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(2)
4-6
As this believable epistolary (via email) novel begins, twelve-year-olds Bett and Avery are strangers (and adversaries) thrown together at sleep-away summer camp by their bi-coastally dating fathers. The girls gradually become friends--even as their dads are breaking up. Parent Trap–type shenanigans ensue, but the story's main focus is the strength of chosen family. The warmth of the characters' interactions, including the girls' witty banter, is emotionally satisfying.
264 pp.
| Dutton
| September, 2014
|
TradeISBN 978-0-525-42305-8$17.99
(2)
YA
After her boyfriend's death, Jam is shipped to a boarding school for "emotionally fragile, highly intelligent" teens. She's placed in a course for which the only materials are Sylvia Plath's poems, The Bell Jar, and a journal to write in. Much of this powerful book straddles the real and the supernatural, but it's ultimately about the otherworldly things the mind is capable of.
Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2014
297 pp.
| Dutton
| September, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-0-525-42304-1$16.99
(3)
4-6
Twelve-year-old Duncan's unexplained ability to read printed material by touch makes him good at cheating while picking Scrabble tiles. When he meets April and Nate at a Scrabble tournament, they all discover there is more at stake than their need to win. This story of unique friendships, with its mild supernatural bent, is entertaining and engaging.