Woof - by Spencer Quinn

This deep-south mystery has all the elements of a great, suspenseful novel:  A brave kid main character, an unknown but evil bad guy, nasty people, helpful hints, a unique and clearly-described setting, and dog biscuits.  Well, here's the thing:  The whole story is told by a dog!

Yep, Bowser the mutt is not only the narrator of our story, but one of its heroes.  Along with his new girl (owner) Birdie, they need to solve a robbery and save the swamps near their home.  By the way, this takes place in the gator-infested swampland of rural Louisiana.  As long as Bowser gets his treats and a chance to pee on the tree in front of their house, it's all good.

Not only is it creative and interesting to have the dog tell the humans' tale in his own words, but it works far better than you would expect.  It's hilarious, too, as the author gives us a true dog's-eye-view, from sniffing butts to getting totally distracted by squirrels.  Bowser's love for Birdie shows through too, and this is a winner for dog-lovers and mystery fans alike.

The White Giraffe - by Lauren St. John

This story takes us to South Africa along with Martine, poor thing. You see, Martine is a young teen from England whose parents died in a fire that she managed to escape from.  Before long, she was trundled away to her grandmother's home in South Africa, on the grounds of a wild animal reserve.  This was not the outcome that anyone wanted, and when Martine arrived, she could tell right away that her grandmother wanted nothing to do with her. Welcome to Africa.

However, there is quite a twist to this story.  Martine isn't your ordinary girl, and has a rare gift that ends up making all the difference.  As she navigates life in her new home, she makes a number of discoveries about the reserve, her family, the animals, and herself.

Why "The White Giraffe?"  There is a legend on the reserve that an exceedingly rare white giraffe lives nearby, sacred to the native people and hunted by greedy poachers.  This mysterious creature will prove central to Martine's sotry in ways nobody had expected.

This is a touching but exciting story about a girl's quest to survive in a world that is full of twists and turns, and is a testament to the beauty of South Africa and to the importance of family and friends.  It is the first in a series of promising novels.

A Whole Nother Story - by Dr. Cuthbert Soup

Strange, mysterious bad guys.  International super spies.  Sock puppets. Epic wads of bubble gum.  Dirt clods. Time machines.  A hairless dog that can sense danger, and finds many opportunities to use this skill.  A very odd narrator.  Such an odd list, but they can all be found within this strange and wonderful book.

Dr. Ethan Cheeseman and his children are truly exceptional, but they've got some problems.  For one, they are on the run, changing identities and homes more often than they can count, on the run from a wide variety of evildoers.  They are also missing their mother, but the details of that particular problem don't become clear until later in the story.  As the Cheesemans make their way across the country in search of the answer to their biggest problem (which can not be disclosed here), they meet an interesting cast of characters, all of which help to make this odd story a bit more zany.  Through it all, the cheeky and slightly ridiculous narrator, "Dr. Cuthbert Soup," gives all sorts of commentary to the reader.

This really is a silly book, but it is a lot of fun to read, and hard to put down.  The narrator thing is a bit like the books of Pseudonymous Bosch or Lemony Snicket, and makes the story even more interesting.  The second book, Another Whole Nother Story, is just as good if not better.

Wilder Boys - by Brandon Wallace

Two boys and a dog, escaping into the wilderness on a special quest, running toward an unknown dream, and away from a scary man.  This is an excellent story of hope and survival, of using wits to overcome a terrible situation, and of friendship and family.

Jake and Taylor Wilder had been taking care of themselves for a long time.  Their mom was sick, their dad missing somewhere in the mountains since he left home years ago, and their mom's abusive boyfriend was getting even worse.  With pages from their dad's old notebooks, a confusing clue from an old letter, and whatever they could shove in their backpacks, the boys suddenly found themselves on a cross-country adventure that makes for an amazing story.

This book is fast-paced, full of interesting characters, and deadly serious at the same time that it is full of hope and adventure.  I highly recommend it!

We Were Liars - by E. Lockhart

This is not a book to be taken lightly.  It is a book for teens, and I would say age 12 would be a good time to read it.  That said, it was an amazing and surprising story that I could not put down.

It's all about four kids who grow up together during summer's at their families private island off the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts.  Rich kids, that's right.  Privileged trust-fund children of privileged trust fund mothers, and everybody is just about perfect.  They are, after all, the Sinclair family.

