Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Russell Pickett, billionaire, has been missing, disappearing before his arrest for bribery. Now there is a $100,000 reward for him, and Daisy Ramirez is going to tap Aza Holmes to help find him and collect the reward.

Daisy and Aza are juniors in high school and best friends. Daisy learns that years ago Aza was a camp friend of Davis Pickett, Russell Pickett's son, and recruits Aza to find Russell Pickett and split the reward money. The problem is, Aza suffers from invasive thoughts...thoughts that spin out of control subjugating her life.

When they wade through the White River, running through the Russell estate trying to find evidence, they get caught by security. Aza tells them she is a friend of Davis, so security takes them to Davis to verify. Davis immediately remembers Aza. As they talk, Aza can see the pain Davis is in, as his mother has passed, his father's missing and he is left caring for his younger brother Noah. Davis welcomes this friend from the past, and trusts her. As their friendship grows into attraction, Aza's issues start spiraling out of control....especially when they kiss. "...billions of people kiss and don't die, just make sure his microbes aren't going to permanently colonize you come on please stop this he could have campylobacter he could be a nonsymptomatic E. coli carrier get that and you'll need antibiotics and then you'll get C. diff and boom dead in four days..."  Aza must deal with school, her friends, her mom, her relationship with Davis, all while trying to deal with these thoughts that paralyze her.

Solving the mystery, the budding relationship with Davis, Aza's relationship with Daisy, her visits with her therapist, and her thinking spiraling out of control are what drives the plot along, but it plods more than drives. While not my favorite John Green novel, I mostly enjoyed the way he represented Aza's  spinning thoughts, her sessions with her therapist, and learning to live life with what we've been dealt. Fans of Green will demand this and enjoy it. For high school, and sophisticated older middle schoolers with f-bombs sprinkled throughout.
Mark's Picks Rating: 3.5

Reading Level: 5.6 • Interest Level: 9-12 • AR Points: 10 • Lexile: 840L
Publisher: Penguin • 286 pages • Copyright: 2017 • ISBN: 978-0-525-55536-0 • Available in Perma-Bound Binding

Booked by Kwame Alexander

Having to read a dictionary from beginning to end is not anyone's idea of entertainment. Yet, to Nick Hall's father, a wordsmith who has written a dictionary of unusual words, nothing could be further than the truth. The dictionary has become required reading for thirteen year old Nick...

A wordsmith himself, Kwame Alexander's free verse poetry always finds the right rhythm, tone and precision to voice Nick; an extremely bright, passionate soccer player suffering through the bends and curves that life brings. The poems capture the true voice of a thirteen year old boy whose parents are divorcing, is being bullied at school, and has a mad crush on a girl with whom he hasn't the foggiest idea of how to approach. He is supported by a well rounded, dedicated friend, Coby, parents who are supportive and loving, a school librarian that is cool and insightful, and April, the girl his heart melts for, who is understanding, patient, and who also has a crush...on Nick.

Alexander beautifully weaves the soccer play, and Nicks devotion to the sport, with all the emotional hurdles that Nick deals with. Humor abounds, and the word play is fun, with footnotes defining words learned from his father's dictionary and often funny commentary explaining why he used it. There are so many uses and discussion points for the classroom; dealing with divorce, bullying, relationships, as well as gaining an appreciation for poetry. Excellent for reluctant readers.
Mark's Picks Rating: 4

Reading Level: 3.9 • Interest Level: 4-7 • AR Points: 3 • Lexile: 660L
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin • 314 pages • Copyright: 2016 • ISBN: 978-0-544-57098-6 • Available in Perma-Bound Binding

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Trees and animals that talk? I knew this book was not for me, not my cup of tea.
As it turns out, I loved it!
Red is a Red Oak, well over 200 years old. She has seen much in life and is currently the home to a family of owls, opossums, skunks, and a crow named Bongo. The tree has deep roots in the community. Every May, people write their wish on a scrap of fabric and tie it to the tree. A young girl, Samar,  moves in across the street with her family. Often, Samar sneaks out of her house late at night to come and sit by the tree. One night, Samar ties a scrap with a wish to Red; she wishes for a friend.  Samar is lonely and has no friends because her family is not welcomed by the community, as they are Muslim. The young boy next door, Stephen, takes note of Samar, but will not talk to her. Red has decided that she must do something to make Samar's wish a reality. She schemes with Bongo and the other tree residents to get Samar and Stephen together as friends. Red is motivated to help Samar not only to make her happy, but also because she knows she is going to die. The property's owner has decided that the tree is causing too many problems and has scheduled to have Red taken down.

At first, I was put off by a story told in the voice of a tree, but was immediately pulled in by the beautiful, lyrical writing. It begs to be read aloud. The early chapters are a bit pedantic, but that dissipates quickly. There is much to discuss here with young people. Tolerance, intolerance, acceptance, friendship, and family all come into play. But what touched me, was Red's acceptance of her imminent death. She understands that she has had a long, good life and that if it is her time, then let it be so. As a senior myself, this truly resonated, and expresses beautifully an appreciation of life. Beautifully illustrated by Charles Santoso, the pictures help bring the story to life. For grades 4-7, maybe older if you can pull them in.
Mark's Picks Rating: 4.5

Reading Level: 4.2 • Interest Level: 4-7 • AR Points: 3 • Lexile: 590L
Publisher: Feiwell & Friends • Copyright: 2017 • ISBN: 978-1-250-04332-1 • Available in Perma-Bound Binding

Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

Thunderhead is all knowing and encompassing. Once the Cloud, the Thunderhead now stores all human knowledge, provides leadership and order, and oversees almost every aspect of life on earth. The world has never been more stable or peaceful since the mortal years. Death, disease, hunger and poverty are all constructs of the past. Scythes, the order of humans ordained to control population by gleaning (killing) people at random cannot be overseen by the Thunderhead.  They are held to a high standard of humility, morality and equity to avoid corruption. Until now.

Book two of the Arc of the Scythe Trilogy, starts one year after the end of book one, Scythe. Rowan is now Scythe Lucifer, hunting and destroying corrupt Scythes. His best friend Tyger has been hired to train in the martial art of Bokator, with the hope to become a Scythe himself. Citra is now Scythe Anastasia, whose destiny is to have a profound influence on Scythes and the world. Working with Scythe Curie, they have had an attempt to destroy their lives, and are now in seclusion. Scythe Faraday is in Alexandria, doing research, looking for the land of Nod, where he hopes to find answers that will stop the corruption plaguing Scythedom. Enter Greyson Tolliver. A young man, all but abandoned by his family, has been raised and mentored by the Thunderhead to which he is resolutely devoted. The Thunderhead has recruited him to be his agent, using his human eyes and ears to keep the Thunderhead informed and carry out actions it deems necessary.

In Thunderhead, Shusterman builds the world with great detail that he started in Scythe. With several story lines, so much going on, so many twists and turns, there is just no time to stop turning the pages. The 504 pages will go fast, but be prepared. The crescendo is a cliff-hanger that will leave you yearning for book three.
Mark's Picks Rating: 4.5

Reading Level: 6.7 • Interest Level: 7-12  • Lexile: 870L• AR Points: 20
Publisher: Simon & Schuster • Copyright: 2017 • ISBN: 978-1-442-47245-7 • Available in Perma-Bound Binding