Middle School Reads!

 by Anton Treuer Genre:  Realistic Fiction Ezra Cloud wishes that he could like in Canada with his grandparents.  He is very unhappy with his life in Northeast Minneapolis.  He would much rather be out in the wilderness learning how to trap and hunt.  His dad is a professor of Ojibwe language so he has to live in the city where the college he teaches at is.  Ezra is struggling with school and with one student in particular, Matt, who is known throughout their high school as a bully. After yet another fight with Matt, his home suspiciously burns down and Ezra becomes a prime suspect.  Ezra's dad decides that the safest place for Ezra right now would be on the reservation with his grandparents in Canada.  Ezra can't believe his good luck.  No more Matt and no more Minneapolis!  Will life in the Canadian wilderness be as fantastic as Ezra thinks it will be?  

 by Gene Luen Yang and Leuyen Pham Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Val has pretty much given up on love.  Her family has had nothing but heartbreak and secrets that she is desperately trying to understand.  Her parents have pied to her her whole life because they thought that they were protecting her, but now she doesn't even know who she can trust.  Val meets some cute lion dancers and starts to develop feelings for one of them.  Are these feelings love and if so, should she ignore them to protect her own heart?

 by Natalia Sylvester Genre:  Realistic Fiction For as long as she can remember, Veronica has wanted to be a mermaid.  She loves to swim and that has been helpful for her rehabilitation from hip surgery.  She was born with hip dysplasia so has had to endure many painful surgeries, but this time she is determined to get what she wants.  Her parents do not think that becoming a professional mermaid makes any sense, but it is what Veronica has always wanted to do.  When a rare opening occurs to work at Mermaid Cove, Veronica decides to secretly audition for the part.  If she gets it, she will figure out a way to convince her parents that being a professional mermaid is worth her time and effort.

 by Alex Gino Genre:  Realistic Fiction Green is lucky in many ways.  They have a supportive family and friend group, but the confusing thing is that they might have a crush on Ronnie and they aren't sure how Ronnie feels about them.  When the school announces that they will be doing the Wizard of Oz play, Green asks Ronnie to join the crew.  Green and Ronnie are having fun working behind the scenes, but Green still isn't sure how Ronnie feels about them.  Will Green work up the courage to ask?  Growing up is so confusing!

 by Donna Gephart Genre:  Realistic Fiction Lily has known from a young age that she is a girl, but her father is insistent that she grow up as a boy even though she has tried to explain to him how she feels.  The older she gets, the harder it is to pretend to be something she is not.  Dunkin is new in town and he is dealing with his own secrets. He is trying to make new friends, but is struggling with whether or not he wants to be part of the basketball team who seem to have a lot of fun together, some of which includes bullying Lily.  Dunkin knows it is wrong, but he also likes being part of the group for once.  Maybe if these two figure out who they truly are, they will be able to work together to make life better for everyone.

 by Hannah Reynolds Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Romance Shira wants a boyfriend more than anything and she has found the perfect candidate - Isaac.  He is interning at her family's company and is going to spend Hanukkah with her family in Nantucket.  Shira has all kinds of ideas about how she might get Isaac's attention, but she is terrible at flirting and doesn't want to mess up this opportunity.  She turns to her next door neighbor, Tyler, whom she had a crush on for many years when she was younger.  Tyler seems to have no problem attracting the interests of lots of girls so Shira convinces him to help her.  He agrees to give her flirting lessons in exchange for an introduction to Shira's great uncle who could get Tyler an internship.  Will Shira's grand scheme work?