Category: Book Reviews
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Publication Info: 2023 by Clarion Books (imprint of Harper Collins) Author: Gary D. Schmidt Title: The Labors Of Hercules Beal The Plot In Five Sentences Or Less: Hercules Beal is a 7th grader living on Cape Cod whose parents died the previous year in an auto accident. At school, his eccentric teacher Mr. Hupfer assigns…
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Title: The Last Mapmaker Author: Christina Soontornvat Publication Info: 2022 Candlewick Press The Plot: Sai lives in the kingdom of Mangkon and works as an assistant to the famous mapmaker Paiyoon Wongyai. Unbeknownst to her master, Sai comes from the troubled underclass of Mangkon society and has little room for advancement in life. When the…
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Title: Hello, Universe Author: Erin Entrada Kelly Publication Information: 2017 by Greenwillow Books/Harper Collins The Plot: Virgil Salinas is a shy boy who is overshadowed by his older brothers and pushed around by the neighborhood bully Chet. He longs to talk to the pretty girl in school Valencia Somerset. To overcome his shyness, he seeks…
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Title: Dead End In Norvelt Author: Jack Gantos Publication Info: Square Fish 2013 Plot: Norvelt is a small town in western Pennsylvania that has seen its best days, but the long time residents are too stubborn to let it die. With the arrival of summer, Norvelt resident Jack Gantos (the character, not the author) is…
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Title: The Sea In Winter Author: Christine Day Publication Info: 2021 by Harper Collins Children’s Books The Plot: 12 year old Maisie has done ballet for as long as she can remember. Her free time and social life all revolve around ballet and she dreams of one day becoming a famous dancer. When she tears…
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Title: Pony Author: R. J. Palacio The Plot: 12 year old Silas lives with his father and a ghostly friend named Mittenwool, whom only Silas can see, on a farm in the west. Their peaceful life together is shattered when a gang of counterfeiters kidnaps the father in the middle of the night. Silas and…
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Title: Ophie’s Ghosts Author: Justina Ireland Publication Info: 2021 by Balzer + Bray (Harper Collins0 The Plot: In 1920’s Georgia, Ophie and her mother experience traumatic racial violence and decide to start a new life up north. Ophie realizes along the journey that she is able to see and interact with ghosts. After arriving in…
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Title: The Last Cuentista Author: Donna Barba Higuera Publication Info: 2021 by Levine Querido The Plot: In the late 21st century, a world ending comet approaches Earth. Petra and her family are fortunate enough to take passage in a massive spaceship bound for a planet in another star system. They are placed in a type…
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Title: Just Like That Author: Gary D. Schmidt Publication Info: Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2021 The Plot: In the summer of 1968, in the wake of a tragedy, the parents of Meryl Lee send her to the prestigious boarding school for her 8th grade year. Meanwhile, a homeless boy named Matt, bereft of family and…
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Title: Alone Author: Megan E. Freeman Publication: 2021 by Aladin/Simon & Schuster The Plot: Twelve year old Maddie awakes in her hometown to find that everyone but herself has been evacuated by the government. Alone except for her dog George, Maddie must learn how to survive on her own for months at a time. One…
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