Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin
Henry Holt and Company
2011
140pgs

In the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, ten-year-old Sasha idolizes his father, a devoted Communist, but when police take his father away and leave Sasha homeless, he is forced to examine his own perceptions, values, and beliefs.

Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri

Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri
Candlewick Press
2011
218p.


Twelve-year-old Cole's behavior causes his mother to drive him from Detroit to Philadelphia to live with a father he has never known, but who soon has Cole involved with a group of African-American "cowboys" who rescue horses and use them to steer youths away from drugs and gangs.

Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine

Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine
Philomel Books
2011
237p.

Fourteen-year-old Mike, whose father is a brilliant mathematician but who has no math aptitude himself, spends the summer in rural Pennsylvania with his elderly and eccentric relatives Moo and Poppy, helping the townspeople raise money to adopt a Romanian orphan.

War and Watermelon by Rich Wallace

War & Watermelon by Rich Wallace
Viking Children's Books
2011
186p.

As the summer of 1969 turns to fall in their New Jersey town, twelve-year-old Brody plays football in his first year at junior high while his older brother's protest of the war in Vietnam causes tension with their father.