Middle School Reads!

 by Dana Alison Levy Genre: Realistic Fiction Theo's self portraits have been vandalized and nobody seems to know how it happened.  Or at least nobody is willing to tell what they know about what happened.  Ms. Lewiston has decided to gather Theo and the 5 people who were present and have them be a Justice Circle.  They have to spend their entire spring break getting to the bottom of what happened.  These are not people with whom Theo would usually associate with and he thinks that it is probably a complete waste of time.  Does it really matter who wrecked his stuff?  It's not like knowing who did it will fix his photographs, but he decides to see what happens when the Justice Circle convenes.

 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 Sara Fujimura Genre:  Realistic Fiction Olivia Kennedy has always dreamed of being an Olympic champion.  She and Stuart Trout were on track to realize their dream until they had an epically bad performance at Skate Detroit.  Now they seem to be finished.  Stuart has enrolled in college and Olivia is giving high school a try.  But life without skating isn't all that she through it would be.  Jonah Choi has recently moved to town and he has aspirations of becoming a speed skating champion.  As Olivia watches him train, she realizes that she is missing skating and wonders if she made the right decision.  Is it too late to get her skating dreams back on track?

 by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed Genre:  Realistic Fiction Jamie Goldberg is helping out his community by volunteering in the election campaign for his local state senator.  Maya is volunteering because her parents said that if she helps, she will get a car.  Jamie and Maya actually knew each other as toddlers, but their paths haven't crossed in a long time.  But when they get paired up together to canvas a neighborhood, their friendship picks up again.  Maya's friends and Jamie's friends are convinced that they should be dating, but Jamie and Maya insist they are just friends.  Yes? No? Maybe so....

by Cynthia Kadohata Lexile:  750 Genre:  Historical Fiction Sumiko's life changes drastically the day that Japan bombs Pearl Harbor.  Suddenly she and her family have to give up their flower farm and relocate to an internment camp with other Japanese families.  Sumiko doesn't understand how she can be unwanted in the country that she was born in.  She and her family are shipped to the middle of the Mohave Reservation in Arizona where she meets and befriends a young Mohave boy.  Theirs is an unusual friendship during an unusual time in history, but nevertheless, is a friendship that they both learn to cherish.

by Christina Collins Lexile:  630 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Elise has recently started middle school after being homeschooled by her mother for many years.  8th grade is like nothing Elise has ever experienced before and it seems that every time she opens her mouth to speak, she shares a secret or says something that makes someone mad.  So Elise decides that it is safer if she just doesn't talk.  But not talking leads to all kinds of other problems, especially with Elise's mom.  She knows that her mom is hiding something too, but doesn't know how to ask her what it is?  Elise is going to have to learn how to communicate with her mom and with her friends if things are ever going to get better.

by Adib Khorram Lexile:  710 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Darius Kellner is Persian American.  His mom grew up in Iran and he has never met her family outside of the weekly Skype visits where he quickly says hi and bye to his grandparents.  Darius struggles with depression, a disease he inherited from his father, and has a hard time with bullies at his school.  He is not really comfortable with who he is and what his father expects him to be.  But now his grandfather is ill, and the family decides to take a trip to Iran.  Darius really doesn't know what to expect.  Will meeting the other half of his family and exploring his heritage help him to become more comfortable with himself?  Will it make the strained relationship with is father even worse or could this trip bring them closer together?