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Burt the Beetle Doesn't Bite by Ashley SpiresMeet Burt, a ten-lined june beetle. He’s sure he belongs in the category of bugs with superpower-like abilities. No, he can’t carry 50 times his weight, like ants. No, he’s not able to spray paralyzing venom, like some termites. No, he can’t release a bad smell to repel predators, like stink bugs. What june beetles are known for is chasing porch lights and flailing their legs in the air ― does that count? Hmm … Maybe Burt will just have to accept the truth. June beetles don’t have any special abilities. But when some other bugs find themselves in perilous trouble that even their superpowers can’t get them out of, Burt suddenly realizes there is one thing that he can do to save his friends ― and it’s something that only a June beetle can do!
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On a Wing and a Tear by Cynthia Leitich SmithClose friends Melanie (Muscogee-Odawa) and Ray (Cherokee-Seminole) join Grampa Charlie Halfmoon on a road trip from Chicago to Macon, Georgia, to bring Great-Grandfather Bat, a living legend, to a historic game, facing adventure, danger and a hair-raising mystery along the way.
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Duel by Jessixa Bagley; illustrated by Aaron Bagley Lucy loves fantasy novels and is brand-new to middle school. GiGi is the undisputed queen bee of eighth grade (as well as everything else she does). They’ve only got one thing in common: fencing. Oh, and they’re sisters. They never got along super well, but ever since their dad died, it seems like they’re always at each other’s throats.
When GiGi humiliates Lucy in the cafeteria on the first day of school, Lucy snaps and challenges GiGi to a duel with high sisterly stakes. If GiGi wins, Lucy promises to stay out of GiGi’s way; if Lucy wins, GiGi will stop teasing Lucy for good. But after their scene in the cafeteria, both girls are on thin ice with the principal and their mom. Lucy stopped practicing fencing after their fencer dad died and will have to get back to fighting form in secret or she’ll be in big trouble. And GiGi must behave perfectly or risk getting kicked off the fencing team.
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Rachel Friedman Breaks the Rules by Sarah Kapit; illustrated by Genevieve KoteRachel, an energetic 8-year-old with ADHD, doesn't see why she should follow rules she doesn't understand. But when her father offers her the chance to meet her favorite gymnast in exchange for a week of rule-following, she decides to try. This feel-good series opener is both funny and deep. |
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The Secret in the Tower by Andrew Beattie 1485. Richard III is King of England. Henry Tudor’s invasion looms. Jack Broom thinks that war and politics have nothing to do with him. He is a simple apothecary’s boy dreaming of becoming a surgeon – until soldiers mistake him for a boy of noble birth. Narrowly avoiding being dragged to the Tower of London, Jack sets out on a perilous mission to find out who he truly is. With the help of his new friend Alice, he uncovers conspiracies, treason, and the deadly lengths people will go to for power.
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The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay CurrieWith her family in danger of losing their house, 7th-grader Sarah joins her best friends (and fellow puzzle experts) West and Hannah in a suspenseful hunt for the treasure hidden behind the riddles, codes, and escape rooms of an abandoned funhouse.
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Chunky by Yehudi MercadoHudi needs to lose weight, according to his doctors. Concerned about the serious medical issue Hudi had when he was younger, his parents push him to try out for sports. Hudi would rather do anything else, but then he meets Chunky, his imaginary friend and mascot. Together, they decide to give baseball a shot, but baseball doesn't go well (unless getting hit by the ball counts). While Hudi's parents keep trying to find the right sport for Hudi, Chunky encourages him to pursue his true love--comedy. But when Hudi's dad loses his job, it gets harder for Hudi to chart his own course, even with Chunky's guidance. Can Chunky help Hudi stay true to himself or will this friendship strike out?
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The Matchstick Castle by Keir GraffEnduring a boring summer with relatives while his scientist father is stationed far away, Brian and his cousin, Nora, discover a huge wooden castle in the forest where an eccentric family battles fantastic monsters and a crazed demolitionist.
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Quagmire Tiarello Couldn't Be Better by Mylisa LarsenWhen his mother's unstable mental health forces him to find shelter with an uncle he didn't know he had, fiercely independent nonconformist Quagmire must recalibrate his formidable survival skills to build a new life.
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The Election Calculation by David Cole Starting Middle School should be an exciting time for the Math Kids. But when it turns out that the Tyler math club president is their old rival Kenny and he's determined to keep them from competing, the Math Kids start to think maybe middle school won't be as good as they'd hoped. There's only one option: elect a new president. As the Math Kids try to decide who should lead the math club, another election draws Stephanie's attention. The district will be voting on school board members, and there's something fishy about the billboards that have popped up around town advertising a new slate of candidates no one's ever heard of. So, she does what the Math Kids do best, and sets out to investigate the mysterious candidates. With both elections coming up quickly, the four friends will need to use logic and strategy to ensure the school board and the math club are in good hands after the votes are tallied.
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Jerry, Let Me See the Moon! by Jeffrey EbbelerJerry has serious questions about the town his scientist father drags him to. Why did they give up traveling the world to settle down in such a strange spot? Why won’t his dad talk about his mysterious research or explain what happened to his mother, who disappeared years ago? And when he sees his friend Pearl transform into a were-squirrel under the light of the full moon, he needs to know: were exactly has he ended up?
But when criminal mayhem turns Jerry’s town—a safe haven for were-creatures—into a not-so-safe haven, Jerry must uncover a twisty conspiracy and take down the instigators who are trying to tear the place that’s become his home apart.
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