William Tyce, the narrator of Elliot Reed's debut novel, A Key to Treehouse Living, is on a mission to do the impossible: create an encyclopedic glossary of all the terms that comprise his disjointed life. Starting from "Absence" and ending with "Yonder, The Wild Blue," William describes his life with his uncle after being abandoned by both his parents. When his uncle is arrested for insurance fraud, William sets off down river in a Huck Finn-esque journey that takes him physically and emotionally through mystical and awe-inspiring spaces. 

 

William's clear and vibrant narration guides the reader through each entry, seamlessly moving among subjects such as "Baby Memories," "Mortal Betrayal" and "Philosophy of Nihilism." While the novel's format emphasizes the muggy atmosphere of William's lonely and stagnant childhood, the plot is always drifting along beneath the surface, offering increasingly illuminative insights and revelations. As William faces loss and confusion, he looks backward while he moves forward, with a sense of both listlessness and nostalgia. Meanwhile, the experimental structure gives Reed the opportunity to flex his imagistic talents as he zooms in on evocative minutiae like the "buoyant" memory of "my dad's shirt. It was warm and soft, but crisp in its wrinkles where my face was pressed to it" or "the sound of a little radio playing fuzzy country music." These moments glitter like found gems in the darkness of William's mind, giving a book about existential darkness an undeniable sense of beauty and wonder. --Alice Martin, freelance writer and editor

In her first book, 30-year veteran Charlotte Observer reporter Pam Kelley investigates the undercurrent of Jim Crow racism and de facto segregation in the New South. Money Rock illustrates this larger socio-economic environment through the story of one African American man's family across four generations.

 

Belton Lamont Platt grew up hard in the projects of Charlotte, N.C. By the time he was 22, he was a primo cocaine dealer and the father of six children by five women. Platt, nicknamed Money Rock, confronted rival dealer Big Lou Samuels in 1985. The resulting shootout bought him a 35-year prison sentence. A gung-ho rookie journalist, Kelley went to the prison for what she hoped would be an inside peek at Money Rock's world. He stiff-armed her questions, and she forgot about him--until 2011 when a lyric from Jay-Z's "Decoded" made her wonder "What happened to Money Rock?" She found him preaching at his Rock Ministries Church International in Conway, S.C.

 

After an appeal of his shootout conviction, Money got his sentence cut to one year (time served) and went back to slinging blow. He was busted again in 1990, and while serving this second time, Money Rock found Jesus, married a woman he met through jailhouse visits, and watched his children slide into crime and premature deaths. When he got out, he and his wife moved to Conway, and this time Money Rock's conversion took. He's still talking the Lord's talk at Rock Ministries. Kelley knows a good story when she sees one--and with solid journalism, dogged research, perceptive observation, colorful interviews and memorable characters, Money Rock is a hell of a story. --Bruce Jacobs, founding partner, Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, Kan.

As a child growing up in Texas, Barbara Jordan (1936-1996) was proud of her "big, bold, booming, crisp, clear, confident voice." It was a voice that "made a difference"--that "caused folks to sit right up, stand up straight, and take notice."

 

Inspired by a lawyer visiting her high school, Barbara studied "long and hard" to earn her law degree. But being a lawyer meant using "a typewriter and pen a lot more than she did her voice," so Barbara began speaking out for political change. Wanting "more justice and more equality," she ran for office and, on her third try, was elected state senator in Texas, where she dedicated herself to ensuring the political system was used to improve people's lives. In 1972, Barbara was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. During the Watergate affair, she gave a stirring, televised speech to remind the nation that the Constitution applies to everyone, even the president of the United States. She was a rising star, "battling" to end discrimination, until her own fight with multiple sclerosis forced her to leave Washington. Back in Texas, she taught college, "[using] her voice to instruct and implore and inspire."

 

Chris Barton's (Dazzle Ships) strong, engaging text is well-matched by the stunning hues and bold textures of Ekua Holmes's (Out of Wonder) mixed-media illustrations. Differing type sizes and colors, along with a generous trim size and strategic use of blank space, make the text easily readable and each illustration stand out. Back matter includes an author's note and timeline, as well as recommendations of additional resources for interested readers. Many of Barbara's former students, Barton's text states, still hear "echoes of her words as they try to make life better for all of us." They, like she did, seek "Equality. Justice. Trust." --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI