11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

The Wedding Planner’s Daughter by Coleen Murtagh Paratore

Willafred Havisham never knew her father. Her mother never got over his death. Always running, always hiding, Willafred lived in seven different towns by the time she was 12 years old. She is tired of her mother shutting out any possibility of happiness again and she is tired of moving! Ironically, her mother is a wedding planner, but she never lets Willafred help with the plans. Willafred helps out anyway by always planting a “13th secret ingredient” in the bride’s wedding gowns. Her own secret wish is to find a husband for her mother and gain a father for herself. She comes close until disaster strikes when she plants her secret ingredient in the gown of a famous actress whose wedding would be the biggest of the year. What happens next? Is all hope lost for good? Read it soon and find out for yourself.

Iron Thunder by Avi
Tom Carroll’s dad was killed fighting for the Union in the Civil War. Tom was only 13 years old, but forced to find work in order to support his family. He was sent to work in an ironworks in his hometown of Brooklyn, NY where men were frantically working on a ship that would fight against the Merrimac, the strongest ship of the Confederate (South States). It was long, hard work and Tom was given many jobs aboard that ship. He saw it through to finish and in the end, wound up sailing with it to battle. It was unusual for a boy that young to be invited to go, but the captain knew he could be of great help and it might actually be safer for him. That’s because spies for the Confederate States were chasing Tom. After they found out he was working on the ship to support his mom and sister, they thought they could bribe him to tell about the ship in exchange for gold coins. Tom might have been tempted at first, but he knew he could not betray his boss and co-workers. So, he refused to give the spies any information, but they hunted him down! Going to battle was scary, but so was the thought of being captured and tortured by spies. Tom proved a valuable sailor, but whether or not they survived or won the battle, I will not say. Read it yourself and find out the answers. Does Tom live or face the same fate as his father? Does he ever see his Ma and sister again?

The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John H. Ritter No one can claim that Dillontown, California is an up-and-coming place. It's rundown and dusty, and people are leaving it faster than a throw to home plate. But to the people who live there—people like 12-year-old Tom Gallagher—Dillontown is home, and they like it just the way it is. So to save his town from money-grubbing developers, Tom rashly bets its future on the results of a baseball game between his ragtag local team and the nearby summer-camp powerhouse. It's an almost hopeless cause . . . until the mysterious Cruz de la Cruz rides into town (on a horse!) determined to help Tom and his friends win the biggest game of their lives. With the combined efforts of Cruz and the reclusive baseball legend Dante del Gato, Tom's team just might have a few chances in a million of succeeding—but then those chances improve when Tom and his friends discover a secret that will change the game of baseball forever. If you like baseball, or if you just love a good story, you're sure to enjoy

The Lace Dowry by Andrea Chang

Imagine being twelve-years-old and having your mom get something special for your wedding. You don't have a boyfriend. You don't care about boys. And you really don't care about going miles away on a train to get a lace tablecloth for this someday wedding you don't care about. Who could guess that when she's there she'll fall in love with a tiny kitten and become friends with young Roza, a girl who doesn't go to school. Poor Roza has to work hard on the farm and then spend hours sewing tiny stitches to make the lace, wondering if she'll go blind like her mother. Juli might not care about boys, weddings, or lace, but she cares about a girl who doesn't even have the time to learn to read. Juli does care about Roza and knows she has to come up with something that will make Roza's life better!

Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli

Jerry Spinelli does it again. In this book, he captures the thoughts and feelings of an everyday 9th grader who has a particular interest in science. When Will Tuppence discovers that protons can die,(because up until now, he thought they would live forever and so even when he died, a part of Will Tuppence would still remain) his whole world begins to fall apart. He becomes obsessed with the proton and with falling in love and with star gazing and playing chess and it isn’t until his annoying little sister has a terrible accident that he finally realizes what’s really important in life. He finally realizes that it’s okay we’re not going to live forever—that things don’t go on forever. He learns to live each day and relish in the moment here and now…advice that’s good for all of us to heed. Two thumbs way up for this tween novel.