Guest Review: The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade

The following review is from guest reviewer and librarian Sandy Brandon. Sandy is the librarian at Montwood Middle School in El Paso, Texas, and currently a member of Texas Bluebonnet Program Committee, Texas Library Association. 

The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade
by Jordan Sonnenblick
Scholastic Press
2017
193 pages
ISBN: 9780545863209

Available August 29, 2017

Jordan Sonnenblick has done it again! With his signature wit and wisdom, Sonnenblick introduces middle grade readers to Maverick Falconer, an all-too-tiny sixth grade student.

Maverick's life is anything but perfect, but he makes the best of difficult situations he finds himself in. Throughout the book, Maverick faces serious struggles at school and home. Sonnenblick handles tough issues with humor and sensitivity.

Maverick is going into sixth grade and he is much smaller than the other students at school. He is weak, and everyone knows it, especially the bullies at school. He faces bullies in his home life as well. This year, Maverick decides, he is going to change and be stronger. He is ready to make positive changes at school and in his own home. Armed with his small, plastic sheriff's star (a prized possession his father gave him before he passed away), Maverick is prepared. If only he can overcome his own bullies!

The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade handles serious issues many students face: bullying, neglect, alcoholism and abusive relationships. Maverick Falconer's heartbreaking struggle to make his life better is handled with empathy. Sonnenblick's rare gift of hilarity does not disappoint. Readers will laugh and cry and hopefully show a new appreciation and understanding for each person's unique situation.

Highly recommended grades 4 and up. Perfect for reluctant readers.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review nor did Sandy Brandon.

Middle Grades Pick: Quicksand Pond

Quicksand Pond
by Janet Taylor Lisle
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
2017
240 pages
ISBN: 9781481472227


Quicksand Pond is the story of two strangers, young girls who meet on a pond in New England one summer. Jessie's family (minus her mother) travels to Rhode Island for the summer renting a decrepit cottage on the shore of Quicksand Pond and steps away from the Atlantic shores. Older sister Julia is not thrilled to be carted off to the backwoods where wi-fi is a joke. She soon discovers the beach and the local kids. Jessie finds a raft at the pond's edge and like a true adventurer, she pushes off on it to the middle of the pond. Without a pole or paddle, the raft is nearly worthless. Jessie uses reeds to pull herself back to shore hours later.

Local kid Terri Carr makes her presence known from the start. She tells Jessie about old stories that have become legends in the town. A husband and wife murdered in the big house on the pond years ago, the crime never solved. People drowning. Another house burned to the ground. Folks around there know who is responsible but Terri is not saying. Terri has her own baggage--her father has a mean temper and a quick hand.

An old woman lives in the huge mansion still. She was a girl when the family was murdered--they were her parents and she witnessed the crime. Now she's an old lady subject to flights of fancy. According to her nurse, the old lady never makes sense. But....what if Miss Cutting isn't just babbling? What if she carries the clues to solve the old cases?

Quicksand Pond has all the elements that make a strong middle grade read--an old unsolved mystery, a couple of drownings, a town rife with rumors, family money and family secrets, a rural setting far enough away from city life, a father who has failed, a family in ruins, two very different girls who meet and become friends, and an unknown villain who wants to keep the past buried forever.

A quick and enjoyable read!

Highly, highly recommended grade 4-up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

YA Pick: Blood Family

Blood Family
by Anne Fine
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
2017
291 pages
ISBN: 9781481477734


Blood Family is the gripping tale of a boy who had no chance. Edward's mother is a ghost of a woman who has lost her humanity. Beaten and abused for years, she has lost her will to survive let alone raise a seven year old child. If not for a nosy neighbor, Edward would probably be dead.

Rescued from the home along with his mother, Edward is taken to "safety." The conditions of his childhood home are documented by social workers and police officers. There is nothing to eat and deplorable conditions. Edward has never set foot from the house, never been outside, never talked to anyone before. Everything he knows he has learned from thirty year old VCR tapes of episodes of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood."

Edward is grateful to be saved but worried about his mother. She will never be capable of taking care of herself again. Edward is shuttled off to foster homes and never fits in. He realizes his mother's abusive "boyfriend" is really his "blood" father and terrified  that if they share the same DNA, maybe Edward will be evil also. He does not want to become a beast.

After a series of relationships, homes, demons, drugs and failures, he realizes he will be okay.

