Middle School Reads!

 by Tony Weaver, Jr. illustrated by Jes and Cin Wibowo Tony Weaver loves comic books, superheroes and video games, but not everyone in 7th grade feels the same way.  Some kids think he is a weirdo and they bully him every chance they get.  His parents have tried several different schools in hopes that he will find one where the kids will accept him just the way he is.  With the help of his family and a therapist, Tony begins to feel more confident in showing the world who he is and being seen for the amazing person that he is now and hopes to be in the future.

 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?

 by Marcia Argueta Mickelson Genre: Realistic Fiction Millie Vargas knows that after she graduates from high school, her life is going to change.  She has a full ride scholarship to Stanford University, but hasn't worked up the courage to tell her mother yet because her mom depends on her to help the family stay together.  Her mom works long hours as a housekeeper for the wealthy Wheeler family who is in the midst of a senate race.  When Mr. Wheeler turns his campaign focus on immigration, he unknowingly places Millie's family in a tough situation.  Millie's family came across the border illegally and worked hard to earn their citizenship.  Millie wants to stay out of the conversation, but her mom and others, feel that she should get involved and do whatever she can to support others who have not been as fortunate as her family.  

 by Ellen Hagen Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Novel in Verse Beatrice Miller is getting ready to be a 7th grader and she has lots of questions.  Who is she?  Who will she become?  Will her two best friends stay her best friends? Will they be popular?  All of these questions prove to have tricky answers and Beatrice will have to struggle to find the right answers for herself.  One thing is certain..being a 7th grader is not easy.

 by Kwame Alexander Genre:  Historical Fiction, Novel in Verse Kofi is growing up with his family along the banks of the river Offin in Ghana.  He loves his family, swimming, and lately, a girl named Ama.  His cousin also loves Ama so Kofi challenges him to a swimming race.  He has been warned never to go to the river after dark, but no one will tell him why.  He wants people to see him as the young man that he is becoming, not as a little kid who needs to be protected from reality.  The one night that be and his brother stay at the rice later than they should is all it takes to change all of their lives forever.

 by Jose Pimienta Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Fernando and Teresa are brother and sister.  And they are twins.  Now that they have finished 6th grade, they have decided to attend different middle schools.  Fernando is going to stay in Mexico and Teresa is going to cross the border each day and attend school in California.  As they begin to separate, their time together at home seems different too and they always seem to be getting on each other's nerves.  They wanted separate lives, but maybe they didn't fully realize what it would be like without each other?

 by Tae Keller Genre:  Realistic Fiction Middle school can be tough, especially when you are figuring out who your true friends are.  Mallory is caught in the middle...she kind of wants to get to know the new girl, Jennifer, but her friends Reagan and Tess think Jennifer acts like she is too good for everyone.  One day Jennifer runs away and everyone is trying to figure out where she went and why.  Mallory has an idea...because she knows what happened on the last day Jennifer was seen...but Mallory isn't sure if she can speak up?  Speaking up will cause her to lose her friends, but it feels like it is the right thing to do.  Mallory will have to make a decision.  What kind of friend does she want to be?

 by Cindy Baldwin Genre:  Realistic Fiction Annie Lee's daddy died at the beginning of the summer and nothing has been the same ever since.  Her mom is sad all the time and to make matters worse, her dad's ghost seems to be hanging around the apartment they had to move to after they sold their house.  Annie Lee is supposed to go directly home after school, but she can only stay in the tiny apartment for so long.  When she ventures out, she meets a new friend Ray who plays the piano at the mall and agrees to give her lessons.  At school, Annie Lee tries to be invisible, but that only works until a new girl, Mitch, discovers her and decides they should be friends. Can Annie Lee open herself up to the possibility that there is still room for happiness in her life?

 by Brian Young Genre:  Fantasy Nathan has no idea what is going to happen when he makes a quick decision to spend the summer with his grandmother on the Navajo Reservation.  He will be without electricity and cell service, but able to reconnect with his grandmother while working on a science project.  Things are going well until his Uncle Jet arrives.  It's clear that Uncle Jet is dealing with some serious stuff.  One night, Nathan gets lost in the desert and is visited by a Holy Being - a water monster - who needs his help if he is going to survive.  Does Nathan have the courage to help the water monster and his Uncle Jet?

 by Joseph Bruchac Genre:  Adventure Nick is on his way to teach at an outdoor camp when he accidentally witnesses a murder.  The murderer throws him from the train, but at the last moment his backpack strap catches and breaks his fall and he his saved.  But the man who is after him, also knows he is alive so Nick knows that he is going to have to use all of his survival skills to outsmart his predator. Can Nick navigate the dangerous Canadian wilderness and get to safety?

 by Suzanne Collins Genre:  Science Fiction/Dystopian The 10th annual Hunger Games is set to begin and Coriolanus Snow will be a first time mentor.  His mentee is Lucy Gray from District 12 and be isn't sure what to make of her, but he knows that if he wants to continue on at the Academy, he has to do everything in his power to make sure that she wins. Initially, it looks like the odds are against him, but after he first meets Lucy, he discovers that there is more to her than what others might see.  It will be up to him to work the system to get the end result he wants - Lucy stays alive and the Coriolanus Snow ends up at the top.

 by Renee Watson Genre:  Realistic Fiction Nala and her cousin Imani have always been cousin-sister-friends.  Their relationship has changed though now that Nala has moved in with Imani's family fulltime.  Imani is super interested in the Harlem Inspire group and is always trying to get Nala to join their events.  Nala isn't really interested until she attends an event and meets Tye.  When Nala first meets him, she makes up a few things about herself to impress him.  Before she knows it, she has told him that she is a vegetarian and works at her grandmother's senior living home.  Nala is afraid that when Tye learns the truth about her, he won't like her, but the web of lies is getting to be a heavy burden to carry.

 by Kirstin Cronn-Mills Genre:  Realistic Fiction Tobin Oliver is a wreck.  Her father has ALS and only has a short time left to live.  And the time that he has left is getting increasingly unpleasant as ALS robs him of his mind and his ability to do things. Her dad, Steve, was a paramedic and marathon runner and now he has to rely on his daughter and caregiver for everything.  Tobin's mom moved to Paris when she was very young and Tobin can't help but think about what her life will be like after her father dies.  She is determined to be there for her father until the very end, but she has no idea just how difficult that will turn out to be.

 by M.G. Hennessey Genre:  Realistic Fiction 12 year old Shane just wants to be a regular boy.  He loves to play baseball and hang out with his best friend, Josh.  And lately, he has been noticing Madeline and thinks he might have a crush on her.  But Shane has a secret.  It is a secret that he isn't sure how people will handle and it could cause all of his friends to look at him differently.  When rumors start flying, Shane has to decide who he is ready to tell his real story to.

 by Barbara Dee Genre:  Realistic Fiction The 8th graders can't believe it!  Their teacher, Mr. Torres, has decided that the 8th grade play for the year will be Romeo and Juliet.  For Mattie and her friends, Lucy and Tessa, it leads to much discussion about who should have which part.  Mattie decides on a small part while Lucy and Tessa want more important roles.  Gemma is cast as Juliet which Mattie thinks is fantastic, but Romeo is going to be played by Liam which everyone thinks is an odd choice.  When Liam struggles to learn his part, Mr. Torres asks Mattie to step in as his Shakespeare tutor which Mattie agrees to do because it means she can spend more time with Gemma, who seems to be, in Mattie's opinion, an amazing person.  A last minute emergency forces Mattie into the role of Romeo, opposite of Gemma in the role of Juliet.  Are the feelings that Mattie has towards Gemma all part of the play or is it something more?