And the first four for July

Three middle grade books:

Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
reminded me of Stargirl a bit -- just in the whole newcomer-who-is-so-different-from-'us' way. I liked it. Title comes from the Emily Dickinson poem about hope. 118 pages

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
I liked The Watsons Go to Birmingham (by the same author) more, but this was good. (and I still managed to cry at the end). Buxton is an actual town/community in Canada where freed and escaped slaves lived. Elijah is the first child born free in the community. A good historical novel for middle grades. 341 pages

Cicada Summer by Andrea Beatty
I think it's important for me to remember that this is juvenile literature (not young adult) and judge it on that basis. Clever writing, fun characters. Main character hasn't spoken since her brother's death, new girl comes to town.... 167 pages.

And an adult book that my library classed as sci-fi

The Man Who Turned Into Himself by David Ambrose
Loved it. I'm totally a "what if?" kind of person (as in I really like the movie Sliding Doors) and I think that is a lot of why I loved this book. It's based on the "many worlds" theory of quantum physics.
Rick Hamilton is in a middle when he suddenly feels that his wife is going to die. He arrives at the scene of the accident as she is dying. He closes his eyes in grief and when he opens them she is alive, though it's a slightly different accident and he is a slightly different person. (and they suddenly have no child.) Really good stuff, in my opinion. 197 pages.

Buffy in Denver