Shermy and Shake, the Not-So-New Kid
by  Kirby Larson (Goodreads Author), Shinji Fujioka (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Shermy likes to have things orderly and quiet, but Shake is loud and chaotic. When Shake joins Shermy’s class at school, their friendship is tested. Shake is popular and extroverted, but Shermy wishes he could be a leader in the class. Through school work, sports, and holidays, these two friends will have to find a way to communicate and be patient with each other.

The Giant Rat of Sumatra: or Pirates Galore
by Sid Fleischman, John Hendrix (Illustrator)

3.5 out of 5 stars
A pirate ship rescues a boy from a shipwreck, and he becomes their new cabin boy. Nicknamed “Shipwreck”, he has a tenuous loyalty to the pirates, because they saved his life, but he is looking for an opportunity to leave them and make his way home on a trade ship. The pirate captain announces his intention to give up piracy and take up ranching just outside of San Diego, but the Mexicans are at war with America and the political climate is very unstable. Shipwreck has to rely on the captain for safety from bandits and the town militia, and the captain entrusts his greatest treasure to Shipwreck.

The Pinchers and the Diamond Heist
by Anders Sparring, Per Gustavsson (Illustrator), Julia Marshall (Translator)

4 out of 5 stars

The Pincher family are all thieves and liars. They love to steal and cheat, except for Theo who gets a stomachache if he tries to tell a lie or do anything dishonest. It doesn’t help that their next-door neighbor is a policeman! When Mr. and Mrs. Pincher leave Theo and his sister at home for the evening, Theo worries that they might be planning to steal the famous diamond on exhibit at the museum. His sister drags Theo along to visit their grandmother in jail, and they stage a prison escape and go looking for the diamond themselves.