MG Adventure in Verse
May B. (Schwartz and Wade, 2012) by Caroline Starr Rose is written in sparse verse which is perfect for showing the lack of choice that May has when her parents tell her she has to live with another family, and the solitariness of the prairie and a soddy fifteen miles away from anyone. May’s parents tell her it will just be till Christmas. But, of course, it means an end to her schooling. May’s life takes a turn for the worse when she’s left all alone in the soddy and no way to communicate with anyone.
Growing up, Caroline Starr Rose fell in love with the Little House books. When she became a teacher, Caroline wondered what life must have been like for children who found school challenging. She set the story in Western Kansas and gave her main character what we now know of as dyslexia. Read more at her website, not only about this book and all it’s recognition, but about Caroline and her other books.
Rooftoppers (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013) by Katherine Rundell is a very fun read, although twelve-year-old Sophie has a very big problem. The National Childcare Agency says Charles, the bachelor who rescued her from the sea when she was one and floating in a cello case, can’t be allowed to keep raising her. What will Sophie do without her beloved Charles? The two escape to Paris to search for her Sophie’s long lost mother. On this adventure, when Sophie goes on the roof of her hotel, she makes some unusual friends.
Ice Dogs (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2014) by Terry Lynn Johnson puts you right there with 14-year-old dogsledder Victoria Secord and her team of dogs. You’ll feel cold and hungry with her and her companion in this realistic story of how easy it is to be in danger in winter in the Alaskan bush. And, you’ll find yourself worrying about several of the dogs as well as the two teens. The book makes me think of Gary Paulsen’s survival stories, except this time with a girl main character!
Badger Knight (Scholastic Press, 2014) by Kathryn Erskin may be historical since it is sent in England 1346, but it definitely isn’t boring. I found the book hard to put down as I experienced life with the main character.
Under the Egg (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2014 ) by Laura Marx Fitzgerald is an eggstraordinary story. Theo, now that her grandfather Jack is gone, is in charge of their 200-year-old family home and her eccentric mother. When dying, Jack told her to look “under the egg” and she’s afraid what she’s found is not only going to ruin his reputation, but that she’ll find out he’s not who she thought he was.