The Only Road, by Alexandria Diaz

As this Oregon Battle of the Books season starts to wind down, I am still reading the last of this season's middle level books. The Only Road is the story of two cousins who are forced to leave their families in Guatemala for the safety of the United States, where their one older brother/cousin lives. This is a timely, important, difficult story to read, but an example of what hundreds of people from Central and South America face every day. Currently they are being diligently hunted and turned away at many points along the way, most notably at the Mexico-U.S. border. But before that even happens they face many, many hardships along the way, and most don't make it to their final destination, being returned back to their homes, if they are that lucky.

All that said, this is a good book, and although not as well-written as it may have been in a more experienced author's hands, it is a necessary story to read, think about, and grapple with. This is an important book that you should read. For that I give it 4 paws.

Look Both Ways, by Jason Reynolds

Reynolds is a master storyteller. A lot of people write good books for teens, young adults and adults as well. But a few are masters - people who write so well that it is quickly obvious that they're a step above what most other good writers write (not to mention the many not-so-good writers). In my pug opinion, Sharon Creech, Kate DiCamillo, and Louis Sachar are a few master storytellers. Not every one of their books is amazing, but several of them are, when most writers never  get to one amazing book.

That said, Look Both Ways is not my favorite Reynolds book, but it is his latest. It's good, and has flashes of greatness, but a couple of the stories are just good - which isn't a bad thing - just not all of these stories are great. This book is 10 short stories written from the time the end-of-the-school day bell rings until the kids get home. 10 chapters, 10 kids or groups of kids, 10 different stories about life between school and home. All the kids and their stories emanate from one school, and the stories do loosely interact. A really cool and unique idea, and most of the stories work. A few didn't work really well for me, but a couple were gold. Read this book for the gold - Reynolds is always worth it! 4 paws!

Stargazing, by Jen Wang

The latest graphic novel by the author of The Prince and the Dressmaker, and the illustrator of American Born Chinese - what a great team to put together! Stargazing is a well-done book with a plot twist that I did not see coming! I thought the artwork really added to the story, covering several topics that you would expect from a young teen book; friendship, cliques, being different, feeling different, honesty...this is a good book, but after having just read New Kid, I have to say it isn't excellent. Well worth your time, and I like that lately there is a growth in diverse characters in books, and this book is no exception. A quick read, a good story, not quite as strong as Be Prepared, Illegal, or New Kid, but close - if you like graphic novels, you'll like this! 3.5 paws! 

Running with Sherman, by Christopher McDougal

Running with Sherman is a wonderful book about a rescued donkey, Sherman, and his recovery from neglect to becoming a national racing donkey - yep, there is such a thing! This book was not intended for teens, but it is an adult book that is teen appropriate. Cool, right? There are many books like that, but for some reason I wanted this one added to the Briggs library, because who doesn't love a great animal story, right? Along the way there are many other people and animals that are part of this grand story and adventure, and you will find yourself rooting for all the good ones! Being a book written for adults, it is a bit longer than most teen books, and includes some strong language - but not a lot, and none of it just stuck in the story for the sake of writing bad words. If you are an animal lover and aren't afraid of reading something a little longer than usual, give Sherman a try. You will miss him when the story ends, I promise! 4 paws!

New Kid, by Jerry Craft

A graphic novel and this year's winner of the Newbery Award for best kids book, New Kid by Jerry Craft tells the story of Jordan Banks, 7th grader, and new kid at school. Not just any school, but a prestigious prep school where most of the other kids are from wealthy families and are White, neither of which fits Jordan's life (although his family isn't poor, either, but they don't Christmas Break in other parts of the world on ski vacations, as some of Jordan's new classmates do). This story is about fitting in, and not fitting in, in every way you might imagine. It is extremely well done, very realistic, at times uncomfortable and at others laugh-out-loud funny, well written and well drawn. Often the Newbery Committee gets it right with the best book of the year, and this is one year where they absolutely nailed it! Treat yourself to this quick read (although you'll want to read it more than once, I'll bet)...5 paws!