Every Soul a Star

Every Soul a Star by Mass Wendy

I am not just going to recommend a book today. I am going to recommend an author – Wendy Mass. With a 2012 Rebecca Caudill Nomination, that make THREE in a ROW!

The book that first caught my attention – A Mango-Shaped Space – "Afraid that she is crazy, thirteen-year-old Mia, who sees a special color with every letter, number, and sound, keeps this a secret until she becomes overwhelmed by school, changing relationships, and the loss of something important to her." Loved it! For girls, 5th through 8th grade. Especially girls with cats or learning disabilities.

Rebecca Caudill Nominee 2010 – Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life – "Just before his thirteenth birthday, Jeremy Fink receives a keyless locked box – set aside by his father before his death five years earlier – that purportedly contains the meaning of life." A great coming of age book for girls and boys, 5th through 8th. This was one of those surprise books that I only read because it was on "the list."

Rebecca Caudill Nominee 2011 – 11 Birthdays – "After celebrating their first nine same-day birthdays together, Amanda and Leo having fallen out on their tenth and not speaking to each other for the last year, prepare to celebrate their eleventh birthday separately but peculiar things begin to happen as the day of their birthday begins to repeat itself over and over again." Love, love, loved it! Primarily for girls. I call it the Hatfields and McCoys meet Groundhog Day! And I reviewed it last year …

Rebecca Caudill Nominee 2012 – Every Soul a Star – "Ally, Bree, and Jack meet at the one place the Great Eclipse can be seen in totality, each carrying the burden of different personal problems, which become dim when compared to the task they embark upon and the friendship they find." I will recommend this book to astronomy/science-minded kids. Lots of astronomical information here. Very similar to partner-nominee Greetings from Nowhere.

For a short period of my life, sophomore through senior of high school, my plan was to be an astronomer. And then I was informed that astronomy was a hobby and you really needed to have a more substantial career like aerospace engineering. Where do they get these counselors?

I recognized a lot of myself in these three main characters. Ally is the geek who loves everything nature, cares very little for her appearance, and wants to discover and name a comet, or at least an asteroid. Bree is the beauty queen who loves fashion and music, cares most about her popularity status and aspires to be a supermodel. Jack is the pudgey invisible boy, who loves to draw, plans to stay invisible and can fly.

Ally's family has owned the Moon Shadow Campground for much of her life, but after the long awaited Total Eclipse, they are ready to move back to civilization. Well, at least her parents are. Bree's family, all scientifically-minded save her, have purchased the Moon Shadow Campground and plan to move in after the Eclipse. Bree is devastated. Jack gets the opportunity to camp at Moon Shadow for 2 weeks. He doesn't understand exactly why he was chosen, BUT it is much, much, much, better than summer school.

Each character adds their own point of view in their own chapters. And I still don't know who I liked the most. There are more, equally-fascinating people within the covers!

And I was led to these statistics. We now have 500 Caudill Nominees total, written by 297 different authors.
34 authors have 3 nominations
5 authors have 4
2 authors have 5
4 authors have 6
2 authors have 7
and 1 author, Will Hobbs, has NINE nominations.

Among these authors, 7, including Wendy Mass, have received 3 nominations in consecutive years. One author, Sharon Creech, was nominated FOUR years in a row. These regularly-recognized, Caudill Nominee authors have accounted for 6 Caudill Awards total of the 24 given. Two of these authors, Lowis Lowry and Mary Downing Hahn have won twice! I know, I know. Useless trivia that I have thrust upon you all!

The Rock and the River

The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon

It is bad enough that I have a reading list that will take me through the next few years, easily. And I am crazy enough to attempt to randomize the titles a bit. I read a Caudill, a Newbery, an Abraham, a Coretta and my own personal choice – which I had to force upon myself for my own sanity. I still have to plug in a few adult titles or I’ll never get to them. And of course, a year from now, I will have some 50 + additional titles to add. Why do I do this to myself? Where do I get off this crazy carousel?

