Free Lunch is a biographical account of Rex's life in the first semester of 6th grade. He is poor - so poor that his mom signs him up for the free lunch program and they have to move from their low income housing to government assisted housing. Rex is embarrassed and doesn't want anyone to know. In addition, there is abuse both physical and emotional between his stepfather and mom and between both of them and Rex.
The book is a hard read but unfortunately is something that too many of our kids experience. It is a good book in that it shows how Rex is able to navigate through his emotions and seek to better understand the situation.
Cap's father is desperate for money so he agrees to dig bodies up from graves and gets Cap to help as well. Cap doesn't like it but doesn't have much choice. One night, after digging up a body, Cap discovers it is a friend of his. He can't let her be taken so he decides to take her body back to the orphanage where she was living. But, when he touches her, she wakes up!! At first, Cap thinks he might have a gift of raising the dead, especially after he is able to "raise" another dead man. But, after failing to "raise" some other bodies Cap learns that some of the dead aren't really dead and that something really evil is going on. But who is responsible? Can Cap figure it out or will he be the next victim?
This was a good bit of historical fiction albeit a bit gruesome. It had a bit of mystery to it as well which I enjoyed. I felt that there were a few holes in the plot that weren't explained but overall an enjoyable read.
3 children - they could save the world. They just don't know it yet.
Alice is disappearing. Everyday since her father went away she has been losing more of herself. Because she blames herself. But she won't tell anyone...
Lewis wants to be a hero but everything has changed. Alice was his best friend but since her father left she won't talk to him.
Melanie lives with the witch. She wants to save the story web but needs help to do it. She needs Lewis and Alice.
They all need to tell their stories.
This was magical and thoughtful. I quite enjoyed it.
I wanted to like this so much more than I did. It features a half Guatemalan girl who is going to my beloved Lake Atitlan. But alas, it was longer than I thought it should be and there was too much going on.
The main plot involved Quijana's attempt to get out of going to Guatemala for Christmas. She knows very little Spanish and knows she will be overwhelmed and embarrassed. Subplots include: her grandmother's battle with cancer, the struggle to figure out what might be wrong with her younger brother, her first crush, a major argument with her dad. It was all a bit much - with so many threads I found it hard to care about the main thread I guess.
I am not sure where in Texas they were flying from to get to Guatemala but 7 hours? It takes 2 1/2 hours from Miami...
Mysteries for middle grade students can be hard to come by. You want a book that has a decent mystery and plot with enough clues that it could be figured out - not too easy, not too challenging. This one suffers a bit from not really enough substance but it is serviceable enough for collections needing more mysteries. I did not know this was a series when I requested it... it would be better to read the whole series I think.
6 teenagers, all students at MapleThorpe Academy, all with a vested interest in keeping their ratings up. In this alternate society your ratings are everything - they can impact your scholarships, you job, the hospital you are allowed to go to, where you shop. It is in your best interest to keep your rating as high as possible but slip ups can cause you to lose points.
On the first day of a new school year vandalism rocks the Academy - "the ratings are not real". What does that mean and why is everyone so quick to hush up what happened. To top it off what is the meaning of the weird message that 6 of them get with the same jester sticker that covered all the security cameras.
Slowly 6 teenagers start making connections and unravel the mystery behind the message.
This was an interesting read. At one point - with the mysterious message and jester image I thought it would delve into something more creepy (it did not). I was then pretty sure it wasn't going to end satisfactorily - and while it is clearly the first in a series there was decent closure.
I have really read way more than 2 books in July. It hasn't been my best month due to traveling to NY and then to Guatemala, but I have read books - just not blogged about them.
Cora's life revolves around garbage. Her mother and father - recently separated - are both scientists who deal with garbage, recycling, sustainability. So, of course, Cora and her twin brother are involved with the family passion. Her friendship with her brother Kyle and Sybella is not garbage - they have been inseparable and even have an imaginary kingdom. But when a meddlesome girl takes advantage of a misunderstanding Cora and Sybella's friendship is in jeopardy. Can they figure out a way to fix it?
This story is told through multiple viewpoints and jumps around chronologically. There is also a mysterious diary of another girl with friendship issues. It all comes together at the end but I am not sure how effective the style was or if it will cause issues with middle grade readers.
