Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

With the end of summer closing in and a steamy Labor Day weekend looming in the town of Holton Mills, New Hampshire, thirteen-year-old Henry—lonely, friendless, not too good at sports—spends most of his time watching television, reading, and daydreaming about the soft skin and budding bodies of his female classmates. For company Henry has his long-divorced mother, Adele—a onetime dancer whose summer project was to teach him how to foxtrot; his hamster, Joe; and awkward Saturday-night outings to Friendly's with his estranged father and new stepfamily. Adele has a secret that makes it hard for her to leave their house, and seems to possess an irreparably broken heart.

But all that changes on the Thursday before Labor Day, when a mysterious bleeding man named Frank approaches Henry and asks for a hand. Over the next five days, Henry will learn some of life's most valuable lessons: how to throw a baseball, the secret to perfect piecrust, the breathless pain of jealousy, the power of betrayal, and the importance of putting others—especially those we love—above ourselves. And the knowledge that real love is worth waiting for.

Improbable?  Yes, but still an interesting story and quick end of summer read.

Hope in a Jar

by Elizabeth Harbison

Hope in a Jar was a book that I did not want to put down. The book focuses around 2 high school friends who had a fight their senior year, and have not talked to each other since. They meet up again their 20 year high school reunion. The book has chapters that talk about moments they shared throughout their junior and senior high years. One of the things I really enjoyed about the book, was the references to products and slogans from the 80's and 90's such as Lip Smackers, Love's Baby Soft and Sun-in. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, quick read.

From Publishers Weekly
Harbison (Secrets of a Shoe Addict) pushes a thin plot to its word-count limits in her latest confection, the tale of two former friends who reconnect at their 20th high school reunion. When Allie Denty—tall, blonde and, these days, just a bit heavy—discovers her boyfriend in the sack with another woman, her primary coping mechanism involves a credit card and the Sephora counter. Allie figures that some Dior lashes will help her feel more confident at her reunion—an event that the lovely, formerly mousy Olivia Pelham has no intention of attending until her mother shows up on her doorstep, licking her wounds from a breakup with husband number five. At the reunion, Allie and Olivia have an awkward meeting and go their separate ways until Allie learns that a mutual friend plans to marry a cosmetically enhanced Mean Girl from their class. It's life makeover time for both women, as they get in touch with their true feelings about beauty, careers and, most importantly, love. Like the face cream from which it takes its title, this is slick, light and indulgent.

The Liberation of Gabriel King

by K. L. Going


I have made it my goal to read all of the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees for this year. The Liberation of Gabriel King by K.L. Going was my first pick, and I really enjoyed it. Fourth grader Gabriel is afraid of almost everything, especially entering the fifth grade. Over the course of the summer,  his best friend Frida, makes it her goal to free him from his fears. The book is about friendship, fears, and learning how to stand up for yourself and what you believe in. 

From Amazon.com:
Product Description
Gabriel King was a born chicken. He’s afraid of spiders, corpses, loose cows, and just about everything related to the fifth grade. Gabe’s best friend, Frita Wilson, thinks Gabe needs some liberating from his fears. Frita knows something about being brave— she’s the only black kid in school in a town with an active Ku Klux Klan. Together Gabe and Frita are going to spend the summer of 1976 facing down the fears on Gabe’s list. But it turns out that Frita has her own list, and while she’s helping Gabe confront his fears, she’s avoiding the thing that scares her the most.

The Doomsday Key

By James Rollins

I found this book enjoyable.  The history was interesting and made me wish I had a better memory..  A fun read.

Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Rollins's labyrinthine sixth Sigma Force thriller (after The Last Oracle) offers plenty of intriguing science and history lessons. Sigma Force director Painter Crowe gathers the usual crew Cmdr. Grayson Pierce; Pierce's best friend, Monk Kokkalis; lumbering Joe Kowalski to discover why an experimental agriculture site in Africa has been attacked and razed, killing everyone, including a U.S. senator's son. The future of mankind may depend, they learn, on the Doomsday key, a strange substance brought to England long ago by ancient Egyptians that holds the promise of a new and powerful medicine. A few of the book's many highlights include genetic manipulation, traitorous beautiful women, illuminated manuscripts, saints, prophecies, curses and miracles. Rollins deftly juggles all this and more as the Sigma team races from the depths of the Vatican to the outer reaches of Norway toward an explosive confrontation with the shadowy forces of evil known as the Guild. (June) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Schooled by Gordon Korman

A Maud Hart Lovelace nominee and perhaps one of the most original books that I have read in a very long time.  This is a story about a boy who lives with his grandmother in a "commune" (at one time it was a commune with lots of people but now it only consists of Cap and his grandmother) away from society where they really have no interaction with the outside world until an accident.  Cap's grandmother falls out of a tree and Cap has to drive her to the hospital.  This story is about how people who are different are treated, especially in middle school, and how one person can change people's perspectives.  I must read for anyone who has ever been treated differently or treated someone else different.

Shiver

By: Maggie Stiefvater

The staggering success of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series sparked a literary fire, illuminating and exposing the worlds of mythical creatures that had otherwise been forgotten.  As often occurs in the wake of such success, a plethora of new books with similar characters and themes have recently been published.  One such book is Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver in which she explores the new, yet familiar territory of a human-werewolf relationship.

Set in northern Minnesota, teenage human Grace has always been fascinated by watching the wolves that roam in the woods just outside her back door.  A string of bizarre circumstances introduces her to Sam, a teenage boy who has watched Grace with equal fascination from the safety of the trees and through the eyes of a wolf. Soon Grace and Sam have to attempt the impossible or risk losing everything they have found together. For the legions of loyal Jacob Black fans, this is your book!