Judy

With pestilence dripping from every page, I feared that I wouldn't be able to get the stench off when I put the book down. But that's thing. It's not that easy to put down. It grips you and carries you on its nightmarish ride as it spirals to a heart-clutching conclusion.

Now in Paperback, 2010 Newbery Winner! "When You Reach Me" is one of those books that is impossible to say what it is about withut giving away the story. What I can is Read It! and you won't be sorry. This book is the well-deserved winner of the 2010 Newbery Medal. The story takes place in New York City in 1979. Miranda, whose favorite book of all time is "A Wrinkle in Time," begins to receive a series of mysterious letters. The heart of the story is a brilliant puzzle, and it is up to Miranda to figure it out. - Judy

With his contemporary illustrations, Murray Kimber has given this classic poem a whole new perspective. A new series by KCP Poetry, an imprint of Kids Can Press, is striving to take well-known classics and make them relevant to today's youth. Definitely worth a look.
---Judy

Devastating earthquakes and rising water levels have driven people to live in cramped, stack housing. They are known as Topsiders. And then there are also the few, hardy pioneers who have staked out homesteads - under the sea. Danger, excitement, and the most amazing settlement that you can imagine will have you entranced. - Judy

I could not put this book down! Somewhat dark, completely engrossing. Everything that Melanie thought was true about her life is challenged when she has to enter Half World to save her mother. And Mr. Glueskin! Good luck getting him out of your mind. - Judy

At 42 Jessie's life was good. She had made a home and family with a man she still loved after 20 years, raised a daughter, and enjoyed her art that she was good at, but never great. The problem? She didn't know what it meant to be herself and she is abruptly faced with the fierce need to find out. I was deeply moved by this book of passion, both spiritual and erotic, of the fragility of relationships and of the need to be true to ourselves.

What can you do when the only witness to the death of a loved one is a dog? This is the saddest, most romantic book that I've ever read.
---Judy

I have to admit it. I am not a big fan of historical fiction. But laugh-your-socks-off funny historical fiction? I'm there! Homer and his brother Harold live in the backwoods of Maine in the 1860s. When Harold is illegally sold into the Union army to fight in the Civil War, Homer sets out to set things right and save his brother from a terrible fate. If that means walking all the way to New York City, then that is what he will do. Homer is courageous, observant, and better at telling a fib than almost anyone. This book is a well-deserved 2010 Newbery honor winner. - Judy

At the end of the Korean War, an entire sub-class of people was left behind. These were the throw-aways of Korean Society - the mixed race children and the prostitutes that bore them. With no hope for the future, the dream of someday going to America was often the only thing that sustained them. This book graphically illustrated a side of life that many of us can't even imagine.
---Judy