I found A Bear Called Paddington, by Michael Bond, to be a short but charming little story. 
The Thief, a Newbery Honor book by Megan Whalen Turner, begins the Queen's Thief series which also includes The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, and the just published A Conspiracy of Kings. 
The series has garnered high praise, and I agree that The Thief is well written and engaging. This fantasy story provides readers with plenty of adventure, as it chronicles Eugenides' (or Gen for short) quest to steal a valuable, mystical stone called Hamiathes's Gift. Legend dictates that if the stone is freely given, the recipient not only gains immortality, but also becomes the rightful ruler of the book's imaginary country. Gen, who has been imprisoned for bragging about his skills as a thief, has been released so that he can accompany the King of Sounis's magus on a quest to find and steal the stone. However Gen, as readers discover at the end, has other plans that he only reveals once his mission is complete.
I was a little confused by the revelations at the end of this story, perhaps because I wasn't paying enough attention as I read. The writing is sublte, though, and I think younger readers would share my confusion. I might recommend this series to middle schoolers who enjoyed the Percy Jackson books, because Turner based her imaginary world on ancient Greek civilization. However, this first book, at least, seems to demand a bit more work from the reader.
Just As Long As We're Together, by Judy Blume, targets 
a specific audience (middle school girls), giving them a story about girls their own age who experience typical problems and life events. I was aware that some of Judy Blume's books have been banned but had never read anything of hers except Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and the Fudge books. Just As Long As We're Together is quite different from that series! It was written in the 1980's, as the references to VCRs and jazzercise videos show, but adolescent girls have long been swooning over cute boys and worrying about getting their period for the first time, so I think most girls will still be able to relate to Stephanie, Rachel, and Alison's dramas. I doubt if I'll read many more of this type of story because it's just not my cup of tea, but I can certainly see why Judy Blume's books have remained on the shelves for so long, despite so many protests from well-meaning adults who think young girls should be shielded from any and all references to sex. I did not have Judy Blume books to read when I was 13, but I think I would have liked them very much if I had.
I read a new book this weekend 
called Big Nate: In a Class By Himself, by Lincoln Peirce. This is the first in a planned series, and I'm pretty sure the series is going to be just as popular as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Big Nate is funny and clever, and the book is filled with simple drawings just like the Wimpy Kid books. Highly recommended!
Gary Blackwell's The Year of the Hangman easily kept my interest, so much so that I was rather disappointed with the ending because I wanted to hear more of the story. 
This book, as the author explains in a note, is an alternate history, set in the Revolutionary War-era United States. In this version, George Washington is captured by the British. The main character is Creighton Brown, a young British man who is sent by his mother to live in the United States with his uncle, who is a cold, heartless British officer. Crieghton meets and interacts with Benjamin Franklin and Benedict Arnold as he at first struggles to find a way home to England at any cost, but then gradually finds himself siding with the American rebels against his countrymen. Blackwell encourages his readers to check out a web site called uchronia.net, which offers an extensive list of alternate history novels.
