The Walls of Cartagena by Julia Durango (4th grade and up) Date Read: February 3rd (out of 5 possible ivy leaves) Interesting combination of plot intersections (leprosy, slavery, and the inquisition) in an uncommon setting (17th century Columbia). Didn't blow me out of the water, but neither did it irritate me. (Which is really saying something lately.)
	All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg (Middle school) Date Read: February 4th (Note to self: Think long and hard before picking up ANOTHER debut novel while you're drifting through the reading doldrums. Subjecting a first-timer to a contagious case of "meh" just isn't nice.) From the publisher: Two years after being airlifted out of war-torn Vietnam, Matt Pin is haunted: by bombs that fell like dead crows, by the family -- and the terrible secret -- he left behind. Now, inside a caring adoptive home in the United States, a series of profound events force him to choose between silence and candor, blame and forgiveness, fear and freedom. By turns harrowing, dreamlike, sad, and triumphant, this searing debut novel, written in lucid verse, reveals an unforgettable perspective on the lasting impact of war and the healing power of love.
	A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle (Audio performed by the author) Date Read: February 5th In case you needed further proof of my literary crankiness... Back in elementary school I lapped up this whole series. Now, the story strikes me as contrived and didactic, and the writing itself both purple and vague. As for the audio? Although I enjoyed the novelty of hearing her voice (which reminded me a bit of my children's lit professor) L'Engle's performance leaves something to be desired. Her narration is fast -- a full hour shorter than the Recorded Books version -- and flat.
	The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine (5th grade and up) Date Read: February 9th Set in 1917 and inspired the by the author's true family history, this novel tells the poignant story of an unexpected friendship between a white farm boy and an African-American city girl--and the ripples it sends through a rural Alabama town. No complaints in the show-don't-tell department here, thank you very much. An easy southern voice and shorty-short chapters make this a breeze to read, even though the issues are anything but cream-puffy.
	Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson (4th grade and up) Date Read: February 17th It'd been long enough since I read Locomotion that my memories of it were pretty sketchy: foster kid...African-American...verse. But this sequel (and we all know by now how snarky I can be about sequels, right?) let me slip right back into the story's world with hardly a wrinkle. Aside: At the bookshop, Cammie had a theory that yellow books don't sell well. Something about yellow covers doesn't seem to appeal to lots of folks. This one, though, might finally buck the trend.
	Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith (Middle school and up) Date Read: February 24th You wanna see just how dyed in the wool racism is? Slip into the skin of someone trying to pass as white. After a lifetime of submitting to the rules of Jim Crow, simple things like stepping to the front of a line or dancing with a white man become as gut-wrenching as test flying a B-29 for Ida Mae. Forging a pilot's license to get into the army's WASP program is one thing, but denying her heritage and her family to follow her dream turns out to have plenty more complications than keeping her hair from kinking and remembering not to sit in the back of the bus. And that's without even getting into what it's like being a woman in the armed forces in the 1940's. The plot cruises at a comfortable altitude with a vivid setting that never blocks your view of the characters. Climb aboard. (Incidentally, I don't know why all the sudden I'm starting to really get it about segregation and Jim Crow, but between Flygirl and Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry I sure am.)
	Nothing Pink by Mark Hardy (High school) Date Read: February 24th Something tells me that if I'd read this a couple weeks ago, it might have gotten stuck with only three leaves instead of four. All the more reason I'm glad I read it when I did. Premise: Gay teenager with a Pentecostal preacher for a daddy. Ouch, right? In its own way, this story is a bit less subtle than I usually care for, but it's also short and sweet and I liked it just fine.
	Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (Audio performed by Lynne Thigpen) Date Read: February 27th The first time I read Roll of Thunder, it didn't do much for me. MUCH more affecting this time around; I really got a handle on the roles that fear and respect play in an oppressed society. However, I'm still struck by the contrast between the easy-flowing vernacular dialog and the precise formality of the narrator's voice. Although I didn't dwell on that fact so much in the audio edition, I can't get around the feeling that the narration is not the voice of a 9-year-old. If it's Cassie's voice at all, it can only be Cassie much later in life, looking back on her childhood. Which makes me wonder why this book wasn't written in the third person from the get-go to minimize that contrast? Other quibbles: conspicuous dialog tags (questioned, remarked, exclaimed, etc.) and extraneous adverbs. And now that I've picked and fussed, I'm going to claim that I really did enjoy this recording. Really. I did.
	Imperfections by Lynda Durrant (Middle school) Date Read: February 27th Since I hardly knew a thing about Shakers before reading Imperfections, I'm not sure why a somewhat critical portrayal of a Shaker community rubs me the wrong way. Certainly Shaker life isn't for everyone (particularly the main character, Rosemary Elizabeth) and there are points in this story I agree with about the hazards of constantly striving for conformity and perfection, yet something doesn't sit well. Maybe it's because when I read a story about another culture, I hope to come away with feelings of empathy and respect for their way of life. That didn't happen for me here. Instead, I can't help thinking those Shakers are rather...well...kooky. Pedantic. Narrow. (As if that's any worse than my previously scanty impressions of Shakers, which you can sum up as "quaint.") Well, maybe they are. Or maybe I'll just stop talking now.
	When the Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton (Middle school) Date Read: February 28th Railroads, secret societies, graveyard shenanigans, football championships, and good old-fashioned mischief carry this series of stories through the peaks and valleys of Jimmy Cannon's growing up years in 1940's Appalachia. I'm not the first person to say this, but I can't help it: When the Whistle Blows reminds me of A Long Way from Chicago in all the best ways. It's historical, episodic, boyish, rambunctious. And much as I adore Richard Peck's larger-than-life Grandma Dowdel, even I have to admit the hardscrabble subtlety of Jimmy Cannon's family has a natural appeal all its own. My favorite? Flying cabbages. (Available in June)