And now I think I’m going to have to pay closer attention to when I read the books I read… Too many depressing things going on and the last thing I need is to read a depressing book. OR, as in this case, I’m celebrating Easter, but reading a book that is the opposite of celebratory. It took me forever to get through, because it brought me down at a time when I wanted to be exultant!

What was I doing until all hours the evening before Easter sunrise? Finishing this book. That actually worked. Plagued with insomnia, I was able to finish the last 100 some pages – before lying awake the rest of the morning. Pardon me, I digress.

Here is a 2012 Caudill nominee that I would expect to see on the Coretta Scott King Award’s list next year. In fact, I would go so far as to say it seems to belong more appropriately there. But that is entirely my opinion.

This is one of those books that some would call historical fiction because it surrounds events that happened in the past. However, it didn’t happen far enough in the past to earn a sticker at Decatur Public Library. Historical Fiction at DPL happened prior to WWII. WWII gets a “war” sticker. Everything since then, well, it’s floating for the time being. Problem for me is that it happened before my lifetime, but older librarians experienced it.

The setting for this novel is 1968, the Civil Rights Movement, in Chicago, Illinois. It encompasses the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The protagonist is Samuel, Sam, Childs. He is the second son of a black lawyer who works closely with the Reverend King. Sam lives as a well-to-do black child with little understanding of the ghetto.

The girl that Sam has a crush on, Maxie, is from the ghetto. As Sam pursues a relationship with Maxie, he begins to see the way poor blacks live. He and Maxie witness uncalled for police brutality. A friend of Sam’s family, Bucky, is beaten because white police officers want to and not because he has done anything wrong. Still, the police officers arrest him under false charges because nobody is willing to risk their own safety to come forward.

Sam’s older brother Steven, known as Stick, and Maxie’s older brother, Raheem, are both members of the Black Panther Party and are closely following the movement of the Party as its work gains attention on the West Coast. Because some of the Black Panther’s beliefs are at odds with the beliefs of Reverend King’s Civil Rights Movement, there is tension and conflict in Sam’s home.

This book is about Sam deciding if he is a rock or a river. A rock is solid, immovable, sure. A river is motion, turmoil, rage. A river longs to be still and a rock longs to see what is around the next bend. Can one be both? Does Sam want to be like his father or his brother – both stubborn and opinionated. Or can Sam be something new and different and unique and himself?

This book is a fine glimpse into the different ideologies of the Civil Rights Movement and how they worked for and against each other as well as how it affected the people and families involved. I recently reviewed One Crazy Summer another novel about the same conflicts during this time period and the affect they had on families. If you remember, I was thoroughly caught up in the story because I could identify with the protagonist. The Rock and the River was and remains alien to me. I would highly recommend it to African American boys 6th grade and up through high school who will more readily identify with the main character.

This book was education for me. It will be life experience for others.

Powerless

Powerless by Matthew Cody

Who knew? The only comic books I ever read were Casper the Friendly Ghost and Archie. And that was because my grandma had them and I read them when I needed something to do. They were what were available. I never read the superhero comics. I was never interested. I’m still not friendly to graphic novels.

I DID grow up on superhero television and movies. I laughed at the TV Batman and Superman. I had the requisite crush on Christopher Reeves as Superman. I fell for each subsequent Batman actor … Michael Keaton? Val Kilmer! George Clooney? CHRISTIAN BALE! I was introduced to Spidey on the original Electric Company. My Saturday mornings were wasted away to the Hall of Justice. Aquaman was my favorite. And it is still fun to “Wonder Twin Powers – ACTIVATE!”

Forget the comic format! Forget remaking the old! Powerless as juvenile chapter book – ROCKS! And I never would have known about it except for the 2012 Caudill Nominees.

Meet ordinary, everyday protagonist, Daniel. What makes him special? His love of Sherlock Holmes and his brilliant attention to detail. Daniel and his family move from Philadelphia to the small town of Noble’s Green – The Safest Town on Earth. Daniel’s grandmother is dying of cancer, and his family moves in with her to provide needed assistance. Daniel becomes the “New Kid.”

