Published by Nancy Paulsen Books

Summary:  Omar is on his way to the prestigious Ghalib Academy, an honor celebrated not only by him and his mother, but by his entire community.  He knows he’ll have to work hard, but he’s unprepared for the reality of what it means to be a scholarship student: no clubs or sports, five hours of chores each week, and a good possibility of being expelled if he doesn’t maintain an A-plus average.  Omar grows close to some of the other boys on scholarship, and they work together day and night to try to keep their grades up.  When Omar and his friend Naveed find out they’ve been “weeded” at the end of the first year, they are desperate to find a way to stay at the school.  Omar discovers that his kindness and work ethic have not gone unnoticed. He finds allies in unlikely places as he and the other students become activists to change the rules, not only for Omar and Naveed, but for the boys who will come after them. 224 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  Omar, a friend of Amal’s from Amal Unbound, will inspire readers with his determination and social activism.  Learning about the class differences in Pakistan and how they affect the lives of those in every class may cause readers to take a closer look at differences in their own cultures.

Cons:  Don’t make the mistake that I did and read the last few chapters of this book in a public place with no tissues in the immediate vicinity.

Published by Katherine Tegen Books

Summary:  Max hopes that middle school will give him a new start, but an hour into his first day, he’s already had a humiliating interaction with some eighth-grade bullies.  In desperation, he writes to Master Plan, a famous villain who’s in jail after defeating a beloved superhero.  The two start exchanging letters, and Master Plan, who was a fat kid like Max, offers advice on how to be cool and outsmart your enemies.  Max is thrilled with his new image, but occasionally troubled that his new personality doesn’t always correlate with being a good friend and a kind person.  When a showdown with his tormentors results in disaster, Max realizes that Master Plan has been using him and makes a decision to follow his own heart and sense of what’s right.  The story ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, but also with the knowledge that Max knows himself and will be okay whatever the outcome.  272 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  An inspiring story about learning to be yourself set in a fun world populated by superheroes and villains.  It’s refreshing to see a message about body positivity aimed at boys.

Cons:  I wonder if kids who feel the embarrassment and shame Max experiences at the start of the book would be hesitant to be seen reading a guide to “being a fat kid”.

Published by Scholastic

Summary:  Celeste is apprehensive about spending two weeks at her grandparents’ lake house with her brother and cousins.  She’s just had a bad experience with swimming lessons and is still afraid to get in the water.  Her grandparents are big advocates of Black people learning to swim: her grandfather worked as a lifeguard, and her grandmother had a sister who drowned while trying to teach herself to swim.  Grandma and Grandad are understanding, though, not only of Celeste’s concerns but also of her brother’s reluctance to hike in the woods and her cousins’ fears of thunderstorms and driving.  Before long, though, the kids have bigger concerns as weird happenings make them begin to suspect that the house is haunted by the ghost of their great aunt who drowned, a girl who bore a strong resemblance to Celeste.  As the ghost seems to grow more menacing, the four cousins must put aside their differences and work together to survive their time in the house. Includes an author’s note that talks more about how segregation has kept Black people from learning to swim, including her own story.  224 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A ghost story with just the right amount of scare for the intended audience, with some empowering messages about overcoming fears and being on the right side of history. 

Cons:  The girl on the cover creeped me out so much I had to turn the book face-down before I went to sleep.

Published by Charlesbridge

Summary:  Rory’s starting middle school, but one thing has stayed the same: he still has to go to speech every week to get help making the /r/ sound.  As he’s gotten older, he’s become more self-conscious about his speech, and introducing himself is especially embarrassing since his name has two R’s.  Although Rory has a good group of friends, his former friend Brent is hanging out with some new kids who make fun of Rory.  When Brent suffers a serious brain injury in a car accident, Rory knows he should be sympathetic, but it’s hard for him to get past his anger.  Mr. Simms, the cool speech therapist, proves to be not only an excellent teacher, but also a mentor who helps Rory find the right way to deal with Brent.  By the end of sixth grade, Rory is well on his way to mastering both the /r/ sound and some of the trickier aspects of middle school.  Includes additional information about the /r/ sound.  240 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A realistic story that empathetically shows the difficulties of being different in middle school, both with the portrayal of Rory’s speech struggles and Brent’s slow recovery from his brain injury.  I’m thrilled for Nancy Tandon, who was an early subscriber to my blog!

Cons:  I was ready to deck Rory’s father if he used one more sports metaphor.

Published by Versify

Summary:  Jillian is smart and a talented weaver, but her shyness holds her back from showing others who she really is.  Things have been even harder since her beloved grandmother died, and the promise she made to Grammy to be herself weighs heavily on Jillian.  Deciding to compete in her school’s Mind Bender competition forces her to begin to emerge from her shell, a process that is paralleled by the eggs developing in her classroom’s incubator. When Mama gets sick and Jillian misses a crucial day of competition, she is forced to make a decision to either drop out and fade into the background or to stand up for her right to be part of the tournament.  As the chicks begin to hatch out of their eggs, the real Jillian emerges and gets to enjoy the rewards that come from courageously being herself.  224 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  I’m always appreciative of middle grade books that feature an elementary school kid.  Readers in fourth and fifth grade will definitely relate to Jillian and her classmates, and the more introverted ones will be inspired by Jillian’s journey.

Cons:  Jillian tells us that her school has given up “those scary standardized tests in May” in favor of the optional (and fun) Mind Bender competition…if only this were an actual possibility for any 21st century US public school.