I'm on a run right now with some terrific middle grade novels. I did a lot of reading in the winter, and just can't get the posts done fast enough to keep up with all those books I really liked. So, I will keep moving forward telling you about the ones I think would be great additions as you build your classroom library.
Wren is coming back to school after an overwhelming summer for her family. Her parents have made the painful decision to divorce, have sent her to spend the summer with her grandparents, and nine-year-old Wren finds herself unable to share the news, even with her best friend Amber. It causes a rift between the two girls. As well, while away, a new girl has moved to town and Amber is spending her time with Marianna now. Wren feels alone, but is unable to share what makes her sad.
Marianna is that girl who seems to breeze into town and take over. Amber is definitely intrigued with her attitude, her stories, and her self-confidence. While Wren copes with life in two houses, weekdays with her mom in their house and weekends with her dad in a rundown cabin across the lake, she also looks to the dictionary for help in understanding her new reality.
'After I change my clothes, I look up the word separation.
* An arrangement by which a husband and wife live apart
* Break
* Division
* Gap
"I was right," I say, looking over at Shakespeare. He's watching
from my bedroom windowsill. "They are still husband and wife."
"Mew?" Shakespeare says, flicking his tail.
I nod. "Separation is different than divorce.
They can still get back together."
Wren's first person voice is extremely effective in allowing readers to understand her confusion, the resentment she feels, and how determined she is to try to change the challenges the family is facing. Real and hurting, it is easy to feel her pain and to understand her reaction to it.
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