Fuzzy Mud

Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar,181 pages

Tamaya has to walk to and from school with her neighbor, Marshall.  However, Marshall has decided today to go home through the woods because another boy, Chad, threatened to beat him up.  The kids aren't supposed to go in the woods but Tamaya decides to follow Marshall because either way she'd be breaking the rule.  Unfortunately, Chad also finds them in the woods and tries to make good on his threat.  Tamaya is scared but picks up a handful of mud and throws it in his face, giving her and Marshall time to get away.  Later that night Tamaya gets a rash on her hand.  And the next day Chad isn't at school.  This was a lot scarier and less funny than Sachar's usual books but it was a great story and I would recommend it to any elementary age kid that likes realistic fiction.

Skin

Skin by Donna Jo Napoli, 341 pages

The first day of Sep’s junior year of high school she wakes up with lips.  Panicked, she and her mother call the doctor, who can’t see her for a few days but reassures them that she isn’t dying.  Sep covers them with lipstick and eventually finds out that she has vitiligo, which causes pigment to leave the skin, usually in spots or splotches.  There’s no telling how much of her skin will be affected or if it will be permanent.  There is no cure and the treatment options that are effective have pretty bad side effects.  Sep is devastated, especially since the boy she likes, Joshua, has started paying attention to her.  This is a story about a girl who is trying to find herself in the midst of a difficult situation.  Teens, especially girls, who like realistic stories will probably enjoy this book.