Middle School

All posts in the Middle School category

Smile, by Raina Telgemeier

Published December 28, 2012 by Dagmar

smileWonderful! What if you knocked out your two front teeth…in middle school? Smile takes me back to the times when I had braces and when I also had to figure out which friends were truly friends.  It’s a great book that just flies off my library shelves.  I can see why.  It’s great for fifth graders and middle schoolers.  For those of you who love this book, the same author wrote another book called Drama.

Synopsis: Raina knocks out her two front teeth when she trips and falls.  So begins an odyssey that includes false teeth, retainers, braces, headgear etc.  all during middle school when everyone is as self-conscious as humanly possible.  Following Raina through middle school to high school, this book takes her through her friends’ reactions to her appearance and her first crush on a boy.  Finding that her friends are not necessarily good friends, Raina finds a new group in of friends in high school who are supportive and don’t care about her appearance.

Son, by Lois Lowry

Published December 11, 2012 by Dagmar

sonFor your kids that love dystopian novels.  Son, is the fourth novel in The Giver series.  The Giver is one of the original dystopian novels without all the violence.  Son can be read on its own, but definitely has more meaning if you’ve read the Giver and is better yet if you’ve read books two and three, Gathering Blue and Messenger.  I loved this book.  There was just the right amount of suspense, the characters were really beautifully drawn and there the element of “creepiness” that dystopian readers crave.  For those who have read the previous books, it’s fun to try to trace where this book intersects with the previous books in the Giver series.

Synopsis: Claire is assigned to be a birthmother at her 12 ceremony.  She and other girls are to give birth to “products”.  Once they’ve given birth to three products, they move on to another job in society.  Claire has difficulty with her first birth and is quickly reassigned to another job. So quickly, that those in charge forget to give her her daily pills.  Slowly her feelings for her son awaken.  Claire imagines running away with her son.  Her son, a difficult baby and toddler has been chosen for “release”.  That’s when Claire discovers that her son is missing, taken away by a boy from the community.  So begins Claire’s desperate search for her son.

Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai

Published December 5, 2012 by Dagmar

insideoutRecently, there have been a lot of novels written in verse.  I like the format and found a few books that I really enjoyed.  Here is one that I loved.  I thought the diary format and verse helped lighten the difficult issues the main character faces.  Short chapters also make it very attractive to reluctant readers.  One such reader in my library returned it to me, then promptly checked it out again, because she loved it so much.

Synopsis: This semi-autobiographical novel tells the story of Ha, a 10 year old girl living with her family in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.  Her father is a member of the South Vietnamese navy and is missing in action.  Ha lives alone with her mother and brothers.  Ha longs for the papayas to ripen on her papaya tree and hopes that her father will return from his mission so that her mother can smile.  The family reluctantly leaves South Vietnam with their uncle on a South Vietnamese navy ship.  Conditions are terrible on the ship.  Everyone is hungry until a U.S. Navy ship arrives, providing food and a tow to a refugee camp in Guam.  The family is asked to choose a country where they would like to live.  Ha’s mother chooses the United States.  Sponsored by a family in Alabama, and dependent on the charity of others, Ha deals with being different  struggles learning English.

This book won a Newbery Honor in 2012.

One for the Murphys, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Published November 28, 2012 by Dagmar

oneforthemurphysWhat a book!  I read it in one night and was moved to tears by the end of the book.  Carley, the main character, has a wry sense of humor that I think middle schoolers and tweens can really relate to.  What really recommends this book, though, is the fact that the sixth grader I recommended it to didn’t want to return this book to the library but wanted to keep it because she loved it so much.

Synopsis: Carley Connors ends up in foster care while her mother recovers after being attacked by her stepfather.  Carley’s foster mom is Julie Murphy, is a a pretty suburban mom with three small boys.  Carley, who was also attacked by her stepfather is haunted by the memory of the attack and has a hard time liking the Murphys.  She says of her new home, “The whole place smells like dryer sheets.  Reminds me of the Lucky’s Laundromat back in Vegas, but it isn’t nearly as bright.”  Carley slowly starts to accept her foster family and even makes a friend at school.  Everything is going well until Carley’s mom wakes from her coma and Carley has to go home.

Cirque du Freak, book 1, A Living Nightmare, by Darren Shan

Published November 14, 2012 by Dagmar

cirqueduAh.  Finally a great horror book for tweens and middle school.  Darren Shan has written a book that will please your readers seeking “creepy” books.  My son read the 12 books in the series in a matter of a month – six books in one week.  It’s that compelling.  I thought the writing was really good.  I couldn’t wait to read what was going to happen next.
Synopsis: Darren Shan and his friends see a flyer advertising the Cirque du Freak.  They pool their money and buy two tickets.  Darren and his friend Steve win a game and get to use the tickets.  They sneak out at night to an abandoned theater and are amazed at the “freaks” in the show.   When Steve gets bitten by Madame Octa, a spider Darren stole from Mr. Crepsley, a member of the Cirque du Freak, the boys begin a page-turning journey into the world of vampires.

Conspiracy 365 series, Gabrielle Lord

Published November 12, 2012 by Dagmar

conspiracy365If your middle schooler/tween is looking for action and excitement, this may be the series you’ve been looking for.  In this 12 part series, beginning with January and ending with December, there is non-stop action and suspenseful endings that keep you wanting more.  These books are less than 200 pages, also making them appealing for reluctant readers, and are numbered backwards from page 185 to 1.

Synopsis: Cal is a 15 year old boy whose father died from a mysterious virus.  Cal lives with his mother, his little sister and his uncle.  One day, Cal is stopped by a stranger and told to go into hiding for 365 days, or else.   Suddenly, Cal is in almost constant danger and is even accused of trying to kill his little sister.  Cal is forced into hiding, helped by his loyal and brainy friend, Boges.  Cal suspects that the work his father was doing in Ireland before his death is at the bottom of this mystery.  It’s up to Cal and his friend Boges to discover the secret behind the Ormond Singularity.  The final book, December, leaves you wanting for more.  Luckily, there are two more books that have been written for the Australian market and will hopefully be printed in the U.S.  The first, Revenge, is written from Boges’ point of view.  The second follow-on book is called Malice.  Stay tuned!

Okay for Now, by Gary D. Schmidt

Published November 10, 2012 by Dagmar

okayfornowThis is a story of resilience and hope told by a main character whose matter of fact, funny and touching storytelling are memorable. An incredible book. Highly recommended for middle school.

Synopsis: It’s the late sixties. Doug is a Yankees fan who lives in a family with an abusive dad, a brother in Vietnam, another abusive older brother and a mom with a beautiful smile. When his father loses his job, the family moves to Marysville, NY, in the Catskills. Doug finds a friend, a mentor and the drawings of John Audubon. Doug manages to make an incredible number of friends, even when it seems all the odds are against him. The adults of Maryville and his one friend rally to his side in small, believable ways. Most incredible is Doug’s ability to see and recreate the beauty of the Audubon prints he sees in the library.