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Sundee T. Frazier.  BRENDAN BUCKLEY'S UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING IN IT.  Delacorte Press, 2007. Ten-year-old Brendan is a scientist.  Every time he has a question, he writes it down in his notebook so he can find an answer.  But this summer, there are too many questions that don't seem to have answers.  Why does Brendan have a grandfather he's never been allowed to see?  Why won't Ed DeBose, a scientist just like Brendan, introduce him as his grandson?  And why did Mom and Ed stop talking in the first place?  The Tae Kwon Do warrior will have to find the solutions if he wants to reunite his family.  But the real question is, when he realizes the answer isn't a good one, will he want to? (MG/M)  This book portrays real feelings of a real bi-racial kid growing up in today’s society.  It’s also just a fun read for kids – especially boys – interested in science (especially geology) and Tae Kwon Do. Review by Lauren Marsden.

Brian Keaney. THE PROMISES OF DR. SIGMUNDUS: The Hollow People. Random House Children’s Books, 2006. The first installment in a trilogy, THE HOLLOW PEOPLE introduces readers to Dante, a kitchen boy and lowly servant. Dante is the least important of all the people on Tarnager, the fortress-like island where he was raised. Since his mom, a dangerously insane criminal committed suicide when he was a baby, Dante has no one to care for or who cares for him. That is until he crosses paths with Beatrice. The daughter of two doctors on the island, Bea has never been allowed to question the teachings of Dr. Sigmundus, their reclusive leader. Like all young people on the island, she is expected to prepare for her coming-of-age ceremony, where she’ll take Ichor for the first time and join the adults in their peaceful, dream-free lives. The problem is, Bea does have questions, like, why do some people, like Dante, still have dreams even after they’ve taken Ichor? Are those people really insane like everyone tells her? Bea wants to know why she dreams of a ruined city, and how Dante recognizes the city in her drawing. The kids’ encounters with a notoriously dangerous new asylum patient lands them in hot water with the island director, and it isn’t long before they’re launched together on a new journey, where their many questions will no longer be ignored. But, are they ready for the answers? I enjoyed this book enough to seek out the title of the second book of the series, THE GALLOW GLASS, and I can’t wait to see this story unfold.(H) Review by Julie M. Prince.

Katy Kelly. LUCY ROSE WORKING MYSELF TO PIECES AND BITS. Delacorte Press, 2007. The fourth Lucy Rose book starts on January 2^nd with Lucy and her family, as well as Lucy’s friends Jonique and Adam Melon, affectionately known as Melonhead set out to help Mr. and Mrs. McBee turn an empty, dusty and spider filled building into a bakery. The project stretches all the way through May, and along the way we join Lucy as she struggles to understand personality differences with classmate Ashley. Ashley has advantages over Lucy, for instance, she has pierced ears, a television in her bedroom, and although her parents are divorced her father lives close enough to have regular visits, whereas Lucy enjoys regular telephone conversations and e-mail messages with her own dad.Ashley tortuously teases Lucy about Melonhead until Lucy refuses to be seen publicly with her friend. The opportunity to get even unexpectedly befalls Lucy when she catches Ashley in a lie and threatens to expose her. Instead, following the advice of the adults in her life Lucy patiently bides her time until finally Ashley recognizes the maturity in Lucy Rose and surprisingly tells her that she is the one who has everything.After months of hard work, at last, the bakery opens, and grateful to Lucy and Jonique for their help and money making efforts toward the project, the McBees reward the girls with cookies named after them.Complete with recipes for Lucy Roses and Sweet Joniques.Working Myself to Pieces and Bits is a very entertaining, refreshing and enjoyable book. Review by Linda Provence.

Amber Kizer. Gert Garibaldi's Rants and Raves:ONE BUTT CHEEK AT A TIME. Delacorte Press, 2007. Gertrude (Gertie) Garibaldi came into this world when her mother was 45 and her father 60. That same year her brother, Mike, graduated college.One Butt Cheek at a Time is a book full of Gertie’s feelings about things such as competing for the attentions of her best friend Adam, who is gay and has entered a relationship with Tim, who happens to be twin brother of Lucas, who is on the receiving end of Gertie’s one-way crush.Gertie considers all students at her school in one of 6 groups. Things, senior boys who are popular with girls and sports. Giggles are fashion bugs who are badly coordinated. Pops, aka popular. Gertie falls in with the Brains. Cloud Riders are druggies, and Wannabees are the younger misfits. Gertie’s philosophies are simple. Terrorist can easily be halted with a pair of tweezers. Just look at all their facial hair just waiting to be plucked. Parenthood is overrated, that is, until she needs help at Victoria’s Secret with special undergarments and her mother’s hidden wisdom comes in handy. Gertie shares her hilarious experience behind the wheel in Driver’s Ed, her opinion of her brother’s new girlfriend and her fellow students, as well as her first kiss from a boyfriend she didn’t even realize she had. One Butt Cheek at a Time covers mature themes. Review by Linda Provence.

