1,001 Cranes, by Naomi Hirahara
J HIRAHAR
Folding 1,001 origami cranes was not Angie’s idea. Her parents, on the verge of divorce, have sent her to her grandparents outside of L.A., where displays of good luck cranes are part of their floral business. Angie is not a happy camper. At first, she is all thumbs at origami and rebels against her Japanese-American upbringing that has instilled “no complaining or monku ” in her. However, some things break through her pain—a neighbor’s cancer, a newly adopted child, an attractive skateboarder who wins her heart. As Angie’s deals with each of these situations, she finds new-found confidence and self acceptance.
~ Diane, Beacon
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters, by Lenore Look
J LOOK
Poor Alvin Ho is afraid of everything: school, girls, and, especially, the great outdoors! To him, camping seems completely fraught with danger. But Alvin braves the wild with this father and tag-along younger sister, Anibelly, to honor town hero, Henry David Thoreau. Alvin outfits himself with night-vision goggles, a water-purification system, a super, high-powered flashlight, and all manner of over-the-top expensive gear. Then, calling upon his uncle’s questionable expertise and the aid of his new, like-minded buddy, Alvin – a.k.a. “Firecracker Man” — manages to make an unforgettable adventure of it all.
~ Pamela, Ballard
A Crooked Kind of Perfect, by Linda Urban
J URBAN
Zoe’s dreams of playing at Carnegie Hall get derailed when her father leases the Perfectone D-60 organ instead of the baby grand piano she really needs. Zoe reluctantly tries to have a positive attitude, secretly playing 1970s TV theme songs and practicing for the Perfectone Perform-o-Rama. Meanwhile, her mother works all the time, her father refuses to leave the house, and a boy from school starts baking incredible cakes with her dad. Zoe makes the best of it all in this funny, sensitive story. Try this if you liked The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron.
~ Linda, Central
Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life, by Rachel Renee Russell
J RUSSELL
Nikki Maxwell is starting at a new private school. Her biggest headaches this year are to get accepted into the CCP (Cute, Cool & Popular) group, land a new cell phone, deal with the meanest girl in school, and avoid being seen in her dad’s bug exterminator mobile. Nikki’s diary mimics the comic style and laughable moments that are present in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, only this time, the focus is on the girls.
~ Wing-Sze, Green Lake
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