Taking Care of Moses by Barbara O'Connor

"Randall Mackey has a secret". So starts this story. Randall's secret has to do with an abandoned baby that's tearing up his small community. Everyone is fighting over what should be done with the infant boy that was left in a box on the steps of church. But Randall knows who left the baby.

This book is a great little tale that discusses the balance between right and wrong. (This isn't a heavy book...the wrong isn't too dramatic here. And the characters aren't planning all out war or anything.) With lots of strong examples of voice, O'Connor takes the reader on Randall's journey when deciding what he should do.

"What would you do if some bad stuff started happening and you could make it stop if you told a secret? Only, if you told the secret, then something else bad might happen?" In one of the best scenes in the novel, Randall looks for guidance. And although he doesn't get an easy answer like he'd hoped, it certainly puts him on the road to doing the "right thing".

A quick and lighthearted read with just a dose of morality, Taking Care of Moses will certainly be popular in the nearby state for which it is a Children's Choice nominee.