| Stick with Me by Jennifer BlecherFeaturing: lonely artist Izzy, who feels left behind by her former best friend, and ambitious figure skater Wren, whose family has to move so her little sister can get medical care.
What happens: When Wren's family rents Izzy's house, Izzy and her cash-strapped family move into the garage apartment, and the girls cautiously begin to bond.
Read it for: an honest look at middle school friendship, as well as the frustration of being too old to whine but too young to make important choices. |
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| Girl Giant and the Monkey King by Van HoangWhat it's about: As if moving and starting a new school isn't bad enough, Vietnamese American middle schooler Thom also has to be super-careful to hide her uncontrollable super-strength. So when she meets the legendary Monkey King, Thom makes a deal with him to help her fit in.
For fans of: books from the various Rick Riordan Presents series, or other funny page-turners in which modern kids learn that their culture's mythology is more real than they'd ever guessed. |
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| The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. HolmWelcome to: the planet Mars, where curious, cat-loving 11-year-old Bell is the youngest member of America's settlement.
What happens: When all the adults in the settlement get sick, the kids have to get help, even if it means breaking the settlement's strictest rule: no contact with foreign settlements, ever.
You might also like: Sophia McDougall's Mars Evacuees, another smart, exciting science fiction story about human kids fending for themselves on Mars.
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| Dragon Mountain by Katie and Kevin TsangFeaturing: Irish Dylan, Chinese Ling-Fei, and Americans Billy and Charlotte, four kids who meet at summer camp in "middle-of-nowhere China" and bond with four dragons they discover in a hidden cave.
What happens: While helping the dragons return to their own realm, the kids gain special powers, but also risk destruction by the sinister Dragon of Death.
Series alert: The 1st in a trilogy, this fast-paced fantasy adventure is perfect for fans of Tui T. Sutherland's Wings of Fire series. |
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| What Breathes Through Its Butt? Mind-Blowing Science Questions Answered by Emily Grossman; illustrated by Alice BowsherWhat it is: a silly yet straightforward collection of science questions and answers.
Questions answered: How much does the internet weigh? Could you escape a crocodile's jaws? What part of your body can't feel pain? Do humans and giraffes really have the same number of bones in their necks?
Why you might like it: it's packed with gross-out jokes and comic book-style artwork, and short sections make it easy to read a little bit at a time. |
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| You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P! by Alex GinoFeaturing: Jilly, who's 12 years old, white, and obsessed with fantasy books; her online friend and fellow fan Derek, who's Black and Deaf; and her baby sister Emma, who's hearing impaired.
What happens: While trying to stick up for the people share cares about, confident Jilly begins to realize how much she doesn't know.
Why you might like it: Author Alex Gino's first book, George, encourages you to be yourself; Jilly's story will inspire you to understand others. |
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| You Go First by Erin Entrada KellyWhat it's about: Charlotte and Ben live far apart, yet over the course of one week, their online Scrabble rivalry turns into a friendship that helps each of them deal with painful situations at home and at school.
Why you might like it: You get the inside scoop on the thoughts and feelings of both smart, awkward characters as they fumble their way towards friendship.
About the author: Erin Entrada Kelly won the 2018 Newbery Medal for her book Hello, Universe. |
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| Isabella for Real by Margie Palatini; illustrated by LeUyen PhamWhat it's about: Everyone at her expensive private school believes that 11-year-old Isabella Antonelli comes from royalty, and she's never corrected their mistake. But when her cousin's videos about their real family -- a loud, definitely-not-royal clan of Italian Americans -- go viral, Isabella scrambles to keep the truth hidden.
Who it's for: Told through both words and comics, Isabella's tale of accidental internet fame and middle school embarrassment will ring true for anyone who's ever struggled to fit in. |
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| This Kid Can Fly by Aaron Philip with Tonya BoldenWhat it is: an autobiography about growing up as an immigrant kid with cerebral palsy, and how author Aaron Philip started her popular blog as a place for disabled kids to express themselves.
Why you might like it: Whether you relate to Aaron or her perspective is new to you, her story will encourage you to chase your goals.
About the author: Since writing this book as a teenager, Aaron has come out as a transgender woman, and is now a model working to make fashion more inclusive. |
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The Westing game
by Ellen Raskin
The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance. Includes previously unpublished artwork and author's notes about design elements
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William Wenton and the impossible puzzle
by Bobbie Peers
Twelve-year-old William Wenton is a code-breaking, puzzle-solving genius. He lives with his family in a quiet Norwegian town. He and his family used to live in England, but eight years ago his grandfather vanished and the Wentons suddenly packed up, moved to Norway, and changed their last name! Neither of his parents will tell William why or share the reason he has to keep his talent for solving codes and puzzles a secret. But then a special exhibit comes to the local museum: the Impossible Puzzle. The experts say it is unsolvable, but William's sure that he can crack it if he gets a chance. However, when he does, everything begins to go wrong. Suddenly William is whisked off to a strange school filled with robots, killer plants and kids whose skills are almost as good as his own. But it's also a place filled with secrets. Secrets about William's grandfather. Secrets about what really happened the night William and his father were involved in a serious car crash. And about why William's family had to uproot their lives. But as William begins to look for answers, he learns that there's much more at stake than he could have imagined. And he's left wondering if there's anyone he can trust. --
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The phantom tollbooth
by Norton Juster
A special edition published to commemorate the influential novel's 50th anniversary introduces the Lands Beyond adventures of Milo and his companions to a new generation of readers and is complemented by an author preface and essays by such contributors as Maurice Sendak and Philip Pullman.
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The serpent's secret
by Sayantani DasGupta
When her parents disappear and a demon appears in her kitchen, Kiranmala, who believed herself to be an ordinary sixth-grader, finds herself in another dimension where there is magic, winged horses, and talking birds
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The Gollywhopper Games : friend or foe
by Jody Feldman
Zane thinks about little but football until after his second concussion, when his parents say he must take a year off, so when he gets a chance to compete in the Gollywhopper Games he is excited about applying many of the skills that help him excel on the football field to a different kind of competition
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Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 8-11!
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