Some Great Books to Try!

Keeping Safe the Stars by Sheila O'Connor

In this story Pride, Nightingale and Baby are the Stars. Orphaned and living with their grandfather, Old Finn, in rural Minnesota, the children, like their grandfather, are wary of outsiders. They believe, as Old Finn taught them, in self-reliance.
But then Old Finn falls seriously ill and is taken to the hospital all the way in Duluth, leaving the children to fend for themselves. Pride, as oldest, assumes the lead. Though she makes mistakes, she keeps them afloat; they even earn money for the bus trip to Duluth. But when they finally see Old Finn, he can't walk or even say his own name, and Pride knows her days of keeping safe the Stars are drawing to a close. Self-reliance can't make Old Finn well again. But maybe, just maybe, a secret from Old Finn's past might make a way for them to stay together after all.
If you enjoy stories about challenges, family, and love this would be a great book for you!

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos is a realistic fiction book about a boy with attention deficit disorder.  Because of Joey's disability, he often gets himself into trouble at home and at school. This book is part of a series about Joey's character and his misadventures.  If you enjoy reading books about students your age who face challenges and rise up to meet them, this would be a good book for you.

The final book that I'm going to tell you about today is Night on Fire by Ronald Kidd.  It is historical fiction and it takes place during the time period of the Civil Rights Movement.  The main character in the book is thirteen-year-old Billie Simms who doesn't think her hometown of Anniston, Alabama, should be segregated, but few of the town's residents share her opinion. As equality spreads across the country and the Civil Rights Movement gathers momentum, Billie can't help but feel stuck--and helpless--in a stubborn town too set in its ways to realize that the world is passing it by.  In the story Billie is faced with a serious decision: stand idly by in silence or take a stand for what she believes in.
If you like historical fiction, and books that make you think and feel, this book is for you!  Thank you to my former student, Bryn McCall, for recommending this amazing book to me.