The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen

When a scientifically precocious 12-year-old accidentally wins a fellowship from the Smithsonian, he decides that maybe nobody will notice if he runs away from home, goes to Washington D.C., and takes the job. You know - in the logical manner common to 12 year old boys.

This unusual book is highly illustrated with T.S.'s doodles, diagrams, and annotations. They're an integral part of how we come to understand the story of this unusual boy and his astounding gifts.

T.S.'s hitchhike across the country is a wild ride full of history, thoughtfulness, avoidance of the truth, and daring. And the reaction he gets in the capitol city is a brisk adventure too. But where this book failed me a bit is in the ending - too pat, and unbelieveable (because the rest was totally true? not.). I'm willing though to give the last 3 pages a pass because I loved the rest so much.

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

This lovely book deals with a tough subject: super-smart geeky kid Willow Chance is tragically left untethered after an accident claims her parents. But quick thinking and a hopeful heart lead to a new kind of family, made up of friends.

It's hard to write an encouraging review of a book (that will make you want to read it) with a theme so heavy. But this is a really, really wonderful middle-school book about friendship and community, about the impact you have on others without even realizing it. Even though there's tragedy, it's an uplifting book full of hope and happiness. There's a great cast of misfit characters, all of whom are a little broken but together can manage amazing, transformative things.

It's been a major award-winner, and for good reason. Highly recommended!

My Own Miraculous by Joshilyn Jackson

If having a baby doesn't necessarily make you a mother, what does? For Shandi Pierce, it's an unexpected danger to her 3 year old son that flips a switch in her mind and her heart and turns her into a real mother.

This 75-page short story is a preview of sorts to Jackson's new book, Someone Else's Love Story. It stands alone, but also offers a bit of back-story to the longer novel's characters and plot.

Seriously, this teaser just made me want more. Jackson has such a wonderful voice to her characters and story that I just cannot get enough. I've already moved on to Someone Else's Love Story.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

When Bee's mom disappears, the super-smart middle-schooler gathers up all the pieces (emails, faxes, correspondence, a magazine article, police police reports, and more) in an attempt to determine what really happened. So, what really happened? Her mother Bernadette's artistic frustration, amplified by a chain of chance encounters and epic irritations, boils over in a series of cacophonous misunderstandings - all before the book begins. Once Bee's on the case, it gets even more mysterious and strange when Bernadette is found, then lost again.

The darkly funny novel is told through disjointed bits of writing - since it's made up of all the information Bee has gathered. Some of the sources are wildly untrustworthy, and everybody's got their own prejudices and biases. Your perception of Bernadette shifts as you uncover more and more of her illustrious past and unrealized potential. Bee is a heartbreaking conduit for the story; she's a kid who really just wants her mom back.

I loved the digging-through-the-files way the story unfolds, and I adored the crazy, vindictive characters involved. The city of Seattle is practically a character, too, and the eccentricities of the nerd micro-culture at Microsoft Corporation are well featured. While I'd like to say the story's a bit improbable, I know that truth is often stranger than fiction ... and it's probably not all that improbable.