Iain Lawrence. THE CASTAWAYS. Delacorte Press, 2007. The Castaways is Tom Tin’s third adventure. The young lad has no choice but to grow up fast as he faces storms at high sea in a ship that may not survive the rough waters, threats from a tattooed man and another pig-like man suspected of eating children that Tom and his companions rescue from off an iceberg, and ghostlike moaning that come from deep within the ship.Tom can hardly wait to return to England so as to secure a diamond he has hidden. He wants to use the diamond to bargain toward a full pardon for himself, his dear blind friend Midgely and the other boys. The bargaining turns into a nightmare. After unwittingly handing over the diamond to Mr. Goodfellow, Tom finds himself a convict once again, on a ship heading for Australia. A strange paralysis takes over Tom’s entire body and he almost dies after eating poisonous muscles. He can’t cry out or even blink his eyes when he is buried alive. Miraculously saved by Worms, a bone grubber intent on digging up dead bodies to sell them, Tom once again sets out for England where he faces his arch enemy Mr. Goodfellow.Fast moving and well written, it isn’t necessary to read the previous two books to enjoy The Castaways, but I promise you that once you do you will scurry off to find them.  Review by Linda Provence.

Henning Mankell.  A BRIDGE TO THE STARS.  Delacorte Press.  2007. Almost-twelve-year-old Joel Gustafson has a tough life.  He doesn’t have a bicycle like all the other kids in his class.  And even worse, he doesn’t have a mom.  Joel’s mother abandoned him and his father one day, and they haven’t heard from her since.  All these feelings inside prevent Joel from sleeping.  One night, he sees a dog that’s heading for a star and is determined to find it.  Joel forms a secret society, but instead of searching for the dog, Joel meets unexpected new friends: Simon, the insomniac, and Gertrude, the woman without a nose.  With the help of his new friends, Joel just might be able to learn something about family and friendships. (MG/M/H)  This book is translated from Swedish by Laurie Thompson.  Though it starts off ordinary, the ending is wonderful, and neatly ties everything together.  Not only will Joel discover something, but the reader, too. Review by Lauren Marsden.

Lisa Shanahan. THE SWEET, TERRIBLE, GLORIOUS YEAR I TRULY, COMPLETELY LOST IT. Delacorte Press, 2007. Gemma Stone is going to be the world’s oldest flower girl. Who ever heard of a fourteen-year-old flower girl dressed as a giant swan? Her bridezilla sister, Debbie, is intent on a wedding theme of “animals who mate for life,” so Gemma will be paired with Debbie’s future sister-in-law—one of the war-crazy Webster clan—to waddle down the aisle on the big day.In the meantime, Gemma occupies her time by joining the school drama club in an attempt to get close to handsome and popular Nick. Things go somewhat awry, and Gemma finds herself practicing for auditions with the fascinating Raven De Head, of the town’s most dysfunctional family. Will Gem be able to look beyond Raven’s anger and cynicism and her own prejudices to find a new friend—possibly more?I laughed my way through the first several chapters as I got to know the quirky Stone family. Shanahan was genius at creating a zany cast of characters. They all know their places in supporting roles for the main character, Gemma.Gemma delivers in every chapter: loving and sweet, bold and sassy, uncertain and questioning. She struggles to find a balance between her comfortable past and a roller coaster future as she puts childhood behind her and ventures into a new world of personalities and relationships.Raven’s family seems to have the most to teach her, although the lesson of how an abusive family can still have a strong bond is a tough one for Gemma to learn. Any book that can make a reader like me both laugh and cry, as this one does, is worth picking up! (M/H) Review by Julie M. Prince.

