A bunch o' reviews of kid books. Yippee!

OK, as promised, I'm reviewing a WHOLE bunch of kids books I've read recently, so hold onto your hats. If you want more info, please email me or come see me. these books are all worthy of full reviews, but I've been kinda busy teaching, so a QUICK spin is all you get.

Surface Tension - Brent Runyon. the story of a young man and his experiences with his family at their lake cabin 4 years in a row. It's interesting to see how he changes from year to year. Frankly, I liked him better when he was younger, but I'm pretty sure he's going to be OK when he grows up.

Gym Candy - Carl Deuker - Disturbing story of a HS football player who decides he needs to take steroids to be competitive. This book made me really want to keep reading! Steroids are nasty business, and Carl Deuker does NOT sugar coat anything about them in this story.

Change-Up - John Feinstein. another mystery with Stevie and Susan Carol, teen reporters who are always encountering a mystery at a major sporting event. Less tension in this one than some of the others, but I kind of liked it better.

Not to leave the girls out, I also read a couple books which are definitely more girly.

Dear Pen Pal - Heather Vogel Frederick is the third installment in her four book series, and just as much fun as the rest. For me, though, I wish I'd read the others closer to reading this one so I didn't forget some of the details about the characters. I really enjoy reading about these girls and I love how the author weaves in the books their group is reading with the rest of the plot. A great series that all the girls I know who've read it love.

Boys Bears and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots - Abby McDonald The lovely people at Candlewick sent me an ARC of this book - I entered a contest and won! Very exciting stuff to find a new book in my mailbox, I'll tell you! And I loved this one. It's a coming of age story about a young woman who goes to spend the summer with her godmother up in Canada. She has some pretty firm ideals, but she learns that perhaps those won't necessarily hold up for everyone, and she learns some powerful lessons about judgment and trusting. This book deals with serious issues but also has some fine humor which keep it from being weighed down. I definitely recommend this book also.

Finally a book for everyone. The Magician's Elephant - Kate DiCamillo. Well, I say for everyone, but really you need to be a special kind of reader to do this one, as it's a little bit different. It's interesting, but strange. A bit of the mystical interspersed with some realism. It's a little dark, as well. It's by the same author as The Tale of Despereaux, but if you haven't read either of those and you're going to choose one by this author, I'd definitely go with Despereaux.

I hope you'll have a chance to take a look at some of these books and let me know what you think! Leave me a comment or stop by the library. Enjoy :)