Middle School Reads!

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Lexile:  520 Genre:  Historical Fiction Ada was finally able to have the surgery to fix her clubfoot so she is now able to walk comfortably on her own.  She thought that fixing her damaged foot would solve all of her problems, but the damage her mother inflicted on her is proving to be harder to overcome.  Ada and Jamie have settled into a comfortable life with Susan who wants to become their legal guardian.  Ada is still hesitant to put her trust in one person, but Jamie has already started calling Susan, Mum.  World War II continues to change their lives as well when Lady Thorton moves in and then Lord Thorton brings a young Jewish German girl to live with them.  Ada is going to have to come to terms with the hurts from the past if she wants to be able to face a future of happiness. 

by Alyssa B. Sheinmel Lexile:  790 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Maisie loves to run and that is the last thing that she remembers doing when she wakes up in the burn unit of the hospital.  Her parents tell her that there was a lightning strike, then a fire, and that she has second degree burns on her left arm and hand.  And then they tell her that her nose, left cheek, and chin are gone.  Completely burned away. Maisie can't comprehend what this means for her future - he plan to compete for college scholarships in track, her plan to leave happily ever after with her boyfriend Chirag, and her plan to go to college with her best friend Serena.  Then she is offered the opportunity to have a face transplant.  A donor has suddenly become available and Maisie has to decide now.  A transplant means having to take anti-rejection medicines for the rest of her life.  But it also might mean a chance at a more normal life.  What would it be like to sti...

by Kate Messner Lexile:  720 Genre:  Realistic Ficiton Charlie Brennan loves Irish dancing and wants to buy a fancy dress for an upcoming dance competition.  Her parents have given her $300, but that's not enough to buy the dress that she wants.  So Charlie decides to take up ice fishing to earn some extra money.  The first fish that Charlie catches speaks to her and tells her that if she releases it, she will be granted a wish.  Charlie makes a wish that comes true and suddenly Charlie realizes that if she catches the fish again, she can make more wishes for more people.  As Charlie continues to catch and release and make wishes, she realizes that not all of her wishes are coming true in the way she imagined they would.  And when her older sister needs the biggest wish of all, Charlie is not sure that everything in life can be solved with a magic wish.

by Jack Cheng Lexile:  1120 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Alex loves everything about space and rockets.  His hero is Carl Sagan and that is who he named his dog after.  Alex is busy recording conversations about life on Earth on his golden iPod which he then plans to launch into space at a rocket convention in New Mexico.  Alex is only 11, but he is going to figure out a way to get from Colorado to New Mexico with his rocket, his iPod, and his dog.  Alex has no idea what is in store for him and his family as he sets out on this adventure.

by Celia C. Perez Lexile:  670 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Malu has just heard the worst news ever! Her mother has taken a 2 year teaching job in Chicago and she has to go with her.  Malu does not want to move to a new city, leave her dad, and meet new friends at a new school.  Malu feels like she and her mom are at odds all the time and she wishes that her mom could just accept her for who she is.  On the first day of school, she gets off on the wrong foot with Selena, the school's queen bee, and gets written up for a dress code violation.  Malu thinks it is going to be a long two years...

by David Barclay Moore Lexile:  650 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Lolly is angry that his brother Jermaine is dead.  The last time they spoke, they argued and now Lolly will never have the chance to talk to him again.  He deals with his anger by building.  Building with Legos.  When he is building, he can escape from all the feelings he is keeping bottled up inside.  His creations take over his apartment and soon spread to his after school program too.  The more Lolly builds, the better he feels, and in the process has made some new friends.  Lolly and his friends have some tough decisions to make.  Do they seek revenge on the person who killed Jermaine and join a gang for protection or do they try a different path that might get them farther in life than Jermaine?

by Lauren Wolk Lexile:  770 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Mystery Crow has lived her entire life on a small island off the coast of Massachusetts with Osh, the only family she has ever known.  The story is that when she was just a few days old she washed ashore in a boat and Osh found her.  No one who where she came from so he decided to name her Crow and raise her as his daughter.  But the older Crow gets, the more questions she has.  Where did she come from?  Does she have another family somewhere who is also wondering what happened to her?  Osh agrees to help her investigate her past.  Neither one of them is prepared for all that they will find.