The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

One of my reading goals this year is to read some non-fiction.  This book made this goal easy - this was one of the best books I've read in quite some time.

Part of the appeal for me is easy to see - all three of my kids have been rowers, so I could connect with much of the narrative that captured the world of competitive rowing.  And although I was not a rower, the descriptions of the rowing and of the bonds between the athletes totally captivated me.

But it was much more than that.  This is the story of 9 working class boys who started rowing together at the University of Washington and they clicked almost immediately - as athletes, as a team, and as friends. Their synergy was unique and electric, and they rowed their way (past Hitler, literally) to a gold medal in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The author not only brings the lives of these young men to life, but he captures the pre-WWII America that they were growing up in - through the dustbowl, the depression, and hints of what is transpiring in Germany with Hitler's rise to power.

By the time I reached the epilogue, I was fully invested in the oarsmen, their coach, and their journey together. The book is poignant and inspiring.

Three Bird Summer by Sara St. Antoine

Maybe I connected with this book because it reminded me so much of my grandmother and her summer house in northern Michigan...and of my family's cottage in Maine, where my mother has become The Grandmother. Three Bird Summer captures the magic of everything a house on a lake encompasses - the woods...the loons...the weather...and the friendships that are captured there...at the same time weaving a story that melds traditional adolescent angst with difficult family issues (divorced parents and what to do with an aging grandparent, for example). Woven into this is an emerging friendship between Adam and Alice (the girl next door) and their adventures as they work to solve the clues left by Adam's forgetful grandmother that lead them on a quest to find a hidden treasure, and into his grandmother's mysterious past.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is not a swash-buckling adventure, but a lovely story with a "just right mood."  It is well paced, has an engaging plot, and is simply a comfortable read!

The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman

(Grade 8 and up)
I love Pete Hautman's writing style - I find it witty and wry, and it sets a tone that works well for YA literature. The Big Crunch is a teen love story that is delivered in alternating points of view between June and Wes. June has just moved in - she is discombobulated from 6 moves in 4 years. Wes bumps into her (literally - in fact she gets a black eye from the encounter) and falls hard. And it's not that easy... June starts dating Wes's quirky best friend; Wes really doesn't want to be in another relationship right now; June is shy of commitment because she's afraid of moving again. Hautman follows their relationship through 4 seasons, and the very ordinariness of their budding relationship makes it that much more sweet and poignant.

Dangerous by Shannon Hale

No more princesses in this Shannon Hale book... the unlikely heroine in this Sci-fi thriller is Maisie Danger Brown - who ideas of being an astronaut seem to be no more than a dream, until she wins a scholarship to astronaut camp. The action starts in earnest when she arrives at camp and is assigned to her group (Fireteam). When they go on a spaceship test run and are infected by alien technology - which gives each of them superpowers - they find themselves in an action packed race to save to world.  Threaded throughout the action are spots of romance...Maisie forms a crush on Wilder (the "thinker" in the supergroup) but we wonder if Wilder is part of the master evil plan that Maisie is fighting against. Then there is the "boy next door" who has been Maisie's best friend since, well, forever...and that relationship seems to be shifting too.

I understand there is going to be a marketing push on this book, and I wonder if a movie is in the works.

Time's Edge (The Chronos Files Bk. 2) by Rysa Walker

Kate's race continues in book two.  There is a lot going on here, as Kate and Kiernan use the Chronos Key to jump in and out of different time lines, trying to stop Kate's grandfather Saul and Aunt Prudence from dangerously rewriting history. All of the time jumping takes its toll on Kate, and on her relationships with Trey - her current day boyfriend - who can't remember her from one timeline... And on her confusing feelings for Kiernan - who was her boyfriend in another time... Sound confusing? It is sometimes! But I enjoyed the jumping around in different timelines and figuring out how it was all connecting.

The ending? There wasn't one. It completely leaves you hanging for the third book, which I found quite abrupt (I literally said, "Really??" out loud, and looked to see if pages were missing from the end of the book). But...I'll read the third book to see what happens next!

Paperboy by Vince Vawter

Victor Vollmer stutters. When he takes over his friend's paper route for the summer, he has to talk to people...something that has never been easy for him.  As the summer progresses, his customers' stories become part of his own.
This is a beautifully told story. Victor is an authentic character, struggling with his stuttering(the author actually is telling his own childhood story); the other characters' stories are colorful and poignant.

Timebound (The Chronos Files, Bk. 1) by Rysa Walker

Kate is stunned when she learns her grandmother's secret. She is even more stunned when her grandmother gives her the blue medallion, and she learns that she is intricately involved in this secret...

This blend of historical fiction, romance, and science fiction grabbed me early on. The blue medallion is a portal for time travel (something I seem to like!) and Kate's story takes her between past and present as she tries to save her grandmother by unraveling a conspiracy.  Interesting twists keep it unpredictable, and the thread of romance with Trey - the boy she meets during her time travel - help ties the story together as well. 

Jump by Elisa Carbone

Part relationship, part adventure/rock climbing...this story is crafted around 2 troubled teen protagonists - PK and Critter - who run away with each other (before they even know each other!) to escape family problems that have become all-consuming.  

It is told in alternating, present-tense voices that jump from tense rock climbing experiences to angst filled teen age musings to logical coping mechanisms.

This is a fast-paced read, that carries the reader across country to the breathtaking world of rock-climbing, as PK and Critter work together to stay ahead of their pursuers.

Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate

If you have trouble finishing a book, this is a good one to start your reading travel with.  Told in free verse, it is told in immediately accessible first person narrative. It reads easily and moves quickly through Kek's story.

Kek is a young Sudanese refugee whose story starts (for us) when he arrives in the U.S.  He is bewildered by our weather and the way we live, but shows amazing hope and perseverance as he learns to live in a strange world...

This is a beautifully written story sharing a memorable view of an outsider struggling to find his path.