Jerry Spinelli. LOVE, STARGIRL. Random House Children’s Books 2007. Stargirl Caraway narrates her story in the form of “the world’s longest letter” to Leo Borlock. The letter remains unmailed for an entire year as Stargirl relates her adventures from Pennsylvania to her once (and future?) boyfriend in Arizona. Starting over is never easy, but for the eccentric main character, it’s easy to make new friends, albeit with some strange characters. Despite her fear of moving on without Leo, the home-schooled Stargirl is intrigued by the lives of the people in town. Dootsie, her new best friend, just happens to be five years old. Alvina is an angry tomboy who tries desperately to hide her softer side. The cast of characters is rounded out by a woman who hasn’t left her house in nine years and a few other town loners befriended by the charming main character. Stargirl has a hard time figuring out Perry Delloplane, the boy who seems to steal the hearts of all the girls in town, despite (or perhaps because of) his bad boy image. It becomes increasingly difficult for Stargirl to fight her own growing feelings for Perry and avoid becoming just another girl in his harem. The book included several references to anniversaries of events that occurred in STARGIRL, so it may be a bit tough for new readers to get into, but Jerry Spinelli’s loveable characters never fail to take over and charm their way into the hearts of readers. (M/H)  Review by Julie M. Prince.

Rich Wallace.  ONE GOOD PUNCH.  Knopf.  2007. High school senior Michael Kerrigan has everything going for him.  He’s got a great job writing obituaries for the Scranton Observer.  He’s ready to start what he knows will be the best track season of his life.  He’s applied to colleges where he can study to be a journalist and be a track star.  All this changes when Joey, Michael’s friend, puts four joints in his locker.  Michael can’t even blame Joey since he did ask for them.  But once the cops find the drugs, everything starts going downhill for Michael.  He loses his job, and he might be expelled from school – if he doesn’t turn Joey in.  Will Michael risk track season and the chance to go to a good college to save Joey from prison?  (H) Review by Lauren Marsden.

Jake Wizner. SPANKING SHAKESPEARE. Random House, 2007. The most prestigious award at Hemingway High is given to the winner of the Senior Memoir project and Shakespeare Shapiro wants it. Shakespeare tells us his story by weaving slices of his memoir with journal entries that document the course of his vitally important senior year. He sees this year as his last chance to make something uncringeworthy of himself. His ambitions are to acquire a girlfriend, become a high school literary star, and win the Senior Memoir contest. By the time the story ends, Shakespeare has acquired the more valuable qualities of insight and compassion. Wiener is an intelligent and witty writer who delivers an engaging story but is also not afraid of including moments and characters that represent the darker aspects of adolescence.  (H) Review by Jan L. Lundquist.

Rating Rubric:
MG indicates appropriateness for middle grades/tween
M indicates appropriateness for middle school
H indicates appropriateness for high school
RR indicates appeal to a reluctant reader (Our definition of reluctant reader is someone who can read but for whom reading is not important. We have known “honor” students who fit this definition.) * indicates available in paperback
***Publishers who would like to have books reviews in "Bill's Best Books" should contact BBB Editor David Gill at billsbestbooks at gmail.com

About the Reviewers:

• Jan Lofton Lundquist, reformed geek, is currently lost somewhere in the middle ages, Her fictional account of the fictional Children’s Crusade is moving along at donkey cart speed.
• Lauren Marsden is a senior at York College of Pennsylvania studying elementary education and French.  She is a writer on the side, but that has always been her passion. She has been doing it since before she could form letters.  She has always loved to read, even though she doesn't have as much time for it as she'd like.  Her other hobbies include art and web design.
• Julie M. Prince is a freelance writer for children and young adults. Two of her biographies for kids were published in 2006 by ProQuest: Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song and Leonardo da Vinci Ms. Prince is hard at work revising her first middlegrade novel in the desert southwest, where she resides with her husband, son, and way too many pets. You can also read her reviews through Teens Read Too at: http://www.teensreadtoo.com/  and on her active blog at: www.juliemprince.com. Contact her at: julie@juliemprince.com .
• Linda Provence has done a little of everything, from fashion modeling to owning a super diverse pet shop. No matter what she dives into, she never strays from her one true passion, writing. She keeps busy spoiling two beautiful granddaughters, and with flowers, art, movies, and of course books, with over 2000 of them in her collection.
• David Gill is the webmaster of ALAN Online and editor of Bill's Best Books, as well as the President-Elect of ALAN.