Locomotion

From the book...

Not a lot of peoplewant boys.Not foster boysthat ain't babies...
Locomotion by Jacqueline Wilson is a poignant and lyrical verse novel about a young boy who has lost his family and is now living as a foster child with Miss Edna and separated from his younger sister Lili. The young boy, Lonnie C Motion (‘Locomotion’) writes poetry as a way to hold on to his life, remember his past and move forward. He writes using a range of poetry forms which detail his feelings, his home and school life, the advent of a new country boy to his poor inner city school and his relationship with his sister whom he sees on occasion.

Mick Harte Was Here

With drama and sensitivity, popular author Barbara Parks deals with the sometimes fatal consequences when bicyclists fail to wear helmets. For 12 years, Phoebe and her younger brother Mick have been partners in everything—when they aren’t fighting. Everything changes the day she refuses to ride his bike home for him after school.

The Midwife's Apprentice

Lyrical yet unsentimental, The Midwife’s Apprentice won the coveted 1996 Newbery Medal. Filled with striking characters, it paints unforgettable pictures of village life in the Middle Ages, the midwife’s craft, and a very remarkable girl’s growing independence and pride. Brat has no name, no home, and no shelter against the 14th-century English winter except the foul warmth of a dung heap. So when Jane the Midwife wakes her with a kick and takes the half-starved creature to her cottage, a curious relationship begins. Jane teaches Brat to gather herbs and make the poultices used to ease the pain of childbirth for the village women. The skinny young girl quickly learns to obey the sharp-tongued midwife, and secretly watches Jane practice her art whenever she can. But Jane is also teaching Brat unspoken lessons that will take longer—maybe a lifetime—to master.

Nightjohn

Life on the Waller plantation is harsh and bleak. Twelve-year-old Sarny knows that it won’t be long before she will be forced to leave Mammy and join the other young women who serve the master’s household as breeders. Then one day a new slave arrives, bought from an overseer for a thousand dollars. He comes in a bad way, walking in front of the horses and Waller’s ready whip. His back is covered with scars as thick as Sarny’s hand, but he holds his head high and doesn’t seem to mind that everyone is watching him. Sarny doesn’t know yet, but Nightjohn’s arrival is about to change everything. For that very night, in exchange for a plug of tobacco, Nightjohn begins to teach Sarny the letters of the alphabet. With enough time and tobacco, she will be able to read. Sarny has gotten as far as the letter J, when Waller catches her tracing the word BAG in the dust on the road. The punishment for teaching someone to read is severe. What will happen if Waller finds out who Sarny’s teacher is? Will her precious gift of learning be lost forever? Newberry honor-winner, Gary Paulsen, offers a graphically realistic and historically accurate portrayal of slave society in mid-19th century America.

The Pinballs

When you’re a pinball, life is a risky game, especially for three adolescent children placed in a foster home. Their hard-won defenses are firmly in place as these three uneasy strangers meet their foster parents. For each of these children who were failed by their families, caring for others is so scary it hurts. No one has been in control. But as their daily lives become dotted with fried chicken dinners, puppies, and birthdays, they begin to hope that even pinballs can be winners. Betsy Byars, the National Book Award-winning author of McMummy, writes stories that are beloved by young listeners, their parents and teachers alike. Her thoroughly believable but quirky characters have captivated countless fans; The Pinballs was chosen by almost sixty thousand children in Georgia as their favorite book. The American Library Association agrees, designating it an ALA Notable Children’s Book.

Scorpions

Twelve-year-old Jamal is in trouble at home, at school, and on the street. His big brother, the leader of the Harlem Scorpions, is in jail for robbery. Now Jamal is expected to lead the gang and even has to carry a gun. When two of the Scorpions call him out to the park to challenge his leadership, Jamal takes the gun with him—a decision that will change his life forever. Scorpions is a powerful portrayal of the fear, frustration, and despair of inner city life and gang pressure. Walter Dean Myers’ credible characters deal with realistic situations and make difficult choices. His highly-acclaimed talent has earned him many accolades, among them the Coretta Scott King Award and ALA’s Margaret A. Edwards Award for his lifetime achievement in writing young adult books.

Skeleton Man

Master storyteller and author Joseph Bruchac transforms an ancient Native American legend into a terrifying thriller with the novel Skeleton Man. One day Molly wakes up to discover her parents are missing. Soon the welfare services people bring her to live with a great-uncle she never knew she had. Facing uncertain circumstances, Molly struggles to stay brave with the help of her favorite school teacher.

Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush?

Megin is 12; her brother Greg is 14. Megin is a slob; Greg is fastidious. They call each other Megamouth and Grosso. Between the two, the household is filled with their teasing and fighting. They are experts at the usual games of sibling rivalry and experts at inventing new ones. From carefully-planted cockroaches to creme doughnut fights, Megin and Greg’s antics keep them in constant trouble. But even as they think up new ways to bug each other, they are also growing up. Soon, their rivalry will put them both to tests that have higher stakes than either Megin or Greg can imagine. Jerry Spinelli, a Newbery Medalist, has raised six children, so he has plenty of firsthand information about kids like Megin and Greg. This energetic audiobook is a riotous trip through the early teenage years, especially with its dual narration by two of the most spirited readers of children’s literature. If you enjoy this book, listen to Jerry Spinelli’s Crash (RB# 94893), an ALSC Notable Recording.