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| Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World by Ashley Herring BlakeWhat it's about: Twelve-year-old Ivy is reeling after her family's home is destroyed by a tornado, her treasured private sketchbook goes missing, and she starts crushing on a girl in her class. Then someone begins anonymously returning her drawings -- along with notes encouraging her to come out.
You might also like: Barbara Dee's Star-Crossed, another authentic, relatable story about a girl finding the courage to be herself. |
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| The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie ConnorStarring: seventh-grader Mason Buttle, who's big, sweaty, dyslexic, and targeted by bullies. But he's NOT lying about what happened on the day his best friend Benny died, no matter what police Lieutenant Baird thinks.
Who it's for: If you like hopeful stories that let you peek into a unique character's life, you'll enjoy spending time with Mason as he tries to make peace with his memories, as well as make friends with tiny, equally unpopular Calvin Chumsky. |
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| Checked by Cynthia KadohataWhat it's about: Just before he's supposed to try out for a professional youth hockey team, 11-year-old Conor learns that his dog, Sinbad, needs an expensive cancer treatment. Since money is tight in Conor's family, saving Sinbad means that Conor might have to give up the sport he loves.
Who it's for: athletes, hockey fans, and readers who like bittersweet slice-of-life stories. |
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The wonderling
by Mira Bartók
A debut novel by the award-winning author of The Memory Palace follows the experiences of a foxlike foundling with one ear who endures an oppressive life in an orphanage for part-animal humans until an unexpected act of courage leads to a friendship and a quest to discover his destiny.
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Unschooled
by Allan Woodrow
When their beleaguered principal announces a Spirit Week competition that he hopes will impart the value of teamwork, fifth-grade best friends and team leaders George and Lilly resolve to stay true to both the competition and each other when their classes become rivals.
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Books You Might Have Missed
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| Forever, or a Long, Long Time by Caela CarterWhat it's about: With no memory of their birth parents and a long history of foster homes behind them, Flora and her little brother, Julian, find it hard to believe that they've finally been adopted by a caring family.
Why you might like it: It's both heart-wrenching and moving to follow Flora and Julian as they try to adjust and, with help from new mom Emily, confront the pain of their past. |
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| The Pants Project by Cat ClarkeStarring: eleven-year-old Liv, who knows he's transgender but hasn't told anyone yet -- a situation that's more difficult at his new school, where they see him as a girl and require him to wear a uniform with a skirt.
Why you might like it: You'll be rooting for the likable, determined Liv as he and his moms challenge the school dress code.
Try this next: M.G. Hennessey's The Other Boy, for a different take on being a trans guy in middle school. |
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The Adventurers Guild
by Zack Loran Clark
In one of the last cities still standing after the world fell to monsters, best friends Zed and Brock aspire to become members of the Mages and Merchants guilds only to find themselves members of the perilous Adventurers guild working as defenders against otherworldly beasts, a situation that is complicated by their discovery of a plot against their new allies. A first novel.
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Polaris
by Michael Northrop
In the 1830s Owen Ward is cabin boy on the "Polaris," a ship on a voyage of scientific exploration, when illness and a mutiny off the coast of Brazil cause the adult crew to abandon the ship, leaving the handful of young cabin attendants and deckhands behind. The young seafarers are determined to bring their ship to safety, but when one of them disappears they begin to suspect that there is something deadly on board with them.
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Royal crush
by Meg Cabot
Anticipating her 13th birthday at the same time her older half-sister, Mia, prepares to give birth to twins, Olivia reluctantly anticipates the Royal School Winter Games while navigating the challenges posed by her imperious Grandmère, her snobby cousin's complaints and gossip about her relationship with Prince Khalil.
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Contact your librarian for more great books for readers ages 10-13!
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