I struggle with books like Buckeye. Their authors write so well, their characters are so engaging, and their subject matter is so interesting. The one thing their stories lack is decency.

Take Cal Jenkins, son of a bitter World War I veteran. After Pearl Harbor Cal is eager to serve in World War II but is rejected because of a birth defect. Or Becky Hanover, who has a gift for communicating with dead souls. Then there’s Margaret, who grows up wondering why her mother abandoned her to an...

Gary D. Schmidt has won my heart with another of his delightful novels about middle-school kids. The latest is a youngster with the improbable name of Hercules Beal. His brother’s name is Achilles.

The Beal brothers live in Truro, a small New England town where they try to carry on following the deaths of their parents. Achilles runs the family plant farm and nursery with the help of his girlfriend, whom Hercules is convinced is a vampire.

One of Hercules's teachers is an ex-Marine who runs his...

Although The Memory Police appeared more than thirty years ago, it speaks to the present moment, when sinister forces work to destroy human freedom and initiative.

A nameless narrator describes how squads of police officials sweep through her island community to remove random objects such birds, ferryboats, and rose gardens. Once the items are gone, most people cease to remember them. Some brave souls provide safehouses for the few people whose memories remain intact. But the Memory Police are...