Jo & Laurie by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz

If you love Little Women, you will love this book.  Jo March is been commissioned to write a sequel to her book to tell what happened to all the March girls.  This is causing great stress for her.  Beth has died, Father is still gone, and as Jo writes she either makes it too boring or too exciting.  Fans start writing asking what happens and it causes even more stress.  Jo and Laurie are best friends, but Laurie, AKA Teddy, shares his feelings for Jo and she refuses him.  As Meg finds love with Mr. Brooke, Amy becomes sick and they don't know if she will make it.  

Lots of drama, stress, and thankfully a happy ending.  

Camp Murderface by Josh Berk and Saundra Mitchell

This feels like the first book in a series (I hope so!)  Creepy, spooky summer camp...what else does a horror book need?  

Corryn's parents have sent her off to summer camp at Camp Sweetwater, and she is sure they are getting her out of the way so they can get a divorce over the summer.  As they meet to load up on the buses, she meets her weird, rude camp counselor who came from England to work her (I think because she can't get a job there).  Tez has a medical condition and wanted to come to summer camp to be "normal" where no one will baby him and no one knows his condition.  They find a friend in each other and then weirdness starts.  The camp has a history of people going missing, the lifeguard looks like an old geezer who was around a long time ago, and they see three girl spirits in a fire.  As they delve into some research about the camp they start to piece together the history and where the missing people are, but the entity is still there leaving it open for book (Please!)

Glitch by Laura Martin

My favorite book so far this year!  Regan and Elliot are students at The Academy, a school for those who glitch or time travel, and they are pretty much enemies.  Regan is the daughter of the commander for the academy and Elliot thinks she has attitude and is obnoxious.  Elliot thinks he knows everything and he has the correct answer all the time.  They are sanctioned by the US to time travel and make sure history stays like it is.  There is another organization called Mayhem that glitches to change history. Those people are called a Butterfly, as in they create a butterfly effect by changing one thing it changes many things.  There is also a thing called a Cocoon, which is a warning about the future and could change things.  Regan and Elliot find a note addressed to Regan in her OWN handwriting that changes their path and in turn creates a way they change the future, but for the better.  

Martin left the end finished, but also with a new Cocoon find that could be the start of a new book!  I hope so!

The Girl in the White Van by April Henry

INTENSE!

Savannah is fairly new in town, her mom moves them around a lot based on the current boyfriend she has.  As she leaves for kung fu class her mom's boyfriend argues with her and takes her cell phone and she runs out the door.  After class she leaves and Daniel offers to walk her home, but she tells him her mom is in the parking lot to drive her home (which is not true).  As she reaches the parking lot she is grabbed and she tries to fight him off, but he tasers her and she is knocked unconscious.  As she awakens in the back of a van she determines to escape and opens the door and jumps out in the process breaking her arm and getting a concussion.  She is delivered to an RV where another girl, Jenny, who has been missing 10 months is.  Savannah's fighting spirit makes her want to escape with Jenny, but at what cost will it be for her and Jenny?

My kind of book. Keeps you reading and wondering what will happen next.  The book is told in multiple viewpoints, but not hard to keep up with.  

We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly

This story is told in three voices of three siblings: Fitch, Bird, and Cash are all in 7th grade. Cash is older, but is repeating 7th grade and he feels like he is dumb and not good at anything.  Fitch, whose real name is Henry, and Bird, whose real name is Bernadette, are twins.  Fitch loves arcade games, specifically Major Havoc, he also has a LOT of anger that sometimes explodes out. Bird loves space and learning how things work.  This book is set in January of 1986, the month the Challenger space shuttle exploded.  Their science teacher had applied to be on the crew and is giving lessons every day  leading up to the space shuttle launch.  As they are studying space they're dealing with their own issues, their parents are not really getting along, and in the end they end up understanding one another better. 

I was a freshman in high school when the Challenger blew up.  I loved all the references to 80's themed things like Members Only jackets, arcades, Trapper Keepers, and more!  

