Review: Towers Falling

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is Deja's story, but it's so much more. Deja and her family are homeless. They are the working poor. Her mother has a menial job and her father is suffering from some kind of illness. They live in a shelter. Deja is responsible for much of the care of her younger brother and sister. She is currently at the best school she's attended. It's in Brooklyn and through the windows students can see Manhattan's skyline. The teachers are implementing a new curriculum this year. Deja and her friends learn a lot about themselves, their families, and each other.

This is one of the most thoughtful, well written children's books I've read this year. Jewell Parker Rhodes tackles an amazingly difficult and complicated subject and makes it accessible for middle grade readers. I highly recommend this book.

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Review: Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer by Kelly Jones
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sophie recently moves from the city to a rundown old farm her father has inherited. Her family has fallen on hard times and Sophie often has to make due with whatever she can find. To make matters worse, her family moved during the summer and Sophie has no friends. She finds some of the chickens that had been part of her great uncles flock, but they are not ordinary chickens - these chickens appear to have superpowers. But what does Sophie know...she's just a city girl??

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Review: Space Case

Space Case by Stuart Gibbs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dash is one of the residents on Moon Base Alpha, our first space station on the moon. He's there with his scientist parents and his little sister. Only a few of the other "moonies" are kids and life is pretty repetitive and boring, until one of the scientists is found dead on the planet outside the station. Was it an accident or was it murder? If it was murder then the murderer had to be one of the other moonies. Dash is determined to find out.

A wonderful mystery by Stuart Gibbs. The moon station he creates is not so different from the one Andy Weir created in The Martian. Life isn't luxurious or glamorous. The moonies face some interesting hardships such as eating dried food, a lack of entertainment, and the absence of many of the comforts we take for granted. This is a terrific mystery for middle grade readers.

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