When his younger brother is diagnosed with leukemia, thirteen-year-old Steven tries to deal with his complicated emotions, his school life, and his desire to support his family.

Liz says:

“Through the honest, sometimes funny, sometimes profoundly worried voice of 8th grader Steven Alper, we see the impact of a life-threatening illness on an entire family. There is sadness and humor in this story and I think it’s an important book for adolescents as its ultimate message is one of empathy and hopefulness. I believe this is a perfect 7th grade read.”

When her sixteen-year-old sister is hospitalized for depression and her parents want to keep it a secret, fourteen-year-old Elena tries to cope with her own anxiety and feelings of guilt that she is determined to conceal from outsiders.

Liz says:

“Told with extraordinary directness, this is the story of the impact of Depression on an entire family. With a true economy of words, Schumacher deftly portrays each multi-dimensional character allowing for complicated emotions and relationships.”

Marcelo Sandoval, a seventeen-year-old boy on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, faces new challenges, including romance and injustice, when he goes to work for his father in the mailroom of a corporate law firm.

Liz says:

“Having attended a special school for his whole life, Marcelo’s father decides that Marcelo should go to public school for his senior year of high school. Marcelo loves his school and is especially attached to a program there that allows him to work with horses. He makes a “deal” with his mom that if he goes to work at his father’s law firm for the summer and gives an honest try at working in the “real world” he can then choose which school he will go to. Over the course of the summer, Marcelo experiences many challenges and encounters injustice and dishonesty. Marcelo’s unflinching goodness and unique sense of the world make this a powerful story with the lasting effect of new understanding and empathy.” (Received 5 starred reviews).

Jason, a twelve-year-old autistic boy who wants to become a writer, relates what his life is like as he tries to make sense of his world.

Liz says:

“This slice of life story about Jason takes us into the mind of a child with Autism as he experiences the day to day challenges of growing up. Jason’s story both illuminates his differences from and his similarities with ‘neurotypicals’. This is a beautifully crafted story with so much to tell, making it anything but typical.”

Woggy and Cosmos, a toy dog and a toy airplane, go on an adventure in Paris.

Friends James and Eamon enjoy a wonderful week at the home of Eamon’s grandparents during summer vacation.

When she is almost sixteen years old, Rosemary decides she is sick of being overweight, mocked at school and at Heavenly Hair–her mother’s beauty salon–and feeling out of control, and as she slowly loses weight, she realizes that she is able to cope with her mother’s cancer, having a boyfriend for the first time, and discovering that other people’s lives are not as perfect as they seem from the outside.

Liz says:

“This story has the magic of being able to make you laugh and cry from one page to the next. Tackling tough issues of self-image and self-esteem with unflinching reality and humor, Supplee has written a delightful book that is sure to be a winner with 7th and 8th grade girls.”

Eighteen-year-old Lia comes to terms with her best friend’s death from anorexia as she struggles with the same disorder.

Liz says:

“Anderson is one of my favorite authors but I have to say that I can only recommend this book to a very limited audience. Wintergirls deals very realistically with the physical and emotional devastation of eating disorders; there is no sugar-coating or easy answers found in this story. If you or someone you know is suffering from anorexia or bulimia, you will want to read this as a cautionary tale.”

After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother’s route. Along the way, Sal recounts the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left.

Liz says:

“This is a must read for 5th and 6th grade girls. As Sal travels cross country to find her mom, she discovers the truth about why her mom left. Readers will find themselves crying on one page and laughing on the next. Creech is at her best in this Newbery Award winning book.”

“When Ted and Kat’s cousin Salim disappears from the London Eye ferris wheel, the two siblings must work together–Ted with his brain that is “wired differently” and impatient Kat–to try to solve the mystery of what happened to Salim.

Liz says:

“This is a thoroughly enjoyable read that I recommend especially to 5th and 6th grade boys. It is reminiscent of Mark Haddon’s book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Ted has Asperger’s Syndrome and as a result has a unique perspective on the world and is able to see the facts of his cousin’s disappearance with greater clarity and insight than everyone else. This is a great mystery and a wonderful story.”