Megan recommends:

So B. It by Sarah Weeks

Heidi is a girl who lives with her neighbor, Bernadette, who has agoraphobia and her mentally-challenged mother who they call "So Be It". She can only say 23 words and Heidi and Bernadette try to help her as much as they can. Heide starts to wonder when her mother says the word "soof" and she spends her time trying to find out what this word means and what she doesn't know about her Mom. When she finds a clue to help her understand her mother more, she doesn't let go and goes to every extent to find her answer. This book right from the very start gives a good lesson on finding out the truth and on learning and discovering things. I don't like the ending too much, but that's the way Sarah Weeks wanted it to end, so I'm not too sure that's a weakness...

Steven recommends:

The Riddles of Epsilon by Christine Morton-Shaw

It is the mystery of discovering who to trust. There are "Hostile Friends", "Friendly Enemies" and "Times of Dark Choices" that Jess must overcome to save his mother. This story embodies the thought of a higher power guiding people to their ultimate destinies. Its strength was the figurative language which was excellent allowing readers to actually feel like they are a part of the story. The only problem I saw was that it is repetitious.

Rating: 4 thumbs up