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 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 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 Gene Luen Yang Genre:  Sports, Graphic Novel Gene Luen Yang is trying to keep his life in balance...teaching high school math, being a super husband and dad, and expanding his work as a comic book artist.  He is searching for the next topic of his book when the high school basketball team is poised to have their best season ever.  Gene has never particularily liked sports so why would he want to write a graphic novel about basketball?  As he begins to explore the team's history, he discovers that perhaps there are many lessons people could learn if he is able to write their story.

 by Lisa Brown Genre:  Fantasy, Graphic Novel Iss and Jane have spent their whole lives on the road with as a carnival exhibit. They are the mysterious Siamese Twins that people pay money to gawk and stare at.  But one day a doctor comes to the show and tells them that he thinks he can safely separate them so that they can have their own separate lives.  Jane is all for it, but Iss is not so sure.  What if something goes wrong?  Is their current reality really that bad?  Once the operation is over, Iss realizes that her life will never be the same again.

by Jerry Craft Lexile:  GN320 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Jordan Banks is starting 7th grade at a brand new school:  Riverdale Academy Day School.  It is very different from his other school and the neighborhood in which he lives.  There isn't much diversity at Riverdale and Jordan has to put up with stares, being called the wrong name, and assumptions and judgements that are made about him by staff and students.  Jordan struggles with feeling accepted and making friends, but his parents feel that it is important that he try to take advantage of the opportunities that this school will provide.  Jordan will have to learn how to navigate his two different worlds while staying true to the person he is and the person he hopes to become.

by Kristen Gudsnuk Lexile:  GN340 Genre:  Fantasy, Graphic Novel Dany is in the 7th grade and things are not going well.  In 6th grade, she had plenty of friends and never had a problem finding a table to join at lunch.  But now everything is different, and Dany finds herself alone, more than she would like.  Dany loves to draw so when she inherits a sketchbook from her aunt, she begins to draw.  However, this is no ordinary sketchbook and Dany's drawings come to life.  Dany decides to design and draw a perfect friend for herself because once she has the perfect friend, everything else will work out right. 

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 Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm Lexile:  GN480 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Sunny is heading to middle school and she's not very excited about it.  Everything just seems extra confusing - at school and at home.  Sunny is trying to adjust to the absence of her brother Dale sho was sent away to school by her parents.  They are all hoping that a fresh start will get him back on track.  Sunny meets a new neighbor who introduces her to flag twirling.  So even if things are different and confusing, maybe life will still turn out okay.

by Matt Phelan Lexile:  220 Genre:  Historical Fiction, Graphic Novel It's 1928 and New York City is the place to be.  Samantha was living a charmed life until her father remarries and her new stepmother sends her away to school.  But then the market crashes and her father loses everything, including his life at the hands of her evil stepmother.  Now Samantha has reason to believe that her life is in danger. Will the seven little men who rescue her be able to save her from her evil stepmother?

by Svetlana Chmakova Lexile: 280 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Penelope - Peppi- Torres is starting her first day as the new girl at school.  The very first thing she does is trips and knocks over a boy who happens to be the school nerd.  The mean kids start teasing her about being his new girlfriend so when he tries to help her up, she pushes him over and runs away.  Peppi is ashamed of herself and knows that she should apologize, but can't seem to find quite the right moment.  When she starts to struggle in science class, her teacher assigns her to a tutor and guess who it turns out to be?  Peppi is going to need to get up the courage to apologize and maybe she will be able to survive science and make a new friend.

by Raina Telgemeier Lexile:  300 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Cat is less than thrilled about having to move.  But her parents have decided that the climate in the Northern California city of Bahia de la Luna is better for her younger sister, Maya, who has cystic fibrosis.  Once Cat and Maya start to explore the town, they quickly discover that something is a little odd.  They meet Carlos who offers to introduce them to the ghosts that that live there.  Cat is skeptical and hesitant, but Maya is all in.  Cat will have to get over her fears if she is going to live happily ever after in Bahia de la Luna.

by Don Brown Lexile:  860 Genre:  Informational, Graphic Novel The 1930s was a long, dusty period in the history of the United States as the Great Dust Bowl swept across the midwest.  There were long periods of drought and a fine layer of dust coated everything. Homes, animals, people, their food...dust was everywhere.  It took many lives in the process, but people were unwilling to give up.  Time after time, they dusted themselves off, and started over.

by Cece Bell Genre:  Memoir, Graphic Novel Cece Bell is starting a new school and she is worried about what others will think about her.  Cece is deaf and has to wear hearing aids that are clearly visible to everyone else and her teacher has to wear a special microphone that works in conjunction with her hearing aid.  Cece feels like everyone looks at her strangely and she isn't sure if kids will want to be friends with her.  All Cece wants is to fit in and make new friends.  Will it be possible or will she need to develop a superpower to overcome her problems?

Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans Written and Illustrated by Don Brown Lexile:  GN920 Genre:  Informational, Graphic Novel Award:  Orbis Pictus Award This is the first graphic novel to ever win the Orbis Pictus Award.  In this book, Don Brown describes the horror that descended upon New Orleans in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina struck.  Through vivid images and text, he tells the story of those who remained behind in the city and what happened in the aftermath when there wasn't enough food, shelter, or emergency help to go around.

by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell Lexile:  850 Genre:  Memoir/Graphic Novel John Lewis continues his memoir about his role in the Civil Rights Movement in  March, Book Two . The story picks up with John's involvement with the nonviolence movement through peaceful sit-ins and freedom bus rides.  John and his fellow protestors are repeatedly attacked, punished, and jailed, but they refuse to post bond and pay their fees.  They remain determined in their quest for equal rights.

by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell Lexile:  760 Genre:  Memoir/Graphic Novel Growing up, John Lewis loved chickens and wanted to become a pastor.  He lived in the South and grew up experiencing the injustices in society between whites and blacks.  His uncle took him on a trip to the North where is eyes were opened even further to the different ways in which people were treated. He met Martin Luther King, Jr. and started to learn about nonviolent methods.  He became involved with the Civl Rights Movement because he wanted his voice to be heard and he wanted to become part of the movement to bring about change.

by Nick Abadzis Lexile:  370 Genre:  Historical Fiction (Graphic Novel) Laika is set to make history.  Russia has begun the race to get a man on the moon and they are anxious to beat the United States.  Their manned space flight program begins with training dogs to withstand the forces of space flight.  Laika ends up as a new recruit in the space program.  She has no idea what the rest of her short life is going to be like.

by Madeline L'Engle, adapted and illustrated by Hope Larson Lexile:  ??? Genre:  Science Fiction (Graphic Novel) Meg and Charles Wallace want to find their father.  He disappeared while doing some top secret government work and no one has seen him since.  One night, some strange visitors appear and say that they can help the children in their quest.  They introduce the idea of time travel through something called a tesseract.  If they are able to figure out how to  time travel, they might be able to save their father from the dark force that is holding him captive.