The only thing is, everything is not quite as perfect as it seems. The title is perfect, and hits you on different levels by the end of the book.  As you read, you begin to realize that characters are twisted in unexpected ways, and that they are all twisted together as well.  The story is told from a seventeen-year-old girl, Cadence, about her fifteen-year-old self one summer on the island, and what happened that summer remains a mystery to us, and to Cadence as well, until the very end of the book.  It is suspenseful, full of interesting bends, and a very rewarding read.

The "teen" rating reflects some thematic elements that elementary-age children just don't need to think about.  Grab a copy of this for the teen in your life, and let them know it will be one knockout of a story.

Winter of the Robots - by Kurtis Scaletta

Robots are cool, right?  You know, R2D2 and C-3PO from Star Wars were pretty awesome.  But what happens when robots begin to think on their own?

Set in North Minneapolis, this is the story of  Jim, a middle-school kid who joins his best friend in their science project to make a small robot that can battle other robots in a competition.  As Jim learns how to write code to program a robot's actions, he has no idea how useful those skills are going to become.  While Jim and his friends encounter and work through normal teen issues like strained friendships, dating, problematic siblings, and dealing with concerned parents, something sinister is taking place at the junk yard down the road.  As you may have guessed it is up to Jim and his friends to save the day.

Full of robotics talk, this is a must-read for any future programmers or battle-bot competitors.  It's also a plain old good story with some good twists and turns.

Wildwood - by Colin Meloy

If you're in the mood for a rollicking mystical animal adventure fantasy written by a famous musician about a lost forest paradise near Portland, Oregon, I think we've found the perfect book for you.  This long, well-written story tells of young Prue McKeel, whose life is pretty darn boring until the day her baby brother is carried away by crows.  When she sets out to find him along with her nerdy classmate Curtis, things really get interesting.  They follow the crows to an overgrown woodsy area on the outskirts of town, where they discover talking animals, hidden cities, and all sorts of surprises you would not expect outside of an adventure fantasy novel.

The animals and people in the Wildwood are at war, and as sides form and armies gather, Prue and Curtis must choose their paths and dig deep to find their courage.  Their choices are hard, but the stakes are tremendous.  Will Prue find her brother?  Can the children ever go back home?  Will the Dowager Princess and her coyote minions release the Ivy? (Okay, getting a little ahead of ourselves there...)  There are a lot of interesting plot twists, and the book builds to an exciting and powerful conclusion.

The book is charmingly old-fashioned, from the delightful illustrations (she also illustrated my favorite book, The Mysterious Benedict Society) to the characters' use of old-timey technologies. It's a fun book, and worth checking out! Note: The second book, Under Wildwood, is also available.

Wonder - by P.J. Palacio

Have you ever felt DIFFERENT?  It's hard, especially when you've just started middle school, you've got no friends, and you're more than just a little unusual.  In fact, when you've got a face like August Pullman's, nothing is easy.

We get this story of August's school experience right from August, as much of the book is told from his point of view.  The reader gets a first-hand view of the bullying, teasing, staring, and every other annoying behavior that August suffers through.  As the story moves along, the viewpoint shifts again and again, and we gain a more complete view of August's world, and that of his friends and family.  We are reminded that nothing is as simple as it seems, but also that the smallest kindness can have the biggest payoff.

This is a horrible story, and a wonderful one.  It will break your heart, and then make you jump up and cheer.  Once you finish this book, you will remember this story, and August and his friends and family, forever.  Please, read this book.

A friend who teaches fifth grade plans to use this book extensively with her students as they prepare for middle school, and I can think of no better training.  Read it and see what why.

Wonder Video - Barnes and Noble

All The Wrong Questions: Who Could That Be at This Hour? - by Lemony Snicket

How do you follow up on the huge success of A Series of Unfortunate Events, one of my favorite series?  For Lemony Snicket, you do it with a new series with excellent pictures and a really confusing plot.

Yes, confusing.  There are some interesting characters, most notably a young reporter named Moxie Mallahan, and two (very) young taxi drivers, Pip and Squeak.  The main character is a 13-year-old Lemony Snicket himself, and the plot centers on his apprenticeship with an associate in an unnamed secret association. It's all very mysterious, which is of course the point, but parts of the book will leave you scratching your head.  If you want a good slapstick mystery comedy with a number of unanswered questions, characters with excellent names (the bad guy is named "Hangfire"), and some rich vocabulary, this is your book.

