Spooky Summer Reads by Mary Downing Hahn

Have you ever read a book that just stuck with you? Wait Till Helen Comes is one of those for me. I read it when I was in fifth grade and can remember staying up late to finish it. I just couldn't wait until morning to find out what would happen. Was spoiled little stepsister, Heather, really talking to a ghost, or was she just playing another game to get Molly in trouble? I kicked off my summer rereading this one and it is just as good as I remember. Maybe even better!

I also nabbed a copy of All the Lovely Bad Ones from the Wheaton Public Library. In this one, there are many ghosts -- several troublemaking young boys and one very sinister presence. As a brother and sister (lovely bad ones themselves) dig deeper into the mystery of what happened at their grandmother's inn, you'll be unable to stop reading until you find out if they will join the mischievous ghosts, or if they will triumph over the dark and evil Miss Ada.

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

Awesome!  I couldn't put this down.  Three seemingly disconnected characters experience the injustices of WWII (without the kind of violence that your parents won't let you read). What's it like for a German boy to not fit in with the Hitler Youth?  How do you stay connected with your brother when you're orphaned in America?  Can Mexican-Americans and Japanese-Americans help one another after Pearl Harbor?  Their stories are bound by their powerful love of music.  Love music?  Love historical fiction?  Love fairy tales? This is the book for you!