Forever Or A Long Long Time

Forever Or A Long Long Time by Caela Carter, 311 pages

“Flora and her brother, Julian, don't believe they were born. They've lived in so many foster homes, they can't remember where they came from. And even now that they've been adopted, Flora still struggles to believe in forever. So along with their new mother, Flora and Julian begin a journey to go back and discover their past -- for only then can they really begin to build their future.” This is one of the saddest, best books I’ve read in a long time.  Even though these kids’ experience was not mine at all I completely related to Flora.  I want to give this book to every kid, but the length will probably make it better for older kids who enjoy reading.

The Blood Between Us

The Blood Between Us by Zac Brewer, 274 pages

“Growing up, Adrien and his sister, Grace, competed viciously for everything. It wasn't easy being the adopted sibling, but Adrien tried to get along; it was Grace who didn't want anything to do with him. When their scientist parents died in a terrible lab fire, there was nothing left to hold them together. Now, after years apart, Adrien and Grace are forced to reunite at the elite boarding school where their parents were teachers. Being back around everyone he used to know makes Adrien question the person he's become, while being back around Grace makes him feel like someone he doesn't want to be. For as much as Adrien wants to move on, someone seems determined to reopen old wounds. And when Adrien starts to suspect that Grace knows more about their parents' deaths than she let on, he realizes there are some wounds no amount of time can heal. If Adrien isn't careful, they may even kill him.” I liked the story but felt like the ending was a little rushed.  I was also blindsided by the ending, which was actually ok.  I would give this to teens who like thrillers.

Insignificant Events In The Life Of A Cactus

InsignificantEvents In The Life Of A Cactus by Dusti Bowling, 262 pages

“New friends and a mystery help Aven, thirteen, adjust to middle school and life at a dying western theme park in a new state, where her being born armless presents many challenges.” This book was so much more than I expected it to be.  It was funny and mysterious, and real all at the same time.  Kids who like realistic fiction will enjoy this book a lot.

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling     262 pages

Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she’ll have to answer the question over and over again.

Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It’s hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven’s about to discover she can do it all . . . even without arms.

This is a really well-crafted book about friendship. Aven, the main character, has grown up without having arms, learning to do things herself because her parents want her to be capable of caring for herself. She is good-natured, has a big heart, and isn't afraid to shut down those who want to make fun of her or others because they are different. While Aven is differently-abled, the book centers on her friendship with two other social "outcasts": Connor, a boy with Tourette's Syndrome, and Zion, a slightly overweight African-American boy. Through their friendship, Aven learns how to support those who, like her, get the "look" but also how to be supported by her friends as well. There's a mystery on the side that the friends try to solve, but mostly the book is about how Aven, Connor, and Zion work together to be good friends to each other and how to push themselves to step out of their comfort zones. I really liked Aven's narrative voice. She's strong, but she isn't completely invulnerable to the comments of others. She's confident in herself, but she has some learning to do and by the end of the novel, you can see the growth she's made. I particularly love Aven's parents, who give her the right amount of support, but also push her to try things for herself and to support herself so that she doesn't have to rely on them for everything. The setting of this story is also really neat and gives Aven a chance to stretch her wings and show her talents in ways even she didn't know she had. There's a lot of humor, thoughtful handling of differently-abled peoples and adoption, and the characters are so well rounded and dynamic. I'd recommend this book to anyone, but especially kids who are either in middle school or are entering middle school and are worried they won't fit in or if they just want a fun, realistic fiction to read.

The Inexplicable Logic Of My Life

The Inexplicable Logic Of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz, 445 pages

“Sal used to know his place with his adoptive gay father, their loving Mexican American family, and his best friend, Samantha. But it's senior year, and suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and realizing he no longer knows himself. If Sal's not who he thought he was, who is he? This humor-infused, warmly humane look at universal questions of belonging is a triumph.” This book was beautiful and amazing.  It will only be read by a teen who is a reader because of its length, but I would recommend it to any teen who likes realistic fiction.

Counting by 7s

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan, 380 pages

“Twelve-year-old genius and outsider Willow Chance must figure out how to connect with other people and find a surrogate family for herself after her parents are killed in a car accident.” I’m re-reading this book for a book club and I loved it the first time I read it.  I loved it again this time.  This is a great book for kids who feel like they don’t fit in and wonderful for any kid who likes realistic fiction.

