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.

The View From Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg

This book is about a teacher named Mrs. Olinski who teaches 6th grade, and she was paralyzed 10 years ago, but is fine now. She has to pick 4 students to go to a state championship, and she decides on Nadia, Ethan, Noah, and Julian. They each have their own life stories, which are explained in the book because each chapter is from a different perspective. They all become friends, and figure out their similarities and differences. I didn't really like this book. It was really confusing and not very well written. This is sort of a realistic fiction book, and it was a really quick read, but I didn't think this was a really good book for me. A book I would really like to read is Speak.

Death of a Dog Whisperer by Laurien Berenson

This book is about a woman named Melanie who has two kids, and she is really busy with them and her 5 Poodles. One day, she introduces her Aunt Peg who loves dogs as well to a dog whisperer by the name of Nick Walden. They become really good friends, until, one evening Nick is found dead in his house. His sister, Claire, tells Melanie and together they try to track down the killer. Throughout the book it explains how they try to figure out who murdered Nick, which makes Melanie even busier. It's hard to explain very much without giving the book away, but I really liked this book. I don't usually read mystery books but I really enjoyed this one. It doesn't have any mature topics, and but it is a fairly long book. I would recommend this book for anyone, especially people who like mysteries. I think it was well written, although confusing at some points.

Heaven Looks a lot Like the Mall by Wendy Mass

This book is about a girl who falls into a coma because she gets severely hurt, and basically she goes in and out of a dream, or heaven. But she doesn't end up in a stereotypical heaven with a gate and angels and meeting people who died already, but she ends up at the mall. Her mom works at the mall, so she knows every part of it. She meets a boy, and they become friends, he was also in a coma. So the girl falls in and out of the coma, and the book has a happy ending. This was a pretty good book, and it was a pretty quick read. It is written in poetry format, which wasn't my favorite, but I still recommend this book. It doesn't really have any mature topics.

We are all Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen

This book is from the perspectives of 2 people, a 14 year old girl named Ashley and a 13 year old boy named Stewart. Ashley was pretty much the most popular girl in school, and out of school she didn't really like her life. Her mom and dad were divorced, and even though Ashley lives with her mom, her dad visits sometimes because her mom and dad are friends. Ashley has a big secret she is hiding from all her friends, knowing it will effect how popular she is. Her life is 'ok' until Stewart and his dad move in. Ashley's mom and Stewarts dad were planning on getting married, so they decided to live together. Stewart is considered a genius and is so smart he starts to go to Ashley's high school, which Ashley doesn't like. Because Ashley is so popular, she is pretty mean too, which effects Stewart a lot. Many different events occur throughout the book, but I don't want to give them away. This was a really good book, so I highly recommend it. It covers some mature topics though, and a little bit of language, but I think that it wasn't too bad. This was a really quick read even though it is around 256 pages. This is a realistic fiction book.

I think for genres for book groups it would be cool to have realistic fiction books.