Letters From a Desperate Dog by Eileen Christelow

Summary:
Emma, a puppy, lives with her owner George who is a painter. They get along fine most of the time but sometimes Emma cannot seem to get anything right in George's eyes. Everything she does seems to set her human owner off: lying down on the new couch, talking to her neighbor canine friends fishing in the trash etc. All she hears all day from George is "BAD ! BAD ! BAD !".  Emma is desperate to fix this friendship. During one of her visits to the library she discovers a canine advice columnist, Queenie, who offers advice to dogs. Emma emails Queenie for advice. Queenie advises Emma to get off the couch and try to be more useful to her owner.

My view: The cartoon like drawings led an appeal to the story. Most kids will understand Emma’s dilemma of being misunderstood by her owner. The multiple panel inserts accompanying each story line on a page are a nice touch. Emma’s dilemma is made more real by the accompanying emails she writes and receives from Queenie. Her visits to the library add authenticity to the story. However, Emma’s going off to an acting job throws off the story line and is a bit confusing.
The book will be a suitable read for older kids from 7-10 years old.

Sunrise Point by Robyn Carr (Virgin River Series)

Summary (from the Book)

Former marine Tom Cavanaugh has come home to Virgin River, ready to take over his family's apple orchard and settle down. He knows just what the perfect woman will be like: sweet, decent, maybe a little naive. The marrying kind. Nothing like Nora Crane. So why can't he keep his eyes off the striking single mother?

Nora may not have finished college, but she graduated with honors from the school of hard knocks. She's been through tough times and she'll do whatever it takes to support her family, including helping with harvest time at the Cavanaughs' orchard. She's always kept a single-minded focus on staying afloat but suddenly her thoughts keep drifting back to rugged, opinionated Tom Cavanaugh.

Both Nora and Tom have their own ideas of what family means. But they're about to prove each other completely wrong.…

Bone by Jeff Smith

Summary (From the Book):

Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone are run out of their home, Boneville, and become separated in the wilds, but better fortune begins when the three cousins reunite at a farmstead in a deep forested valley, where Fone meets a young girl named Thorn. In Out From Boneville, volume 1 of this 9-book epic, the three Bone cousins, Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone, are separated and lost in a vast, uncharted desert. One by one, they find their way into a deep, forested valley filled with wonderful and terrifying creatures. Eventually, the cousins are reunited at a farmstead run by tough Gran'ma Ben and her spirited granddaughter Thorn. But little do the Bones know, there are dark forces conspiring against them, and their adventures are only just beginning! 

Redeeming Love: A Novel by Francine Rivers

Summary:

Angel is the illegitimate child of a single mother. Her father is married and wants nothing to do with her. Angel’s mother has been rejected by her own parents for bearing a child out of wedlock. The society they live in ignores them. Angel is sold into prostitution as a young girl. She has known nothing but rejection throughout her life. Michael Hosea is a godly man sent into her life to rescue her and show her the redeeming and transforming power of God’s unconditional love. Francine takes us on an emotional journey of Angel’s rebirth. We witness Angel’s stubborn acceptance of present circumstances, Hosea’s persistent pursuit in the face of her rejection, Angel’s brokenness and healing as she finally accepts Hosea’s love. This is an inspirational story about God’s unconditional love and forgiveness.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Interesting. Not a fast read