Orphan Train

Orphan Train  by Christina Baker Kline   278 pages

In an act of judging a book by its cover, I thought that Orphan Train was a story about the Kindertransport, the organized rescue effort that happened during the nine months before the outbreak of World War II when approximately 10,000 from Germany, Poland, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. They were placed in foster homes, schools, farm and hostels in the United Kingdom.

In a way I was wrong and right. This story is about the relocation of children, but instead of Europe, it happened here in in America between 1854 and 1929. Indigent, orphaned or abandoned children from the East Coast were put on trains to be fostered or adopted by Midwestern families, who often treated them like slaves.

Christina Baker Kline’s novel, Orphan Train, tackles this almost-forgotten aspect of American history. Vacillating between Spruce Harbor, Maine, in 2011, and New York, Chicago, and Minnesota of 1929 to 1943, readers meet two children in dire circumstances.

First is seventeen-year-old Molly, who has been sentenced to community service. She is to help an old woman cleanout her attic. The old woman, Vivian, maybe ninety-one years old, but she has a few sparks left in her. Her whole life is in that attic. She doesn’t so much want to clean it out, but look back and remember her life.

Vivian, along with her parents and three siblings, emigrated from Ireland in 1929. She and her parents lived in one of New York City’s infamous tenements. After her family dies in a fire, Vivian, whose birth name is Niamh Power, is sent to the Children’s Aid Society and ultimately placed on a train bound for Minnesota.

While Molly’s story frames Vivian’s story, both take solace in each other. Molly learns that she doesn’t have it so bad after all. Poor Vivian went by several names before Vivian was finally settled on her.

This is a tale of loss, turbulence, resilience, second chances, adaptability, and courage. Be prepared to not get anything else accomplished once you start this wonderfully woven tale.

Orphan Train receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Black Dove White Raven

Black Dove White Raven by Elizabeth Wein, 357 pages

Emilia Menotti and Teodros Dupre' lived in the United States with their mothers, who did air shows until Teo's mother, Delia, known as Black Dove, was killed in a freak accident.  Delia's dream was to move to Ethiopia, where Teo's father was from before he died, because in Ethiopia, Teo would not have the same stigma that he did in the U.S.  Rhoda, who was lost without Delia, was determined to live her dream, so, within a few years, she moved herself, Em, and Teo to Ethiopia.  Teo and Em had always been raised as though they were brother and sister and Teo and Rhoda though of each other as mother and son.  But when trouble invades Ethiopia, the fact that they have no legal relationship becomes a problem, along with the fact that Teo's father was Ethiopian, which binds him more closely to their laws.  Em and Teo have always written stories featuring themselves as White Raven and Black Dove but Em isn't sure if she can come up with a way to help Teo.  Written alternately from Em's and Teo's points-of-view, this story chronicles their lives from the time they are about five, until they are sixteen, but concentrates most heavily on the time they spend in Ethiopia.  The ending of this book takes place during the time that was a prequel to WWII, when Italy was attacking Ethiopia, a part of history that I really didn't know anything about.  I really liked this story and I think that teens who like historical novels, especially about civil rights, and like a little bit of adventure will want to read it.

The Alex Crow

The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith, 317 pages

As most of Smith's books are, this was a little bizarre, but I really liked it.  Ariel is a refugee who has come to the United States and is living with an American family, including a new brother, Max, who is almost exactly the same age.  Most of the book is Ariel's story, partly before he came to the United States and partly after.  It is interspersed, however, with the journal entries from a failed Arctic expedition several years ago and also with the story of a man who is driving around in a Uhaul truck while losing his mind.  The most fascinating story is Ariel's, but the all of the stories come together in a fascinating conclusion.  This book is mostly for teens who like realistic stories with a touch of science fiction, as long as they are ok with the bizarre aspects.

