The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies

The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies is about Evan and Jessie, siblings who are just a year apart in age and who used to be one grade apart in school... until this coming school year when Jessie will be skipping 3rd grade and joining Evan's class!  These two typically get along really well, but Evan is struggling with how this fall will turn out, knowing Jessie is so smart and believing himself to be just average.  As a result, he starts pulling away from Jessie and even picking fights with her!  Jessie is worried about this fall, too, but until Evan started acting strangely, thought he would be there to help her make friends and work her way through some of her social issues.  Now, it is the last few days of summer and the two are in an all out war - a lemonade war!  Usually, Evan and Jessie hold lemonade stands together, Evan being the charismatic salesman and Jessie taking care of the planning and money.  Now, however, they've made a deal - whoever can make $100 (or, whoever makes the most money) before the end of summer gets ALL the money from both stands!  To find out how everything turns out for Evan and Jessie, read The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies.

This was a great book!  I found myself wishing I could host my own lemonade stand!  I really liked the way the author let the reader in on each character's insecurities, but hid their feelings from one another.  I could relate to both characters, which made it hard for me to "root" for either side to win... but in a good way.  This is the first book in a series, and I will definitely be reading the rest.  I recommend this book to anyone who has siblings and has ever felt nervous or insecure about school and/or friends.

The Last Invisible Boy by Evan Kuhlman

The Last Invisible Boy, written by Evan Kuhlman and illustrated by J. P. Coovert, is Finn Garrett's story - literally. Finn has written down and illustrated all of his thoughts about himself, his brother, his mother and father, his best friend Melanie, Henry the cat, and "The Terrible Day That Changed Everything." You see, Finn is disappearing. His black hair is turning white, his pink skin is turning white... Finn is sure he's turning invisible. This all started the day after The Terrible Day That Changed Everything. Finn isn't quite ready to share much about The Terrible Day That Changed Everything until the middle of the story or so, and even then, it's hard for him. It has to do with his dad and why he's not around anymore. It takes a while for Finn to recover, but when he does he slowly begins to turn visible again.

This was an awesome story. It was really sad, but also funny, charming, sweet, and thoughtful. I really liked getting inside Finn's mind and seeing the world through his eyes. I loved Finn, but I think my favorite character was Derek, Finn's younger brother. He was NOT the typical "annoying" younger brother, he was more like a trusty sidekick you could always count on - almost like a best friend, but one who looks up to you. My favorite part of the story was a sort of funny, but not funny, mistake Derek makes when he accidentally says "Dad" instead of "Henry" (the cat) and what happened as a result. I also really liked the way the author had me guessing about what really happened to the boys' dad - I wasn't really sure until the middle of the book, and even when I finally figured it out, the author still didn't come right out and describe it for several more chapters!

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo is a tale of love and magic. When ten year old orphan, Peter asks a fortune teller if his sister is still alive, he gets an unexpected answer - YES, and that an elephant will lead him to her. Peter doesn't know what to believe; the strange fortune teller with the even stranger fortune or his father's old army friend who has been raising him and training him to be a soldier ever since his father died in the war and his mother died during the birth of the very same sister. Just after Peter hears his fortune, a magician spices up his magic routine just a little and accidentally produces an elephant (instead of a bouquet of lilies), which promptly lands on one Madam LaVaughn, crippling her. Both the magician and the elephant are thrown in jail for this crime. The elephant becomes the talk of the town and ends up being purchased by a prominent woman in society, and put on display. Once Peter learns of the elephant's appearance, he is convinced that his sister really is alive. He enlists the help of a police officer who lives in his apartment building to see the elephant, and then the magician who summoned her. Meanwhile Adelle, Peter's sister who has lived in an orphanage her whole life, begins having dreams of a snowy night and an elephant coming to her rescue. Everything comes together in the end of this magical story!

This was a great book! I absolutely loved it. I love the way the author wove all of the different stories together - Adelle, the policeman Mr. Matienne, the homeless singer and his dog, the caretaker of the elephant, Madam LaVaughn, the elephant, the magician, and of course, Peter. A quick read that will make you feel good and believe in magic!

Star Jumper: Journal of a Cardboard Genius by Frank Asch

Star Jumper: Journal of a Cardboard Genius by Frank Asch is about Alex, a seemingly ordinary kid with an extremely annoying younger brother. Alex is a cardboard genius. He can literally make anything using cardboard, duct tape, and random supplies found in an attic or garage. Alex gets some boxes from the grocery store and decides to create a rocket ship to take him to another plant, far, far away from his younger brother, Jonathan. Once he gets the ship built, he is almost ready to leave, but he remembers he needs some form of protection from the native people of the planet where he lands - just in case they aren't friendly. So, he creates a ray gun that makes things really, really tiny. Unfortunately, he accidentally uses it on Jonathan. That's when Jonathan finds out that Alex is building a space ship so he can leave home. Alex decides he might be lonely on the new planet without people like him, so he builds a replicator to bring his "alternate" selves on his journey. While he's working, Jonathan is also building something. It turns out that Jonathan is also a cardboard genius and has build a machine that erases things! The two brothers have a war - replicating themselves and erasing their alternate selves - until they finally realize they have more in common than they though. In the end, despite the fact that his space ship is ruined beyond repair, Alex realizes that he knows a perfect way to spend time with his annoying little brother that will be good for both of them!

This was a cute story! It reminded me of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Captain Underpants. Because it's in journal form, there area a lot of drawings and pictures to accompany the story. This is a fun science fiction story for anyone who has an annoying sibling!

Searching for David's Heart by Cherie Bennett

Searching for David's Heart by Cherie Bennett is about Dee Dee, an adolescent year old girl who idolizes her older brother, David. After their father is turned down for a promotion he thought he was getting and injures his back, their family is really hurting for money. Especially since their Meemaw is in an expensive nursing home. Dee Dee's dad seems to take out all of his frustrations on her, but David is always there to make things better. One day, however, David meets Jayne, and they become a couple. Dee Dee is so jealous of the time with David "the J-word" takes away from her, that she lets it ruin her own birthday party! As a result, David is in an unexpected accident and dies. His organs are donated to people all across the country. After a long bout of depression, Dee Dee finally enlists the help of her best friend Sam, and they set off on an adventure to Florida, searching for the person who now has David's heart.

This book was a quick read for me. It was completely engaging! I loved it!! It was touching and sad, and even funny at times, and everything came around full circle. The ending was perfect!