The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (High school) Date Read: June 2nd (out of 5 possible ivy leaves) Well, I read it, and that's just about all I can say. Now I can at least be informed when people talk about this book. I did a spoofy, smartypants sort of review on my blog.
	Billie Standish Was Here by Nancy Crocker (Middle school) Date Read: June 5th This started out as a somewhat uncomfortable read – I'm just going to tell you right off, 11-year-old Billie is raped before page 50 – but turned into a real sweetheart of a story. The assault is intense, but not overly explicit, and it doesn't overpower the rest of the book. In the end, if you can stomach the tragedy, the bond that develops between Billie and Miss Lydia makes it all worthwhile.
	The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (5th grade and up) Date Read: June 7th I should admit up front that I hardly know a thing about the court of Louis XIV or the French revolution, so I can't really judge this book's accuracy. That said, I enjoyed this story very much. The contrast between the royal family and the Third Estate is drawn quite clearly, and though your sympathy is with Isabelle most of the time, there are still places where the author makes you feel for the royal family - sometimes quite strongly.
	The Rising Star of Rusty Nail by Lesley M.M. Blume (5th grade and up) Date Read: June 8th Of course, the Russian connection drew me into this. That and the title - how can you resist The Rising Star of Rusty Nail? Anyway, this was a good story, and I bet with a little less "tell" from the narrator and a little more "show" from the characters, Blume could turn out something really spectacular the next time around. Some sections of description simply sparkled.
	Billy Creekmore by Tracey Porter (5th grade and up) Date Read: June 9th I confess, I was hoping for a little more circus type stuff. I'm a circus junkie. But Tracy Porter has obviously done her research on both circuses and coal mines to make an overall good story with a distinctive voice. Plus, the book itself has such a nice design. The Dickensian chapter summaries look just a little bit like circus broadsheets to my eye.
	The Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles (4th grade and up) Date Read: June 10th Five stars and a box of Cracker Jack for this little beauty. Read my full gushy-wushy review here.
	Booth's Daughter by Raymond Wemmlinger (Middle school) Date Read: June 11th This is going to take a reader who's heavy into historical fiction. I can imagine some people might find the narration a little stiff, but to my mind, it fit the character. Edwina Booth is very much concerned with propriety, and appearing well in public. She is reserved, even with herself. The style coincides with those characteristics. Anyone hoping for a glimpse into the psyche of John Wilkes Booth himself would do better to read Anna Myers's Assassin, but for those who are interested in the *other* Booths, and how having an infamous and hated relative affects an entire family, Booth's Daughter will certainly do the trick. This book makes me want to read Good Brother, Bad Brother by James Cross Giblin and Mary, by Janis Cooke Newman.
	Walking on Glass by Alma Fullerton (High school) Date Read: June 11th Short, yet powerful, though I have a feeling I didn't linger over it long enough to give the book its due. I did enjoy the imagery - marionette strings, yo-yo strings, vines, roots, the cords on the life support machinery, and of course, the noose – and how it tied everything together. (Bad pun, I know. Apologies all around.)
	Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Audio read by Scott Brick (High school and up) Date Read: June 12th I don't always like Bradbury, but I can usually appreciate him. I still prefer Dandelion Wine, but at least the "like" outweighed the "appreciate" in this book. Besides, it was read by Scott Brick, and he's darn good. Makes me want to listen to In Cold Blood and Grapes of Wrath all over again.
	Ana's Story by Jenna Bush (High school) Date Read: June 12th Okay, so I have a huge attitude about George Bush AND celebrity children's book authors. But I vowed to read Jenna Bush's book through before I commenced to bashing it. And you know what? It's not bash-worthy. It's not great by any means, but it's not all that bad, either. Get the full scoop on my blog.
	Duchessina by Carolyn Meyer (Middle school) Date Read: June 13th I should have liked this book better, and it's not at all Carolyn Meyer's fault that I'm only feeling ho-hum about it. I just took way too long to read it, and my impatience with myself ended up wearing on me. If you like her other Young Royals books, you'll like this one. I promise.
	Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale (Middle school; due out in October) Date Read: June 15th I don't often go off on beautiful language, but this book's got it. Every few pages I found myself stopping over a phrase to think, "Ooh, that's good!" I wasn't familiar with the fairy tale Shannon Hale used as the base for this story, but that didn't matter a bit. The setting - a sort of medieval Mongolia - is fascinating, and the story is compelling and supremely satisfying.
	The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World by E.L. Konigsburg (Middle school; due out in September) Date Read: June 15th I don't know what it is about Konigsburg. I've heard people describe some of her books as flat or unemotional, and I can see how someone might have that reaction, but her books just work for me. The View from Saturday is one of my all-time favorites, and the feel of this book was so similar, I felt like I was visiting an old friend. She even mentioned some of the characters from Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place, and the town where VFS is set. The characters may not be of the gushy sort, but I get them, and I feel like I understand what's going on underneath all that understatement. And don't ask me why it tickled me to see the Detroit airport make a brief appearance. It's not like I'm fond of the place . . .
