Teen/middle-grade fiction; coming of age making friends with homeless runaway dealing with dead dad you never knew mom possibly dating someone new (not really that much of a worry, only wish she wouldn't lie about it) mom's business possibly failing (except that it doesn't). This story had likeable characters and a couple of great lines (note left by Emmett after long, unexplained absence: "I want to be your friend, but I'm afraid I don't know how.") but other than that not all that memorable. ( )

This is a YA book that seemed to drag. Girl meets boy. Boy is secretive, which makes girl want him even more.

The girl and mother live together, both holding secrets regarding their new-found relationships.

I finished this, but can't recommend it.

I really thought this one had a shot at the Newbery. ( )

Drew decides after finding her father's journal that is time for her to take a risk and try to find out about who she is. ( )

The Summer I Learned to Fly by Dana Reinhardt was a story that started out a little slow but in the end it ended up been a great read and I would recommend it to any female high school student. However it is does have a young romance theme to it so I do not believe and guys would enjoy this book.
Drew (formally called Robin Drew and Birdie sometimes) is 13 years old and is a little bit of a loner. She has a couple friends but they don’t really have much in common. Drew meets a mysterious boy named Emmet Crane. The story goes on about how they discover more and more about each other every time they get together. They go on adventures, meet new friends, which brings them even closer together. For the first time, Drew actually has a true friend that gets her.
My favorite part of the book was the bond between Drew and Emmet that just kept growing every time they were together. The story had many great aspects especially how she combines mystery, adventure, romance, and drama all in one book.
My least favorite part of the book was how most of the time the story was very slow. It didn’t leave me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next. It was like a hill on a rollercoaster. It started out slow then it gradually got better and better but then at the end it became slow and less interesting again. I guess I just didn’t like the ending.
This book was overall a heart-touching, quirky story about a girl and her rat who just want to fit in and find a true friend. It was beautifully written by Dana Reinhardt and I would definitely love to read more of her books. ( )