The Memory Thief by Bryce Moore

My name is Benji, and I didn't mean to become a memory thief. My parents were fighting again at the fair, I was being chased by bullies, and I ducked into Louie's tent to get away. Louie is a memory thief, and he already knew what I was thinking and even put one of his memories right into my mind! He warned me to stay away from a lady with tattoos, but I didn't listen. She showed up, my twin sister forgot who I was, and then Louie died right in front of me! Before he died, Louie put all of his memories into my head, which is how I became a memory thief. Now, the lady has ruined my parents' and sister's memories and the memories for most of the visitors to the fair. I tried stopping her once but failed miserably. She says she'll fix my family if I give her all of Louie's memories, but I can't trust her. She'll just erase my knowledge when she gets the chance, and then who'll be left to stop her?

This book is a finalist for the 2016 Cybils Book Award in the category of Elementary and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction. The conflict was imaginative, and Benji soon understood the consequences of his new power. He wanted to erase his parents' memories of fighting with each other, but he realized those memories helped to create their personalities. He felt guilty about visiting people's memories, but he temporarily overcome that when things got serious. The author added an additional problem through whispers. Benji heard them whenever he was thieving memories, and their power almost trapped him. Benji is a very likable character and displays admirable qualities. He is caring for others and even has compassion for the women causing him problems. He wonders how she became so evil and ends up helping her when she needs it. He wants to help his family with its problems, but he doesn't want to change his parents or sisters. An important moment occurs when he's trying to help his twin sister, as he discovers how others may have totally different points of view for the same events. A very valuable lesson indeed! I highly recommend you give this book a read.