Honestly, I was expecting a bit more from Mr. Snicket.  I'm not sure how young readers will like this book (the one fourth grader I had read it so far rated it 5/10), but I'm guessing that if the series succeeds, it will be due to the author's fame and notoriety from his amazing A Series of Unfortunate Events.  These characters are interesting, but nowhere near as memorable as Count Olaf and the Baudelaire orphans!

Here's the official trailer for the new series.

Wonderstruck - by Brian Selznick

Mysteries!  Wolves!  Natural history museums!  Sign language!  Lost family!  New friends!  That's a lot of exclamation marks, but this is a book that deserves it.  Much like the author's previous book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, this story is told through both amazing drawings and words, with multiple story lines weaving together until the end, where it all comes together and knocks your socks off.

This is the story of Ben, a young orphan from Minnesota who finds a clue as to his father's identity, and who sets out on an adventure to discover the truth about his past.  It is also the story, told only through pictures, of Rose, a young woman who sets off on a journey of her own to find a mysterious actress in the big city.  These stories take place fifty years apart and seem to have nothing to do with one another, but part of what makes this an amazing book is that each of the stories can't be told without the other.  The end really will leave you, shall we say, wonderstruck!

This is a book not to be missed.  The artwork is incredible, the story thoughtful and well-crafted, and the character memorable.  Brian Selznick has a gift, and trust me, you don't want to be left out.  That said, this is a book that will probably mean more to slightly older readers.  It is a picture book of sorts, but I would recommend it to children from nine to one hundred and nine.

The Wednesday Wars - by Gary D. Schmidt

This book was so much more enjoyable than I expected!  I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, given how much I liked this author's writing in Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy.  It's a tale of the 1960's, focusing on the life of one unlucky boy, Holling Hoodhood, a seventh-grader at Camillo Junior High.  At first we think the story is about his nasty teacher, Mrs. Baker, who tortures him each Wednesday while all the other students in his class go elsewhere for religion class.  She makes him read Shakespeare, for goodness sake!  Soon we dig deeper, the story expands, and it's a fabulous ride.

Dust-covered cream puffs, yellow leotards with feathers on the butt, escaped rats, a cranky and demanding father, and so many more mini-stories fill this book that it's almost hard to keep track.  By the end, the author has woven them all together into a coming-of-age story that speaks to that time in American history, but also to anybody who has been a teenager and lived to tell about it.

Some of the writing is at a high level:Quoting Shakespeare to make inside jokes, digging into the topic of the Vietnam War, but the author pulls it off well, and a discerning reader will have no trouble.  I'd recommend this book to 10-up, to fans of the 60's, people who like to run, and anyone who wants a surprisingly great story to enjoy.

A Wrinkle in Time - by Madeline L'Engle

This is one of those books that, while it feels a bit outdated, has really stood the test of time.  For 49 years Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin have captivated readers with their fabulous journey into the great and somewhat creepy depths of space to rescue a lost father, and the writing still sparkles.  Are there more engaging and easy to follow works of fantasy for young people these days?  Absolutely.  I'm willing to bet, though, that all of their authors were fans of Madeline L'Engle.  Reading this book, I can't help picturing J.K. Rowling wandering around with a beat-up copy of this book in her hand.

I've been reading this aloud to my fourth graders, and while the beginning was tedious for them, now that we've passed the halfway point they are hooked.  The characters, though they are oddballs, become so real to the reader that we feel as if we were bravely walking into CENTRAL Central Intelligence on Camazotz at their side.  A book doesn't stay so popular for so long if the writing isn't exemplary, and Ms. L'Engle is hard to top in that regard.

There are many important lessons to be learned from this book, including:  1) What you see is not necessarily what you get.  2) Everyone has their strengths, though they may not be obvious, and even negative traits can be useful in the right situations.  3)  It's okay to be different, no matter what others think of you.  Be proud of who you are.  4) Stay together.  Love and courage can conquer all. 5) Watch out for red-eyed dudes who can read your thoughts.  Seriously.

If you love this book, you MUST read Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me.

