Kira's earliest memories are of survival in the woods where she was found as a child with no memory of her past. Now she trains dogs to help find people in the wilderness. Her adopted family trains elite search-and-rescue dogs. The dogs are part of Kira's family as much as the humans in her life, and sometimes she feels like the dogs understand her better. When a child goes missing in the Sierra Glades National Park after a series of disappearances, Kira's family reports for duty. But this is not a regular mission. The similarities to Kira's own past cause flashbacks and a reunion with estranged family members brings dangerous secrets to the surface. On top of it all is the mystery of what or who might be behind the string of missing persons in the Park.

Barnes is a master of characterization and everyone we meet in the book is layered and nuanced. She manages to do this while maintaining a fast-paced plot. Of course I love the focus on dog characters and was fascinated to read about the particulars of search and rescue. 

The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Erica's Picks
7th & 8th
Tags:

Kidnapped by a rebel group as a child, Imara has grown up among rough men doing terrible deeds. The only reason she has survived is that they believe she has supernatural powers. She has accepted her fate and the devil inside her. Imara has learned to keep her feelings bottled up safe inside and not let anything touch them. Then the rebels kill a silverback gorilla and kidnap its baby. She is put in charge of caring for it until they can sell it as a pet. The innocent baby chips away at all her defenses as tempts her to forget all the lessons that have kept her safe and risk it all to save another. 

This heart-wrenching novel completely absorbed me as I eagerly rooted for Imara. Gorillas are my favorite animal, so I was hooked instantly. Even though it's fiction it's firmly rooted in reality and opened my eyes up to issues that I knew very little about. 

Gorilla Dawn by Gill Lewis
Erica's Picks
5th -8th grade
​Tags:

In a Viking village plagued by supernatural foes, warriors must pass a trial when they come of age. If they fail, they are banished from the village unless they can accomplish an impossible task. Most don’t even survive a week. As the chief’s daughter, Rasmira has been training her whole life to take over from her father and lead her people in battle. But when she’s sabotaged in the trial, she’s sent away on her own. Her task? To kill the God that terrorizes the village. In the wild, she meets two others who have failed their trials and been banished. Together, they vow to help each other complete their tasks so they can return to their villages.

A viking adventure with a supernatural twist. This is a classic adventure full of monsters, quests, and revenge. The Norse setting makes it a little different and the characters are really well developed. The fast-paced plot will have you turning the pages and puzzling over how the characters can complete their impossible tasks. 

Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller
Erica's Picks
Grades 7-8
​Tags: adventure, fast-paced, friendship, historical fiction, 

​When Vita’s grandfather is cheated out of his family home by a notorious conman, she and her mother take the next boat to New York. 1920s New York is full of wonders and danger, but none of it is a match for Vita’s determination. Vita has a permanent limp and is used to people underestimating her. She uses that to her full advantage. With her new friends from the circus, she sets off to steal her family’s fortunes back.

I enjoyed every moment of this adventure story. From the circus performers and animals to the trips through secret tunnels this book will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Erica's Picks
The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell

3rd - 6th grade
​Tags: Adventure, Animals, 

​Years ago, Abdi’s older brother was kidnapped by the jihadi group Al Shabaab , brainwashed, and turned into a child soldier. Now the rest of his family is kidnapped by the supposed good guys. They beat Abdi and threaten his family unless he agrees to go undercover in Al Shabaab and report back to them. If Al Shabaab discovers he’s a spy, he’ll be tortured until he longs for death. But if he refuses, his whole family will be killed.

This fast-paced story will keep you on the edge of your seat and immerse you in a different world. The book alternates between Abdi’s time after escaping Al Shabaab and flashbacks to his time with them. It keeps you guessing as you try to piece together the pieces of what happened in the past.

Erica's Picks
Let's Go Swimming On Doomsday by Natalie C. Anderson
8th Grade
​Tags: 

Sawyer’s mother grew up as a Southern belle in a world of white gloves and canapes. When she got pregnant with Sawyer, she fell from grace hard and fast. Sawyer grew up in a dingy apartment, eating take out from the bar where her mom works. At first when her estranged grandmother stops by with an offer to pay for her college in exchange for living with her in her mansion and going through the debutante season, it seems too good to be true. But Sawyer soon discovers the dark secrets lurking behind the pretty dresses and realizes she was safer at home on the wrong side of the tracks.

