I loved Just Under the Clouds (Alfred A. Knopf, 2018) by Melissa Sarno. It’s such a good book. And has a gorgeous cover.
Twelve-year-old Cora and her family, consisting of her mother and her sister Adare, have been moving from place to place for six years since Daddy died. Now they’re homeless. Cora gets comfort from knowing and climbing trees in Brooklyn, just like her father taught her. But with watching her “different” sister while Mom works, and struggling with algebra in school, Cora worries they’ll never belong anywhere.
Just Under the Clouds is the author’s debut novel. Read about the birth of the story here. Her next book, A Swirl of Ocean, comes out in late summer and I’m really looking forward to it. Read more about Melissa here.
Author: Susan Uhlig
Squirm
Squirm (Alfred A. Knopf, 2018) by Carl Hiaasen is an intriguing book involving snakes, eagles, grizzlies, panthers, and drones (the man-made kind). I love the cover!
Thirteen-year-old Billy Dicken’s is one tough kid. He makes the kids at school leave his locker alone by putting a live rattlesnake inside, stands up to bullies, and is determined to meet the father who left when Billy was four. Billy doesn’t know where his dad lives or what he does for a living, but he’s determined to find out. His mom and sister won’t help, so Billy will do whatever it takes to find his father. His journey takes him from Florida to Montana and back again.
Author Carl Hiaasen has five other books out for young readers. Read about them here. His book Hoot was a Newbery honor book and was made into a movie. You can listen to an interview with Carl on Mike Lupica’s podcast.
The Fandom
The YA novel The Fandom (Chicken House/Scholastic, 2018) by Anna Day reminds me a bit of The Inn Between for middle grade readers–things are not always what you think. It was a compelling read, too.
Seventeen-year-old Violet, two girlfriends, and her fourteen-year-old brother are at Comic-Con to meet the actors from The Gallows Dance. A strange accident transports them into the universe where the real people from the story live. Was the book (and movie) based on this universe, or birthed out of the book? They don’t know, but all their lives are in danger. Especially if they can’t get back home.
This is the author’s debut book and was first published in the UK. If you don’t want to read the whole long version “About Anna,” definitely read the last paragraph.
Don’t Get Caught
Don’t Get Caught (Sourcebooks Fire, 2016) by Kurt Dinan was a compelling read.
When Max gets a note from the prank pulling Chaos Club to show up at the school at 10 pm, he’s suspicious why they chose him. But since he’s tired of being “Just Max,” he shows up. Along with four others who get busted by the campus “cop” and blamed for the graffiti they found. Max and his newfound friends decide to get payback.
I loved Max’s voice, the humor, how characters changed, and the heist movie references.
You can get a bit of the author’s sense of humor by reading his bio. I hope we see more books from Kurt.
Writing is hard; publishing is even harder.