The chapters are told in first person by a series of narrators: the neighbor who calls the police, the police who respond, social workers, foster parents, teachers and Eddie himself. Readers will get the big picture and not just Eddie's possibly skewed view of things. The book was first released by Doubleday in Great Britain. Blood Family is a tough book about a deplorable subject. It is not a "feel good" book.

Recommended for realistic fiction collections and high schools.

Thriller Pick: The Dogs

The Dogs
by Allan Stratton
Sourcebooks Fire
2015
240 pages
ISBN: 9781492609384

Available September 1, 2015



When Cameron and his mother move to Wolf Hollow and take up residence in a dilapidated farmhouse, Cam is angry. Move, again? Every time Cameron gets comfortable, his mom is on the run again. She sees shadows everywhere and worries that her ex-husband and Cameron's father will find them. She is fleeing an abusive relationship and trying to stay two steps ahead of her volatile ex. She uses  prepaid phones and  takes odd jobs--sometimes getting paid in cash to hide from Cameron's father.

There's something strange about this old farmhouse far in the countryside. Cameron sees a ghostly vision the first night. A little boy wearing a coonskin cap stands by the barn. Soon Cameron learns  about the man who once owned the place. Gossips say his own dogs attacked and killed him. The old man who owns the place now including the property next door is clearly hiding something. What happened to the family that once lived in this house? Cameron soon discovers its his job to find out. With a little help from the other side, Cameron searches for clues.

Time does not necessarily heal all wounds. Sometimes time just buries the past--with a thin sheet of lost memories. What happens when some of the past is brought to the surface? What new wounds are opened?

Cameron's mother thinks he spiraling into madness, and even makes an appointment for him to see a doctor. The drugs he takes makes it harder for him to dream, but his visions still haunt him. If Cameron can't talk to a ghost how is it possible that he knows where the bodies are buried?

The Dogs is a mystery and a suspenseful  thriller. Although considered a YA novel, it will have crossover appeal to adults as well. Anyone who loves a mystery with a bit of ghost story thrown in will enjoy this spirited (yes, pun intended) read.

Highly, highly recommended grade 7-up. Child abuse, murder, divorce, rumors of extramarital affairs.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Middle School Pick: Footer Davis Probably Is Crazy

Footer Davis Probably Is Crazy
by Susan Vaught
Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
2015
240 pages
ISBN: 9781481422765

Available March 3, 2015

Delightful, quirky, poignant, honest, and heart-breaking, Footer Davis Probably Is Crazy captures the heart of a small Southern town with its cast of forlorn and headstrong characters. While considered a book for middle grades and up, much of the content deals with very real "adult" problems: mental illness, child abuse, drug abuse, murder, and arson.

Fontana (Footer) Davis and her besties Peavine and Angel live in Bugtussle, Mississippi. That's part of the joke. The other part is that their town is named after a real bug. Footer knows this because she does on English paper on the name of her town. Days before this  the Abrams farm burns to the ground. Mr. Abrams' body is found but the bodies of Cissy and Doc are not recovered. The police think the fire killed Mr. Abrams and that the kids may have been kidnapped by a serial killer. This doesn't make sense to Footer and her friends. They decide to solve the mystery on their own.

As Footer begins to snoop around, she feels like someone may be watching them and she's right. Someone wants to know just what the kids are finding out about the fire and the missing kids. Footer's mom may know something, too. Even though she suffers from bi-polar disorder, Footer's mom clearly knows something. Now Footer is afraid what secrets she might uncover. Will her meddling cause a rift in her family?

The truth turns out to be even more horrible than Footer could dream up. How will the town and this family recover from its secrets?

I loved the setting and the "Southern-ness" of this book. Having Southern roots, I could relate to the pace, the heat, and the downright syrup. When someone says, "Bless her heart," in the South, it's not meant to be a compliment or a prayer to God. It means that the person is their own kind of crazy. Luckily, in the South, crazy is celebrated! (Think "Steel Magnolias")

Recommended grade 6-up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

High School Pick: Dead to You

Dead To You
by Lisa McMann
Simon Pulse
2012
243 pages

Watch the book trailer here

From the author of the Wake trilogy, this novel will captivate teen readers. It is the sad story of Ethan--a boy stolen from his family at age 7 who miraculously returns home at age 16--safe and sound.