The Misadventures Of The Family Fletcher

The Misadventures Of The Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy, 260 pages

This is a fabulously fun story about the four Fletcher brothers, Sam, Jax, Eli, and Frog, who have all been adopted by their two dads, Dad and Papa.  The book’s chapters focus on the different boys so we get to see all of their stories.  Sam really wants to make the Elite Team in soccer and would be the youngest player ever if he’s picked this year but he’s also kind of interested in the school play.  But the play might interfere with soccer and the other kids might think it’s weird.  Jax is worried about being in the upper elementary school and he’s kind of having problems with his best friend, Henry.  Henry has changed since 3^rd grade.  Eli is starting a new school completely.  He’s going to the Pinnacle School which is for kids who are really smart.  He’s excited because now he won’t be different anymore but when his new school isn’t exactly what he expected he doesn’t want to tell his family because he made such a fuss about wanting to go in the first place.  Frog is super excited to finally be starting Kindergarten where he and Flare, his invisible cheetah, plan to learn a lot.  But his family doesn’t completely believe it when he makes a new friend named Ladybug Li who has three sisters and two moms.  This is a great realistic story for kids that I would give to almost anyone.

What Lisa Knew

What Lisa Knew: The Truths and Lies of the Steinberg Case by Joyce Johnson, 303 pages

Everyone knew her as Lisa Steinberg, and she herself had never known any other name, but her birth certificate read "Baby Girl Launders" and her death certificate, issued six years later, would read "Baby Girl Launders, also known as Lisa".  The day she was born, her mother handed her over to attorney Joel Steinberg, who claimed to know a wealthy family eager to adopt the girl and give her every advantage in life.  Instead, he and his girlfriend Hedda Nussbaum kept her and raised her in their own hell of sadism and drug abuse, until the day when Joel beat the six year old so badly that she died slowly and painfully while Hedda watched, not calling an ambulance until hours later, by which time it was far too late.

Nussbaum is the real mystery.  Steinberg was a sadistic control freak, while Lisa (and Mitchell, another child Steinberg illegally acquired, only 16 months old at the time of Lisa's death) was a helpless child.  At the time she met Steinberg, Nussbaum had a successful career as an editor at Random House, was a published author herself, and had multiple serious relationships with men behind her without a hint of abuse.  Yet by the time of Lisa's death, Steinberg's beatings had left Nussbaum a hollow shell of her former self, with prematurely gray hair and the face of a veteran boxer.  Her defense attorneys presented her as a case of battered woman syndrome, but Steinberg maintained that most of Nussbaum's injuries resulted from consensual sado-masochist activities, fueled by their mutual abuse of crack cocaine.

Johnson gives a plausible account of the psychodrama between the two principals, though whether it is an accurate account can never be known - indeed, the author admits explicitly "What Lisa knew will never be known."  Some of her confidence in certain witnesses is questionable, as are her negative insinuations about other people involved.  Overall, it does have an interesting account of how a woman with so many advantages could proceed one step at a time down a spiral with murder and madness at the bottom, though like most true crime (especially when it's well-written), it also disappoints - the madness turns out to be more pathetic than fantastic, and the cruelty merely depressing.

Half A World Away

Half A World Away by Cynthia Kadohata, 225 pages

Jaden, who is twelve now, was adopted from Romania when he was eight.  Although his adoptive parents seem to love him, Jaden doesn’t really feel like he belongs.  He doesn’t really trust that they won’t eventually give him up like his birth mother did and he doesn’t feel like he can allow himself to love them.  Now his parents are planning to adopt another child.  They are planning a trip to Kazakhstan to get their new baby.  Jaden thinks that his parents aren’t happy with him so they want to start over with a new baby.  Once they actually get there, several things seem to go wrong but maybe, in the end, everything can turn out all right after all.  This is a good story about a young boy struggling with his feelings about adoption.  This is a book for kids who like realistic fiction.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, by Gabrielle Zevin, 260 pages

This is one of those books that I recommend reading if you work in a library/around books/in a bookstore.  You'll like some of the references and inside jokes.  A.J. Fikry is recently widowed, probably an alcoholic, and having a hard time running his independent bookstore in New England.  He comes home one night to find a baby has been left in his store, his retirement plan has been stolen, and his life changes overnight.  It has all of the markers of a typical "Hallmark" story- there's a quirky shop owner, a blooming romance, and reading has the power to change lives.  Despite that, though, I thought it managed to steer clear of sappy territory, and provide bits and pieces of poignancy, humor, and literary discussion.  It would make a good book for discussion groups.