A younger sister has a difficult time adjusting to life after her older sister has a mental breakdown.

Liz says:

“Through beautifully written free verse poems, Sones recounts the year that her sister was diagnosed as a manic depressive.”

Skeeter returns home to Mississippi from college in 1962 and begins to write stories about the African-American women that are found working in white households, which includes Aibileen, who grieves for the loss of her son while caring for her seventeenth white child, and Minny, Aibileen’s sassy friend, the hired cook for a secretive woman who is new to town.

Liz says:

“This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I cannot recommend it more highly. It is thought-provoking and entertaining. A must, must, must read!”

A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards’ families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister.

Liz says:

“This is a very accessible book that sheds light on what life might be like for the sibling of a special needs child. While this book treats this issue with insight and sensitivity, the book is given levity by its setting and entertaining characters. This Newbery Honor winner is truly a winner.”