After by Amy Efaw. (YA Cybils nominee) Semicolon review here.

Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee. (YA Cybils nominee) Very sad teenager from a dysfunctional family ends up in LA looking for her dad along with two friends who have issues of their own. They’re lucky they don’t all end up working the streets or in juvenile detention.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. Semicolon review here.

Make Way for Sam Houston by Jean Fritz. Semicolon review here.

Cybils Nominees Read:
The Last Invisible Boy by Evan Kuhlman. Semicolon review here.

Gone From These Woods by Donna Bailey Seagraves. Semicolon review here.

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements. Clements’ latest school story is about a tomboyish girl who becomes pen pals with an Afghan boy and his sister.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. Semicolon review here.

Standing for Socks by Elissa Brent Weissman. Silly and implausible story about a girl who becomes famous for wearing mismatched socks. My girls do this all the time, and nobody notices.

Angel Cake by Cathy Cassidy. Boy crazy Polish immigrant, Anya, falls for bad boy Daniel . . . in Liverpool, England. This one was unbelievable, too, especially the ending.

Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez. Semicolon review here.

A Recipe 4 Robbery by Marybeth Kelsey. Semicolon review here.

Take the Mummy and Run: The Riot Brothers Are on a Roll by Mary Amato.

Lucky Breaks by Susan Patron.

Scat by Carl Hiaassen.

The Beast of Backslope by Tracy Barrett.

Operation Yes by Sara Lewis Holmes.

Black Angels by Linda Beatrice Brown. Semicolon review here.

Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko. Semicolon review here.

Rescuing Seneca Crane by Susan Runholt. Semicolon review here.

Dani Noir by Nova Ben Suma. Semicolon review here.

Born to Fly by Michael Ferrari. Semicolon review here.

Newsgirl by Liza Ketchum. Semicolon review here.

William S. and the Great Escape by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Semicolon review here.

Bull Rider by Suzanne Morgan Williams. Semicolon review here.

I’m mostly reading middle grade fiction this month and in December, trying to get all the nominees read before Christmas so that we the judging panel can decide on five finalists. Wish me luck because I still have a big stack of books to read, and I’d like to review them all, too.