Shades of Gray Carolyn Reeder

This is the story of twelve year old Will Page who has lost everything in the Civil War. He is grieving and angry. His father died bravely in the Confederate Army. He is to live with his only existing relatives, an Uncle Jed and his family. Will's Uncle Jed had refused to take sides in the war and Will considers him a coward.

Will works alongside his Uncle on his farm doing hard manual labor...something that Will is not use to doing. While working and living with his relatives Will learns to appreciate and love their hard life and his Uncle's ways and his reasoning about the war. A good read because it gives you a glimpse into what people had to deal with after the killing and destruction of the Civil War.

Rules Cynthia Lord

Catherine has an autistic brother. Her love for her brother and her frustrations with him are always in conflict with each other. She has created sets of rules for him (eg. Take your shoes off at the doctor but at the dentist leave them on) to help him get through everyday normal life. A new neighbor arrives that Catherine desperately wants to be her friend, but she worries about the reaction that the new neighbor might have to her brother. Along the way she also befriends a non-verbal paraplegic who uses word cards to communicate. The story is told with wit and humor and heartbreak from the viewpoint of 12 year old Catherine. This book makes you think what normal really means. This book is not written from a Christian viewpoint but it would make a great discussion starter of how God makes all of us different and how we are to love one another.

Home of the Brave Katherine Applegate
Macmillian c2007

I was very impressed by the simple and powerful verse of this book. The characters are so deep and well written. It is a view into a young immigrant boy's life into the struggles of learning to live in a new country and the beauty and horror of his former life in the country he left. It is an amazing and moving novel.