Addie's life is full of "twists and turns" and keeps her always "waiting for normal". She and her mom, who comes and goes, sometimes leaving Addie, who is 12, alone for days, find themselves living in a trailer, under a train. Addie's stepfather, Dwight, still gives them money and is, in fact, responsible for making sure they have at least a trailer to live in. Addie's two little half-sisters live with Dwight and Addie misses them and her loving stepfather terribly. Her life in the trailer has it's shining moments; like making new friends with the owners of the corner store, making it into the concert orchestra at her new school, all the while dealing with her learning disorder she refers to as "a lack of the love of learning". Told in first person, the optimistic Addie tells a story that is heartwarming and inspiring. Quite suitable for 4th grade and up.
Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...
Comments