Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Yellow Fever has ruined many lives, especially Mattie's. She's 14 and has to learn to take care of herself and others. Polly, Mattie's close friend has passed due to this disease but Mattie isn't even able to think about that. The closer the Yellow Fever gets to her family the harder it is for Mattie. It is very hard to describe this book without giving the plot away, but it is a realistic fiction (I believe) story about a girl dealing with many people around her dying. Although I've read this book as a read aloud in 3rd grade, I didn't really remember anything. When we read this book as a read aloud, I just really didn't like it because it was really sad, but I didn't really know about everything going on in the book, that's why I wanted to give it another shot. I still think this is a really sad and terrifying book, and has a lot of description. This book wasn't my favorite, because of how intense it was, but I would still recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it. It has a lot of mature topics.

Wringer by Jerry Spinelli

This book is about a boy named Palmer who is turning 10. Turning that age is a very big deal in the small town of Waymer, because that is when you become a wringer at the annual Family Fest, but Palmer really doesn't want to become one. The problem is, he can't break the tradition, or tell anyone that he doesn't want to become one. I didn't really like this book because I felt that it didn't really have a plot, and it was pretty boring. It didn't really have any mature topics or language, and it was a pretty quick read even though the story went on forever. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, even though only some parts were interesting.

Soar by Joan Bauer

This book is about a boy named Jeremiah who survived a heart transplant. He doesn't really know how old he is, because a few months after he was born his mother left him in the kitchen of where she worked, knowing a man named Walk would find him; but he thinks he is 12. Jeremiah really likes baseball, but because of the heart transplant he can't play, so he decides he wants to be a coach. When he and Walt move to Hillcrest, Ohio, they realize one of the best baseball teams is from there. It is a high school team- the Hornets. A sad thing occurs and baseball in that city is almost forgotten. This was a pretty good book, and I think that it was really interesting. It was a pretty quick read, and funny too. It doesn't really have any mature topics or language, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Rules by Cynthia Lord

This book is about a 12 year old girl named Catherine and her brother, David, who has autism. Catherine's life pretty much revolves around David. She has to babysit him a lot, and that isn't easy. She has to make rules for him, like "No toys in the fish tank" and "Sometimes people walk away from you because they can't hear you, sometimes they walk away because they don't want to talk to you." David tries to follow these rules, but sometimes forgets. Every Tuesday and Thursday Catherine and her mom have to take David to therapy, where Catherine meets a boy named Jason who can't talk and has to be in a wheelchair, and talks through his communication book, and they become friends. Summer just started and a new neighbor moves in next to Catherine. There is a girl who is the same age as her named Kristi, and Catherine tries to become friends with her. I can't say very much without giving the book away, but it was a pretty interesting book. This was a really quick read, and it was also really easy. It was realistic fiction, and dealing with real life problems, even if they don't happen to everyone. I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone. It has no mature topics of language.