As Sawyer explores the world of debutantes and tries to finally solve the mystery of who her father is, she uncovers the dark underbelly of high society. She’s not sure who to believe and neither is the reader as this twisted plot unfurls.

Erica's Picks
8th Grade
Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
​Tags: Contemporary Fiction, Fast-Paced, Mystery

The backdrop for this novel is the 2015 Syrian crisis and the November 13th Paris nightclub attack that lead to a manhunt in Brussels, followed by the bombing of the Brussels airport. Thirteen-year old Max and his family have moved from America so his father can be a defense consultant to NATO. They now live in an upscale neighborhood in Brussels and while sister Claire attends The American School, Max is enrolled in a Belgian school where classes are taught in a language he barely understands.  He is bullied and feels stupid in class.
Fourteen-year old Syrian refugee Ahmed has lost his entire family in the Syrian War and during their escape to Europe.  He finds himself stranded in Brussels after having lost his last family member, his father, and his money and cell phone to an unscrupulous smuggler. He takes refuge behind an unlocked door to the unused wine cellar in Max’s townhouse.
The boys meet and bond and so begins the dangerous story of hiding Ahmed from the authorities and finding a place for him to thrive.
They make some friends and together learn about a historical parallel that took place in the same residential block seventy-three years earlier. During WW II someone hid an orphan Jewish refugee from the holocaust.  He was turned in by neighbors who were Nazi collaborators.  The boys are determined that this will not happen to Ahmed but as the police search for terrorists the danger escalates. 
 
"A resistance novel for our time." - The New York Times
"A hopeful story about recovery, empathy, and the bravery of young people." - Booklist 
"This well-crafted and suspenseful novel touches on the topics of refugees and immigrant integration, terrorism, Islam, Islamophobia, and the Syrian war with sensitivity and grace." - Kirkus, Starred Review

Tessa's Picks, 5-8th grade, Character Driven, Fast paced, Global perspectives, Historical Fiction.
​

 
.

 Nine students. Three bloodsports. One deadly weekend.
Creepy, seriously creepy. With a British accent. Greer MacDonald, scholarship student, does not fit into the exclusive atmosphere of St. Aidan’s boarding school for the elite. She knows this and tries to keep a low profile. Then she receives a mysterious invitation with three words embossed upon on it: huntin' shootin' fishin'. It refers to a weekend at the country manor of Henry de Warlencourt, the most popular and wealthy boy at S.T.A.G.S.
Arriving at Henry’s ancestral home, Greer realizes the only adults are the servants who do Henry’s bidding. The other guests are Henry’s clique known as “The Medievals” as they distain all modern technology calling it “savage.” Two other outsiders have been invited along with Greer; Shafeen Jadeja (“Punjabi playboy”) and Chanel Ashford (“Carphone Chanel”).
 Each day is to be devoted to one of the three blood sports on the invitation. As each becomes progressively dark and twisted, Greer realizes that she and the other misfits have become the prey. 
This is a top notch psychological thriller. Murder, mayhem and madness! You won’t be able to put it down. Warning…not for the faint of heart!

Tessa's Picks

7-8th grade, Contemporary fiction, Fast paced, Horror

​

Addie Webster was kidnapped eight years ago. In the meantime, her father has become the president of the United States. Now she is sixteen and she’s back.  Some in the administration find this suspicious; what effect did her captors have on her?
Her childhood friend Darrow Fergusson is the son of the current chief of staff at the Whitehouse. He is manipulated by a national security advisor into finding out if she could be a threat.  What really happened to her in the compound? Is she a victim or a weapon?  The flash backs to the past eight years only confuse.
This is a page turner!  So much intrigue, plot twists and surprises in this political thriller.  And what an ending!




Tessa's Picks
6-8th grade, Contemporary fiction, Fast paced

​