The Free State of Jax by Jennifer A. Nielsen

How I Came Across It... *During our fall Scholastic Book Fair I came across this new title and bought it to add to our classroom collection. Before I shared with my students, I read it first and boy, am I glad I did. This was such a great and enjoyable story. What It's About - Five Things You Need to Know... *Jax lost his parents and then lost his grandmother.

*Which is how he came to live with his aunt, uncle, and their slew of kids.

*Jax doesn't fit in with the family, isn't enjoying his time with them, and wants to find a way out.

*He decides to establish his own "country", create his own "laws", and live in a place that works for him.

*While he is in the process of this transition, he also takes the time to solve a local disappearance/murder. What I Thought of It - Five Observations/Reflections... *It has been quite some time since I have read a Jennifer Nielsen novel. This was quite different from her previous books, but just as good.

*I was hooked once I started.

*Jax was an amazing character and I enjoyed his journey from start to finish.

*Lots of great life-lessons presented throughout the story.

*Of course, the disappearance/murder didn't hurt and added great mystery to the overall story.

Who Should Read It... *The perfect middle-grade story for children in grades four and five, along with middle-school students. I could see it working well as a class read aloud and/or putting into the hands of individual kids. After reading it, they might want to start their own country. Happy Reading! Rating... 5 out of 5 stars