Middle School Reads!

by Jeannine Arkins Lexile:  ??? Genre:  Historical Fiction Louisa May Alcott, the famous author of Little Women, lived an interesting life.  This novel tells of the year at age 10 when Louisa and her family moved to Fruitlands as an experiment to see whether or not they could survive without money and by eating only what they could grow on their farm.  The experiment fails and the family is forced to move in with friends as the winter approaches, but Louisa learns a lot about life, her family, and what it takes to survive.

by Jacqueline Woodson Lexile:  730 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Laurel wishes she could turn back time.  Her life was so much simpler when her mother and grandmother were alive.  Now she is struggling with facing her new reality.  That struggle leads her to new friends who introduce her to drugs.  The drugs take the pain of her life away and Laurel is sure she can handle it.  But things quickly spin out of control and Laurel finds herself living on the streets, wondering if she is going to survive.

by Mac Barnett Lexile:  590 Genre:  Mystery Steve Brixton is not a detective.  Well, at least he wasn't until the librarians nearly had him arrested for treason.  Proving that he is innocent turns out to be quite an adventure!

by Sherri L. Smith Lexile:  680 Genre:  Historical Fiction Ida Mae Jones wants to fly.  The only way for this to happen is for her to lie.  She will have to lie about having a valid pilot's license, but more importantly, she will have to lie about who she is.  She knows that the only way she will be accepted into the Women's Airforce Service Pilots program, is to pretend that she is white.  With her light skin, it just may be possible, but that will mean turning her back on her friends and family.  And, if discovered, could be deadly for her.  But Ida Mae wants to fly, more than anything else in the whole world.

by Carl Hiaasen Lexile:  760 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Roy Eberhardt is the new kid in town.  The first person he meets is the biggest bully in school.  The second person he meets is a strange kid who runs barefoot past the bus stop in the morning.  The third person is the toughest soccer player on the girl's team who tells him to mind his own business.  Roy senses a mystery and decides to investigate, never dreaming that it will lead to a city wide protest to save some burrowing owls. 

by Han Nolan Lexile:  660 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Jason's world is falling a part.  His mother has died, his father is crazy, and he is totally alone.  At 15, it all seems too much to handle.  He has decided to become invisible and rely on only himself and some imaginary characters he hears in his head, rather than seek help for his living situation which is rapidly going down hill.  But when Jason is referred to the school counseling group, he meets 3 people who seem to want to be his friends.  Having friends would be a welcome addition to his lonely life, but how many of his secrets will he be able to hide?

by Kat Falls Lexile:  690 Genre:  Science Fiction The world has changed forever...and there is no longer enough room on land for everyone.  Some brave pioneers have begun settlements on the bottom of the ocean where there is land enough for everyone.  But living in a world at the bottom of the ocean is not easy, especially now that the outlaws are on the loose.  Ty and his family have been happy with their lives, but when he meets Gemma, a girl from above, the life that he and his parents have created is threatened.  Ty has been keeping secrets and they are about to be revealed.

by Randi Barrow Lexile:  670 Genre:  Historical Fiction World War II has just ended and Mikhail is trying to adjust to life without his father who has not been heard from in a very long time.  One day, Mikhail finds a wounded soldier and his German shepherd.  He and his family make the brave decision to try and save them both.  Unfortunately, the soldier dies, and Mikhail's family has to make a choice.  Do they turn the dog over to authorities who would most likely kill her or do they keep her secret and try to save her life?  Saving Zasha will turn out to be harder than they imagine.

by Linda Sue Park Lexile:  720 Genre:  Realistic Fiction This is the story of Nya and Salva, told in a parallel narrative that converges at the end of the story.  Nya lives in Sudan and spends her days getting water for her family.  It takes her an entire day to walk to the pond twice to fill their drinking containers.  Salva is walking.  Walking to survive.  There is war in his country and he is forced to leave his village and his family when the fighting gets to close.  Nya and Salva are both determined to survive.

by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Lexile:  900 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Ivy June of Thunder Creek and Catherine of Lexington are about to take part in their first ever student-school exchange program.  Ivy June from rural Kentucky (no phone, no running water, outhouse) is going to stay with Catherine from the big city (cell phones, computers, 4 bedroom, 5 bathroom house) for two weeks.  Ivy June has no idea what people from Lexington are like and Catherine doesn't know what to expect life out in the mountains will be like.  In this book, both girls keep a journal that explores their thoughts and feelings about the differences between their lives.  Surprisingly though, they are both able to find similarities and a new friendship is born that will help each of them cope with situations in their lives that are beyond their control.

by Helen Frost Lexile:  670 Genre:  Poetic Novel Twelve year old Willow is trying to figure out who she is.  She desperately wants her family to see her as a grown up young lady.  She wishes she could make more friends at school.  Willow spends most of her time with her family's sled dogs, in particular with one named Roxy.  When Willow convinces her parents to let her make the journey to her grandparent's home with her dogs across the Alaskan wilderness, she feels ready to take on the challenge.  But a surprising accident, leads to consequences that Willow isn't ready for.

by Katie Alender Lexile:  670 Genre:  Horror/Suspense Alexis and Kasey are like most sisters; sometimes friends and sometimes enemies.  But lately, Alexis has noticed that Kasey has been acting strangely.  Things get even more strange when unusual events start happening in their house.  Who or what is responsible for the changes?

by Kirk Scroggs Lexile:  ??? Genre: Fantasy Danvers Blickensderfer is a relatively ordinary kid.  Except for the fact that his favorite things are Muppets and his biggest hero in the world is Gonzo.  Danvers goes to bed one night as his regular old ordinary self, only to wake up in the morning to discover that he's actually turned into a Muppet!  Could this be his big chance to achieve fame, fortune, and stardom?

by Jordan Sonnenblick Lexile:  800 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Pete and AJ are all star pitchers and best friends, looking forward to break into the high school scene.  But an injury during the summer baseball season, changes Pete's life forever.  At the encouragement of his grandfather, he invests his new found free time in photography.  He meets an interesting girl, Angelika, and at the same time begins to notice some strange things his grandfather is doing.  Pete learns that life is never simple.

by Will Hobbs Genre:  Science Fiction Lexile:  700 Brady Steele is getting ready for bed one night when a meteorite bursts through the roof of his house and lands in his bed.  Unbeknownst to him, it is from Mars and is filled with extraterrestrial bacteria.  While he's sleeping, he unknowingly ingests some of the bacteria.  Suddenly be notices that his basketball skills have improved and he can bike faster than ever before, but there are some other, odd side effects.  Is the meteorite a blessing or a curse?

by Gary Paulson Genre:  Historical Fiction Lexile:  870 Samuel is living on the edge of the wilderness outside of Pennsylvania in 1776.  He is a great hunter and loves to spend his days surrounded in the quiet of the forest.  But then the war comes and Samuel's parents are taken prisoners.  He follows their trail in hopes of rescuing them, but what chance does a 13 year old have against the mighty British army?