A recent bout of flu left me able to do very little except read and sleep, so I indulged my curiosity about some recent middle-grade novels.
I'll mention just two of my new favorites here:
Holes by Louis Sachar
The story takes place in a Texas desert-like wasteland. Kids get sent there as an alternative to juvenile detention centers, and there they get sentenced to what amounts to hard labor: digging holes. Why do they have to dig holes? The answer ties in wonderfully with the protagonist's own past. This one, I think, deserved every honor it got.
A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (an author I read when I was combing the "J" section in the library as a kid) I enjoyed this one particularly because it took me away from present-day reality (things moving quickly, computers, and, when I read it, my own red nose). The grandmother in the story is one of those heroines you can't forget--the old-fashioned tough-but-tender Grandma who will do anything--even catch and kill a couple of foxes--so her granddaughter can have a good holiday season.
Well, okay, here's a third, but I can't reveal the title. It's a secret because my friend Susan is getting ready to send it out to agents. But--love it! It's a great tale, and I hope that soon you'll see it on the bookshelves with the others I just mentioned.
