"When I Crossed No-Bob" by Margaret McMullan

From Margaret McMullen's webiste: http://www.margaretmcmullan.com/whenicrossednobob.html

Life as an O'Donnell is all twelve-year-old Addy knows, and life as an O'Donnell means trouble. Tucked away in a gray patch of woods called No-Bob, the O'Donnell clan has nothing but a bad reputation. So when Addy's mama abandons her on the afternoon of Mr. Frank Russell's wedding celebration, nobody is very surprised.

A reluctant Mr. Frank and his new wife take Addy in, and Addy does everything she can to prove that at least one O'Donnell has promise. But one day, Addy witnesses a terrible event that brings her old world crashing into the new. As she finds herself being pulled back into No-Bob and the grips of her O'Donnell kin, Addy is faced with the biggest decision of her life. Can she somehow find the courage to do what's right, even if it means betraying one of her own?

Sequel to HOW I FOUND THE STRONG

A Dragon's Child: The Story of Angel Island by Laurence Yep

This story is based on the transcripts from one family's immigration interviews with the United States immigration officials at Angel Island, off the coast of California. Parts of the story are fictional, but each chapter begins with one of the interegation questions that the main character, Gim Lew Yep, or his father were asked during their interviews. The interviews were very intense, and officials would ask very indepth questions about Gim's house, his family and their occupations, the neighbors and their homes, as well as the numbers of doors and windows within a home. Such questions were asked to ensure that another individual didn't enter into the US under false pretenses. This story was an eye-opener into Chinesse immigration.

"A Season of Gifts" by Richard Peck

Mrs. Dowdell is back! The beloved, hilarious and outrageous grandmother from Peck's Newbery award winning series, (A Year Down Yonder and A Long Way from Chicago), is up to her old tricks. In this book, which takes place 20 years A Year Down Yonder left off, a preacher and his family move in next door to Grandma. This novel is from the point of view of the preacher's 12-year-old son. He finds it is a hard road to walk living in such a back water town. But with the help of Mrs. Dowdell, the unexpected happens. This book is a great read for all Richard Peck fans.