Middle School Reads!

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.

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 Steve Sheinkin Lexile:  950 Genre:  Informational What occurred on July 17, 1944?  I had no idea that this was an important date in WWII history until I read this book.  July 17, 1944 is the date of the Port Chicago explosion that killed 320 serviceman and injured hundreds more.  The majority of those killed and injured were black sailors who had been ordered to load bombs and ammunition onto warships.  After the explosion, 50 of them decided that they were unable to continue to obey these orders.  The Navy responded by calling it mutiny and put them in prison.  This book is the remarkable story of the Port Chicago 50’s attempts to prevail against prejudice and injustice at a time when they were willingly risking their lives to help the war effort.

by Emma Carlson Berne Lexile:  1100 Genre:  Informational What do you think it would be like to visit some of the world’s scariest prisons that have housed some of the world’s worst criminals?  Well, look no further than this book!  Emma Berne takes you on a scary journey from the Tower of London to Alcatraz and describes with chilling details what it was like to be a prisoner in these frightening places.  You might want to grab a flashlight if you’re planning to read this one after it is dark!

by Georgia Bragg Lexile:  ??? Genre:  Informational If you liked the book  How They Croaked , then you will for sure want to check out  How They Choked ! This book is all about the ways that famous people failed, flopped, and how they were full of flaws. You will read all about these 14 famous achievers...but not about what they are famous for.  If you want to learn the back story behind how these 14 people became famous, you will want to check this book out.  Learning from mistakes is something we can all appreciate!

an adaptation from Dee Brown's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee By Dwight Jon Zimmerman Lexile:  1140 Genre:  Informational Dwight Jon Zimmerman has selected stories from Dee Brown's book and combined them with photographs, maps, and texts to create a book that tells the other side of the frontier saga - how the West was lost.  The book, told from the Native American point of view, focuses mostly on the Sioux nation and the tragic losses they endured.

by Warren St. John Lexile:  980 Genre:  Informational Outcasts United is the story of the Fugees soccer team in Clarkston, Georgia.  The Fugees and their families have come from all over the world and settled in a small community that is full of strange new customs, food, language, and people.  The one thing that some of them have in common is their love of soccer.  LumaMuflech, herself an immigrant to the United States, stumbles upon a group of boys playing soccer in a parking lot.  Little does she know, what a life changing event that chance meeting will become - for her and for all the children she will coach.

By Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon (based on the final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States) Lexile:  ??? Genre:  Informational (Graphic Novel) September 11, 2001 is a day that will never be forgotten.  Questions that quickly arose:  how did this happen?  How could the United States be so unprepared?  How can we avoid such a tragedy from happening again?  Ten Commissioners were tasked with finding the answers.  This is their report.

by Jim O'Connor Lexile:  ??? Genre:  Informational Nearly 50,000 soldiers died during the 3 day Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War.  Abraham Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Adress was composed to honor all the soldiers who gave their lives during the fight to uphold the beliefs that Abraham Lincoln believed the founding fathers meant for America to uphold.

by Georgia Bragg Lexile:  960 Genre:  Informational Ever wonder how some of the world's most famous people died?  Well look no further than this book to get your questions answered.  But be forewarned - this book is not for the faint of heart.  If you don't want to read about messy, disgusting, and alarming medical care, then this is not the book for you.  Get ready to learn some of the grossest facts in history!

by Albert Marrin Lexile:  1000 Genre:  Informational Life in New York City changed forever on March 25, 1911 when the Trianlge Shirtwaist Factory in New York City burst into flames.  146 people - mostly women - died because they were unable to safely exit the rapidly burning building.  This informational book provides the background on how so many immigrants came to be working in factories like this one and describes the dedication of many who fought so hard for working people's rights and freedoms.

by Deborah Hopkinson Lexile: 1040 Genre: Informational This book about the Titanic disaster of April 15, 1912, weaves together the many voices of Titanic passengers and survivors. You will meet young 3rd class passengers on their way to a better life in America as well as millionaires in 1st class who were on board for the event of sailing on the Titanic's maiden voyage. But they all share one thing in common, they never, ever thought that the ship would sink.

by Russell Freedman Lexile: 1110 Genre: Informational Freedom Walkers is the the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Russell Freedman combines photographs and text to explain the history and the momentum this boycott brought to the Civil Rights Movement.

by Ruth Thomson Lexile: 980 Genre: Informational Between 1941 and 1945, the Nazis turned the small town of Terezin, Czechoslovakia into a Jewish ghetto. Jews from around Europe were rounded up and sent to Terezin. Some remained there, while for others, it was just a stop on their way to a concentration camp. The Nazis used Terezin as a "show" camp to fool people around the world into thinking that Terezin was a model city of Jewish resettlement. Many of the artists who were imprisioned there, secretly drew many pictures of what life was really like. Those pictures were hidden and made public after the war was over.

by Susan Sloate Lexile: 1140 Genre: Informational The criminals that were brought to Alcatraz, also know as "The Rock", were the very worst sort - bank robbers, bootleggers, and murderers, who were too dangerous to be kept in regular prisons. Alcatraz has been the subject of much curiosity over the years due to the famous nature of its prisoners. In this book, you will explore some to the myths and truths about the island and its many prisoners.