The Call

The Call by Yannick Murphy

When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

I was inspired to pick up this book after reading Goodbye Stranger, one of the author's other books. I

liked that book for the authentic voice she seemed to give her characters. I found the same was true of this book. I tells the story of a young girl named Miranda, who is dealing with a "break up" from her longtime best friend -- well, only friend -- Sal, who seems to reject her one day out of the blue. In Sal, Miranda had a partner to navigate the Brooklyn landscape they both called home. Just outside their apartment lives what appears to be a crazy man, who sleeps with his head under the mail box and yells to himself. As she is dealing with the trauma of losing her best friend, Miranda starts getting mysterious notes asking her to perform some strange tasks: Write a letter to some unknown person with the whereabouts of their hidden apartment key, for one. Little by little, Miranda starts to build a new Sal-less life and the clues about the sender of the letter begin to pile up -- until one fateful day when it all makes sense.

I really, really enjoyed this book. Stead includes just enough suspense to make you want to keep reading and reading. The clues she left strewn throughout gave me a lot to think about as I was reading. In addition, there are numerous realistic subplots that keep the more fantastical elements of the story in check. A great book.

Lost on a Mountain in Maine

Lost on a Mountain in Maine by Donn Fendler

A young boy finds himself alone and lost on the side of Khatadin after leaving his friend at the summit

and losing the trail. He eventually finds his way to safety -- but only after nine days fending for himself in the woods. He endures falls, scrapes, and, most of all, exhaustion. It was a pretty riveting tale -- a bit like a real life Hatchet -- one that I couldn't put down until I finished it. It's also a simple story told in simple story, and so should be accessible to students of all reading abilities.