Compelling characters in middle grade fiction

One of the things that's so much fun about reading middle grade fiction is the amazing array of characters.  This first book has the most interesting array of characters I've read in awhile.  It's called "The Not So Boring  Letters of Private Nobody" by Matthew Landis.  It's about 12 year old Oliver, who is SO EXCITED to be starting a new social studies unit on the American Civil War.  Oliver loves learning about the Civil War.  He even belongs to a group of people who re-enact Civil War battles.  The bad news is that the project he's been so excited to start requires that he has a partner (he really wants to work alone) AND he and his partner are given a soldier to research that no one has ever heard of.  The partner is a GIRL named Ella who appears disheveled and is failing many of her classes.  She is not particularly interested in the Civil War and Oliver tries very hard to get out of working with her.  But, his teacher, Mr. Carrow (who is wildly enthusiastic and HILARIOUS) won't let him out of it and as he gets to know Ella, he finds that she's a lot more interesting (and pretty) than he thought.  I really loved the dialogue in this one-Landis has a great ear for conversation.  I also loved the plot twists and the mystery aspect of the story-the Civil War soldier was a lot more interesting than either of the kids actually thought and the conversation about who is really a hero is terrific.  I really liked this one.

This second one was a lot harder for me to read.  I didn't really recognize anyone I knew in the story as it began and that's actually what made it so great.  It's called "So Done" by Paula Chase.  It's about two girls named Jamila and Metai (Me-Tay, she'll tell you, not Me-Tie) who living in a housing project.  They have been best friends for a long time, but this summer, Jamila (who's nickname is Bean, short for Stringbean, because she's so tall and skinny) spent the summer with her big sister and her aunt in the suburbs.  Jamila enjoyed the time there and is not so sure she wants to be back-she has a lot of responsibilities with her family and the dangers of living in the housing projects are made very clear-but the real reason is something that happened at her friend, Metai's house, just before she left.  What made it hard for me to read was the dialogue, both spoken and texted.  It was very well written, but in a dialect that is completely unfamiliar to me (a middle aged white lady)- the dialect is urban teenager.  I did eventually sort of figure it out (I can read it, but I don't dare try to speak it) and that helped to make the picture of the girls and their lives more clear.  But the other part that was completely unfamiliar to me was the rage.  Tay is a character filled with rage and self-loathing and I found it really difficult to connect to her, but as the story progresses, you can figure out that the rage comes from knowing how much she's missing-no mom in the picture, a dad who is drug addicted and irresponsible and how understand the family that her best friend, Mila, does have, would be incredibly painful.  I loved this story of friendship and the evolution of friendships.  I loved how eventually the girls can tell their most painful stories and know that their friends have their backs.  I loved how each girl was able to find her own place, even if it looked like they were moving away from the friends they struggled to keep.  This one was a big wide window for me, into a place I've never been, but I'm glad I had a chance to see it.