The 4th Stall, by Chris Rylander

What if a mafia was operating right out of your school bathroom?  Mac and his right-hand man Vince have a tidy operation going in the wing of the school that no one ever really frequents.  Their main objective?  Tickets to the Cubs game.  Their main problem?  It’s the one week where everyone has come to Mac with problems that might be too big for him to handle, and one of them is the school syndicate’s impending takeover by a local high school dropout.  Mac has some tough lessons to learn about biting off more than he can chew. 

I would recommend the The Fourth Stall to readers 12 and up.  The story deals with some serious situations.  What I like about it is that the main character is forced to make hard choices about what he’s doing and consider the ethical aspects of his decisions.  Boys may go in for this book more than girls, but I am always supportive of a person reading outside of his or her “comfort” zone.

Scary Godmother: Comic Book Stories, by Jill Thompson

This is a truly delightful collection of stories about Hannah Marie and her friends who live on the Fright Side of her bed.  It’s perfect for boys and girls 10 and up (and their parents and/or older siblings) who enjoy funny, spooky stories that are not too scary.  The artwork is whimsical and amazing to look at; it took me a week to read this book (almost unheard of; I am usually the one who finishes a book in a few days) because I spent a lot of time appreciating the artwork and examining the beautiful detail in all the panels.  People my age and older may be more familiar with Jill Thompson’s contributions to Neil Gaiman’s Sandman universe, so if you have not yet checked out Scary Godmother, I recommend it!  Find it at your local comic book shop!

Flush, by Carl Hiaasen

I loved Hiaasen’s Hoot when I read it several years ago, and I recommend it just as much as Flush (which is not a sequel to Hoot).  Adults may be familiar with his earlier mysteries, but Hiaasen has since branched into children’s literature.  

Flush is the story of a family and how they deal with the father’s well-meaning but legally questionable attempts to make things right where they are wrong.  We meet Noah at the beginning as he is waiting to meet his father in a visitor’s room…at the local jail.  This is not an unusual occurrence, but this is the first time it is for a more weighty reason: Noah’s father has sunken a casino boat because he believes that the owner is dumping sewage into a protected area of the Florida Keys.  Unfortunately, he does not have substantial evidence that this is the case.  Noah’s father is a strong believer in doing the right thing, but he doesn’t always like to do things by the book.  It is more efficient, after all, to do things himself rather than try and get the law involved.  Noah and his sister become involved in helping prove their dad correct and have enough adventurous experiences and humorous interludes to fill a book (pun intended!).  Along the way, they learn a lot about how there are many different ways of doing the right thing and they don’t all have to end in an orange jumpsuit.  

I loved reading Flush; it’s great for kids 10 and up.  Adults may enjoy it too, and if you’re a Carl Hiaasen fan don’t hesitate to read his books for young readers!  There’s nothing wrong with grown-ups reading kids’ books: I do it every day, and meet many other adults and parents who also do so.  A good story is a good story, is what I always say.

Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best, by Maria Padian

Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best, by Maria Padian, is a feel-good novel about two best friends who are going their separate ways for the summer.  Eva is going to a ballet summer program in New York City, while Henry (short for Henriette) is off to a prestigious tennis camp in Florida.  It’s the first time both girls have been apart for an extended period of time.  While Jersey Tomatoes is a lighter read, it does deal with some serious issues.  Each girl has an overbearing parent who seems to want nothing more than to live through his or her daughter’s talent.  While Eva is passionate about dance and Henry lives tennis, both also feel conflicted and even dislike what they’re doing at times.  They are constantly dealing with issues that are specific to what they do. In the end, the story asks these questions: What are the important things in life?  Who are you as a person?  How are you going to react if put in a given situation?  What is the right decision to make?  All in all, this is a very good read, and a healthy read, for girls 14-15 and up.  I really enjoyed reading it.  There is a lot of tennis lingo, but it does not take away from the story.  I don’t know anything about tennis and very little about ballet and I was able to follow Henry as she plays her game and Eva as she becomes alive on the dance floor.  Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best is also a good one for those who liked reading The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series.

Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom, by Susin Nielsen

Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom, by Susin Nielsen, is about 12 year old Violet and her anger and sadness about her parents' divorce. Her parents don't quite understand her acting out and Violet gets in trouble a lot. Mixed in with her feelings are her love for her parents (of course); note also that much of her anger is directed toward her father, since he is the one who left. Eventually, the lesson that Violet must inevitably learn is that people are not perfect, and the only thing to be done is to make the best of a sad situation-but not before she makes her own attempts to set things right. This story is a good one to read for anyone, but will also speak in particular to preteen girls whose parents are not together anymore and are having trouble adjusting to the new living environment.

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick, by Joe Schreiber

Okay, so I was not sure what to expect when I read Joe Schreiber's Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick, but I enjoyed reading it all the same. This is a good book for a teenage boy reluctant reader (15 or 16 and up). Perry's family has been hosting a foreign exchange student during his last year of high school, and as a last gesture of kindness before she leaves to go back home, Mom makes Perry take her to the prom. However, Perry soon learns that Gobija is not quite the person she seemed to be.... It's a fast-paced read, with short chapters and lots of action. It is humorous, but it gets intense really fast.

Manga Man, by Barry Lyga and Colleen Doran

Last week I read Manga Man, by Barry Lyga, and it's pretty funny. The premise is that there is a Rip between our 3-D world and the 2-D manga world. Ryoko ends up in our world because of the Rip, and until the ex-army scientist doctor guy who made the machine that facilitated the Rip can fix said machine, Ryoko must learn to live on Earth. It's really well drawn (illustrator is Colleen Doran) and it's a light read. If you read a lot of manga and other types of comics, you will definitely appreciate Manga Man. I was laughing as I read it.