Book Reviews Family

Nine-year-old Peter Hatcher has a massive problem in his life, and his name is Farley Drexel Hatcher. To the rest of the world, Peter's two-year-old brother is just an adorable, sweet little toddler known as Fudge. But Peter knows the dark truth: Fudge is a walking, talking disaster zone who ruins absolutely everything he touches. Whether he is throwing massive, screaming temper tantrums in the middle of a shoe store, scribbling all over Peter's hard-earned homework, or smearing mashed potatoes on the dining room walls, Fudge always finds a way to cause absolute chaos. Worse yet, Peter feels like his parents only ever pay attention to his troublemaking little brother. Now, Peter spends most of his time just trying to protect his most prized possession—a tiny pet green turtle named Dribble—from Fudge's destructive little hands. Living with Fudge requires a mountain of patience, and Peter is quickly running out of it. Get ready to laugh out loud at this hilarious, classic story about the wild ups and downs of surviving life with an impossible younger sibling.

Starr Carter is a teenager who lives in two different worlds. At home, she is part of a close-knit community, but at school, she attends a fancy prep school far away. Everything changes one night when Starr witnesses a terrible event: her childhood best friend, Khalil, is shot by a police officer. Khalil was unarmed, and his death quickly becomes a huge news story, causing protests and strong feelings everywhere. Starr is the only one who knows exactly what happened, but speaking out is incredibly difficult and dangerous. Some people want her to stay silent, while others pressure her to tell her truth. Her decision could affect her family, her friends, and her entire community. This powerful story explores what it means to find your voice and stand up for what is right, even when it's scary and difficult.

Living forever sounds like the ultimate dream, until you actually meet someone who has to do it. Ten year old Winnie Foster is tired of her strict, overprotective family and dreams of running away. When she finally steps into the beautiful woods near her home, she stumbles upon a secret that defies everything she knows about the world. She discovers Jesse Tuck drinking from a hidden, sparkling spring. Winnie soon learns that the entire Tuck family is immortal; they drank the water years ago and can never grow older. The Tucks are kind, gentle people who understand that living forever is more of a curse than a blessing. But they are hiding from a malicious, yellow suited stranger who wants to steal the magical water and sell it for a fortune. You will be on the edge of your seat as Winnie is forced to make the hardest choice of her life. Must she keep the Tucks' astonishing secret safe, and will she choose to drink the water herself? This breathtaking classic explores the beautiful, delicate circle of life.