Middle School Reads!

by Jewell Parker Rhodes Lexile:  360 Genre:  Realistic Fiction/Fantasy Jerome was tired of being bullied so his friend Carlos brings a toy gun to school and scares them away.  Jerome is in awe of how powerful that toy gun made Carlos so when Carlos offers to loan it to him, Jerome accepts the offer.  Jerome decides to play with the toy gun in the vacant lot near his home.  He was just a boy, playing with a toy gun, until a police officer arrives on the scene and sees his interpretation of the scene - a young black man waving a real gun in the air.  In a matter of seconds, Jerome's life as he knew it is over because now he has become one of the ghost boys.

by Svetlana Chmakova Lexile:  360 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Jensen is struggling with the daily challenges of being a middle schooler.  He wants the bullies to stop bothering him and his friends to be nicer.  He thought he was part of the art club, but lately he is questioning whether or not the people in that club are treating him the way friends should.  He is thrilled when the newspaper club asks him to help out, but they seem to be giving him tasks that no one else wants to do.  Where does Jensen belong in the crazy world of Berrybrook Middle School?

by Jen Wang Lexile:  360 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel The king and queen have decided that it is time for Prince Sebastian to find a princess.  His parents host a ball to help him meet all the eligible ladies in the kingdom.  But Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life.  In reality, he is a prince who loves to wear dresses.  He hires a talented dressmaker name France who is willing to design dresses for him and keep his secret.  However, Frances has dreams of her own and if she is to realize those dreams, she will no longer be able to protect the prince.  Sebastian and Frances will have to make tough decisions if they want to pursue their dreams and be true to themselves.

by Chris Crutcher Lexile:  790 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Annie Boots just has to make it through one more year before sh can finally start making decisions for herself.  She has been in and out of foster care for most of her life and even though she has a family that is committed to raising her, they seem to only want to do so on their terms.  Annie sees her bio family from time to time, but they are not stable and Annie knows that she can only truly rely on herself, but will that be enough?