Wild Girl - by Patricia Reilly Giff

There are many books out there about a girl and her horse, but none told quite like this.  When Lidie's mother died, her brother and father left their home in Brazil to try their luck in New York, raising and training horses for a rich family.  Meanwhile, Lidie stayed behind with her aunt and uncle and worked on the family farm, learning to ride and dreaming of the day she would be reunited with her family. When she is twelve, Lidie finally moves to New York to be with her father and brother, but nothing is what she expected. Not school, not speaking English, not her family.  Not even the horses.

Through alternating chapters, the reader also learns the story of the horse Wild Girl, told from the first-horse point of view.  You can tell that the author not only loves but really understands horses from this exceptional writing, and it's probably the closest any of us will ever come to seeing a horse's thoughts.  Eventually, Wild Girl and Lidie end up on the same farm, and it's only a matter of time before the two realize they were meant to be together.

This is an interestingly written, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, touching horse story.  The language is sharp, as you'd expect from this talented, award-winning author, and the emotions are strong and real, if perhaps a little overdone at times.  This is a fun book, especially if you love horses.  I'm guessing the main readers will be tween girls, as not many boys will want to carry around a book that in bright pink says "Wild Girl."

We Can't All Be Rattlesnakes - by Patrick Jennings

CRUSHER!  What a name for a snake, and perfect for a gopher snake (a non-poisonous rattler look-alike) that kills its prey by strangulation.  The only thing is, this particular snake is a girl, and the doofus who captured her and is holding her prisoner in his bedroom doesn't know the first thing about taking care of creatures.  Crusher's life is suddenly in danger, along with those of her new friends, which include a lizard, a tortoise, and a cute little white mouse, who she decides makes a better friend than snack.  Can Crusher find a way to outsmart the humans and save herself and her friends before it's too late?  It's a nail-biting battle of wits, and I'm not about to give away the surprising ending.

I didn't know what to expect from this book, but it ended up being a sweet but funny fictional memoir told from the snake's point of view.  The author told the story with warmth and humor, but did not shy away from the gruesome reality of a snake's life, making this a very interesting book to read.  The true-to-life descriptions of Gunnar, the teenage video game addict who captured Crusher and his hopeless family will make you laugh, but also cringe.  If you've ever wondered what it would be like to be a reptile, this is the closest you'll come to getting a ground-eye view of a snake's life.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More - by Roald Dahl

Here's a classic that many people aren't familiar with.  These short stories by Roald Dahl are staples of my classroom read-aloud, though they're not exactly short and sweet.  They are interesting, challenging, surprising and memorable.

Take, for instance, the title story, "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar."  It is the tale of a rich man who reads the story of a doctor who met an Indian man who taught himself to see without using his eyes.  It sounds odd, I know, but the many layers of this amazing tale weave together until you don't know what hit you.  Though this story took a week to get through as I read it to my class this spring, those were the most silent and attentive moments of our year.  My good friend Mr. Garrison once told me that this story changed his life, and I don't doubt it.

My favorites of these seven stories are "The Hitchhiker" and "The  Boy who Talked to Animals."  The first tells of the author's encounter with a fingersmith, or a professional pickpocket.  From the passenger seat of the author's car, the mysterious hitchhiker manages to collect an amazing variety of items, which I can't specify because it would ruin the story.  The other is the tale of a giant sea turtle at a Bahamian resort who is captured and then released by local fishermen when a small boy insists that the animal be spared.  When the boy ends up missing the entire resort is in a panic, which does not reduce when the fishermen report seeing the boy riding the turtle out to sea the next morning.  As with any story, these will be much more enjoyable in the reading than in the retelling, so don't take my word for it, check this book out yourself and rediscover the amazing writing of this famous British author.

War Horse - by Michael Morpurgo

If horses could write, this would be the story of one brave foal who was on the front lines of World War One in Europe.  Joey was a beautiful horse, loyal to his young master Albert, and confused when he was taken away to be a war horse for the British cavalry (soldiers who fight or travel on horseback).  As the war raged on, Joey had countless adventures, surviving battle after battle, and making and losing new friends along the way.  In the end, it is the courage and determination of the horse that keep him alive, and which allow him to search one last time for his master and his friend.

