Almost Home

Almost Home 
by Joan Bauer

When twelve-year-old Sugar's grandfather dies and her gambling father takes off yet again, Sugar and her mother lose their home in Missouri. They head to Chicago for a fresh start, only to discover that fresh starts aren't so easy to come by for the homeless. Nevertheless, Sugar's mother has taught her to be grateful no matter what, so Sugar does her best. With the help of a rescue dog, Shush; a foster family; a supportive teacher; a love of poetry; and her own grace and good humor, Sugar comes to understand that while she can't control the hand life deals her, she can control how she responds. (Description from Amazon.com) 

This was a sweet, heart-string plucking book. It reminded me a lot of One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt.  Sugar is a girl who strives to be sweet...to take on the world with a positive attitude. Even after she gets stuck in foster care and she doesn't quite trust her new situation, she vows to be kind.  What a fabulous and strong character!  A girl who is forced to take on a grown-up role too young, Sugar's street smarts, compassion, and independent character carry this story through to a satisfying conclusion. 

I very much enjoyed as well, how almost all of the adults in the book were portrayed as being fleshed out, multi-faceted characters. Yes, there were those that skewed towards being inherently good and those that were too flawed to be redeemable, but they each had their moments that made them feel like real people.  It was refreshing and made the book a much richer reading experience.    

Full disclosure: Borrowed from my Library 

The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls

The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls

by Claire Legrand

Victoria hates nonsense. There is no need for it when your life is perfect. The only smudge on her pristine life is her best friend Lawrence. He is a disaster—lazy and dreamy, shirt always untucked, obsessed with his silly piano. Victoria often wonders why she ever bothered being his friend. (Lawrence does too.)

But then Lawrence goes missing. And he’s not the only one. Victoria soon discovers that The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is not what it appears to be. Kids go in but come out…different. Or they don’t come out at all.

If anyone can sort this out, it’s Victoria—even if it means getting a little messy. (description from Amazon.com)

Did you love Coraline? Are you a Lemony Snicket fan? If so, this is a GREAT book for you...

Everything in Victoria's town has gone just a little bit twisty. Kids are disappearing, adults are ignoring things, and no one is willing to talk to Victoria about it. She, however, is the last person to give up when she knows she is right...and she knows that something is wrong and the Cavendish Home has something to do with it. 

Once Victoria starts asking questions, though, she attracts the wrong kind of attention, and once she's been taken to the Cavendish Home, there may be no escaping.

Suspenseful and creepy.

Full disclosure: Borrowed from my Library

Knightley Academy

Knightley Academy
by Violet Haberdasher

All Henry knows is life as an orphaned servant boy at the Midsummer School, bullied by the privileged sons of aristocracy. But all that changes when Henry is the first commoner to pass the entrance exam for the prestigious Knightley Academy, where he will be trained as a modern-day knight alongside the cleverest and bravest fourteen-year-olds in the country.

Henry and his roomates, two other students from decidedly un-Knightley backgrounds, are not exactly greeted with open arms by their classmates. In fact, it soon becomes apparent that someone is going to great lengths to sabotage the trio's chances at becoming knights. But Henry soon learns that there is more at stake here than his future at Knightley, and only he can sound the alarm. Is anyone going to believe a former servant on the brink of expulsion? (description taken from Amazon.com)

I devoured this book...and then I sighed with happiness. It is very reminiscent of Harry Potter. To clarify, it is not one of the carbon copy wizard books that came out just after the whole wizarding explosion in MG/YA. What it has is the feeling that Rowling was able to evoke in her readers.

Yes, there is an orphan, some downtrodden, looked poorly upon friends, a slight romantic tension, and the struggle to fight for what's right...manners, valiance, fighting oppression, tyranny, and discrimination.

What makes this book special is that you are drawn into a new world with fantastic, well drawn characters. Henry, Frankie, and even his school nemesis, Valmont are mutli-faceted characters that grow and support each other right in front of the reader's eyes. The narrator's voice is also really funny, sarcastic, and similar to Lemony Snicket.

Another thing I loved was the blend of modern and medieval. This is what I would refer to as steampunk without the sci-fi feel. This book is set in "modern" times, yet there are still knights in society. They are detectives, police officers, and more, but they are KNIGHTS. Awesome!

If you've been missing something since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out, ending an era, you need to try this new series!!