The first kid he meets is Mollie Lee, the across-the-street neighbor. She is odd – friendly and yet aloof. And she saves Daniel’s brother George from being squashed by a passing car. At least he thinks she did. Either she is really FAST, or Daniel is crazy. Turns out, Mollie is not only the fastest kid around, but she is also the fastest FLYER around town.

Next Daniel meets Rohan. He is like an adult in miniature with his bowties, slacks and button down shirts. And then he has those glass bottle glasses. And when he speaks, he even sounds wise. It turns out, Rohan has super senses. He can hear ants building a new colony beneath the dirt. Those glasses? For reading. He is farsighted. He can see Lake Tranquility on the Moon.

It’s not long before Daniel has a run in with the school bully, Clay. What do you figure? He has super strength. There is only one “super” with the strength to stand up to Clay and that is Eric. He is like a young, idealistic Superman. Daniel is glad to find that he has been accepted by Mollie, Rohan and Eric despite his lack of super powers.

Being a “super” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. On their thirteenth birthdays, they not only lose their super powers, but they lose their childhood memories of them as well. Mollie enlists super sleuth Daniel’s help in solving the mystery. Yes, Daniel uncovers the mystery, but he uncovers more than he is able to fight against. After all, he is ordinary and powerless.

This book has everything that a superhero comic book boasts including a Super Villain – check. Hoping for a sequel. This was a book that I didn’t know I was waiting for.

I would recommend this book to boys and girls, 5th through 8th grade, especially to those who love superheroes and/or mysteries. I like neither, and I really, really enjoyed this novel. There are lots of secrets to uncover. Oh, and you might wish to know that the bullies smoke cigars in one chapter. YUCK!

Magic Thief

Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas

So you have read every book on the "If you like Harry Potter, then you'll like…" list. Well, I guess that list will have to be updated, because I have another one. 2012 Caudill Nominee, The Magic Thief, is the first in this series. This is the kind of book I would recommend to the kids who want more Harry Potter. I am not saying it is better and I am not saying it is similar. But it IS a book about a boy who is surprised to find out that he is a wizard. This is also the kind of book that I would recommend to kids who want to read Harry Potter in the worst way, but aren't quite up to the later, "older" Harry volumes. It is not as intense or complex. So I will recommend it to fantasy/magic fans, perhaps 4th-6th.

Let me introduce you to young Conn of uncertain age and unknown origin. He is a barefoot gutter thief on the streets of the Twilight – or industrial portion of the town of Wellmet. He has been living on the streets living out of the pockets of passersby since his mother died. And then one day, he picks the pocket of a wizard and produces the wizard's locus magicalicus – or magic stone – but is unharmed in the encounter.

Enter Nevery Flinglas, a magister of Wellmet returning after a twenty-year exile. He was banished by the Duchess for his dangerous and destructive pyrotechnic experiments. The remaining magisters have called him back for help. Wellmet is sitting on a magic node, but the magic is disappearing at an astonishing rate and they need someone to lead them in figuring out the why and the how before the city dies.

The wizard Nevery might not want an apprentice, but he could certainly use a servant to help restore his ancestral mansion into a place where he can tackle the problem presented before him. Conn has different ideas. He knows he could never be a servant, but has decided that he would definitely like to be an apprentice. He knows he is a wizard.

Conn's first obstacle – he has no locus magicalicus. Apprentice's usually come forth upon finding their magic stone. You cannot be an apprentice without one. Consider how in Harry Potter each wizard connects with their own unique wand. In The Magic Thief, each wizard is called by or drawn to their own magical stone. It might be a pebble, it might be a jewel, it might be small or it might not. But the magic will not work for you without one. Conn's first task is to find one – in 30 days or lose his tentative apprenticeship.

Conn's next obstacle – school. He cannot read or write so how can he possibly learn spells? Let alone learn the history of magic and theory behind magic. So Conn is registered into the Academicos, but is also given a tutor to catch him up to his peers. He is lucky to be a natural, but unfortunately, with all of the school work and housework, when will he ever find the time to find his stone?

I am very excited to have Books 2 and 3 at home already. There is just enough new and unique here to catch my attention. But there is also enough familiarly fantastic to make it a cozy read.

