This and that

Here is a diverse collection of novels that I have recently enjoyed and thought you might too.


Clarke, Judith. One whole and perfect day. 2007. Michael L. Printz Honor 2008.

Do you believe in coincidence and serendipitous occurrences? Lily now does. The only thing this teenager wanted was one whole and perfect day. This day she decided should be her grandfather’s 80th birthday party where she and her family could be happy, together. This seemingly could never happen as her mother is over-worked and likes to bring home clients from the senior day care facility, her father left when she was a baby and her brother can never seem to get his life in order. Her extended family is just as bad; her grandfather is racist and grandmother has an imaginary friend. Lily is the responsible adult in the family and she is getting tired of trying to take care of everything and everyone especially since nothing ever seems to go right anyway. Everyone’s life seems to be unraveling and Lily’s wish seems less likely to come to fruition but a turn of events here and a couple of coincidences there and somehow Lily’s whole and perfect day might actually happen.
The stories and characters are intertwined so flawlessly that it feels that Lily’s whole and perfect day was meant to be.


Whelan, Gloria. Listening for lions. 2005.

Rachel Sheridan is a warm, loving girl. Valerie Pritchard is a spoiled girl. Rachel had supportive, kind parents. Valerie has greedy parents. Rachel loves her life in Africa. Valerie hates her life in Africa. Rachel respects and befriends the Africans. Valerie feels herself above everyone. If Rachel and Valerie are so different, why then does Rachel assume Valerie’s identity, at Valerie’s parents’ insistence, when Valerie dies from influenza? And how will Rachel ever become Rachel Sheridan again, if ever?


Hobbs, Will. Downriver. 1992.

No adults, no permit, no map. But they are still going downriver for the time of their lives or will it be the end their lives? They are the seven kids from Discovery Unlimited, an outdoor education program that they each have been sent to for various reasons. Somehow it is suggested that they “borrow” the white water gear from the Discovery Unlimited van while Al, their adult leader, is occupied. Everyone agrees to the adventure and they begin to have the time of their lives exploring caves, hiking up waterfalls and plunging through the rapids. But Troy, who emerges as the magnetic and ultimately frightening leader leads them farther and farther from safety. When Jessie and others voice concern over Troy’s leadership, events unfold that could have deadly consequences. River thunder is the sequel to Downriver.


Henkes, Kevin. Olive’s ocean. 2003. Newbery Honor Book 2004

Martha Boyle never knew Olive and never will. Olive is dead, hit by a car. Martha never knew Olive but Olive knew who Martha was and wanted to be her friend. She wrote that in her journal before she died. She also wrote that she wanted to be a writer, just like Martha does and that she wanted to visit the ocean. Now what is Martha to do with this knowledge? She just wanted her last weeks of summer vacation to be fun especially when she is at the ocean with her family visiting her grandmother and seeing the Manning boys again, especially Jimmy. But now there is Olive and her journal entry stating “I hope that I get to know Martha Boyle…(and) that we get to be friends. She is the nicest person in my whole entire class”.