Middle School Reads!

by Kelly Jones Illustrated by Katie Kath Lexile:  880 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Fantasy Sophie Brown has just moved to her great-uncle Jim's farm with her parents.  None of them have ever lived on a farm before, but when Jim died he left the farm to her parents so they have decided to give life a try there.  Apparently, her great-uncle Jim had some chickens, but these chickens were not your regular, ordinary kind of chickens.  No, these chickens are unusual chickens and now it is up to Sophie to find them and figure out how to take care of them.

by Allyson Condie Lexile:  600 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Cedar Lee is just trying to survive her first summer without her dad and her little brother, Ben.  They were killed in a car accident and now she and her Mom and brother, Miles, are trying to get a fresh start in the town of Iron Creek.  Iron Creek is known for its famous Summerlost theater festival.  Cedar has never really been interested in Shakespeare, but then she meets Leo and he gets her a job there selling programs and concessions.  Cedar and Leo quickly become friends and Cedar begins to enjoy her life in Iron Creek.  But someone is leaving things on her windowsill at night...things that her brother Ben would have liked.  Iron Creek is also famous for the mysterious death of Lisette Chamberlain, one of the summer theater actresses who made it big.  Could these two mysteries somehow be connected?

by Ali Benjamin Lexile:  740 Genre:  Realistic Fiction 12 year old Suzy knows a lot of facts.  But mostly those facts don't seem to interest anyone other than her.  She has been best friends with Franny since they met in a swimming class when they were 5. Suzy is looking forward to moving on to 6th grade in a new middle school with Franny.  But all of a sudden, Franny is changing.  She is interested in boys and the way her hair looks and has started hanging out with other girls.  Suzy doesn't feel like she fits in with this version of Franny at all.  Suzy doesn't know what to do to get Franny back, and then suddenly and unexpectedly, her time runs out and Suzy is left feeling lost and alone.

by Sharon Draper Lexile:  740 Genre:  Historical Fiction Stella lives in Bumbebee, North Carolina in 1932 when the town was still segregated.  Some stores and people are pleasant, others are not.  One night when Stella and her brother Jojo are outside their house, they see a secret Ku Klux Klan meeting taking place.  Stella and Jojo immediately alert their parents who in turn alert others in their small town.  It has been a long time since the people of Bumblebee have been bothered by the Klan.  What are they up to now and what does this mean for Stella and her family?  Stella has more questions than answers and isn't sure how she and her family will deal with the unfair ways they are being treated.

by Nora Raleigh Baskin Lexile:  720 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Ruby is about to start middle school, but she has a secret that she doesn't want anyone to find out about.  Ruby lives with Matoo, whom everyone assumes is her mother, but her mother has actually been in prison since Ruby was a little girl.  Ruby doesn't really know what her mother did, nor does she really know how much she wants to know.  Then Ruby meets Margalit, the new girl in their apartment complex, and for the first time Ruby has a friend.  But does she trust Margalit enough to share her secret?

by Lisa Graff Lexile:  700 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Trent is looking forward to a fresh start in his new middle school.  5th grade was the worst year of his life.  He accidentally hit Jared in the chest with a hockey puck which turned out to cause his death because he had a heart defect that no one knew about.  Trent feels responsible and hasn't been able to play sports ever since.  He is also struggling to get a long with his dad and new stepmom, who are soon to have a new baby.  Then Trent meets Fallon who unexpectedly becomes his closest friend.  Fallon has secrets of her own, but she might be the one to help Trent move past his anger and get on with his life.

by N.H. Senzai Lexile:  880 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Twelve year old Ariana is adjusting to a new living situation as her cousin, Laila, has just moved to California from Afghanistan.  Laila seems to be the perfect Afghan which makes Ariana a little bit jealous and Ariana is the one who has to take her to school and introduce her to all of her friends and help her figure out the American way of life.  Ariana's family has successfully operated an Afghan grocery store until a new store opens up in the same shopping plaza.  That store is run by a family who used to have a feud with Ariana's family.  Suddenly mysterious things begin happening at both stores and each family blames the other.  Ariana and Laila decide to work together to figure out who is trying to ruin their family business.

by Melanie Crowder Lexile:  770 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Francisco's life revolves around school and soccer.  His parents don't have a lot of extra money, but they are getting by.  Francisco is about to become the first person in his family to graduate from secondary school.  He plans to open up a shop with his friend Reynaldo, but his father wants him to go on the university so that he can have a better life.  But one day, everything changes.  His father is arrested and thrown into prison, and his mother abandons the family.  Francisco and his younger sister have no choice but to move into the prison with their father.  It will be up to Francisco to protect his sister and get his father the help he needs to prove his innocence.

by Laurie Halse Anderson Lexile:  820 Genre:  Historical Fiction Isabel and Curzon have been fighting for their dream for a long time.  The first step towards realizing their dream is to find Isabel's sister, Ruth, who was stolen away from her a long time ago.  They aren't sure if she is even still alive and in order to find out they have to travel through the forests that are filled with Patriots, British, and bounty hunters who would be willing to kidnap them and put them to work fighting for their respective causes.  Will Curzon and Isabel be able to navigate the dangerous pathway and find their freedom?