You’ll find a variety of genres of books here that our staff or writers recommend: Some are great books to share with your children. Others are parenting books that we think are worth your time. And some are just good reads, both fiction and nonfiction. You can click over to Powells.com to make your purchases, too! Enjoy!

Thanks to the following local librarians for providing these book reviews (we indicate the reviewer with their initials at the end of each recommendation): Multnomah County Library’s Suzanne Myers Harold (SH), Wilsonville Public Library’s Steven Engelfried (SE), Cedar Mill Community Library’s Nancy Spaulding (NS), and Milwaukie Ledding Library’s Jessalynn Pinsonault (JP).

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham (Dutton, 2010)
John Grisham brings his gifts for suspense and courage-testing to youthful readers with the story of Theo, who just might know more about justice and the law than any 13-year-old alive. He definitely knows more about one particular murder. Passion for the truth doesn’t make going after a stone-cold killer any easier, but if Theo doesn’t try, a murderer will go free. (NS)

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia (HarperCollins, 2010)
Three sisters spend a surprising summer living with their mother in Oakland, Calif., in 1968. One surprise: Their mother isn’t very happy to see them, even though they’ve been apart for years. Another surprise: They spend most of their days at a day camp run by the Black Panthers. (SE)

Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood (Balzer and Bray, 2010)
Not even Jane Eyre faced such a daunting task as being governess to three children raised by wolves. But Penelope Lumley, recent graduate of Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, faces these challenges with fortitude in the mysterious Ashton Place. (SH)

If Stones Could Speak: Unlocking the Secrets of Stonehenge by Marc Aronson (National Geographic, 2010)
For centuries, scholars thought Stonehenge was some kind of temple, until a few years ago when an archeologist from Madagascar – and cutting edge carbon dating – turned those assumptions upside down. (SH)

The Hunchback Assignments (Hunchback Assignments) by Arthur Slade (Wendy Lamb Books, 2009)
The first in a new series, this book offers plenty of action and mystery as Modo, an orphaned hunchback with the ability to change his features, roams the streets and sewers of Victorian London. Throw in some strange machines, secret plots and fantastic characters and readers will be anxious for the sequel. (JP)

Escape Under the Forever Sky by Eve Yohalem (Chronicle Books, 2009)
Living with her ambassador mother in Ethiopia, Lucy’s daydreams about encountering animals in the wild come true when she’s kidnapped. This quick, tense read will appeal to fans of African animals and wilderness survival stories, especially when they learn the true story behind the book. (JP)

Spies of Mississippi: The True Story of the Spy Network That Tried to Destroy the Civil Rights Movement by Rick Bowers (National Geographic, 2010)
Formed in 1956, the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission worked openly, and often secretly, to battle the segregation movement. The documented trail of bribery, propaganda, spy networks and other activities is thought provoking and fascinating to follow. (SE)