This wonderful book is the story of Antonia Vega, a recently retired professor of English, her three adult sisters, one of whom has gone missing, and a pregnant Mexican teen miigrant in rural Vermont. It moves quietly with compassion and candor as Antonia struggles with these present day issues in her life. Julia Alvarez's writing is beautiful. The parts that involve Antonia and her siblings are especially so. The story is at times sad, but there is humor as well.

Meddling Kids is a fictional story by Edgar Cantero. Inspired by Scooby-Doo, the story follows Andy, Nate, Kerri, and their pet dog as they revisit an unsolved mystery that has resulted in childhood trauma. 1the book ties in elements of the supernatural, immortal beings, and monsters. The majority of the story takes place in Blyton Hills, a deteriorating town in Oregon, and former sanctuary now tainted by fear.

The Line Tender by Kate Allen is proof positive that it doesn't matter whether a book is written for children or adults--a great book is a great book. This is one of my favorite books I've read this year.

The Line Tender takes place over the course of one summer in Rockport, Massachusetts in the early 1990s. Five years after the loss of her mother--a marine biologist who studied great white sharks--twelve-year-old Lucy Everhart lives with her father and spends most of her days putting together a field guide to native species with her best friend Fred.