Middle School Reads!

by Renee Watson Lexile:  680 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Jade attends St. Francis High School on a scholarship and she is tired of people thinking that she needs help if she is going to "make it" in the world.  She has to get up very early and take the city bus out of her neighborhood to attend the mostly white high school.  Her counselor recommends her for a mentorship program that could result in a college scholarship if she completes the program.  Jade has some reservations about accepting yet another offer of "help",  and when she meets her mentee, Maxine, she has even more concerns.  Is Maxine another person who thinks she needs saving?

by Pam Munoz Ryan Lexile:  680 Genre:  Historical Fiction Friedrich, Micheal, and Ivy are all growing up in different times and in different places.  The one thing they have in common:  a harmonica.  This harmonica has a long life and story as it passes from one person to the next.  It's journey begins in Germany, then moves to Pennsylvania, and eventually ends up in California.  It changes the lives of many and eventually brings these three people together. This book is a most amazing way to tell a story.

by Rachel Vail Lexile:  620 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Gracie is trying to navigate the challenges of 8th grade.  There are boys who are friends and boys who maybe she is starting to think about as being more than friends.  And then there is her group of girl friends and their interests are changing too.  On top of that Gracie's parents are over the top protective of her and because her older sister died before she was born, Gracie is struggling to be the perfect daughter that she thinks her parents expect her to be.  8th grade is tough, but Gracie is going to make it through.

by Dean Hughes Lexile:  820 Genre:  Historical Fiction Yuki Nakahara considers himself to be an American.  But then Pearl Harbor is bombed and suddenly anyone of Japanese descent is considered to be the enemy.  Yuki and his family are forced to leave behind all of their belongings and relocate to an internment camp where they can be watched and monitored for suspicious behavior.  Yuki and his best friend Shig decide that the only way to bring honor to their families and to prove that they are true Americans is to enlist in the army.  As they ship off to fight the Germans, they wonder if they will ever return to life as they knew it.

by David Baldacci Lexile:  620 Genre:  Mystery Finally.  The end has come.  It is now up to Amy and Dan Cahill to save the world.  Vesper One has created a Doomsday Device that if detonated will destroy the earth.  It all comes down to this one final battle. It all comes down to Amy and Dan.  Will they prove that the Cahills are the most powerful family on earth?

Edited by Ellen Oh Lexile:  800 Genre:  Realistic Fiction This is a collection of diverse stories by diverse authors.  The book is dedicated to Walter Dean Myers who "believed that young people need to see themselves reflected in the pages of the books they read."  And in this book, that happens.  There are stories that range from dreams of becoming a star basketball player, to a story about settling into a new neighborhood.  There is something in this book that each reader will be able to relate to.

by Marianne Kaurin Lexile:  870 Genre:  Historical Fiction 15 year old Ilse is waiting to go on her first date to the movies.  Only Hermann never shows up.  He is too embarrassed to face her even though his explanation is a good one.  The trouble is, there is no way he can tell her where he was or what he was doing.  It is October of 1942 in Oslo, Norway and changes are happening.  Ilse and her family are Jewish and they are slowly watching their lives disappear.  First it's just that the orders stop coming into her father's tailor shop.  Then, they have to register and get their papers stamped with a "J".  And then, her father is arrested and taken away with no explanation.  It is a dangerous time to be Jewish in Oslo.