	The Decoding of Lana Morris (High school) Date Read: June 18th Magical realism usually throws me, but I was up for this one. The characters are endearing (especially the Snicks) and the twist at the end was spot-on. I know this is short, but I'm whupped tonight.
	Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan (4th grade and up; due out in September) Date Read: June 22nd I love Pam Munoz Ryan. I loved the first chapter and the last chapter of Paint the Wind. But in-between? Not quite in love, I'm afraid. Some of the characters - Grandmother in particular and also Maya to a lesser degree - didn't seem quite three-dimensional to me. I sure wouldn't call them one-dimensional, but they did lack a certain depth I've come to expect in Pam Munoz Ryan's books. I was also a little jarred from time to time by the word choice. There were a fair number of fancy 5-point words in places where it seemed to me that simpler language would have done the trick - "aurora" in place of "dawn," for example. In Pam's defense, I think I'd set the bar at an unrealistic height. I've gotten used to the way her books keep getting better and better, and I was all set to be blown away by Paint the Wind. I'm willing to bet that horse lovers will roll their eyes at me and eat this right up. Everything's not for everybody, after all.
	The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg (High school) Date Read: June 22nd I'm not a graphic novel sort of girl. I generally hate it when a story is chopped up into compartments and inlaid over illustrations. Mostly, I just read the words. I love Maus more because of the subject than the format. However, Plain Janes is not that sort of graphic novel. Cecil's words (I call her by her first name because she's on my MySpace) do the telling and Jim Rugg's pictures do the showing, and you can't read one without the other. Both elements feed you equally important information about the story. Besides all that, it's a good story about art and fear and the ridiculousness of high school. It's fast, it's fun, and it makes you think. Bottom line: wow. This made me want to re-read Craig Thompson's Blankets.
	Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (6th grade and up; due out in July) Date Read: June 22nd Let me just say at the outset that there are not nearly enough kids'/YA books about church, religion, or spirituality from mainstream publishers. Leap of Faith was a nice, believable story about a very real girl more or less accidentally finding a place in her life for faith. A quick read that helps fill that religious gap quite neatly.
	I Am Rembrandt's Daughter by Lynn Cullen (6th grade and up) Date Read: June 23rd Granted, I have a thing for art-oriented historical fiction, but this is really good. About halfway through the book, I found myself scouring Google for images of all the paintings described in the text. The setting is so vivid, I couldn't help being reminded of Girl with a Pearl Earring. Am I the only person who prefers the original cover?
	Grief Girl by Erin Vincent (High school) Date Read: June 24th This is not a book you enjoy reading, in the literal sense of the word. It's very tough and very real, but . . . ouch. I've got a feeling this is how a lot of people felt about Angela's Ashes when it was all the rage – it's nice to have read it so you know what everyone's talking about, but after digesting all that trauma, it's not an experience you feel a strong need to repeat. Grief Girl lingers, though, and grows on you.
	The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs (Adult non-fiction; due out in October) Date Read: June 24th Oh, A.J., you crazy fella . . . Following the 800+ rules in the Bible as literally as possible for one year creates some zany challenges and predicaments as you might imagine, but also changes this agnostic and mildly OCD author's thoughts and behavior in a few unexpected ways. If you can handle some levity with your religion, this is a fun ride.
	Grace (Eventually) by Anne Lamott (Adult non-fiction) Date Read: June 25th I'm worried I may be getting my fill of Anne Lamott's thoughts on faith. I loved Plan B for its combination of devotion and irreverence, from time to time giggling myself senseless, so I was hoping for more of the same. Grace (Eventually) is noticeably more thoughtful, which is fine and dandy if that's what you're looking for, but I ended up feeling a little like I'd asked for peanut M&Ms and gotten plain ones instead - they're still yummy, but don't quite satisfy the craving.
	Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr (High school) Date Read: June 25th Like Laura Ruby's Good Girls, this book will make you take a second look at what you think of "those girls." You know the ones I mean. And don't pretend you didn't help spread the rumors, even if you thought they were true. Story of a Girl shows you there's a lot more to most people than what you hear in the hallways at school.
	A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni (Adult fiction) Date Read: June 26th It's a scarred, harsh, and troubled place, but somehow Khaled Hosseini makes me love Afghanistan. If you enjoyed The Kite Runner, this new book is another fine treat - similar enough to satisfy your Hosseini craving, but also different enough to give you a whole new experience.
	King Dork by Frank Portman Audio read by Lincoln Hopper (High school) Date Read: June 29th This is an audiobook with a perfect narrative voice. Lincoln Hopper has just the right edge of sardonic dorkiness to pull this story off. I found myself picturing Napoleon Dynamite more or less constantly as he read. Might I also say I got the sickest kick out of the way this kid constantly bashes Catcher in the Rye?
	The Seer of Shadows by Avi (5th grade and up; due out in April 2008) Date Read: June 29th What a delicious, shivery ghost story! The mystery is all wrapped up in spiritualism and photography, and I could feel my brain click-click-clicking like a camera shutter as I tried to figure it out. This is exactly the sort of story I think Avi does best - history, mystery, and a dash of the supernatural. The Seer of Shadows also reminded me just a little bit of Mary Downing Hahn's Wait Till Helen Comes, which was one of my childhood favorites.