Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Ellie is in sixth grade, and having cerebral palsy makes middle school extra tough.  She has to have an aide who helps her at lunch and going to the bathroom, which, of course, is extremely embarrassing for a 12-year-old.  When her grandfather’s dementia starts getting worse, Ellie’s mom decides they’re going on an extended visit to help both the grandparents.  Ellie’s nervous about being the new kid, but is delighted to make two new friends–the first real friends her age she’s ever had. The big pie contest at her grandparents’ church helps her to focus on her love of baking, and many of the chapters begin with a letter she’s written to a different chef.  After several months at her grandparents’, Ellie decides she needs to find a way to convince her mother that they’ve found a new home…for keeps. 246 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A protagonist in a wheelchair isn’t common in children’s literature, and Ellie is refreshingly honest about the difficulties she faces.  She’s not a quitter, though, and throughout the book is exploring who she is and where her talents lie. Readers can use this book as both a mirror and a window, as they will undoubtedly connect to many aspects of Ellie’s life while learning what it’s like to live with cerebral palsy.

Cons:  The last chapter skipped ahead a couple months and wrapped things up a little too quickly.

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Published by Aladdin

Summary:  Seventh grader Mila is disturbed when a group of boys starts giving her unwanted attention in the form of hugs and touches.  She eventually learn they’re playing a game where they score points for different kinds of touching or responses from her. Her friends react differently: a couple are supportive, but one thinks she’s overreacting and is jealous that her crush is paying attention to Mila.  Another friend is upset when Mila won’t take his advice to tell the vice principal, but Mila is embarrassed. Her single mom is dealing with work-related stress, so Mila is hesitant to bother her. Everything comes to a head at the middle school band concert, and Mila’s disruption causes the truth to finally come out and get things resolved.  Mila moves on from the incident feeling stronger and more self-confident, with a greater knowledge of who her true friends really are. 304 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  Barbara Dee addresses the issue of sexual harassment in a way that is believable and understandable for middle school students.  Readers will recognize many of the kids, adults, and situations in Mila’s life; teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators would find this a helpful read as well.

Cons:  The ending felt a little too easy to me: the boys all expressed remorse and none of their parents rushed to their sons’ defense.

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Published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Summary:  Maggie is dealing with a lot of sadness and anxiety after losing her grandmother to dementia not long ago.  When her parents provide temporary foster care to an infant, Maggie gets very attached and is distressed to let the baby go to her adoptive family.  To deal with her feelings, she starts saving momentos of many events in her life–threads from the baby’s blanket, sticks from a hike, empty milk cartons from a fun school lunch with her friend.  When her mom discovers the overflowing boxes (and ants) under Maggie’s bed, she sees that Maggie needs help. With the assistance of a therapist, Maggie learns the root causes of her behavior and some new ways to deal with them.  320 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Maggie’s issues are addressed with sensitively, and in a way that might help other kids who are dealing with similar ones.  There are interesting subplots, including Maggie’s success on her trap shooting team, a lost-and-found tale about her pet turtle, and a new boy on the team who is dealing with some difficult family issues of his own.

Cons:  Maggie’s relationships with her brothers seemed a little too rosy to be true.

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Published by Nancy Paulsen Books

Summary:  Seventh graders Karina and Chris have been neighbors for years, but never friends.  When Karina’s grandfather moves in and starts tutoring Chris in math, though, the two discover they have more in common than they thought.  The three are on an outing together one day when a man attacks Karina’s Indian-American grandfather in front of the two kids, pulling a knife and hurling racist epithets.  Her grandfather ends up in the hospital, and all three are traumatized, but drawn closer together.  Karina uses her photography skills to express what she’s feeling, and before long some of her pictures have gone viral. Others in the community come together to show their support, and Karina’s #countmein tag becomes a way for people to share their own stories of how they became part of America.  171 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  With its alternating points of view and “stronger together” theme, this book reminded me a lot of Save Me A Seat by Sara Weeks.  Although it’s a quick read, there’s a lot to discuss, and most kids will find personal connections to the characters and settings.  This would make a great read-aloud or book club choice for fifth or sixth grade.

Cons:  With so much happening in relatively few pages, it felt like the characters lacked some depth.

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Published by HarperCollins

Summary:  What if all the sightings of Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, and other cryptids were the elaborate work of two hoaxing families?  That’s the premise for this story about the McNeils, one of the families who has been investigating cryptozoology for decades–and staging elaborate hoaxes to fund their research.  Youngest son Grayson McNeil is sick of the whole business, and is secretly applying to a boarding school where he can indulge his passion for photography, and maybe get his work in the public eye instead of always sneaking around like his father, grandfather, and older brother Curtis.  But when the other hoaxing family, the Gerhards, kidnap Dad and Gramps just as they are about to complete a big (and well-paying) job, it’s up to Grayson and Curtis to save the day. The Gerhards are hot on their heels, though, including a well-placed spy from Grayson’s school, and it’s a race against time to try to finish up the job.  As their family’s history is on the brink of collapse, Grayson begins to understand why the McNeils have pursued their secret work and to think he may just be one of them after all. 320 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  There’s always lots of interest in mysterious creatures like Bigfoot, and this is a book that would be easy to book talk.  There’s plenty of humor and intrigue, and readers will enjoy the behind-the-scenes look at some of the hoaxes.

Cons:  There were quite a few flashback scenes at the beginning of the story that could be confusing to readers and made it a little slow going to get into the book.

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Published by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

Summary:  This collection of ten short stories follows various middle school kids on their way home from school.  These are kids who are dealing with a lot: sickle cell anemia, parents with cancer, a brother in prison, a grandfather with dementia. But those details are slipped casually into the main action of the story, which generally centers on the more mundane parts of life.  Hanging out with friends, getting up the nerve to tell a girl you like her. Teasing your best friend about his boogers, trying to avoid a new dog in the neighborhood. The characters make cameo appearances in each other’s stories, which may send readers back to the beginning once they’ve met everyone.  Each story also contains a reference to a school bus falling from the sky. It’s mentioned in the first sentence of the first story and the third from the last sentence of the final story, which concludes: “Canton smiled, knowing a school bus is many things. So is a walk home.” 208 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  This book seems destined to wind up in the reading curriculum of many a middle school, showing kids what effortlessly amazing writing looks like, and how to create a host of distinctive characters from everyday life in a short amount of space.  This is already a National Book Award Finalist, and it’s sure to win more awards next year.  

Cons:  I’m not a huge fan of the short story format.  I always feel like I’m just getting to know the characters when the story ends.

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