Chicken Boy by Frances O’Roark Dowell

Chicken Boy by Frances O’Roark Dowell is the story of Tobin McCauley and his family. Tobin’s mom died and his dad is having a tough time raising Tobin and his rough brothers and sister. Tobin spends a good bit of his time with his crazy Granny and doesn’t have any friends his age until he meets Henry Otis and his brother Harrison. Henry and Harrison raise chickens and have their own business selling eggs and convince Tobin to become a business partner.

Life at Tobin’s house is lonely and one day becomes so unbearable that he suggests to his Granny that he live with her. Granny takes matters into her own hands and turns the lives of the McCauleys upsidedown. Read this sort-of sad but mostly happy book to find out how the family works things out and how the guys do in their chicken business.

Last Shot by John Feinstein

Last Shot by John Feinstein is a great read if you love a good action packed mystery. Steven Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson are winners of the USBWA (United States Basketball Writers’ Association) writing contest and are spending four non-stop days at the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans. These two basketball nuts are having the times of their lives meeting coaches, sports writers, sportscasters and “student athletes”. Everything is going great, until they accidentally get tangled-up in a blackmail scheme to throw the last game of the series. While exploring the Super Dome Stevie and Susan Carol accidentally overhear a coach ordering a player to throw the last game.  Their reporter’s curiosity kicks-in to high gear and they quickly uncover the blackmail plot…but can they help a player in need before it’s too late? It doesn’t matter if you’re a basketball lover or a hater, you won’t be able to put this story down until the very end! Don’t forget to read at least three of the twenty South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominees before February 1, 2008 to be eligible for the voting party!

The Cloud Chamber by Joyce Maynard

The Cloud Chamber by Joyce Maynard is a pretty sad book but has some good messages. Nate Chance comes home from school one day and cops are all over the place at his family’s farm. They take his dad away in an ambulance and no one will tell Nate what’s going on. It seems that everyone else in town is well aware of what has taken place – Nate’s dad attempted suicide but lived. Now everyone in town thinks that there is something wrong with his family and none of their friends want anything to do with them, except for one very kind family.

Nate throws himself into his science fair project, hoping that it will somehow make things better with his dad and bring his whole family back together again. This story is a good example how things don’t always happen the way you want in life, but everything is still ok in the end.

Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix

If you like Margaret Peterson Haddix’s “Shadow Children” series (Among the Hidden, etc.) you will LOVE Double Identity! This book is full of twists and turns. Bethany is about to turn thirteen and her parents are acting completely weird. One night, her mom and dad put her in the car and drive all night to the home of an aunt she didn’t even know existed and left her there! You won’t believe what Bethany has to go through and what she finds out about her parents’ many secrets. Read this 2007-08 South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominee title and write your own review here!