Tag Archives: any age

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor

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326 pages
Realistic Fiction

Here’s another book I am going to give the highest rating.  This book has it all — characters so realistic you want them for your friends (or you know you’d avoid as bad news), secrets that are itching to get out, and a truth about life and relationships that runs really deep.

Mason Buttle is struggling.  His best friend died tragically about a year ago under suspicious circumstances, and a persistent police officer keeps coming around to ask questions.  School is one big challenge, from the schoolwork he can’t read and a skin condition he can’t control to the other kids who make his life miserable.  It’s like he and his family have hit rock bottom.  But Mason has a sweet nature, and a flicker of hope lies inside him.  A kind-hearted social worker, a new friend who is just as much a misfit as he is and a dog who loves him keep him going.  There’s finally adventure and laughter and a new hideout to lighten his spirits.  However, when his new friend disappears, almost everyone is left wondering what Mason’s truth is after all!

I highly recommend this book to ANY reader.  P.S. To my friends who have read and loved Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick, this is a must read!

All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor

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381 pages
Realistic Fiction/Nutmeg 2020

This story takes place in a minimum security prison in a town called Surprise.  The name of this town is perfect for this book because I really was surprised by the characters and the situation.  Perry is the kindest, most honorable kid, not despite but because of the fact that he has been raised in a prison.  While life is not easy for a kid whose mom is convicted of manslaughter, Perry rises above the petty name calling and drama in middle school because he knows a lot about people and what makes them tick.  There are people who think it is a crime that he has grown up surrounded by criminals, but when he is taken from his mom, his pure heart is just about broken.  I was surprised how much this simple story tugged at my heart strings and made me think.

I recommend this book to middle school readers who appreciate a sweet story about what it means to be a family.

Batting Order by Mike Lupica

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293 pages
Realistic Fiction/Sports/Baseball

Every good sports novel is about more than the score of the game or the plays in it.  It develops characters and conflict that draw the reader in.  That being said, someone who knows what a 6-4-3 double play is will appreciate the story behind Batting Order with a bit more enthusiasm than the rest.  Matt and Ben are very different baseball players with different home lives too.  Both boys have their own baggage off the field, and for that they need to build some trust.  Matt is small but smart and mighty, and his softball-loving mom has utter respect for the game and all the intricacies of it.  Ben, on the other hand, is a power player who was raised to “Swing for the fence!” no matter what.  If the two of them don’t learn from one another, their team doesn’t stand a chance!