Cinderella Smith by Stephanie Barden

Cinderella Smith, by local Seattle author, Stephanie Barden, illustrated by Dianne Goode, is a present-day story of a Cinderella (not her real name, and one she didn't get from having a wicked stepmother or by sleeping by an ashy fireplace) who faces some of the same problems as her fairy-tale namesake.

Ferreting out all the original Cinderella elements woven throughout the 148 pages of this novel makes for a fun story, along with the realistic characters dealing with issues facing children for centuries: combining families through remarriage, handling bullies, wanting to be the star of the show, frustration with personal limitations and quirks, and making new friends.

Cinderella remains that character everyone is rooting for, even when everything is going against her.  A wave of a magic wand won't fix things instantly, but this Cinderella is smart enough to keep her friends close while trying to solve her own problems.

Doodlebug: A Novel in Doodles by Karen Romano Young

5/5 stars

Doodlebug: A Novel in Doodles is written in the format of a sketchbook, and in the voice of a 7th grader, Dodo, telling the story of her family's move to San Francisco and the transitions they all experience. Dodo sketches and tells her story in a notebook, beginning with their drive to San Francisco, highlighting what she already knows about herself, that she is a visual learner and she learns better when she can doodle. 

She has been diagnosed as ADHD, an attention disorder, but has chosen not to take medication so she can deal with it in her own way, if her teachers will allow it. Why do we make rules? And who decides who should follow the rules and why? Should we all be the same person, or should we celebrate and embrace our differences? Doodlebug (Dodo's new name at her new school) faces these questions head-on as she tries to fit in to her new school. She's made new friends, but will she be able to stay at her new school with its rules?

Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord

Booktalk version: Tess Brooks lives on a small Maine island with her family, including her father, a lobsterman, and her mother, the island schoolteacher, and her little sister Libby. They want to add to their family so they offer a place to a foster child, partly to help increase the number of children on the island and save their little one-room schoolhouse. If the school closes, Tess' family will have to move to the mainland and her life will change from one where she has known everyone, taken part in island rituals such as the Talent Show, and gone with her father to catch lobsters. When Aaron, a thirteen-year-old boy, arrives, he is not the older brother Tess was hoping for. He is moody, resentful of his status as a foster child, and upset about leaving his jazz band. As he finds solace in his love of music by playing his trumpet and piano, most of the islanders accept him and appreciate his talents, but will Aaron ever accept the island and the Brooks family as home?

Full-length version: I seem to have a Maine theme going lately, between the third Penderwicks book, which takes place there, and Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord, the author of Rules, a popular read-aloud at my school. This author uses her books to share insights into characters that don't often get mainstream attention, autistic children, and foster children. In this book, Aaron, a thirteen-year-old foster child, comes to a small Maine island to live with the Brooks family. Tess is eleven years old and has been hoping that Aaron will be the older brother she never had. Libby, her little sister, just wants someone to play with. Their father is a lobsterman and their mother is the schoolteacher on the island, though maybe not for long. The state has said that there aren't enough children on the island to keep the school open, so the islanders hatch a plot to bring foster children to the island to keep their numbers high.

Tess doesn't want to have to move to the mainland, where others know all the rituals of belonging. Ritual and superstition are important to Tess, each chapter revolves around the idea of a superstition or luck-making ritual, and she has her own rituals that bring her comfort and that she feels require her to remain on the island. The thought of losing her known life for an unknown one has her confused and upset. Then the arrival of the moody and uninterested Aaron complicates her life even more. She doesn't like the unknown, and Aaron is a big unknown.

As Tess tries to help Aaron feel more comfortable with his new surroundings, she has to come to terms with some new things herself, as difficult as that is. Change is hard, and everyone in this book is dealing with change on some level.

This book provides some insight into the difficulties and joys of island life, bringing the Maine island and fishing culture to life. The reader will also find some insight into the life of a foster child, their fears and hopes, and the difficulty in finding a place one can call "home."

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall

Booktalk version: The Penderwicks are on vacation in Maine, but not all of them. Their father is in England, Rosalind, the eldest, is in New Jersey, and the remaining three Penderwick girls are under the care of Aunt Claire in a small town in Maine. As they explore the beach, the woods and the town, they make friends with several other summer visitors. Will Skye be able to keep everyone safe, as the Oldest Available Penderwick, even after a few accidents? Will Jane be able to finish her Sabrina Starr novel, even though she can't get any answers to her questions about romance and love? The Penderwicks may learn that sometimes being apart can bring you closer together in the end

Full-length version: The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall is the third book in the Penderwicks series, about a family of girls being raised by their single father after the death of their mother. Many other characters are a part of their extended family, including their Aunt Claire, their friend Jeffery, and various other adults who are drawn into their fun, intelligent, charming family circle.

In this book, the Penderwicks are separated as their father travels to England, and Rosalind, usually the OAP (Oldest Available Penderwick), travels to New Jersey for a vacation. The three remaining Penderwicks, 11-year-old Skye, 10-year-old Jane, and 5-year-old Batty, along with the faithful Hound, are off to a small town in Maine with their Aunt Claire for two weeks on their own.

The family meets other enjoyable characters in their small town, and adventures abound as they explore the beach, the sea, and the woods, all the while thinking of Rosalind and their father while learning to handle situations on their own. Skye worries about whether she is a good leader, Jane worries about whether she has unending writer's block as she tries to learn about romance, and Batty just misses Rosalind but makes a new friend.

The intelligence of these characters, their complex and interesting conversations, and their positive interactions with everyone they meet are charming and enjoyable to read. Their relationships and demeanor remind me of the Little Women books by Louisa May Alcott. This is excellent, intelligent writing, and the reader will want to move into the cottage next door to share the world of the Penderwicks.