Simon&Schuster

When the Queen Mary sinks, Charles Maxim finds 1-year-old Sophie floating in a cello case in the English channel and fishes her out. Book fiends, firm friends, the two create a harmonious, unorthodox life together. On her 12th birthday (evading the National Children’s Agency), Sophie and Charles flee to Paris, where Sophie believes her mother may be: "Never ignore a possible," says Charles. The book blooms into a nocturnal rooftop escapade high above the streets of Paris, where a nimble gang of kids live and get around the city by leaping building to building. Sophie joins them, following night after night a trail of notes. A buoyant, witty, Dickensian treat. Grades 4–8.

After publishing two acclaimed novels about the Mexican immigrant experience, Reyna Grande chose to reveal her own troubled and triumphant story as an illegal immigrant in this beautifully written and heartfelt memoir. Born in Mexico and raised by her grandparents after her parents left to find work in the U.S., at nine years old, Reyna enters the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant to live with her father. Filled with hope, she quickly realizes that life in America is far from perfect. While her father has big dreams for his children, his alcoholism and rage undermine all his hard work and good intentions. Finding solace from the violence, Reyna turned toward books and reading, and ultimately became the first person in her family to obtain a higher education. At a time when immigration politics are at a boiling point in America, Reyna Grande offers an intimate glimpse into the Mexican-American experience, and we are left gifted not only by her honesty, but by her startling and stoic prose that opens up to the wider questions about the lines between loyalty, love, and accepting one’s true self.

I was swept away by Axie's charm—add her to the list of much-loved plucky orphan narrators. Manning paints a wonderfully vivid portrait of Victorian New York City, the perils that life held for women with limited access to contraceptives and medical care, and the particular vehement retribution that can be aimed at a woman who dares break the “rules.”

This well-researched book charts the rise of the newest cult of domesticity captivating the minds and pantries of today's young women. Matchar breaks down the socioeconomic and cultural factors that inspire the homesteading movement, who creates the trends, and what food/"back-to-basics" experts such as Michael Pollan have to say about feminism (hint: it's pretty backlash-y.)This is required feminist reading for 2013.

I feel reborn, cleansed, and forgiven; I feel like I’ve been given a precious gift. There’s a melancholy to all of the characters, trapped as they are by shared tragedy, and their methods of dealing with the past intertwines with each others–forming an amazing picture of reactions and dependencies.

After years of living in an underground silo and enforcing the rules on a community dwelling in fear, Sheriff Holston asks what no one dares: he asks to go outside. This awesome tale of dystopia and rebellion boasts an excellent cast of characters, thrilling writing, and twist after twist that will keep you turning the pages. 

Jeanne Kelley’s recent books, Salad for Dinner and Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes, were both a delight; in Kitchen Garden Cookbook, Kelley continues to focus on seasonal, fresh ingredients—even giving advice about growing your own herbs, vegetables, and fruit at home. The over 100 recipes are easy to prepare and make use of bountiful tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, berries, and more from your
garden or farmers’ market.

In Gold, Chris Cleave (Little Bee) introduces us to Zoe and Kate, Olympic-level cyclists who have been best friends and competitive rivals since their teenage years. As the 2012 Olympics draw near, the frailties of these friends are exposed. There is heartbreak in this story—a sick child, an aging coach, and goals and dreams and unfathomable decisions—but there is also an unspoken pull that makes the reader care deeply about everyone involved.

Jeannette Walls (The Glass Castle) certainly must have pulled from her own unconventional background to so convincingly bring the two intrepid stars of this new novel to life. It is 1970, and 12-year-old Bean and 15-year-old Liz have been left by their artistic, whimsical mother, Charlotte, in a desert town in California. They end up making their way “home” to the Virginia town they were born in but have not seen since. Their Uncle Tinsley and the small Southern town that greet them seem suspended in time, but truly everything is on the edge of social change, with the Vietnam War and racial integration barely at bay. Both Bean and Liz have to grow and shift in their loyalty to themselves and one another, and must make heart-breaking decisions to try to carve a road between their past and future.

If your child is tired of biographies full of dull facts and figures, they should turn to To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel to showcase the ability to tell personal and powerful stories through art. To Dance follows the dreams of Siena Siegel—from a child starting her first ballet class, through Puerto Rico, Boston and ultimately the New York City Ballet. Chosen as an honor book for the Robert F. Sibert Award, Siegel’s biography shows both the highs and lows of becoming a professional ballerina. Ages 8+