Sometimes, home isn’t where you expect to find it. After losing his mom in a fatal car crash, Kaede Hirano–now living with a grandfather who is more stranger than family–developed anger issues and spent his last year of middle school acting out. Best-friendless and critically in danger repeating the seventh grade, Kaede is given … Continue reading ALL THE WAYS HOME, by Elsie Chapman, Feiwel and Friends, Macmillan
Middle grade
BAD ORDER, by B.B. Ullman, Sterling Children’s Book
A middle grade story about a sister and her special little brother fighting to save the world from an interdimensional catastrophe. Mary Day’s life has always been different, because her little brother, Albie, is different. He doesn’t speak, but he can communicate with Mary via mental telepathy, sending her—and her alone—“mind memos.” To Albie, Mary … Continue reading BAD ORDER, by B.B. Ullman, Sterling Children’s Book
Share this:
MY LIFE IN SMILEY: SAVE ME! By Anne Kalicky, Andrews McMeel Universal
Max is off to summer camp and ready to fill his journal with hilarious middle-school wisdom in this third installment of the My Life in Smiley series that is illustrated with the internationally recognized emoticons of the SmileyWorld brand. Age Level: 8-12 Grade Level: 3rd and up Max is in trouble, SOS trouble, he's a … Continue reading MY LIFE IN SMILEY: SAVE ME! By Anne Kalicky, Andrews McMeel Universal
Share this:
THE MIGRATION, by Helen Marshall, Random House Canada
Creepy and atmospheric, evocative of Stephen King's classic Pet Sematary , The Migration is a story of sisterhood, transformation, and the limitations of love, from a thrilling new voice in Canadian fiction. When I was younger I didn't know a thing about death. I thought it meant stillness, a body gone limp. A marionette with … Continue reading THE MIGRATION, by Helen Marshall, Random House Canada
Share this:
THE GHOST NETWORK: ACTIVATE, by I.I. Davidson, Andrews McMeel Publishing
The Ghost Network is a new 3-book epic adventure series in which a group of teenage hackers get to work to save the world from disasters in the Dark Web as man takes on machine. Age Level: 10-13 Grade Level: 4th and up Despite coming from different ends of the world, John, Slack, Akane, and … Continue reading THE GHOST NETWORK: ACTIVATE, by I.I. Davidson, Andrews McMeel Publishing
Share this:
PETER GREEN AND THE UNLIVING ACADEMY: THIS BOOK IS FULL OF DEAD PEOPLE, by Angelina Allsop, TCK Publishing
Fourteen-year-old Peter Green can’t remember how he died. All he has are his pajamas, a silk tie, and a one-way bus ticket to Mrs. Battisworth’s Academy and Haven for Unliving Boys and Girls, a strange and spooky school for dead orphans like himself. But that’s all he needs: the Unliving Academy has everything, from vampires … Continue reading PETER GREEN AND THE UNLIVING ACADEMY: THIS BOOK IS FULL OF DEAD PEOPLE, by Angelina Allsop, TCK Publishing
Share this:
WHERE THE HEART IS, by Jo Knowles, Candlewick Press
If home is where the heart is, what would happen if you lost it? Compassion and humor infuse the story of a family caught in financial crisis and a girl struggling to form her own identity. It’s the first day of summer and Rachel’s thirteenth birthday. She can’t wait to head to the lake with … Continue reading WHERE THE HEART IS, by Jo Knowles, Candlewick Press
Share this:
NEVER TO BE TOLD, by Becky Citra, Orca Book Publishers
"A faint sound brushed her ear, and she heard a voice whisper death. She glanced around, astonished. A gentle breeze had picked up, rippling the long grass in the meadows. She frowned. There was no one else there except Ira and Maddy, and the only sound was the rustling of the aspen leaves by the … Continue reading NEVER TO BE TOLD, by Becky Citra, Orca Book Publishers
Share this:
VANISHED: TRUE TALES OF MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCES, by Elizabeth Macleod, Annick Press
Gone—without a trace. No one loves a mystery more than Elizabeth MacLeod, author of the award-winning Bones Never Lie and Royal Murder. In her newest book, she presents six compelling stories about some of the world’s most bewildering disappearances. Readers will be captivated by such true tales as the Alcatraz prison break, where three dangerous … Continue reading VANISHED: TRUE TALES OF MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCES, by Elizabeth Macleod, Annick Press
Share this:
RONAN BOYLE AND THEN BRIDGE OF RIDDLES, by Thomas Lennon, Illustrated by John Hendrix, Abrams, Amulet Books
Fourteen-year-old Ronan Boyle is the youngest and lowliest recruit to the secret Garda, an Irish police force that handles the misdeeds of numerous magical creatures. Ronan’s parents are in jail, but Ronan is convinced that they were framed by the wee people. So, despite his small size, poor eyesight, and social awkwardness, he’s determined to … Continue reading RONAN BOYLE AND THEN BRIDGE OF RIDDLES, by Thomas Lennon, Illustrated by John Hendrix, Abrams, Amulet Books
MY BOOK ABYSS 