One Last Shot by John David Anderson

Malcolm Greeley is an only child living with his mom and dad.  In the book he is playing on a miniature golf course and each chapter is a hole that is described and then there is a flashback to how this whole story started.  Malcolm's dad is big into sports and wants Malcolm to be as well, but he just isn't really interested.  As his dad takes him to play putt-putt golf one day Malcolm realizes he enjoys putt-putt and of course dad runs with finding out there is a professional tournament for 8-14 year olds and next thing you know he has Malcolm signed up and in lessons.  Malcolm meets a girl, Lex, and they become friends, but through the whole story you can tell his parents are not doing good (arguing and disagreeing), he struggles with negative self-talk, and it all culminates into a big blow up.  

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this one!

The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate

Disclaimer:  I have not read The One and Only Ivan. :)

Bob is a little Chihuahua mix dog who lived with Ivan in the roadside show. He has now been adopted into a loving home, Ivan is in a local zoo being well taken care of, and Ruby is there as well in the enclosure next to Ivan.  As the story starts Bob goes to the zoo with his people and is talking to Ivan.  There is supposed to be bad weather later in the day, but all of a sudden all the animals are told to go to their enclosures, his people are getting inside, and Bob falls over the wall into the gorilla enclosure.  He is picked up by a tornado that shoots him across the park and he ends up in the giraffe enclosure.  As he makes his way back to check on Ivan, Ruby and his people he encounters danger, difficulty, and a surprise that ends up helping him get over his guilt over his siblings.

StoryBound by Emily McKay

WOW!  Loved the book, loved the story, but will not put it in my middle school library because I feel it's geared more toward high school...

Edie has just moved to Austin, TX with her mom.  Her mom is a caregiver to a rich man.  Edie LOVES the Traveler Chronicle series and the last book just came out, but it was a total disappointment.  As she starts her new school weird things start to happen to her, like did she make a stick come to her???  As her mom has to travel with her client for the weekend, Edie delves into trying to find out more about someone calling her an "Untethered Sleeker" and what exactly that means.  As she goes into a bookstore she seems to travel to another dimension and meets her book boyfriend, Kane!!!  She knows the stories so well, that he gets her to help him rescue the princess and the Curator.  

The author apparently loved using some language in this book, because it happens frequently.  The romance part is very clean however.  Would highly recommend to high school.

Cursed by Jen Calonita (Fairy Tale Reform School series)

The last book in the series:  Gilly Cobble along with her freinds are trying to find Rumplestiltskin and Alva to keep them from destroying Enchantasia.  As they travel by pirate ship they are attacked by a Kraken, they then have to find Gilly's grandmother, who is hidden away on an island and Gilly has never met her.  Gilly struggles with her ability as a fairy and also wanting to protect her friends.  Answers lots of questions from the series, but Calonita hasn't quite closed it all the way and left herself a door to possibly continue their stories. 

Throwback: The Chaos Loop by Peter Lerangis (book 2)

The second book in the Throwback series. Throwback Book 1 review

Corey Fletcher saved his grandmother in book 1 and now he wants to save the world.  With him being a "throwback", someone who can time travel and CHANGE what happened, he has determined he needs to fix the world, in particular Hitler and the Holocaust. His grandfather warns him of time travelling too much because of transspeciation (changing into another species) like some other time travellers have done.  They really don't know how or why it happens and each one is different, so Corey is not too worried about it.  He just will look for the signs:  hair growing in odd places, weird food cravings, etc. He talks Laila into going with him, since she knows how to speak German.  As they go back things of course do not work out like they think it will and they change events, but not anything big until the end of the book.

Was very slow at the beginning, but picked up once they were travelling.  

Tornado Brain by Cat Patrick

Frances, who goes by Frankie, is a 7th grade girl who thinks differently.  She has been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, autism, and neurological issues.  She has one friend, Colette, who is not her friend anymore.  Colette goes missing and as Frankie and her twin sister, Tess, start to try to figure out what happened, Frankie tries to remember the past and what might have lead to Colette missing.  As they two find clues it leads them on a path of understanding of themselves and each other.  

LOVED this one!!