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Teen Middle Reads December 2020
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Trowbridge Road
by Marcella Fleischman Pixley
What it's about: Struggling with her mother’s advancing mental illness in the months after her father’s death from complications of AIDS, a girl in the 1983 Boston suburbs befriends an imaginative boy with his own troubles before threats to her safety force her to make a difficult choice.
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| The Boys in the Back Row by Mike JungStarring: best friends Matt and Eric, both proud band geeks and comic book fans.
What happens: Just before Eric's family moves away, the boys decide to sneak out on an epic final adventure to meet their favorite graphic novelist at a comic-con. They might even get away with it -- unless their plan is ruined by Sean, the biggest jerk in class.
Read it for: an authentic (and funny!) look at middle school bullying and the close, caring friendship between two guys. |
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Closer to Nowhere
by Ellen Hopkins
What it's about: Told in two voices, sixth-grade cousins Hannah and Cal learn a lot about family when circumstances throw them together under one roof and Hannah's love of order clashes with Cal's chaotic behavior.
Why you might like it: In this novel in verse, Hannah and Cal narrate in free-verse passages, providing insight into their psyches and Cal's tumultuous past.
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The Circus of Stolen Dreams
by Lorelei Savaryn
What it's about: Discovering a magical dream world in the woods near her home, a girl mourning the disappearance of her brother agrees to give up a memory in exchange for entry, before she encounters a malevolent being who has brought her brother’s worst nightmares to life.
Who it's for: fans of The Night Gardener and other strange tales.
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| Ana on the Edge by A.J. SassWhat it's about: Thrilled to have leveled up in figure skating, 12-year-old Ana-Marie Jin is ready for new challenges. She's getting uncomfortable, however, with "girly" stuff like skirts or princess-themed skating programs. Can she compete in a sport that's divided between boys and girls if she's not sure where she fits in?
Who it's for: figure skating fans, readers in search of books by and about nonbinary people, and anyone who likes hopeful stories about being yourself. |
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The Murderer's Ape
by Jakob Wegelius
What it's about: Sally Jones is a unique gorilla that moves among humans without speaking—but understands everything, so when a deal that she and the Chief are working on ends badly with the Chief being falsely convicted of murder, Sally embarks on a harrowing mission to clear the Chief's name.
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| Lock and Key: The Initiation by Ridley PearsonWhat it is: A modern-day reimagining of brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes and criminal mastermind James Moriarty, recast here as reluctant boarding school roommates at Baskerville Academy.
Why you might like it: Through the perspective of James' clever sister Moira, you'll get an up-close look at how a theft at the Academy activates Sherlock's sleuthing instincts, while a shady secret society pulls James into its sinister orbit.
Series alert: This is the suspenseful 1st in the Lock and Key trilogy. |
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Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
by Dusti Bowling
What it's about: The awkwardness of being the new kid at school is extra intense for 8th-grader Aven, who has to put up with her classmates gawping at her because she was born without arms. Telling tall tales about losing her arms while alligator wrestling doesn't help -- some people just don't get her humor -- but things start to look up when Aven befriends some fellow misfits (like Connor, who has Tourette's syndrome) and they begin investigating strange events at a ramshackle Western theme park.
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| Well, That Was Awkward by Rachel VailWhat it is: A middle school spin on the classic "it's complicated" love story of Cyrano de Bergerac.
Why it's complicated: Gracie likes her classmate A.J., only A.J. likes Gracie's best friend Sienna, so loyal sidekick Gracie agrees to help Sienna text him, even though A.J.'s texts seem like they might actually be written by Emmett, Gracie's other best friend. |
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A Pocket Full of Murder
by R.J. Anderson
What it's about: In Tarreton, money and magic are hoarded by the wealthy few, leaving the poor to scrape by with basic spells. As lower-class Moshites, Isaveth and her family face injustice every day, but never more so than when their father is accused of murdering a high-profile citizen. Intent on proving her father's innocence, Isaveth -- aided by a curiously helpful street boy named Quiz -- sets out on a quest to find the real murderer.
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Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 10-13!
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Get Reading Recommendations Forsyth County Public Library | #WeKnowBooks
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