The story is told first-person (or first-horse) from Joey's point-of-view, which makes it very interesting and really sucks the reader in.  Michael Morpurgo is an amazing writer, as I've noted before, and this is an incredible book.  Horse lovers will find themselves swept away, as will fans of military history, who will get an inside view of both the British cavalry and the German artillery during that long and terrible war in 1914 and beyond.

Thanks to Emma and her mother for the tip and the loan, and for reminding me how much I like Michael Morpurgo.  I hear this is going to be a movie!  Good choice.

When You Reach Me - by Rebecca Stead

I want you to read this book, but first I want you to read this one:  A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle.  It's a book that several of the characters carry around with them, so it would be helpful if you were familiar with it.  Also, it's a wonderful story.

When You Reach Me surprised me.  It was not at all what I expected before, or even after I had started reading it.  If you pick up this book, you must finish it, or you'll never understand what I'm saying.  On the face, it's a story of 6th-grader Miranda, going to school in New York City and trying to figure out why her best friend Sal has started to ignore her.  Then it becomes a story about why some random kid punched Sal in the stomach. Then it's a story about why there's a homeless guy sleeping under the mailbox in front of Miranda's apartment building, and why he keeps kicking the air and saying weird things.  I promise, it will all come together, but you have to read the whole book.  It's not a long book, but it is powerful.  Every word counts.  There are clues, but I couldn't solve the mystery on my own.  That's okay, because the author, as they always seem to do, solved it for me at the end.

This is a mystery, but it's also a school story, a friendship book, and so much more.  It defies easy explanation, so just (You know what I'm going to say, right?)  read it.  

Wolf Brother - By Michelle Paver

Thousands of years ago, a lone boy and his wolf pup set off to stop the evil monster that has been magically released from the dark side of the world, and to save their forest and tribes from complete destruction.  And then they went to Disney Land!  Just kidding about that last part, but I did put off reading this book for a long time because the cover looked very Disney-ish (but it turns out the story is not at all like that.)

Young Torak is the last member of the Wolf Clan, and when his father is killed by a giant bear, he sets off to seek revenge.  Along the way he picks up a wolf cub named Wolf, and a girl who is tough enough to kick his butt.  Together they set off on a series of adventures through the physical and spiritual worlds, eventually making their way to the mystical mountains, where they must make the hardest choices in their lives.  I LOVE this book, and can't wait to read the entire series.  It's similar in some ways to The Conch Bearer, which I reviewed recently, but rather than taking place in modern India, it is set in an ancient land much like America would have been before the Europeans came along.

This is a fabulous book for readers craving adventure and suspense, mystery and ancient magic, giant evil bears and deadly avalanches, cute wolf pups and lots of chasing, hiding, running, and generally being brave and heroic.  Just read it, and I don't think you'll regret it.  Then go to Disney Land.

P.S. If you like audio books, this one is fantastic, especially because of the reader: Ian McKellan!

Waiting for Normal - by Leslie Connor

This is the story of a 12-year-old girl trying to find her place in the world, when all around her is getting crazy. There's her house, which is a trailer sitting on the corner of a busy city intersection right underneath a train bridge.  There's her flute, which seems to be stolen.  Her best friend, a middle-age woman who runs a gas station and has cancer. But then there's her mom, who has some problems, including a bad habit of leaving her daughter alone for days on end.  Yes, life is pretty bad for Addie, but does it have to get worse before it can get better?

Waiting for Normal is a sad book, but it's also a happy book.  A lot of things happen that are hard to read about, but there are a number of characters who are strong, brave, and able to find goodness in tough times.  There is love, but there is also loss.  Joy, but also sorrow.  Don't read this book if you want a good laugh, or an adventure story.  Read it if you love a good story, unforgettable characters, feeling emotional about a book, and happy endings.  

Wart - by Anna Myers

Let's say your mom passed away years ago, and your dad suddenly wants to marry your new art teacher.  You don't like that idea because she's really weird, but you like it even less when you begin to expect that she's actually a witch!  As you may have guessed, this is not a sports book, despite the excellent basketball cover picture.  There is some basketball, but there's also burglary, a lonely frog, a very popular female cousin, and plenty of mystery.

This was a much better book than I expected from an unknown author!  It was part fantasy, part mystery, and quite interesting.  If you have an annoying little sibling, a parent who wants to get married again, the desire to be popular, good friends who support you even when you're totally annoying, or a wish to read a good book, then check out Wart.