Intermediate n The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall (Knopf) In their third book, the Penderwick sisters – Rosalind, Skye, Jane and Batty – face their firstever summer separation. Easing the sting is the company of friend Jeffrey. 296 pages. n Fake Mustache: Or, How Jodie O’Rodeo and Her Wonder Horse (and Some Nerdy Kid) Saved the U.S. Presidential Election from a Mad Genius Criminal Mastermind written by Tom Angleberger; illus. by Jen Wang (Amulet/Abrams) Lenny knows his friend Casper is behind a spree of bank robberies – the robber was wearing Casper’s (fake) handlebar mustache. As Casper’s criminal ambitions grow, the slapstick and jokes amp up accordingly. 201 pages. n Secrets at Sea written by Richard Peck; illus. by Kelly Murphy (Dial) The rodent world meets Upstairs, Downstairs in this comedy of manners. When the (human) Cranston family decides to take an ocean voyage to Europe, their (mouse) neighbors tag along. 241 pages. n Nerd Camp by Elissa Brent Weissman (Atheneum) Ten-year-old Gabe is excited to go to the Summer Center for Gifted Enrichment (a.k.a. “Nerd Camp”) but he worries what his new, cool stepbrother Zack will think. 261 pages.
Middle School n City of Orphans by Avi (Jackson/Atheneum) In 1893 New York, thirteen-year-old newsie Maks must find a way to free his wrongly imprisoned sister. A detective, a lawyer, and orphan Willa help him uncover the truth in this fast-paced mystery. 355 pages. n Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (Farrar) In 1962, Jack’s summer job typing obituaries keeps him busy as the elderly citizens of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, drop like flies. Gothic comedy meets richly layered semi-autobiographical tale. 341 pages. n Chomp by Carl Hiaasen (Knopf) Wahoo’s father Mickey is a well-known animal wrangler. He allows the TV show Expedition Survival! to film on the family’s Everglades property, but must come to the rescue of the bumbling star. 294 pages. n Withering Tights by Louise Rennison (HarperTeen/HarperCollins) Fourteen-year-old Brit Tallulah is attending a performing arts summer school. Her madcap adventures, literary musings, and hilariously naïve inner monologues are all highly entertaining. 275 pages. c
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July 2012 Atlanta Parent 41