This is one that I asked my library to buy so that I could read it, based mostly on Charlotte’s recommendation, and especially because it sounded like a good boy fantasy.
What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World by Henry Clark. Little, Brown and Company, 2013.
River and Freak are always best friends; Fiona only talks with them while they all wait for the bus, before anyone else can see them. But the morning an old, claw-footed sofa appears next to their school bus stop, something is put in motion that brings them together in ways they never expected. We’re talking teamwork – this is middle grade fiction.
It feels like our time, our world, and not a particularly cheerful corner of it. All three of our kid protagonists have lost at least one family member, and their subdivision is nearly empty because it borders an underground burning coal seam, which leaks toxins into the air and sometimes sets nearby houses on fire. But this is just the backdrop, and in the foreground we have a talking, tessering sofa, frequent flash mobs featuring everyone around except River and Freak breaking out into numbers from classic musicals, and a rare zucchini-colored crayon.
The sofa turns out to be part of a computer named Guernica, more or less run by their eccentric neighbor, Alf, who turns out to be the only person trying to stop a total takeover of the earth by aliens from another dimension. These aliens usually look like humans, and have been working on their scheme to turn the residents of this small town into mindless factory workers for half a century, making processed food and giving away cell phones that let them control minds. Because they view kids as even less worth noticing than adults, the kids are a central part of Alf’s plan to defeat the Disin Corporation. But how far can they get, and is a rare World War II crayon really bait enough to lure a criminal mastermind into revealing himself?
This is really just about perfect fiction. The kid protagonists, mystery, humor, and lots of close escapes make for a story that will suck in even reluctant readers, while environmental themes and character growth give it some heft and depth. My son was definitely interested in it as I was reading it; my only quibble with it is that at 355, it’s a little long for him just yet. Still, I’d say he’s just on the lower edge of the age range for this book. More advanced readers and those in the middle or top side of the middle grade range should do just fine, and will love it.
What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World was nominated for the Cybils award, and so counts for my Armchair Cybils reading.
When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen. Farrar Straus Giroux 2012. 
March. Book 1. by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell. Top Shelf, 2013.
Wisp of a Thing by Alex Bledsoe. Tor, 2013
The Last Enchanter. The Celestine Chronicles Book 2 by Laurisa White Reyes.
Tallulah’s Tutu by Marilyn Singer. Art by Alexandra Boiger. Tallulah wants a tutu more than anything, but her mother suggests taking some lessons first. It takes some effort, but Tallulah learns to focus on class and knows she’s a good ballerina. Still, she expects her tutu after her second lesson. When it doesn’t arrive after her third, she decides to give up ballet, until something happens that changes her mind. This is a lesson in perseverance, told with gentle understanding. Tallulah’s little brother wanting her to teach him, too, is adorable. Boiger’s beautiful watercolors add a lot to the story, showing Tallulah’s many imaginings in big clouds over the pictures. This is the first of a recent and ongoing series, including Tallulah’s Solo, Tallulah’s Toe Shoes, and Tallulah’s Nutcracker. I like Tallulah enough to print and cut out the paper doll and the five position flash cards which are available on the book’s web site.
Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allan. Art by Kadir Nelson. Sassy is taller and has bigger feet than anyone else in her ballet class. Her brother and the other girls in her class are always mocking her for it. Still, with support from her uncle and her mother, she decides to try out for the summer ballet workshops in Washington, D.C. anyway. Bonus points for having a hard-to-find all-in-color cast of characters. The author, Debbie Allan, is herself a noted choreographer of African-American heritage, and Nelson’s oil paintings tell the story beautifully. I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the amount of teasing in the book, but Sassy proves stronger than it in the end and my daughter adored the book enough that I had to renew it.
Angelina Ballerina by Katherine Holabird. Illustrations by Helen Craig. A classic, with many sequels in print and dvd. Angelina the mouse can’t help dancing everywhere she goes, to the extent that she knocks things down and neglects all her other responsibilities. But enrolling in ballet school gives her the outlet she needs to have energy to devote to other things outside of class. These have a strong British village feel, and the original illustrations do wonderfully well at showing little mouse bodies doing ballet. The books have been made into TV shows (which my daughter also loved) and then had books inspired by the TV show. Unsurprisingly, it’s worth going back to the original.
Ballerina Swan by Allegra Kent. Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully. Somewhere in the big city, a swan falls in love with the ballet class she watches through the studio window from her pond. Eventually, she works up the courage to try to attend class. Her first try is a failure, but when a younger, friendlier teacher takes over, she tries again. It’s never clear how the swan and humans communicate – the people know that her name is Sophie – but this didn’t matter to my daughter. She loved the story of the swan learning what ballet moves were easier and harder for her body, and earning herself a part in – yes – Swan Lake. This is another one told by a professional ballerina.
Too Many Fairies Retold by Margaret Read MacDonald. Illustrated by Susan Mitchell.
Fyre. Septimus Heap Book 7 by Angie Sage. Narrated by Gerard Doyle.
The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg.
Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg.
alibrarymama 