Donutheart by Sue Stauffacher

Each time I would get on the Bookmobile that visits our school, I would see this book called Donuthead by Sue Stauffacher. If you have ever seen the cover of that book, you would know it was hard for me to pass up. It just looks F-U-N-N-Y. And it was. So now I see in the library there is a sequel, Donutheart by Sue Stauffacher.
Basically you must read the first to understand the second, otherwise you will wonder "What the the heck is up with this kid?" Franklin Delano Donuthead, the main character, is a rare bird. I am sure I have met his type along the way, and enjoy trying to pinpoint his real life equal. He is, in his own words, "asymmetrical" because one side of his body is longer than the other. (Something he likes to measure nightly.) He is also very cautious, a germaphob if you will. Someone he contacts on a daily basis is Gloria Nealot, his favorite chief statistician at the Washington D.C. National Safety Department. In the first book, Franklin meets Sarah Kervick. Sarah becomes Franklin's body guard, of sorts and Franklin her tutor, of sorts.
The second book finds Franklin and Sarah still friends, Franklin still measuring, Gloria still being called daily, and Sarah much worse off in her family life than before. Something new about this book is Franklin is in love. (A very strange place for Franklin) Also, Sarah has begun figure skating.
Although I liked the first book better, I still really enjoyed reading about Franklin maturing into middle school. I didn't get that lump in my throat feeling I had at the end of Donuthead, but I would recommend the book. The book definitely ended in a way that lent itself to a third book. I will be waiting and watching.

Donuthead and Donutheart Talk:
Fuse #8
Children's Literature Book Club
Sue Stauffacher Amazon Blog
Running Mad

Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes

I know Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes is not a very new book or anything, but I just got to it. I am so glad I did! I really liked this book. I absolutely loved the way Henkes dealt with the subject of life and death and how fragile life is. I thought the young girl was so believable and so genuine. The book also taps in on a topic that I myself would have related to at Martha, the main character's, age. (Puppy love and the disappointment of an immature teenage boy's idea of fun) I thought the family of the book was realistic even though the father was a stay-at-home father, which is not the norm. I thought the dynamic of a father who was torn between following a dream or providing for a family, and the mother who was a little over-worked would ring true for many families today. The writing in this book is some of the best I have read this summer. Kevin Henkes has a wonderful way with verbs and drawing the reader into each and every sequence of the story.
That being said, I have to admit I felt the ending was a little abrupt and I would have liked to have seen more of the plot line resolved. I also felt the cussing in the book and some of the more risque topics might be a little too much for a fifth grade student. Although I would not hesitate to recommend it to some of my more mature readers.