Ah, middle school tropes - growing up, growing apart. I must confess the first few chapters made me sigh.Her parents are divorced, her best friend is suddenly friends with the meanest girl in school, her mom is overbearing and wants her to move to Kansas for the summer with her, her boyfriend, and his son. It's too much. Then the lies begin - the first, her dad is sick and needs her to stay with him for the summer. Then the lies continue to pile on as Agnes finds a cute village across the bridge and becomes Chloe and makes friends in a life she wishes she had. But eventually the lies all catch up with her and things come crashing down. Who is she really, who does she want to be.
In the end the book rose above the familiar tropes and was quite good. There were some things I wish had been developed more fully but for the intended audience it is probably enough.
Ever since her parent's divorce Willa has been living with her mom in Japan. But when her mother dies Willa moves back to the US and her dad's new family. But things are different now, her friends aren't the same, she misses her mom, and her new family is so different. But when Willa sees and then actually starts communicating with a humpback whale things start to change. Meg, the whale listens, understands, and gives her advice and gradually Willa learns how to navigate her new life.
I am never quite sure what to do with magical realism. The story wasn't bad although it took awhile to get going. I felt some things could have been fleshed out more - especially with her friend and his sister. It was a good read all in all and I can see students enjoying it.
Kirra's people live a secluded life inside an inactive volcano. Her father is a storyteller whose stories help to ensure their privacy and Kirra is learning from him. But when a group called the "Takers" get too close Kirra accidentally leads them right to the volcano leading to the destruction of her village.
Fortunately Kirra is taken in by another community of tree dwellers. Many of the people live very solitary lives but when the "Takers" start entering their woods Kirra knows she needs to rally the community together to make a stand. They do so by creating giants out of trees and working together to make them into fighting machines.
The story was pretty good. There was a good message about working together. It was more violent than one would think, especially at the end.
