The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler

In this retelling of The 12 Dancing Princesses, Diane Zahler imagines there is a thirteenth princess. The king, who longs for a son is upset when his wife gives birth to a thirteenth daughter and dies after childbirth, sends her to live with the servants. Zita doesn't find out until she is 12 that she is a princess. Meanwhile, the princesses become ill and Zita, the stableboy and Babette (a witch) set out to find out what is happening to them and save their lives. At once romantic, magical, exciting and inventive THE THIRTEENTH PRINCESS is a charming read.

Mockingbird (mok'ing-burd) by Kathryn Erskine

Caitlin's world falls apart the day her brother is shot and killed in a junior high school shooting. As a child with Asperger's her brother was her link to the world. He helped her cope with school, clothes and behavior and since her dad is drowning in his own grief Caitlin looks in books and her dictionary for help. She figures out that what they need is some sort of closure to help put their lives back together. This is a remarkable book which lets us get inside Caitlin's head and understand a little more about people with this syndrome. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine is a quick enjoyable read.

A Judy Moody movie

Do you love Judy Moody? Do you know an 8-10 year old girl that can play Judy Moody in a movie? Check out this link.

http://www.judymoodythemovie.com/

Athena the Brain by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams

There is a lovely new series of books about the Greek goddesses as young girls entitled Goddess Girls. The first one is Athena the Brain and it is adorable. Athena is living on earth being raised by mortals until she is summoned to Mount Olympus by her dad, Zeus. It is time for her to attend the academy and so she bids her best friend farewell and heads off to Olympus. There she meets Persephone, Aphrodite and Artemis ( each will have their own book) as well as Zeus, Poseidon, Pandora and more. Filled with mythology and creative earthy inventions (Athena invents olives in a science fair) this book is perfect as a prequel to The Lightning Thief series and for younger kids.