Hands by Torrey Maldonado

Trev is a 12-year-old kid with adult problems. His stepfather, who is in jail for hitting his mother, is scheduled to be released soon. Trev believes it is his job to protect his mom and sisters, and he decides to go to a gym and learn to fight. As you can see from the cover, Trev has two sides--he is both a fighter and an artist--and the theme of this book is Trev choosing how to use his hands. Trev lives in the projects, and even though he feels the weight of the world on his shoulders, there is a village around him that advises him and tries to protect him. I love that his book is short (we need more short books!), and the chapters are only a couple of pages long which makes it very appealing to pick up and read in short bursts. I know that lots of kids are going to see themselves in this book, or they are going to gain some empathy from walking in Trev's shoes. I'm not going to spoil things, but the ending was abrupt for me and I think kids are going to wish they had a few more scenes to wrap it up. This is a great choice for upper elementary readers--I recommend it for 4th-6th graders. 

Phoenix Island by John Dixon

When a high school boy tells me he read a great book, I always want to read it for myself. The kid who told me about this one has never steered me wrong, so I grabbed it right away. He was right. This book was violent and horrifying and perfect for readers who like action and adventure, with a touch of science fiction thrown in. It's about a Carl Freeman, a 16-year-old who is sentenced to a military-style boot camp for teenagers who have broken the law. Carl's problem is his temper. When he sees a bully in action he fights back, and even though he is usually protecting someone helpless, he causes a lot of damage. Carl is also an orphan, so when he is sent to Phoenix Island, he has no family to wonder where he went. What he finds on Phoenix Island is a cruel, physically violent book camp where kids are bullied, tortured, and maybe even killed. Carl, a champion boxer, eventually fights back but he is up against a powerful system that goes far beyond Phoenix Island. Be warned—this book has numerous graphically violent fight scenes so it's recommended for 9th grade-up.