Mock Newbery: On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck

Title:  On the Wings of Heroes
Author: Richard Peck
Publisher:  New York : Dial Books,c2007
ISBN: 0803730810

Annotation: A boy in Illinois remembers the home front years of World
War II, especially his two heroes--his brother in the Air Force and
his father, who fought in the previous war.

When I opened the delivery of books, this title was on the top of the box.
"Oh, no" I groaned inwardly, "Not another Peck book to read". Even the
cover was unappealing to me. His books are always well written, but do
they have kid appeal? I find adults like them more than any child I have
recommended his titles to. Still, when I started to read, I found myself
liking these new characters, even chuckling at his homey, heartwarming
humor. This was a pleasure to read. A charming tribute to a loving
father. However, not groundbreaking or new. A recommended purchase,
not a Newbery contender.

Mock Newbery: Call me Hope by Gretchen Olson

Title:  Call me Hope 
Author: Gretchen Olson
Publisher: New York, NY : Little, Brown & Company,2007
ISBN 9780316012362

Annotation: In Oregon, eleven-year-old Hope begins coping with her mother's verbal
abuse by devising survival strategies for herself based on a history unit about the
Holocaust, and meanwhile she works toward buying a pair of purple hiking boots by
helping at a second-hand shop.


I just finished Call me Hope, a novel by Gretchen Olson, who lives in Oregon.  This
a satisfying book about verbal abuse beween a mother and a child.
Satisfying because it was more than an issue book. The main character, Hope, reads
"Anne Frank" and draws inspiration from Anne's diary to help her deal with her own
life. I worried about whether to make it J or YA. In the end I thought it would find
more J readers. I thought the author's choice of the Thrift shop friends was a good
choice, gently used things being new again. The character's name Hope, the sixth
grade class trip as a reward for responsibility, all fit with the theme. Hope's
survival tips are listed in the back of the book. Recommended.

Review by:  Beth J., CLTR

Mock Newbery: Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree

Title:  Emma-Jean Lazarus fell out of a tree / Lauren Tarshis.
Publisher:  New York : Dial Books for Young Readers,2007
ISBN  9780803731646

Annotation:  A quirky and utterly logical seventh-grade girl named Emma-Jean
Lazarus discovers some interesting results when she gets involved in the messy
everyday problems of her peers.

Review: Emma Jean Lazarus fits the definition of strange. She is a girl separate
from the crowd. When confronted with Colleen (nice girl) Pomerantz sobbing at the sink,
Emma Jean steps in to solve problems and sets into motion an avalanche of events. A
charming novel filled with middle school personalities. Wonderfully written in a
fresh voice. In my top ten!

Reviewed by:  Beth J., CLTR