Behemoth

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

Sorry, I had to delay the Caudills for another day. Behemoth demanded my attention and why wouldn’t it? It’s HUGE. ENORMOUS. GARGANTUAN.

As you may remember from my review of Leviathan, this is the story of an alternate history. The setting is beginning of The Great War. The majority of this second book takes place in, above, and around Istanbul, which was Constantinople ... Momentary pause for singing.

The Ottoman Empire has not yet taken sides in the War. It would look to be primarily Clanker as it relies heavily upon steam-powered  machinery. In fact, you would not find any fabricated beasts. More than likely, you would be entranced by its automatons.

If you know your history, you might remember that the Ottoman Empire purchased a warship, the Sultan Osman I, from the British. However, Churchill confiscated it when the War began in order to prevent the Ottomans from using it against the British Empire if they chose to side with the Germans. This is exactly what has happened in this book EXCEPT that the Osman is a fabricated beast.

The Leviathan was on its way to Istanbul to work towards peace with the Ottomans through a great and unusual gift to replace the Osman, when it was crippled and forced to land in Switzerland. Austrian Prince Alek and his men came to their aid. Even though the Austrians were able to help put the Leviathan back into the air, once the ship was underway with its new passengers, these new passengers were considered Prisoners of War.

As the Leviathan continues its journey to the Middle East, our two protagonists, Alek and Midshipman Dylan/Deryn Sharp become friends out of unusual circumstances. In the process, Alek falls in love with the “abomination,” Leviathan, and Deryn, perhaps, falls for Alek. While Alek shares his secret identity with Dylan, Deryn is not quite able to share hers.

Alek’s main goal, as insisted upon by his men, continues to be his safety and therefore escape from the British before they realize who he is. Deryn’s main goal has always been to prove her worth as an airshipman and to do everything that the men and boys do, only better. But Alek is beginning to see that his life is not worth much if the entire world is at war. And Deryn is finding that she keeps committing acts of treason on behalf of the Prince and his men – traitorous acts that could not only cost her her tenuous position, but also her head.

What they both discover ... is a whole new world full of people. Istanbul is home to Turks, Jews, Vlachs, Greeks, Kurds, Germans and even an American. And sometimes the people you can most truly trust are not the ones you would expect – anarchists, monkey luddites and even revolutionaries and committees of Iron Golems.

LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT!

Nothing

Nothing by Janne Teller

This is NOT a Caudill nominee. It is an ALA Notable Book. I was preparing a cart of books to order from the 2011 Notable Book list and this one caught my eye. I knew I had to get a hold of it. I had to read it. I couldn’t put it off any longer. I would describe it thus; sometimes you cannot look away from the train wreck. It has been called a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century. In other words – existential, shocking, horrifying.

I am not going to be the one to recommend it. It is supposed to be for young adults. It is about 7th graders. It is more likely going to be a librarian’s nightmare. As in it will be challenged. We own one copy in Young Adult. When I requested it, we did not have it yet. The only local person I know who is talking about it – is me. And it might stay that way. Or it might be the same for kids as it was for me. They will do anything to get their paws on it.

And that’s the second reason that I read books. I read them so you don’t have to.
Okay, I’m going to do this the easy way … I had to dig to get much of this information without reading the book. And there were still surprises … Sometimes you just have to put things in order to see the downward spiral.

So if you don’t want to know nearly everything … stop now!

It is the first day of school and Pierre Anthon states, “Nothing matters. I have known that for a long time. So nothing is worth doing. I just realized that.” And then Pierre Anthon leaves the classroom, the school and treks back home where he climbs the plum tree in his front yard. From that day forth, he harasses his classmates as they trudge to and from school.

What is the point of school? To make something of yourself. But if nothing matters, why bother? Pierre Anthon taunts them for wasting their time. Only NOTHING matters. And he pelts them with plums.

The rest of Pierre Anthon’s class set out to prove to him that the world has meaning. They do this by creating a pile of meaning in an abandoned sawmill on the outskirts of town. They find old dolls, old tapes and old books that used to mean something and put them in the pile. Then the kids go door to door asking for other people to give up once-treasured objects to add to the pile.

