Theresa Schultz, Middle Grade Author

THE LAST RESORT

I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Resort by Erin Entrada Kelly. No wonder she's won the Newbury twice. She can certainly spin a yarn.

The book begins by introducing its main character Lila, who is working hard to stay cool, calm, and collected in order to lose her reputation as a drama queen with an overactive imagination. And she's desperately trying to hang onto her two best friends who have started to back away from the relationship.

When Lila's grandfather dies and leaves a spooky old inn to her father, she wants nothing more than to return home immediately to her normal life. But that is not to be. You'll have to read the book yourself to find out what happens next. You will not be disappointed.

This is a really fun series featuring intrepid investigator Myrtle Hardcastle. In 1890s England, a young girl is supposed to behave in a certain way, but Myrtle defies the norms. In so doing, she manages to get the wrong person arrested for murder, and then she must clear his name by finding the real killer. 

This is the first in a series. I have read all the other books and thoroughly enjoyed each one. I love Myrtle's grit, and her love for her father and her nanny touches my heart.

I loved this book. I thought it was beautifully written, suspenseful, and thought-provoking. It was difficult reading about the devastation caused by the flu epidemic of 1918, especially since we've now endured an epidemic of our own. I cheered on the girls in their pursuits, and I found Bella especially interesting, though I did think her storyline was resolved a tad too quickly. All in all, it's a wonderful book that anyone of any age would enjoy reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. What could have been a depressing story (the imminent death of a boy's father) became the catalyst for a wild, delightful adventure aboard The Train of Lost Things. Marty loves his father so much; when he loses the jacket his father gave him, with pins commemorating all the special times they'd had together, he searches for it on the magical train his dad has told him about. His adventures on board teach him many things and give him a wonderful idea that he implements before his father dies. The ending is absolutely beautiful. The author does a wonderful job of telling this story with love, compassion, and deep emotion.

The Misfits, A Copy Cat Conundrum, the second installment in this clever adventure series by Lisa Yee, is even better than the first. As we get to know each of the misfits better, we learn how valuable they are to each other; a true family is forming.

This time around, their friend Zeke is getting threatening letters. Zeke thinks it has something to do with his great-great uncle's involvement with a shipment of gold and valuable art that went missing, which leads them to a secret room in the castle and some very entertaining adventures in a museum.

Meanwhile, strange things are happening in nearby San Francisco, and the Misfits are called upon to investigate. Could the two cases be related? You'll have to read the book to find out.

I just read BEA'S BALIKBAYAN BOX OF TREASURES, and I loved it. It is wonderful to read a tale about a child with a fabulous imagination – thinking up all sorts of things to make from a cardboard box – as well as a story of love, family and generosity.

BEA'S BALIKBAYAN BOX OF TREASURES involves a very special box containing gifts from a family that has moved away to the family they left back home in the Philippines. They fill the box with food, clothing, and toys and then wait to hear that the box has been received. It's a heartwarming story that exposes the reader to a different culture.

There is also additional material that gives the reader several playful ideas for what to do with those many cardboard boxes we all seem to accumulate these days.

"Hello, Universe," by Erin Entrada Kelly, is the engaging story of four middle school children whose lives become entwined one very hot summer day.

Virgil Salinas is terrified of the neighborhood bully, too shy to talk to the girl he likes, and too timid to tell his mom that he hates it when she calls him Turtle.

Valencia Somerset is deaf and tells herself that she prefers being a loner, when she really doesn't.

Chet Bullens is the neighborhood bully who is good at many things, but not great enough at any  one thing to please his father.

Kaori Tanaka believes she has the gift of second sight, and believes in the power of the universe to make things happen for the best.

Their individual actions combine to bring them together in unexpected and satisfying ways, in time to save one of their lives.

This book won the Newbery Award in 2018, and it's easy to see why.

This is the first installment in a clever new series by Lisa Yee, with illustrations by Dan Santat. The story follows middle school student, Olive Cobin Zang, as she is transferred to a reforming arts school near San Francisco. Located on a little island all its own, the former castle turned prison is an unusual setting for a school, but Olive soon learns that this is anything but an ordinary school.

Olive and four other students become part of a crew known as The Misfits. Each misfit has a unique talent or ability. Alone, each misfit is remarkable; together, they are unstoppable.

Olive falls in love with her new school, but it is threatened with closing, unless The Misfits can stop the theft of a valuable necklace.

Each of the Misfits is appealing, and the descriptions of the school and its extraordinary features make for a fun read.