The awkward moments when first seeing his parents to long and silent family dinners give Ethan panic attacks; he doesn't know how to act, who to trust, how to interact with a family--he's never had one before, at least not that he can remember. His parents try their best to make Ethan feel welcome but his presence is trying on the entire family. Since his disappearance, his parents have grieved and then finally accepted that their son was lost to them forever and they even planned a "replacement" child, little sister Gracie. Younger brother Blake acts jealous and angry--ignoring Ethan and even lashing out at him physically.

Ethan is trying to fit in, but he doesn't remember anything from his childhood. Why can't he remember his house? Or his neighbors? Why can't he remember the day he got into the car with those two guys? He always thought that Eleanor kidnapped him. Did she pay two men to grab a little boy for her?

As brother Blake uncovers clues to Ethan's past, Ethan finally begins to feel at home. The unexpected and tragic ending will take readers by storm. McMann continues to write a highly readable book with a tortured teen hero--there is no happy ending for Ethan.

Highly recommended grades 9-up. Language, mature situations. Child kidnapping, prostitution.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Guy Pick: Cracked

Cracked
by K.M. Walton
Simon Pulse
2012
312 pages

A bully and his target are on a collision course with destiny. Victor and Bull (William) go to the same school and Bull has harrassed Victor since grade school. He goes out of his way to call him names, bump into him, smashes his face in his cafeteria food, pantsed him in front of the entire p.e. class, including the girls, and beats on him nearly daily. Victor hates Bull--he wishes he would die--that some parent in a big SUV would run him down on the way to school.

What Victor doesn't know is that Bull is bullied, too--by his drunken mother and his mean, abusive grandpa who uses his fists to do his talking. Not that it would matter; Victor is bullied at home, too--only verbally. His parents say demeaning things to him, they never compliment him, only berate him for his stupidity, telling him that they never planned for him, wishing he wasn't ever born. His beautiful "perfect" family goes to church every Sunday and appears the picture of "happy" family, yet Victor knows that no one has ever loved him except his toy poodle Jazzy.

Everyone has a breaking point and both boys are nearing theirs. When Bull has finally had enough and won't take his Pop's beatings anymore and when Victor finds his beloved poodle Jazzy dead of old age, the two boys break.

As luck would have it, they both end up in a psych ward of the local hospital...wait for it...as roommates!

For Bull, being around other kids with problems is helpful. He gains some insight into others' lives and wonders why he can't talk about his feelings like some of the other kids. He is even jealous of Victor who tells a girl about Jazzy dying. He keeps getting lunch bags with snacks in them and one time a nice note and a poem about hope from Frank, the grounds-keeper at the cemetary where he used to go when he ditched school, sitting under a tree and reading books. He didn't know that Frank ever even saw him, but now Frank is leaving him uplifting notes. He wonders why a poem can mean so much.

Readers will empathize with Victor and Bull--both boys have rotten lives and awful parents. Even though Victor grows up in the "lap of luxury," he is unloved. He feels like "nothing." He feels invisible. Bull remembers the last time he had a piece of fruit--3rd grade! Bull's mother is a pitiful alcoholic who spends their food money on booze; there's never anything--and I mean nothing--to eat in their home.

The hospital staff and nurses help and the group sessions make both boys see the others have pain, too. Victor finally finds his voice and really tells Bull off in a venomous, but cathartic, rant. Bull realizes his actions have impacted another human being.

I found myself crying a few times while reading this novel. Both boys endure horrible childhoods, but there is hope for both when they leave the hospital. Have the tissues ready; you're going to cry! Even though I titled this "Guy Pick," sensitive girls will enjoy this novel as well.

Highly, highly recommended grades 9-up. Language, petting, alcoholism, child abuse, mature situations.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not received monetary compensation for this review.

High School Pick: Fix Me

Fix Me
by Rune Michaels
Antheneum
2011
160 pages (page count from publisher's website; my copy had 149 pages)



Complex, chilling, cutting, and caustic, Fix Me is Rune Michaels' latest ya novel. This time, the characters are disturbing as well as disturbed. Leia's mother and step-father die in a car accident and she and her abusive brother live in their home with their aunt as the guardian. There is no love lost in their twisted and tormented relationship. Aunt Phoebe is cruel and mouthy, Brian is controlling and sadistic, and both Brian and Leia turn to cutting for pain relief.



When her world starts crashing in, Leia turns to the only place she can feel safe, the zoo. It is a sanctuary for abused animals after all, and it is among the animals she feels safest. She stays at the zoo all day, hiding out at lock-up time and finding an old, empty tiger cage to sleep in. Never mind the fact that Brian and Aunt Phoebe are probably looking for her; Leia knows they aren't really too worried.