But then the children realize that such things no longer mean much. To attribute meaning to something, giving it up must require sacrifice. And since no one will willingly give up something truly important, it becomes necessary for each child to demand something of the next child.

First Jon-Johann requires Dennis give up his Dungeons and Dragons book collection. Dennis requires Sebastian give up his fishing rod. Sebastian requests Richard’s black soccer ball go on the pile. Richard demands Laura’s African parrot earrings.

Gerda suggests Laura tell Agnes, our narrator, to give up her green wedge sandals. Agnes gets Gerda back by telling her to give up her hamster, Oscarlittle. He goes on the pile in a cage.

Gerda tells Maiken to give up her expensive telescope. Maiken makes Frederik give up his Dannebrog – the Danish flag. Did I mention that this book is set in modern day Denmark and was translated into English?

Frederik demands Lady William’s diary, but forgets to require the key for the lock. Lady William wants Anna-Li’s adoption papers. Anna-Li asks for Little Ingrid’s new crutches. Little Ingrid wants Henrik to get the formaldehyde snake from his dad’s science classroom. Henrik asks for Otto’s boxing gloves.

Otto wants Elise’s baby brother. Her dead baby brother. Her dead baby brother in his coffin. Her dead baby brother in his coffin dug up and put on the pile. Which comes with one elderly dog called Cinderella, who makes her home on top of the coffin.

Elise demands Ursula-Marie’s cherished six blue braids. Ursula-Marie requires Hussain’s prayer mat. Hussain’s father beats him, breaks his arm and puts him in the hospital for “losing” it.

Hussain wants Huge Hans neon yellow bike. Sophie pressures him the most to produce it. Huge Hans demands Sophie’s innocence. Four boys stay behind in case assistance is necessary. And Sophie is hardened - changed mentally.

Sophie chooses Holy Karl and tells him to deliver Jesus on the Rosewood Cross. In the process of taking the cross down from above the altar, one of Jesus’ legs is broken and the other is broken when it is moved to the pile. Unfortunately, Cinderella chooses to desecrate the Rosewood Cross daily.

Holy Karl wants Cinderella’s head. Because Cinderella means more to Elise than her brother’s coffin did AND Elise has already had her turn. Holy Karl chooses Pretty Rosa to cut the dog’s throat. Pretty Rosa who faints at the sight of blood.

To finish the circle, Pretty Rosa requests Jon-Johan’s right index finger. He can play guitar and sing like the Beatles. Well, he could.

The circle is complete, but the book is only a little over half-finished. But that is enough. You get the picture.

Wild Things

Wild Things by Clay Carmichael

Here is a prime example of why I appreciate the Rebecca Caudill nominations. I read from lists in order to keep myself a well-rounded librarian. I never would have been enticed to read this novel otherwise. The cover does absolutely nothing for me. I think it is a bad representation of the novel. It is scary looking – slasher looking. And then there is the title. It shares its title with a questionable movie – a movie you probably wouldn’t allow your children to watch. But then I ask myself, Where the Wild Things Are? Why, at the library of course!

I find that I am not alone in these thoughts. I also find that I am not alone in loving this book and recommending it to my coworkers.

I am recommending this novel to girls 5th through 8th grade. The girls who will really appreciate it will be the ones who love animals, (Many of the chapters are written by the cat.) as well as the girls who have an artistic side.

Zöe, our main character, has just been accepted into foster care by her father’s half brother, Dr. Henry Royster. Henry was a preeminent cardiologist, (he performed open-heart surgery on the President,) before leaving the profession to become a full-time and highly praised artist specializing in metal sculptures.

Zöe never knew her father. He stayed with her mother long enough for there to be a Zöe and then disappeared. Zöe’s mother wasn’t present much more. She was mentally ill. She would keep herself well long enough to find her next man and then she would slide back into depression often leaving the newest man with the job of parenting. Zöe’s mother finally overdosed on prescription drugs.

Because Zöe was left to raise herself and parent the grownups, (she never attended school,) one would think that she would have some serious issues to overcome. Surprisingly, she is quite an amazing little grownup herself. Her only issue seems to be lack of trust in grownups. Not a surprise, huh?

