Ryan Hart always tries to see the best in people and to make lemonade out of lemons—she's a budding chef, after all!  When her dad gets a new, less profitable job, for instance, it means the family has to move to a different part of Portland, Oregon, into an older house that isn't nearly as nice as their last one.  Ryan's disappointed that everything in her new home seems tired and used-up, but she's excited when she finds a treasure that gives her a mystery to solve.  On top of that, she has to figure out what her talent is so she can share it at the school's upcoming showcase.  She can't exactly perform "being nice" onstage, especially when the mere thought makes butterflies do wild gymnastics in her stomach.  As other challenges crop up in her life, Ryan has to find ways to overcome them using her usual creativity and positive attitude.  Can she find ways to make sunshine, even on cloudy days?

Ways to Make Sunshine, the first installment in a new middle-grade series by Renée Watson, is an upbeat, positive story that is as joyful as it is empowering.  Ryan Hart has been called the new Ramona Quimby, which fits.  While she's a good girl who's always trying to be kinder and more compassionate, she becomes realistically frustrated with daunting situations.  She's also got a mischievous side that helps make her feel authentic.  There's not a lot of plot in this series opener, but that's okay.  I actually love that the book portrays ordinary days with ordinary problems in the life of an ordinary family.  You don't see that a lot in children's novels that star Black families—most of the ones I've read tackle slavery, racism, gang violence, absent fathers, the Civil Rights movement, etc.  While there's nothing wrong with taking on those big issues, it's refreshing to find a book like Ways to Make Sunshine that depicts a typical Black family dealing with normal, everyday issues.  I wish this novel had been around when my daughter, who is bi-racial and adopted, was younger.  It would have helped her feel seen.  I'm thrilled that kids who look like her—as well as those who don't—will all be able to find themselves in this delightful series.

(Readalikes:  The Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary)

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

The Great Depression has wreaked havoc all over the country, forcing people into strange, new circumstances.  For 12-year-old Ellie, that means moving out of her comfortable home in town and into a cramped cabin on remote Echo Mountain.  Although her family's reduced circumstances are far from ideal, Ellie loves the freedom she now has to roam about exploring the wonders of the natural world.  The mountain is full of surprises and mysteries and she's determined to discover them all!

When a terrible accident leaves her father in a coma, Ellie's whole family is devastated.  Unfairly blamed for causing his injury, Ellie feels responsible for saving him.  She sets out to find a mystical mountain hag who is said to have otherworldly powers capable of curing any ailment.  Can the witch bring Ellie's dad back to life?  As Ellie separates Echo Mountain's fabled myths from its true magic, she'll discover the power of her own pluck, resiliency, and strength of character.  Using her own unique talents she just might be able to save them all.  

I love finely-wrought historical fiction that brings a unique time and place to life.  Echo Mountain, the newest middle-grade offering from Lauren Wolk, certainly does that.  Her descriptions of mountain life are vivid and compelling.  Ellie is an easy-to-admire heroine who cares more about other people than herself.  She and her fellow cast members are likable, although flawed.  Plot-wise, there's enough going on in Echo Mountain to keep the story moving along at a steady pace.  Because of its old-fashioned feel, I'm not sure how much kid appeal this novel has.  Hopefully some since it teaches valuable lessons about listening to your instincts, respecting nature, not making assumptions about people, and using your unique skills and resources to help other people.  Lovely and lyrical, Echo Mountain is also moving, hopeful, and engaging.  I enjoyed it.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of Where the Watermelons Grow by Cindy Baldwin, also of The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little)

Louise "Lou" Montgomery loves to sing, but not in the way her mother wants her to.  Convinced that Lou's going to make it big any day now, her mother drags her from place to place insisting that she perform in front of any crowd they can find.  Twelve-year-old Lou can't stand the noisy groups, all the people looking at her, or the way some people want to touch her.  She knows her quirks are weird, but sometimes the sensory overload makes her feel like she's going to explode.  Lou and her mom need the money her gigs provide so they can find somewhere to live besides their truck, but she would do anything not to have to perform ever again.

When Lou accidentally crashes the truck and her unstable living situation becomes known, Child Protective Services steps in.  Lou is sent to live with an aunt and uncle in Nashville.  For the first time she realizes what she's been missing—a clean home that's not on wheels, nutritious meals, going to school, guardians who put her first, etc.  When her Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is officially diagnosed for the first time, Lou even begins to understand the condition that has always confused and plagued her.  Lou's new life is a million times better than her old one.  Does she really want to be reunited with the mother who neglected and exploited her?  If Lou can't save her mom, who will?

Although the plot summary of Tune It Out by Jamie Sumner makes the middle-grade novel sound pretty grim, it's actually a funny, hopeful book that's more upbeat than not.  Lou is a sympathetic character, even if she's also kind of a self-centered one.  It's easy to root for her as she begins to get the stability and care she deserves.  Yes, she acts older than 12 and yes, her story is predictable, but overall, Tune It Out is an enjoyable novel.  It brings the challenges of living with an SPD to light and teaches an important lesson about the fact that no one is "normal."  Everyone has quirks and differences that should be viewed with empathy and understanding.  With further lessons about family, friendship, and finding your way, Tune It Out is an appealing, compelling novel.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  You?)

Betita Quintero loves going to fourth grade in her East Los Angeles neighborhood.  There, a beloved teacher has been showing her how to express her feelings using vivid "word-poems."  She has plenty of emotions to illustrate—happiness from being surrounded by loving parents and a poor, but supportive community of immigrants; excitement over the impending birth of her baby sibling; and fear of her parents' undocumented status being discovered.  Betita's worst nightmare comes true when her father is arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and deported to Mexico.  Now, she and her pregnant mother are worried, scared, and on their own.  How can they survive without Papi?  

Things go from bad to worse when Betita and her mom are detained, locked away in a dirty cell with other terrified refugees.  How will they survive in such a hopeless, joyless place?  Will her Mami's baby be okay?  Most of all, will the Quintero family ever be reunited?  

Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar (who was born in Mexico and brought to the United States by her undocumented parents when she was a baby) tells a gut-wrenching, heartrending story that is all too timely and real.  It's grim and disturbing in a lot of ways, but it's also hopeful and beautifully told in verse.  No matter what you think of U.S. immigration policy and its enforcement, it's impossible not to be moved by this illuminating story.  It's a quick read, but a powerful one that has stuck with me for months.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Efrèn Divided by Ernesto Cisneros)