Close to Famous by Joan Bauer

Close to Famous by Joan Bauer. Published by Penguin Group, 2011.

Foster and her mother flee Memphis to escape from her mother’s abusive boyfriend Huck. They wind up in Culpepper, living in a motor home. Her mother quickly finds a job. They are determined to make sure Huck can’t find them. He is violent.

Foster loves baking and she finds a local diner owner and convinces him to let her sell cupcakes to his customers. She hopes to have her own show on the Food Network someday. She practices baking and pretends to be in a recording studio. Baking can be a little tricky for Foster because she has trouble reading, but she is very determined.

Foster starts working for Miss Charleena, who was a famous actress and is now hoping to make a comeback. When Miss Charlena discovers Foster’s secret about her reading problems, they make a pact to help one another.

A young boy named Macon wants to be a documentary filmmaker someday. First he has to get a camera and a little experience. He and Foster decide to film people around the town and they get great footage. Their first story is about a home that helps families when they are visiting prisoners.

Many of the residents of Culpepper have big dreams they hope to achieve. Foster is determined to help them all.


This realistic fiction is recommended for grades 8 and up.


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Desert Angel

Desert Angel by Charlie Price. Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.

Angel’s drug addict mother and her newest boyfriend Scotty get in a screaming fight one night, so Angel decides to sleep outside. In the morning, there is blood everywhere and Angel’s mother and Scotty are missing. Within a short time, Angel finds a shallow grave with her mother body and she knows she must get away before Scotty returns. He’s a vicious, evil man and she is a loose end.

Escaping from Scotty is going to be difficult. He knows a lot about hunting, tracking and survival from his illegal poaching trips. Angel returns to the trailer to get some water and look for weapons. She is shocked by the sudden appearance of Scotty behind her. She is able to trick him into believing she is dead and then she runs for her life.

Angel has no family, no neighbors, no friends, nothing. She has nowhere to go and past experience has taught her she can only rely on herself. Unexpected help gives Angel some hope, but Scotty brutally eliminates everyone. Angel will never be safe as long as Scotty is chasing her. So she decides to become the hunter. 

This action-filled book is a combination of realistic, adventure and survival fiction.  It is recommended for grades 8 and up.

Stick by Andrew Smith

Stick by Andrew Smith. Published by Feiwel & Friends, 2011.

Stick and his brother Bosten are best friends. They are trying to survive living with abusive parents and pretend their lives are normal. Stick is bullied because he is missing an ear and Bosten has always defended him. When they are told that school vacation is going to be spent with their aunt in California, they have mixed feelings. To their surprise, life is good there. Their aunt provides an abundance of food, clothing, a stable home, and unconditional love.

When they return home, Stick realizes that his brother must leave before their father discovers the truth about Bosten’s sexuality and to escape their father’s sexual abuse. But Stick can’t imagine a life without Bosten.

This is a powerful story about the love of two brothers and their will to not only survive but save each other.