No, Zöe tests quite high academically. She could practically be a high schooler. Of course the school officials choose to keep her in fifth grade where she is bored, but with her peers. An exceptional teacher gives her extra assignments to keep her engaged and exercise her special writing abilities. Wonder where she has acquired her knowledge? Besides her street smarts and experience, Zöe spent much of her free time at the library. YEA!!

If I could describe this novel with one sentence, I would say, “If you love something, don’t cage it - set it free.”

If you asked, what made this novel so special, I would say it has to be the unique characters including, but not limited to Mr. C’mere (the cat), Sister (the albino deer), Padre (the elderly priest with only one message), and Wil (the wild boy).

Extra Credit

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements. Rebecca Caudill 2012 Nominee.

Some authors are just that good. Their titles are frequently on the Rebecca Caudill list. They've won the award at least once and maybe twice. They might even make an appearance in the Newberys. They might receive multiple honors and even win it one year. When you return to the lists of nominees, you will see some of the same authors pop up time and time again. I am thinking of Lowry and Hahn and Parks and Paulsen. And of course, today's review is of a book from such an author – Andrew Clements.

If I can say the word "frindle" and you don't know what that is, I have to ask, "Where have you been?" Frindle, also by Clements, is a contemporary realistic fiction cult classic. I say this and I am not a particular fan of contemporary realistic fiction. I am a fantasy slash sci-fi girl through and through. I prefer dark to light-hearted. And yet, no matter how I try to ignore Clements, he can always get me.

I was NOT looking forward to Extra Credit. I don't have a good reason; I just didn't care to bother. Maybe I just don't like to feel good and happy? Well, Clements got me again. Sucked me right in and I didn't even resist.

There are two stories here connected by a special extra credit project. Abby Carson is our protagonist. She is a sixth grader who had just discovered that she very well may be held back. She most likely won't be attending junior high with her peers. It is not that she isn't smart. She just doesn't care for all of the busy work. She doesn't do her homework. She doesn't study for tests. She just wants to be outside enjoying nature or tackling the climbing wall during gym class.

But Abby will do anything to earn the right to advance to 7th grade with her friends. This includes completing and turning in ALL homework. She must earn at least a B on all future tests and quizzes. AND she must work on an extra project to be pulled randomly from a grab bag. Abby pulls the Pen Pal Project.

Enter Sadeed Bayat of Afghanistan. Well actually, enter his sister, Amira. Abby's first letter arrives at their school. The headmaster wants the best student to respond and represent their school and country. As far as reading and writing in English, that would be Sadeed. But in Afghanistan, it would be considered inappropriate for a boy and a girl to correspond and share their inmost thoughts. The village council advises the headmaster to have Sadeed help his sister to write a good letter back.

Amira’s first letter to Abby, embellished a bit by Sadeed and including a poem and drawings by Sadeed himself, astounds Abby. Her first letter had been half-hearted. She hadn’t really tried. Now she wants to do better, to impress Amira who seems to be an incredible student. Abby praises Amira’s work in her second letter. Of course, Sadeed is unhappy to realize that all of the praise will go to Amira – the praise he deserves – after all, he did the work!

You know what happens. Sadeed has to find a way to let Abby know that it is HE who is the impressive student. Pride comes before the fall.

Recommended to all kids, 4th through 8th grade, but the 9 to 11-year-olds will enjoy it the most. Have a reluctant reader? Here is your book. Have a struggling student? Here is an idea!

The Girl Who Threw Butterflies

The Girl Who Threw Butterflies by Mick Cochrane

It is not that I have anything against sports. It is just not my thing. I really have no interest. I might have mentioned that there are three baseball stories among the twenty Caudill nominees for 2012. Actually, there might be more. Who knows? They might have snuck one in. But three, 3, three book covers feature a baseball. And this is the third one.

The first book was set following the Great Depression and World War II and featured a baseball-loving boy who loses his left arm. He learns to pitch and pitch well without it.

