Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl

What do you get when you mix a beautiful and determined heroine with a ruined family estate, Cinderella-worthy stepsisters and a jumble of potential suitors? The answer is: a hilarious parody of a Jane Austen novel, obviously! In her young-adult novel Keeping the Castle, author Patrice Kindl gives readers a good-humored, feathery romp with a loveable protagonist through an England that is familiar in many ways and endearingly amusing in others.

          Althea Crawley is bound and determined to catch a wealthy husband. Her family’s ancestral home, a dilapidated castle, is literally falling to pieces around their ears and her twice-widowed mother, not to mention her young brother and several servants and tenants, are looking to her to snag a plump-pocketed suitor. Delighted by the news that the handsome Lord Boring has returned to his nearby country home, she immediately directs all of her ingenuity toward charming him into a proposal. What she hasn’t reckoned on, however, is their new neighbor’s friend Mr. Fredericks, an outspoken, quirky, quarrelsome man with a terrible propensity to provoke Althea into bickering with him. Complicating this mess are Althea’s peevish stepsisters and Miss Vincy, a quiet new friend who appears to have a sad and dire secret. Althea’s solutions? To marry off everyone in the vicinity – not forgetting herself!

          What makes this book such a hoot are the many tongue-in-cheek tributes to common plot elements in 19^th-century-based British fiction. In an original twist on the theme of a young girl forced into an advantageous match, Althea is decidedly in favor of marrying for money and does all she can to meet this goal. Kindl also good-humoredly spoofs traditional English shire names in her development of setting: Althea lives in the region of Lesser Hoo, which is near Hoo-Upon-Hill, Hasty, and Little Snoring. Several of the characters’ names are also purposefully silly, including Lord Boring, the inappropriately named stepsisters Prudence and Charity, and Doctor Haxhamptonshire (pronounced Hamster). And these jokes are only the start! Readers who enjoy Jane Austen and/or a good laugh will certainly appreciate this humorous tribute to a fascinating era.

         

Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer

The author Joan Bauer stands out as a creator of funny, smart, and strong heroines, who face tough issues such as divorce, alcoholism, and teenage self-discovery with humor and heart. In Rules of the Road, the focus is on a tall protagonist whose drive to be taken seriously in an adult world is role-model worthy.

Jenna Boller is sixteen and loves her job at a Gladstone’s Shoe Store in Chicago – she’s an excellent saleswoman and a favorite with customers, plus the work provides a distraction from the fact that her alcoholic and estranged father has recently reappeared. When the president of the Gladstone Shoe Company, Mrs. Gladstone, hires her to be her personal driver on a trip to Texas, Jenna is dubious – the elderly executive is infamous for her brusque manner. Once on the road, however, they must conquer difficulties ranging from traffic problems, to business politics, to treacherous employees, ultimately cementing an unusual and delightful friendship.

          I must admit, I am more likely to enjoy a book if it is humorous. Jenna’s narration is therefore a true treat; her witty observations and down-to-earth jokes keep readers thoroughly entertained. In addition, Mrs. Gladstone is a riot – just the sort of woman you might want to have as a grandmother (albeit a peppery one). Add this to an inspiring plot based on the power of work and self-confidence and you have a story that you’ll want to read over and over again. Other excellent books by this author include Best Foot Forward, the sequel to Rules of the Road; Hope Was Here; Squashed; and Peeled. Her junior fiction novels Stand Tall, Sticks, Close to Famous, and Almost Home are also highly worthwhile.

 

 

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Rita Williams-Garcia’s junior fiction novel One Crazy Summer is plastered with so many awards that the jacket illustration is practically covered. A National Book Award finalist and Newbery Honor book, as well as the recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award, One Crazy Summer narrates the experience of three young girls during California’s civil rights movement in 1968.

          Eleven-year-old Delphine is convinced that her mother Cecile is downright crazy. Her father, wanting them to be acquainted with the woman who left them just after the birth of her youngest daughter, has sent Delphine and her two sisters all the way to Oakland, California to visit. It soon becomes evident, however, that Cecile doesn’t want anything to do with them. Forbidden to disturb Cecile’s poetry-writing sanctum, the girls are turned loose to explore the streets of Oakland, and to join a confusing civil organization called the Black Panthers. Delphine can’t help but be interested in the Panthers’ message of rights and recognition for African-Americans, but she’s been charged with taking care of her sisters, drama-queen Vonetta and forthright Fern. As militants within the Panthers demonstrate their discontent, the police push back, and Cecile refuses to act like a normal mother, Delphine tries to decide how to keep her sisters safe.

          One of the most interesting elements to this story is the way the Black Panther’s cause is filtered through the impressions of a young girl. Rather than offer a history lesson disguised as a character’s experience, Williams-Garcia shows readers the revolutionary group as it relates to Delphine’s primary concerns, such as taking care of her sisters and trying to show an obnoxious boy that he’s really not as great as he thinks he is. In fact, the civil rights movement often serves as a background for sister squabbles and Delphine’s frustration with Cecile. Because of this, One Crazy Summer isn’t exactly a comprehensive source for learning about the Californian Black Panthers, but it sure makes for a realistic and entertaining read. Delphine’s story is continued in the sequel P.S.: Be Eleven.

 

Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm

What would be worse than not reading this book about Penny, an 11-year-old with a sassy streak bigger than her home state of New Jersey? Maybe eating her grandma Me-me’s pot roast, from the way she tells it. Jennifer L. Holm, author of the Boston Jane trilogy, links the spirit of a good summer with questions about cultural prejudice in this Newbery Honor-winning book.

          Penny’s life is defined by her Italian American heritage, which is backed up in spades by her crazy extended family. She lives with her mother and her mother’s parents, and visits her grandma Nonny’s home to eat the best food in the world and be spoiled by her uncles. Life is pretty close to perfect, but Penny can’t help wondering why her mom doesn’t get along well with her Italian in-laws, almost as if there is something Penny doesn’t know about her father’s death when she was a baby. Then her mother starts to date again, her best friend and cousin Frankie gets into trouble with his criminal mastermind ways, and a terrible accident suddenly reveals more about the past than her family might be able to handle. Will Penny be able to reconcile the two sides of her family, and will their love for each other pull them through difficult times?

          Penny from Heaven is a unique and cozy tribute to the importance of family as well as a thought-provoking glimpse into a time when ethnicity could cause societal fear. Although Penny was too young to remember the effects of World War II in America, her life was irrevocably altered by the widespread distrust of Italian Americans and others whose mother countries fought against the U.S. While keeping the plot brisk and fresh, Holm adds just enough historical detail for readers to appreciate both the 1950s context and Penny’s interesting heritage.