Thirteen year old Jose and his family live in the tiny village of La Rupa, Honduras when a category 5 hurricane comes through and destroys most of the town. Only two houses are left standing, Jose's and one other. Many people in the village are killed; those who survive gather at Jose's house for food and shelter and to organize search parties. Jose's father, older brother, Victor and sister, Ruby are away when the storm hits. Jose must find the courage to be the man of the house in order to find food, survivors and medicine for his sick brother. Over and over he asks himself, "If Dad and Victor were here, what would they do?" (p. 64) Jose grows from a fun-loving boy into a respected leader of his community and family. "I've spent my whole life looking up to Victor and my dad, but they aren't here. Dad and Victor can't help us. It's up to me now. I know what I have to do and I can-I will-somehow do it." (p.57)The description of the village in Honduras where Jose's family lives gives readers a real sense of how small and close-knit the community is, making the tragedy of the storm that much more devastating. "From our town of fifty-six, thirty-three are ...dead...It feels like we all have died." (p.48-49)
This first person account of a terrifying storm is a powerful story. "José is an admirable character, and his story moves along at a quick pace that will sustain the attention of even reluctant readers." (School Library Journal)
Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. 2006. DAIRY QUEEN. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0618683070
D.J. Schwenk is only fifteen and she practically runs the Wisconsin family farm. She has little time for anything else. After her Dad broke his hip and her older brothers went away to college, there was no one else to do the chores. Her younger brother wasn’t much help, nor was her mother who was always at work. D.J.’s brothers had been stars of the high school football team. She was a gifted athlete in her own right, but had to quit the basketball team because of her responsibilities at home. During the summer, an old family friend, who happened to be the coach of the rival high school’s football team, asked D.J. to train his quarterback, Brian Nelson. The process transformed D.J., and everyone around her.D.J. and Brian did not get off to a very good start. They came from two different worlds. One night they meet up in town, both surrounded by their own friends. Brian's popular friends laughed and pointed at D.J., making mooing sounds. "There's Dairy Queen, Nelson! Go say hi to Dairy Queen!" (p.32) D.J. started thinking, "maybe...everyone in the whole world was just like a cow, and we all go along doing what we are supposed to without complaining or even really noticing, until we die...and maybe that's all there is to life." (p.116-117) Soon after, D.J. decides she doesn't want to be a cow. She wants to do something different with her life. D.J. and Brian eventually learn to get along and learn from one another. "D.J.'s tongue-tied nature and self-deprecating inner monologues contribute to the novel's many belly laughs. At the end, though, it is the protagonist's heart that will win readers over." (School Library Journal)
Paulsen, Gary. 2009. Notes from the Dog. New York: Random House. 038573845500
In Gary Paulsen’s Notes from the Dog, Finn starts his summer pledging to talk to as few people as possible. He would much rather be hanging out with his dog Dylan and reading, than mixing it up with people. Then twenty-something Johanna moves into the neighborhood and everything changes. Johanna has cancer, but she doesn’t let that slow her down. She makes friends with Finn, Dylan and Matthew, another neighborhood kid. She wants a garden, so she talks Finn into planting one in his yard. She is training for a triathalon to raise money for cancer research. She persuades the boys to help her. She sets Finn up with a girl that he has been too shy to talk to. With Johanna around, anything is possible.
