WHAT I'M READING LATELY (This is a summary of all my recent reading. Inclusion on my list is not necessarily a recommendation -- unless I say so -- though I do tend to "fudge" and keep books I like on my list longer)
Recently Read:
Right now, I'm reading Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. I chose it because I heard it had been banned a lot. So far (I'm halfway through), it seems pretty tame. There's been some mild witchcraft and healing and some questioning of religion (although the main character is a Catholic boy who plans to be a priest).
Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick. Think Breathing Underwater meets Tuesdays With Morrie. Angry with his parents over their divorce, 16-year-old Alex gets drunk, steals his mom's car, and crashes into a lawn gnome. The judge sentences Alex to visit an elderly gentleman names Solomon Lewis in a retirement home. As with Sonnenblick's previous Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, humor mixes with pathos, and there is a musical element. So readers who like Diva would probably enjoy it too.
The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin. Matthew and his siblings have always been terrified of their mother, Nikki, her unpredictable mood swings and sudden violence. One day, when Matthew and his sister are out getting ice cream, they see a man named Murdoch, who stands up for a kid being abused. Matthew makes up his mind to meet Murdoch, and from that decision comes an adventure that involves kidnapping and near death, but ultimately . . . survival. Written as a letter from Matthew to his younger sister, this book is different from Werlin's previous mysteries, but will still keep you on the edge of your seat.
Fresh off the Boat by Melissa de la Cruz. 15-year-old Vincenza has come to California from her home country of Manila. Her family was once very wealthy, but now, they're bankrupt and earning a living running the Sears employee cafeteria and selling tapes of American reality shows in their home country. Vincenza attends a wealthy private school on scholarship, but has to shop at Goodwill! Vincenza writes some creative (meaning, lies) e-mails to her friends back in Manila and starts making some friends (and a boy!) in the U.S. Although this book is presented as chick-lit, and the cover is frankly off-putting to anyone seeking something more serious (and has little to do with the book itself), the glimpses of Filipino culture are interesting, and anyone who has struggled to fit in for whatever reason will relate to Vincenza's struggles.
What Katie Has Been Reading Lately (Katie is my 11-year-old daughter)
Abadazad books by J.M. de Matteis
The Giver and Gathering Blue by Lois Lowery
What Meredith is Reading (She's 7)
Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins
Magic Treehouse books by Mary Pope Osborne
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White | 
