Robin Maxwell's "The Queen's Bastard" was interesting but really long. Much longer than it needed to be, I thought. She imagines that Queen Elizabeth I and Dudley conceive a child out of wedlock, and when that child is born while the Queen was tucked away on progress, Kat Ashley substituted a dead boy for the Queen's son and had her old beau take the prince away to be raised as a normal child. I swear I'd read it before, but I couldn't find a record of it. I may have started it and never finished, because the first third or so was very familiar. At any rate, I'd love to read more nonfiction about the idea that Queen Elizabeth may have given birth at some point, but it seems scarce.
One of the blurbs on the back of K.A. Barson's "45 Pounds (More or Less)" said that you'd want a friend like Ann, the protagonist. For me, I *was* Ann. Or might still be Ann, sadly enough. Ann is a high schooler and she's overweight. She's too embarrassed to do things she enjoys, like swim and dance in front of people, for fear of how bad she looks. Her mom is stick thin, and constantly talks about fat and food. Ann notices her little sister, who is four, is starting to develop some unhealthy attitudes towards food and she's worried about the example she's setting. She's tried every fad diet but always ends up falling off the wagon and getting discouraged when she doesn't see the results she wants. This book really hit home, and I was so proud of Ann at the end for doing so well. I suspect that teens (and adults) who have never struggled with their weight won't really get this book, but for those of us that have and still do it really was great.
"Firecracker" by David Iserson was great: funny and snarky and sarcastic without being too mean. Astrid comes from a crazy rich family, and when she gets kicked out of yet another private school, her parents decide to send her to *GULP* the local public school. Astrid quickly discovers that she hates it there and wants to go back to her old school. Her therapist says he'll consider it if she'll do three nice, selfless things. It was funny and sweet without being too sappy.
"Bellman & Black" by Diane Setterfield was really haunting and Gothic-y. In Victorian England, young William Bellman kills a rook with a slingshot and thinks no more about it. We follow William throughout the rest of his life: the highs, the lows, everything in between. It seemed to me to be a message about how not to be so busy living that you forget to actually live. Never forget your days are numbered. An incredibly cheerful thought :)
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