Jepp, Who Defied the Stars (Hyperion, 2012) by Katherine Marsh was eye-opening for me. I had no idea that dwarfs were treated so badly.

Jepp, who has always lived with his mother at their inn, has been offered a chance to go to Coudenberg Palace. He takes it and then finds he is to be humiliated to serve as entertainment for the Spanish Infanta and her royal court. He and the other dwarfs are held prisoner and live at the whims of those around them. However, this intelligent young man doesn't resignedly accept his fate.

The story was inspired by real characters in history and the author's mother's interest in astrology. Read more here.

I encourage anyone who starts reading this book and finds the formality of the writing a bit off-putting to push through--soon you'll not notice it at all as you become engrossed in the story.

Anything But Typical (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2010) by Nora Raleigh Baskin has a main character who is "anything but typical." 12 year old Jason Blake is autistic kid living in a neurotypical world. "School doesn't always go very well," he says. Jason flaps his hands if excited, when he's going to say something, or if thinking. Others think he is weird. He knows he's supposed to look people in the eye, but he doesn't like to. Besides most people look the same to him. "I know no girl will ever like me," he says. But then PhoenixBird likes his stories on the Storyboard website. Maybe she can be his friend. But when they both get to go to the Storyboard conference, he's afraid once she sees him she won't like him anymore.

This story is well-told. It made me more understanding and sympathetic of those who have some strange uncontrollable habit. I think every kid should read this award winning novel. Look here at all the awards!

I love what Nora says on her site: "Most everything I write, whether it is a novel or an essay or a short story is very much a part of my life.. The world as I remember it... In other words..I rarely make anything up..mostly I pick and choose from things I've experienced or seen or done..and give them to my characters." Read about her other books on her website.

The Newbery honor book Inside Out and Back Again (HarperCollins, 2011) by Thanhha Lai is written in verse snapshots. Here's a brief summary of the story:

It's 1975, 10 year old Hà, her mother and 3 older brothers must leave Saigon, Vietnam. Schools were closed a month early, the president has resigned, the communists are coming. They pack up and head for the Navy ships to escape. They end up on the island of Guam and then in Alabama.

Thanhha brings Hà and her family to life. I love the line: "It's hard to be grateful when you feel stupid because you don't know the language."

I also enjoyed the inside story on how the author wrote this award winning story. Read the article here. Read her bio here.

In 1896 Clara Estby and her mother left Washington state to walk all the way to New York City to save the family farm. The two women would write up their experiences and a publisher in New York would pay them and publish the story. The two fight illness, weather, ruffians, terrain, and dangers along the way. But will they meet their deadline and get paid?

The Year We Were Famous (Clarion Books, 2011) by Carole Estby Dagg is based on the true story of the author's great-aunt and great-grandmother. About this book, Carole says, "After fifteen years and twenty-nine rejections, I have finally given Great-Aunt Clara and Great-Grandmother Helga voices of the forward-thinking women they were."

Carole did an excellent job. While reading this very good book, I really felt the time period and the struggles of these two women.

I'm not the only one who things this book is good. Carole was awarded the Will Rogers Medallion earlier this summer for the book AND won the 2012 WILLA Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Fiction and Nonfiction. This award is named for Willa Cather and is bestowed by Women Writing the West. Woo Hoo!

Read about how this story came to be on Carole's site. It's fascinating, too!

6th grader Mac (nicknamed after Mcgyver, but real name Christian) and his best friend Vince run a business from the fourth stall in the remote bathroom at their school. They solve problems for kids for pay or favors. They even solved a problem for the janitor which is how they get to use this empty stall for their business. But now Mac is having his own problems: an older kid encroaching on their school, disagreements with his best friend, a dwindling emergency fund... Will Mac and Vince's friendship survive it all?

The Fourth Stall (Walden Pond Press, 2011) by Chris Rylander is a very fun read. It's won the 2012 Sid Fleischman Award for Humor, too. Chris will be on the faculty for the SCBWI LA Conference this coming August.

Chris' second book, The Fourth Stall II, came out this year, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. Am looking forward to it.

On his website Chris Rylander describes himself as "author. unicorn collector. amateur drifter. etc." If that doesn't get you curious, nothing will. But at least you'll want to check out his self-portraits on the About Chris Rylander page.