Physik, a review by Carson

Physic, by Angie Sage.
As the books about Septimus Heap return,it gets even stranger. Jenna has returned, and Simon wont be bothering his family again. Silas has started to (sorta) bond with Gringe by playing a game with counters that are acctually alive. Soon, Jenna is horrified when she witnesses Septimus being kidnapped through a mirror by Marcellus,a 500 year old man. No one will believe her but Nicko and her new friend,Snorri. They must go back in time to save Septimus.....

Lizzy Bright and the Buckminster Boy, a review by Linda

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, by Gary D. Schmidt

This historical fiction novel is based on an incident which actually happened. Turner Buckminster, son of a minister, is new in town, and doesn't know anyone. He meets Lizza Bright, a resident of a nearby island. She's the first African-American he's known. They become good friends. But the powers that be in town want the African-Americans off the island, so they can use it for tourism. This is a painful story, with moments of goodness.

You might need a few tissues, as some of the characters do die. It takes place in a small coastal town in Maine in 1912.

This was an honor book for both the Newbery Award and the Michael Printz Award (young adult).