The second book was set following the Vietnam War and featured a Vietnamese boy adopted by an American family. The American father teaches the boy the great American past time. He also piteches. The book features a Vietnam vet amputee as well who ends up coaching the team.

This third book is contemporary realistic fiction which means it could be occuring in modern time. Something new – the main character is a girl whose father taught her the game he loved. And he taught her how to pitch. And he gave her a secret weapon – a knuckleball which is also known as a butterfly because of the way that it floats and flitters rather than spins. This book did not disappoint me. In the final chapter, it does mention another baseball player who lost a leg due to a hunting accident and still managed to pitch despite the amputation.

I am beginning to wonder if someone on the nominating committee is a baseball-loving, pitching, amputee.

Not that I have anything against amputees either. Joking, of course.

I would recommend this book to girl athletes from 4th to 8th grade. Girls perhaps who realize that they have just as much to offer as boys.

Joking aside… This is a book about Molly Williams, an eighth grade girl who loves baseball. She has always played on the girls' softball team, but what she really wants might be something a little harder to get. She wants to be on a baseball team. It just so happens that they tend to be "boys'" baseball teams.

Molly Williams is also suffering from a kind of amputation. Six months ago, her father was killed in a single car accident on his way home from work. She was very much a daddy's girl. Now both she and her mother are hurting and they are having trouble dealing with their loss separately. But they really don't know how to talk to each other. Her mother would be considered a girlie girl. Molly is not fashionable. She is an athlete and is comfortable in her team uniform.

And in the end, despite the sports theme, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and know a heck of a lot more about baseball, knucklers, personal catchers, and the short hand of keeping score than I ever thought I needed to know.

Heart of a Shepherd

Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry. 2012 Caudill Nominee.

I have a quiet, lovely book. If I could say that Leviathan was my action-packed winner, I would say that Heart of a Shepherd is my quiet-filled winner. It was like a lovely break on the beach watching the surf spread over the sand and then recede back into the ocean. Breathing. Resetting my well-being. Calming.

The book is about Ignatius Alderman, called Brother by his family. He is a sixth-grader, the youngest of five siblings – all boys. They live on a ranch in Idaho. They have cattle, sheep, horses and chickens. It's the family business. Grandma and Grandpa Alderman live with them. Brother's mother is an artist currently living in Italy.

Their father is a rancher most of the time, and serves in the National Guard one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer. When the book begins, we find that Brother's dad has been called to duty to serve for fourteen months in Iraq. He will be the Battalion Commander so he will be in charge of the lives of hundreds of soldiers, many of whom are friends and neighbors of the Aldermans.

Pete, the oldest brother, serves stateside in the Army. Jim and John are far from home in Boise attending college. And Frank attends high school and boards in town. This leaves Brother, who still attends the two room elementary school house, and the "Grands" to tend to the ranch. An enormous task. And Brother intends for his dad to find it how he left it.

Without quite realizing it, I loved this book from the beginning. Brother and I share an imagination. We think alike. For example, Brother and Grandpa play chess nearly daily. Brother acts out the moves as a story in his head. He knows that his queen is Rosita, his best friend's sister. And his grandpa's queen would have to Grandma. Brother's queen's knight rides a paint mustang with a temper. His king's knight rides a Clydesdale, little speed, but all power. Brother would willingly sacrifice himself, and the game, to protect his queen. It's more about the story in his mind than the game on the table.

Here is the unusual. Religion and spirituality play a huge role in this novel. Grandma and the family are Catholics. Grandpa is a Quaker without a local church. Every Sunday like clockwork, they are at the church bright and early to open up the building and prepare for service. Brother and his best friend alternate as altar boys. Brother takes pride in his responsibilities.

The book is about Brother finding a place for himself. Grandpa advises him, "The question you want to ask yourself is not, Am I as good as my dad? That's just practice. Ask yourself, Do I love it as much as my dad? Talent is not your problem, Brother. Deciding what to do with your talents, that's the tricky part."

I recommend this book. I'm not quite sure to whom. To boys, 4th through 8th grade with an interest in ranching and animals? I just have a feeling that adults will enjoy it more eventhough it is about a boy.