Dead Man’s Hand, by Eddie Jones

Summary:  When fourteen-year-old Nick Caden vacations at Deadwood Canyon Ghost Town, he finds himself in the middle of a mystery involving ghosts of infamous dead outlaws, disappearing dead bodies, and murders.

Zondervan

Fame, Fortune, and the Bran Muffins of Doom, by Marty Kelley

Summary:  Simon’s latest scheme is to gain everlasting fame and glory by winning the school talent show. But there’s the fact he doesn’t sing, dance, or play a musical instrument. Utter humiliation is looking a lot more likely than fame and glory for Simon’s band, The Groovy Guys.

Holiday House

Running with Trains, by Michael Rosen

Summary:  Perry and Steve each fantasize about having each other’s life, as they only “know” each other through a train window.

WordSong

Freaky Fast Frankie Joe, by Lutricia Clifton

Summary:

Twelve-year-old Frankie Joe Huckaby, forced to live with the father he never knew, a stepmother, and four half-brothers in Illinois, starts a delivery service to finance his escape back to his mother in Texas, not realizing he is making a better life for himself than he ever had with her.

Holiday House

Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go by Dale E. Basye

Summary: When timid Milton and his older, scofflaw sister Marlo die in a marshmallow bear explosion at Grizzly Mall, they are sent to Heck, an otherworldly reform school from which they are determined to escape. 304 p., Random House.

Find it at WCPL