Bridge to Terabithia

By Katherine Paterson

(1977) ISBN 0690013590

This is a book with many twists and turns.  Readers are first introduced to Jess Aarons, a fifth grader who has prepared himself all summer for the start of school and its upcoming athletic contests with his fellow students only to find that he and the rest of the boys have been bested by the newest student.  Most annoying of all, that superior athlete is a girl and there is not much chance that Jess will be able to avoid running literally into this competitor in as much as she, Leslie Burke, turns out to be Jess’ new next door neighbor.

The reader is next surprised when Jess and Leslie form a fast friendship.  Part of the reason that these two young people become such close friends is the fact that they both possess strong and beautiful imaginations.  With this in common, the two friends create an imaginary and quite separate play area in the woods near their homes.  Their play area, which Jess and Leslie consider to be their kingdom, can be reached only by the use of a swinging rope.  Jess and Leslie, name this secret kingdom, Terabithia and they literally seem to consider this place their heaven on earth, a refuge from bullies and other unpleasant challenges common in the world of tweens.

All does not go well for our young friends when one of them drowns trying to reach this private kingdom one day.  The most difficult aspect of reading this beautifully written book is learning of this turn in the story and having to look on as the surviving friend struggles to copy with this loss.  Inasmuch as this story is beautifully told and also is a very good depiction of a tween friendship, this book is highly recommended even with the challenge presented by the loss of a beloved character.

Nest, Nook & Cranny: Poems

By Susan Blackaby

(2010) ISBN 9781580893503

This work provides value on more than one level.  First of all it is a collection of poetry accompanied with clearly written discussions of the types of poetic forms that have been used in each individual work.  The book itself is arranged in short sections that are composed of different habitats in nature – desert, grassland, shoreline, woods area and that area referred to as wetlands.

The simple appearance of this volume can be deceiving.  While small in size, its value to students of nature as well as of poetry is almost without measure.  The explanations regarding the composition and intent of the poetry forms used alone makes it very easy to recommend this beautifully illustrated and written book.

Howl’s Moving Castle

By Diana Wynne Jones

(2005) 9781421500911

Reading the first volume of this tale will be so enjoyable and intriguing that many readers will be unable to resist the three volumes that complete this story.

We start with a heroine, Sophie, who considers herself destined for a routine and uninteresting future.  Sophie however is highly mistaken in this assessment.  In fact, the wicked Witch of the Waste feels that Sophie is such a threat that she turns Sophie into an old woman.  This witch is influenced in part by her suspicion that Sophie has had some contact with Howl, the wizard that the wicked witch is trying to hunt down.  In this first installment, the reader is made aware that Howl has had to be quite cleaver to escape several pursuers already.  To find out whether Howl and Sophie prevail, tune to the complete four volumes of this work.

The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular

By Jimmy Gownley

(2010) ISBN 9781416986089

While touching on the topic of popularity which is highly interesting to the majority of tweens, this book can actually serve any of its readers well.  The lessons that are presented in this book are done so in a highly entertaining manner and are applicable to several generations.  It is never too late or early to learn the difference between the state of popularity, which can be a very fleeting stage in our lives, and the even more important state of not being unpopular.  Our main character, Amelia McBride, learns this distinction well and with the assistance of both her mother and aunt.  This is a highly recommended quick and pleasant read.

Kate Culhane: A Ghost Story

By Michael Hague

(2001) ISBN 1587170582

Kate Culhane lives among many losses.  Ireland, Kate’s home in the mid-nineteenth century, has endured the famine deaths of many inhabitants and a further reduction of people due to immigration.  The home that Kate shares on the windswept coast with her only family, her mother, provides a meager shelter but Kate manages to be happy.  It is when her mother falls ill and dies that a much saddened and lonely Kate struggles to survive.

One day as Kate hurries out of the cemetery following a visit to her mother’s gravesite, she accidentally steps on a newly dug grave.  Unable to pull away, Kate hears a voice from the dead and finds herself compelled to follow the orders of a dead man.  Kate is forced to drain blood of the living and prepare it in a meal for the dead man.  Later Kate finds out the power of that gruesome gruel and manages to free herself from her ghostly controller as well as save her beloved’s life.

Kate’s story will appeal greatly to those familiar with the struggles of the Irish forced in the mid-nineteenth century to flee their homeland.  This story with the personification of a ghost does even more to emphasize the presence of the lost in this land during this story.  This book will be highly appealing to many of today’s readers is that Kate Culhane is the heroine who determines her future and that of her people.  Kate not only risks her life but prevails due to her resourcefulness, saving the lives of those dear to her and bringing wealth to them. 

The watercolor illustrations are vital instruments in the story telling.  No important detail is omitted and the pictures blend well with the text.  The dismal world that faces Kate in the beginning of this tale is clearly presented as is the frightfulness of the ghost Kate encounters in the cemetery.  The drawing showing Kate’s strong resolve as she faces the merchant and demands that he remember the promise to reward her once she manages to save his sons is well executed.

This book will appeal to both tweens and older readers due to the great story as well as the illustrations do much to convey the moods of the different episodes that range from bleak to frightful to joyous.

The Shadow Door/ The ElseWhere Chronicles

By Art Bannister

(2009) ISBN 9780761339632

When the neighborhood recluse, Old Man Gabe, dies, Noah, Theo and Max, tween friends decide to hang out together and peek into the estate from the safety of the fencing surrounding the grounds.  They observe that final services are being held and when the adopted granddaughter of the deceased is permitted, she being in the same age group decides to join the three boys in exploring the house.

The explorations of these four companions lead to several perilous encounters with some monsters and most frightening of all, these creatures are made of shadows.  While our brave foursome does manage to save themselves they find out that it is only when they travel to the other side of the Shadow Door and obtain the tools they need to survive.

The text in this graphic novel is quite entertaining due to the writing quality and good plotting and it is also great fun to look at the art work.

The Whipping Boy

By Sid Fleischman

(1986) ISBN 0688062164

In a land far away and a time long ago young princes were punished for their transgressions, punished very severely.  Every blow administered however caused no pain at all to the offending princes.  This was due to the fact that the princes had surrogates for their whippings.

As we arrive on the scene, the prince of the land has again earned a sound thrashing for the whipping boy, Jemmy.  Jemmy, an orphan snatched from the streets for this duty is too proud to utter a cry of pain.  This further infuriates the spiteful prince, known as Prince Brat behind his back.  When Prince Brat forces Jemmy to runaway with him they come across some cut-throat ruffians who look to take advantage of the two runaways.  Together with the resourcefulness of Jemmy, help from some relocated friends and changes that Prince Brat undergoes, fortunes change for Jemmy for the better as we leave this land of far away and long ago.

This book's illustrations do much to carry the story along as well as bring to life the secondary but hilarious and picturesque ruffians, Hold-Your-Nose Billy and Cutwater.

For tweens with an interest in the fantasy world of folklore and of”medieval times" this book will provide an alternative an entertaining choice to the overly present graphic novel genre.  For tweens working on making sure they are given a fair shake, like Jemmy, this will be a reassuring read.

1987 Newbery Award winner.