Monday Mini-Reviews: YA and Middle Grade

First of all, I realize this Monday post isn't up until Tuesday. I must be having some type of mid-summer procrastination problems.  I had plenty of time to write a blog post yesterday, but my day's schedule got turned around and my morning workout didn't happen until the afternoon, and by that time, my motivation was gone.

So, I'll try it again today.

You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon is narrated in alternating chapters by twins Adina and Tovah.  The girls' mother is suffering from Huntington's disease and the two are turning eighteen and being tested to see if either of them has inherited the disease.  The girls have been on the outs for a long time, both pursuing different passions, and angry at each other for things they've done several years earlier.  The Huntington's disease angle is one that I find extremely interesting (and heartbreaking). Lisa Genova writes expertly of it in one of her novels, but I haven't seen it in YA literature until now.  Solid YA realistic fiction

Jigsaw Jungle by Kristin Levine- I pretty much love everything Levine writes and was anxious to read her first realistic fiction middle grade novel (not her usual historical fiction).  Claudia is upset when her father doesn't come home after his last day of school.  He eventually contacts Claudia and her mom, telling them he needs some time away to think through some stuff.  While he is gone, he makes contact with Claudia, who is staying with her paternal grandfather while her mom is at a conference, sending her on a scavenger hunt of sorts. Claudia is sure that when she finds the last piece of the puzzle, her dad will come home.  Levine's novel provides a necessary story in middle grade literature.  I don't want to spoil the book for you - you should discover for yourself what is going on with Claudia's dad - but Levine has lived this experience and does a great job of sharing that with tween readers.

Resistance by Jennifer Nielsen- historical fiction is my favorite- and this novel set around the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in World War II is fantastic. Nielsen has researched this event thoroughly and created a cast of characters who mesh into the real life events.  Chaya decides to join a group of Resistance workers after her sister is taken away and her brother disappears.  Because of her blond hair and blue eyes she can easily pass as Aryan and manages to smuggle things in and out of some of Warsaw's ghettos.  When her group disbands after a raid goes wrong, Chaya is looking for another way to help - which leads her directly to a group that take part in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.  Nielsen's novel is historically accurate, full of suspense, and hard to put down.  There are a lot of WWII books out there, but this is definitely one you shouldn't miss.

These three YA/tween books are ones I can happily hand off to students this fall, as I try to get through a few more titles before we're back to school.