The zoo owner's son Kyle offers Leia a place to shower and sleep and gets her fruit and food to eat. He tells her she can stay there at night if she'll help him out feeding the animals and cleaning their cages. Leia loves the elephants and doesn't mind the hard work. Then Tina arrives. She is a traumatized chimp who suffered from human abusers. She can't be put with other chimps and she can't be left in the wild. Leia decides that Tina will be her project--they have much in common.



Leia stops cutting for awhile but then is triggered by a stranger's presence. In a disturbing flashback, the reader learns the true depth of cruelty and shocking abuse Leia has had to live with. In the end, Leia faces her demons and ruinous past and begins the painful process of healing. The reader is left with a feeling of timorous hope.



This is not a "feel good" read; however, it is compelling and well-written and a solid page turner. Teens who like "problem" novels with grit will like Fix Me.



Recommended for high school collections grades 9-up. Mature situations, child abuse, sexual abuse, violence, cutting. Not for middle school.





FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

High School Pick: What Comes After

What Comes After
by Steve Watkins
Candlewick Press
352 pages

Sixteen year old Iris finds herself suddenly orphaned and homeless. First, she moves into her BFF Beatrice's home with her family and begins to grieve for her father. The stress of an outside child proves too much for Beatrice's family and they are forced to ask the state to step in. The state officials send Iris to live with her estranged Aunt Sue and cousin Book in North Carolina.

Poor Iris! There is nothing likeable or praiseworthy about Aunt Sue or Book. They are two of the most bitter, mean-mouthed, nastiest human beings since Uriah Heep appeared in Charles Dicken's David Copperfield.

Iris is alone and unloved. She has no time to grieve her lot; however, Aunt Sue soon puts her to work on their small farm caring for the milk goats. Aunt Sue mistreats and abuses the goats and their pet dog Gnarly. If it weren't for Iris, the animals would see no love or empathy.

When Iris eats only peanut butter sandwiches, Sue's rankles. She forces meat products on her neice, but Iris won't give up her vegetarian ways. The last straw comes when Iris lets the milk goats loose rather than have them butchered for meat.

Luckily, what comes after that gets better. The first 3/4 of this novel had me turning the pages--hoping that Iris would find some solace and peace--but I must warn readers, it was gloomy, disheartening, and pathetic. Iris is still able to find brief patches of sunshine and humanity.

In the end, she makes friends and survives despite the obstacles in her life.

Well-written and plausible, but sad. This is not a "feel good" story.

Recommended for readers grade 9-up. Violence, alcohol and drug abuse, physical and emotional abuse, adult situations

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Fallout

Fallout
by Ellen Hopkins
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010
672 pages

In the third book of the trilogy that includes Crank and Glass, author Ellen Hopkins returns to Kristina Snow's story of drug abuse and reveals what Kristina's children have had to suffer.

Told in poetry by the children: Hunter, Autumn, and Summer, and the mother, this book is raw and gritty. Readers will likely empathize with one or all of the children and feel pity for Kristina.

The book deals with mature situations of drug and alcohol abuse, sexual situations, and abuse. It's not a pretty story but an important one. Addiction hurts not just the user but the entire family, and they all suffer from the Fallout.

Recommended grades 9 and up. NOT recommended for middle school due to language, sex, alcohol and drug references, and mature themes.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.

Teen Pick

Dirty Little Secrets
by C.J.Omololu
Walker Publishing Company, 2010
210 pages

Life has its secrets--everyone has secrets. Lucy, however, lives a secret. She has never had a best friend, or a sleepover, or had friends come over and just hang out. Her older sister and brother have both moved away, leaving sixteen-year old Lucy alone in the house with her mother and the STUFF. After her parents' divorce, Lucy's mother became a different person. She has filled their lives and their home with junk and trash.

If you've seen the t.v. show "Hoarders" and thought "How does someone get like this?"--or "How does someone live that way?"--Dirty Little Secrets may answer those questions.

When her secret is about to be front page news, Lucy decides to take things into her own hands. Her mother may have forced them to live like that when she was young, but now Lucy is older and she can find a way to deal with the problems.

Readers will like Lucy and empathize with her plight; some may even pity her, but all readers will want her to rise above her circumstances and excel.

Recommended grades 6-up.
Some mature subject matter. Lucy is basically mentally abused by her mother.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I bought this book for my middle school library. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.