Sahara Special by Esme Raji Codell

Sahara is in fifth grade...again. Her mother insisted that Sahara be removed from the special education program and put in a regular classroom. Her mom sees Sahara reading and writing all the time at home, but at school she won't do her work. Sahara knows where her work goes - into her file in the counselor's office. The file that tells everyone who she is. But Sahara knows she is more.

Told in beautifully written first person, Sahara is painfully aware of why she does what she does. She wants to be a writer - knows she will be a writer. But she won't write. Not for school. But then Miss Pointy, her new teacher arrives. This woman is not the average teacher, and good thing. She gives Sahara and her classmates journals and asks them to write in them every day. This is the beginning of Sahara's journey.

I loved this story. Sahara shows that really can't know what is going on in someone's head. Her mother has no idea what is holding her child back and is constantly angry at her. Sahara isn't willing to let anyone into her secret life, her writer's life - it hurts too much. I appreciate stories about good teachers, about teachers who do things in new ways and truly care about their students. I will give this one to my niece some day. She'll like it.

Regarding the Fountain

What a clever book! Kate Klise created a mystery that will appeal to kids and grownups alike. The subtitle is "A Tale, in Letters, of Liars and Leaks." Truly, the whole book is told in letters between fountain designer Florence Waters, the children of Mr. Sam N.'s fifth grade class, Sam N. himself, and the principal and secretary of the middle school. It is so fun...each name is a play on some kind of water/fish theme (i.e. Wally Russ, Goldie Fisch, Tad Poll, etc.) and the different handwritings and typefaces make it visually very interesting. I would want to give this to my eight year old niece if she didn't already own it.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Book Awards II Challenge #8 of 10)

Brian Selznick won the Quill Award and was a National Book Award Finalist for this novel in pictures and words. I wasn't sure what to expect from it, I haven't talked to anyone who didn't love it but I didn't understand how the pictures fit in. But now it is all clear to me. Obviously.

The story of Hugo Cabret is told with 284 pencil drawings, over half the book is taken up with them. But they are truly fantastic. Hugo lives in Paris in the walls of a train station where he takes care of the clocks. He steals his food and prizes a notebook above all else. But when he is caught stealing from a toy booth, the old gruff owner takes the notebook and tells Hugo to forget it. Unable to understand why his notebook has been taken, Hugo appeals to Isabelle, the owner's goddaughter to help him get it back. What unfolds next I will not say. But I will say I read through this book in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it.