  Ms. Yoon writes in such a way as to be both simple and complex at the same time.  The voice of Madeline is strong, the settings vivid.  While this is a love story, and I don't particularly like love stories, Madeline's yearnings go beyond to boy to the world, to life.  Her passion isn't just about her body awakening, it is about her mind awakening to hopes, dreams and thoughts which she never dared to let herself have.  Ever take a bite of something simple, like pudding, and discover a half-dozen subtle flavors dancing around which you didn't expect?  It is kind of like that.  With echoes of Emma Donoghue's "Room" this story drew me in and didn't let go.  A page-turner I tore through in two days, it is the kind of writing which makes me eager to read her next novel, "The Sun is Also a Star" (preview provided at the end of this book).  Definitely a new talent worthy of her NY Times Bestseller status.  Brava.

"Jack Strong Takes a Stand" by Tommy Greenwald

Jack Strong has had it.  There is Cello, Chinese, Baseball, Karate, there are "volunteer" activities, tutors and more.  His schedule (listed neatly at the front of the book) is so packed that he literally doesn't have time to play a single computer game, much less hang out on the couch with his beloved grandmother.  So, he takes a stand.  By sitting down.  What could be a preachy, pedantic novel with a "POINT" is very accessible and warm.  Mr. Greenwald takes a modern issue many readers will readily identify with and embeds it with good characterizations and lots of humor.  Jack feels real.  His honest surprise at how his impulsive 7th grade behavior manifests into something he doesn't predict is genuine and keeps the novel from being a "lesson tome."  Family members and school friends have layers which create some unexpected twists.  The story as a whole is short and enjoyable. As a minor quibble, the drama at the end seems to be a bit much, but willing suspension of disbelief should suffice in letting any doubts go.  Greenwald again gets kudos for making the resolution more about complexities than a simple wrap-up.  The cartoonish drawings didn't add much to the narrative as far as I was concerned but will make the book more appealing to hesitant readers.  Overall a great little read which I wish I could recommend to a parent or two.

"Mexican White Boy" by Matt de la Pena

This book is ostensibly about "Mexican White Boy" Danny Lopez, but it is also about a "Mexican Black Boy" named Uno.  The chapters swing between the two young men who have a lot in common and nothing in common.  Both are lovers of baseball and both feel a certain disconnect within their communities due to their mixed heritage.  Both want a stronger connection with their fathers.  But Uno is a talker, a deal-maker, an entrepreneur in the making.  Danny is troubled, lost and a true phenom.  While I found the book difficult to get into (baseball ... I am ~~so~~ not a sports person) it was the relationship between these guys and their inner struggles which finally got me hooked.  Worried about the stereotypes depicted in the opening pages I began to see deeper through Danny's eyes -- what that community is like when they are amongst themselves.  A minor quibble with the book included a violent act which comes out of nowhere near the end of the story and disappears just as quickly, seemingly put there for no other reason than to advance the plot.  The characters and the setting, however, feel real.  This is what you might see driving through a Latino neighborhood which is less well off, but Matt de la Pena is gently asking the reader to see the full dimensions of the people who live here.  His characters are complicated, tremendously imperfect and he doesn't clean anything up.  Many threads in the story are left unanswered.  But, in the end, that is real life.