karenhokansonmiller.com: Who doesn’t love unconditional love? If you’ve forgotten how to do it yourself, read I Will Love you Anyway, a probably true story told by “dog” himself and Mick Inkpen (il. By Chloe Inkpen). Dog confesses he sneaks socks, shoes, and gloves for the best reason of you, they smell of you. He runs away because…he does. He doesn’t sit or stay, he just loves you anyway. I wish I had this book to remind me when my dog pooped in the wrong place or when my son shot out the garage light with a bb gun. For now, I think I will pull it out whenever I’m with a child. Everyone deserves to be reminded that, no matter what, I will love you anyway.

Between Two Skies

Joanne O’Sullivan

This is a love letter to Louisiana, its bayous, shrimpers and teenagers. You’d expect a hurricane story to focus on the raging storm, but Between Two Skies shares the lives of the Riley family before and after Katrina. 16-year-old Evangeline loves Bayou Perdu, shrimping, and life in general. She meets Tru, son of another fisherman just before Katrina hits.  Then, everything is blown apart by the storm. Between Two Skies shares how life can be changed for the good or for the worse after a disaster. And, if you’ve forgotten, what it’s like to fall in love. While it’s rated  YA, it would be a great read for Middle Graders.