Kids' Book Corner - Ladybug Girl at the Beach... Graduation books & more!

Countdown
by Deborah Wiles
(Scholastic, hardcover, $17.99)
Ages 9+

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In Countdown, a fantastic debut historical novel, 11-year-old Franny is growing up in the early 1960s. Against a backdrop of the Cuban Missle Crisis, she deals with a mysteriously absent older sister, an uncle who is suffering from undiagnosed PTSD, and a changing dynamic in her circle of friends. I loved this book. Franny is a great character, and Wiles has set her in an incredibly interesting time period. The backdrop of the 1960s is present on every page, through colloquialisms ("Heavens to Murgatroyd!") and items long-forgotten (Franny sneaks into her sister's hope chest). The undercurrent of the Cuban Missile Crisis is present throughout; the kids practice "duck-and-cover" and watch President Kennedy on TV, while Franny sees her family become more and more openly worried about the political climate.

Dark Life
by Kat Falls
(Scholastic, hardcover, $16.99)
Ages 9+

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I devoured this book in one sitting, and what a book it is. Kat Falls appears on the scene with a stunning debut novel that will keep readers at bay while they wait for the third Hunger Games book. Set in a not-too-distant future, after global warming has melted the ice caps and cities like New York are underwater, we meet Ty, the first boy to have been born underwater, and Gemma, a "topsider" girl who is looking for her brother in the underwater world. The universe of Dark Life is fully formed as Kat Falls has expanded the idea of post-apocalyptic fiction to include what goes on below sea level.

Crunch
by Leslie Connor
(Katherine Tegen Books, hardcover, $16.99)
Ages 10+

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Crunch tells the story of 14-year-old Dewey Marriss and his family. There's a gas shortage and people are panicking. Dewey's parents are stuck up North waiting for more gas to arrive and Dewey and his siblings must run the household without them. They also happen to run a bike repair shop, which is swamped with business now that everyone's cars have no fuel. Crunch is a fun read, with realistic characters and the important theme of sticking together through difficult times.

Big Nate in a Class by Himself
by Lincoln Peirce
(Harper, hardcover, $12.99)
Ages 8+

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So you finally got your kid to read. Your kid who hates books has read every single Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. Twice. But what do you give them next? Well, I have an answer for you: Big Nate. The first in a new series, Big Nate in a Class by Himself is written by cartoonist Lincoln Peirce. Published by Harper, Big Nate has a similar style to the Wimpy Kid books, a jacketless hardcover with text and cartoon illustrations and a great main character. Much like Greg Heffley, Nate is always getting into trouble and making his readers laugh till they cry.