Glory Be, by Augusta Scattergood

It's summertime, and there's not much that Gloriana June Hemphill (Glory) looks forward to more than having her 4th of July birthday party at the community pool.  This is the year she'll be turning 12 so she won't have to be supervised by big sister Jesslyn every time that she and Frankie want to go swimming.

But it's the summer of 1964, and Glory's age isn't the only thing that's changing.  First off Jesslyn, who used to play junk poker and talk with Glory in their shared room, isn't really talking anymore.  She's busy dressing up, putting on lipstick and sneaking visits with new boy Robbie at the library.  And then there's Glory's best friend Franklin Cletus Smith (Frankie for short).  Sure he's always been pushed around by his big brother J.T., but now Frankie is seeming to spew the same kind of stupidity as J.T. and his Daddy.  After all, it's Frankie who tells Glory that the pool is closing.  He says he overheard his Daddy talking about it.  He said it has cracks and needs to be fixed.  Glory doesn't see any cracks...

Hanging Moss, Mississippi has to face the fact that just because things have always been one way, doesn't make that way right.  Maybe there shouldn't be a white fountain and a colored fountain.  Maybe the community pool shouldn't only be for white people.  Maybe the library should be open to all.

Augusta Scattergood tells one girl's story about a summer of change in the South.  Glory's world view is pitch perfect as she slowly starts to understand the bigger reasons for the pool closing, and her fellow townspeople's treatment of the Yankees who have come to town.  Glory is a white girl who has grown-up in the white part of town with a black maid employed by her preacher father.  She has all of the spunk and indignation of an 11 year old who can see right and wrong, but has a hard time seeing where she fits into the picture.  This is a great tween read that will get readers thinking about the big issues of social justice as well as the universal changes that come with growing up.

Three Times Lucky, by Sheila Turnage

I made a discovery during my committee tenure last year about books I love.  There are books with chops where I delight in the use of language, setting, characterization et cetera, and then there are heartsong books.  You know, those books that you wax poetic about...the ones that speak to you? And every so often, these two things collide into a book that you know will remain a favourite for all of your days.

This is what Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage is to me.

"Trouble cruised into Tupelo Landing at exactly seven minutes past noon on Wednesday, the third of June, flashing a gold badge and driving a Chevy Impala the color of dirt." (p. 1)  Tupelo landing is where Moses (Mo) LoBeau ended up after her mother strapped her to a make shift raft during a hurricane.  She came to stay with Miss Lana and the Colonel and helped them run their cafe.  When local oldie Mr. Jesse turns up dead, Tupelo Landing turns upside down, with Mo and bestfriend Dale  smack in the middle of everything, due to a little bit of borrowing of Jesse's rowboat.

Turnage has managed to pack an awful lot of goodness into this one including a twisty turny mystery, unforgetable characters, family heart-ache, strong girl-boy friendship and memorable turns of phrase.  It is a book that will have readers laughing, wondering and feeling sad in turn.

I was lucky enough to meet Sheila Turnage at ALA in Anaheim and she said that Mo just kept talking to her.  She wanted her story told.  I'm awfully glad Turnage listened to her!

Cicada Summer

"Some people think the cicadas bring trouble when they come to town. I don't think that's true. I think trouble finds its way without any help at all". (pg. 1)

This is a summer of trouble for Lily. Ever since everything happend with Pete, Lily has remained silent. She keeps her secrets inside. There are two big ones...what happend to Pete, and the fact that she is, indeed, fine.

And then Tinny comes to town.

Tinny is sneaky, and not in the Nancy Drew way that fuels Lily's fantasies and dreams. Tinny quickly finds out that Lily has secrets that the folks in her small town are overlooking. Lily in turns, finds out some things about Tinny, but in order to keep her own secrets she cannot tell. Can she?

Two interwoven storylines are filled with small town characters and countrified charm, and Cicada Summer is a wonderful addition to the bookshelves of fans of Deborah Wiles, Polly Horvath, and even Sharon Creech. Beaty has captured the sultry feel of summer as well as the world of children that seems so insular next to that of the adults in their lives.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I did meet Andrea Beaty at the Kidlitosphere Conference in Chicago in 2007, but rest assured, this title would not end up on my blog if I did not enjoy it!)

The Aurora County All-Stars

I love Deborah Wiles' stories. The Aurora County All-Stars is no exception! She has this incredible way of making me feel the small town in such a way that makes me yearn for a sleeping porch, and want to start canning some fruit!

This is a story about baseball, poetry and family. House Jackson is sitting in the room with 88 year old Mr. Norwood Rhinehart Beauregard Boyd when he takes his last breath. House calls the town doctor, and then high tails it out of there. Why did he leave so quickly, and what was he doing there in the first place?

House's first love is the baseball team that he and best friend Cleebo Wilson head up. Every year they have one official game against the team from the neighbouring county. Last year House had to miss the game. His arm was broken, you see. Broken because of none other than Frances (call me Finesse) Schotz and her modern dancing. This year, House is ready and he can't wait for the game.

But the town Mamas have another plan. They want all of their sons and daughters to be in a pageant celebrating the town's history, because golden son and soap opera actor Dr. Dan is coming back into town. And who is going to direct this play that just happens to fall on the same day as the annual baseball game? Miss Finesse Schotz, that's who!

What follows is a beautifully layered story about family history, death, memories, poetry and baseball. And all of the characters cast : House, Cleebo, Honey, Frances, Ruby Lavendar (!), Leonard, and all of the townsfolk, have a magic to them. This is a quiet sort of story that will stay with the reader for a long time.

The Higher Power of Lucky

So...a little slow to the boat on this one. A shame about the whole scrotum mess. What a beautiful book.

Lucky is living in Hard Pan (pop. 34) with her legal guardian Brigitte, friend Lincoln, pest Miles and a few other characters. She has one of the few paying jobs in town: sweeping up the patios after the anonymous people's meetings. The drinkers, gamblers, and smokers all leave behind different things that the members of the other groups would not likely enjoy seeing. Lucky tends to listen in on the meetings. She especially likes hearing about folks hitting rock bottom, finding their Higher Power, and getting their lives together.

Lucky wishes she could find her Higher Power too. Ever since her mother's tragic death, Lucky has felt like she was searching.

Newbery winning author Susan Patron has written a lyrical novel about that chasm between kids and adults. How easily we misunderstand each other. Nuances of language which are seemingly so obvious to grown-ups are generally misinterpreted by the younger set. With memorable characters like Lucky and Lincoln Clinton Kennedy Carter, The Higher Power of Lucky is a slice of life book that will appeal to fans of each little bird that sings and The Beloved Dearlies.