The Red Blazer Girls by Michael D. Bill

Beil, Michael. (2009). The Red Blazer Girls. Alfred A. Knopf: New York. ISBN 978-0-375-84814-8

Sophie, Margaret, and Rebecca are three seventh-grade girls who attend St. Veronica’s, an all-girl Catholic school on the Upper East of Manhatten. When our narrator, Sophie, spots a mysterious face in the window of the school church during English class, the girls decide to investigate. But instead of solving that mystery, they discover another that involves the loss of an ancient piece of jewelry: The Ring of Rocamadour. They must solve tricky riddles, puzzles, and math problems to reclaim the prize, but with danger and intrigue around every corner, the girls decide they need help. They find it in their childhood friend, the very cute Rafael and the new girl Leigh Ann, who might be just too pretty for her own good. Quirky characters, hilarious situations, and characters with a pitch perfect middle school voice make the Red Blazer Girls one you will want to share with a friend. The first of a series, this book is for ages ten and up.

Love, Aubrey

LaFleur, Suzanne. Love, Aubrey. Random House, June 2009. ISBN 978-0-385-73774-6. Ages 9-14.

Young Aubrey's world is shattered when she is abandoned by her mother after a tragic accident that kills her father and younger sister. Through a sweet friendship with her neighbor, Bridget, a guiding relationship with her school counselor, and stability with her grandmother, Aubrey learns to move forward through her pain and confusion. Aubrey's reflections on her feelings and her family members draw the reader into her life and the story. Thought-provoking and full of real emotion, Love, Aubrey will speak to the reader in a tender way.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly

Kelly, Jacqueline. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. Henry Holt, May 2009. ISBN 978-0-8050-8841-0. Ages 9-13.

Calpurnia Tate is the only girl in a family of seven children living outside Lockhart, Texas in 1899. Against her mother's wishes that she become a proper, marriagiable young lady, twelve-year-old Calpurnia has ambitions to become a scientist and answer the many questions she poses in the notebook her oldest brother, Harry, gives to her.
Calpurnia finds a kindred spirit in her Granddaddy, who spends his retirement studying Central Texas wildlife and flora when he's not trying to distill pecans into some sort of drinkable whisky. Calpurnia learns about the Scientific Method, reads The Origin of Species, and becomes acquainted with Dickens under her grandfather's tutelage.
The book takes a little while to get going, with a serious lack of dialogue for several chapters. Soon, though, Calpurnia's character begins to blossom and it's easy enough for the reader to become engrossed in Calpurnia's life. The book is episodic, with the characters driving the book more than a strong plot. It's an easy book to come back to and enjoy in several sittings without losing pace with the action. I would have appreciated a little more development of Granddaddy and some of the other secondary characters, but overall I thought this was a nice debut novel.