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Showing posts from January, 2022

Sumira Surfs

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 by Rukhsanna Guidroz Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Novel in Verse Samira has divided her life into 2 parts - before her family had to flee their home in Burma and after when they escaped to Bangladesh with barely anything.  Samira and her family are struggling to create a new life for themselves.  Work is scarce and everyone has to do their part.  Samira sells eggs to tourists who line the beaches, but what she really wants to do is surf.  Her parents have told her no, but she convinces her brother to secretly teach her.  When a surfing contest is announced and girls are allowed to participate, Samira looks at it as a way to finally help her family get back on their feet, if she could win the large prize.  Does Samira have what it takes to be a surfer?

Truly Tyler

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 by Terri Libenson Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel The middle school years can be challenging and Tyler is right in the thick of it.  He has some good friends from elementary school, but he is also meeting new people and exploring new interests.  Basketball has always been his thing, but lately, he has really been enjoying art class.  When Emmie asks him to partner with him on a class project, he thinks it will be fun.  But then his friends start teasing him and telling him that the time he's spending with Emmie and on his art project is taking away from his performance on the basketball court.  Are they right?  And if they are, does Tyler really care?

Becoming Brianna

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 by Terri Libenson Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Middle school is full of challenges and Bri is facing them head on.  Her mom has decided that she would really like Bri to have a bat mitzvah and once Bri agrees, they both are completely stressed out.  Bri's mom wants to plan the perfect party and Bri is busy working on learning Hebrew and writing her speech.  Suddenly, everyone is talking about how Bri's party will be the event of the summer and everyone is trying to get on the invite list.  What has Brianna gotten herself into and more importantly, how will she get herself out of this mess?

Absolutely Nat

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 by Maria Scrivan Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Natalie is excited for the summer mostly because she and her friends will be spending it at Camp Mosquito!  She is planning on spending the whole time with Zoe, but on the first day learns that they won't be in a cabin together.  Instead, she will have to be with Lily, her ex BFF who basically spent the whole year ignoring her.  Natalie is willing to try most of the things at camp, except for anything involving the lake as it is called Surprise Lake.  Natalie has no interest in learning what the surprise is...but her fears are going to hold her back and leave her out of some fun experiences with her friends.

Nat Enough

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 by Maria Scrivan Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel On the first day of middle school, Natalie gets note from her BFF, Lily, telling her that they are no longer friends because Natalie isn't cool enough.  So begins her quest to re-invent herself into someone who will be cool enough to hang out with Lily.  In the process, she meets some new friends who help her to see the importance of being okay with who she is.  Being herself turns out to be cool enough!

Delicates

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 by Brenna Thummler Genre: Realistic Fiction/Paranormal, Graphic Novel Marjorie is still trying to figure out life.  Ever since her mother died and she discovered that she has a family of ghosts living in her laundromat, nothing has been the same.  She's having trouble getting along with and relating to her friend group and she is worried about her dad and little brother.  Starting 8th grade is tough and now Wendell, one of her ghost friends, is sneaking out of the laundromat and causing trouble.  Will Margie be able to sort everything out and have a successful 8th grade school year?

My Year in the Middle

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 by Lila Quintero Weaver Genre:  Historical Fiction Lu is in 6th grade and her biggest challenge is to get along with everyone in her class at a time when things are changing.  The black kids sit on one side and the white kids sit on the other, so that leaves kids like her, somewhere in the middle.  Lu's family is from Argentina and she is mostly accepted by both sides of the classroom.  But her 6th grade friends are going boy crazy and all she really wants to do is focus on running.  Her parents aren't really supportive so she has to hide how much she likes it from them.  Her PE teacher wants her to join the track team which will mean choosing which friends she wants to hang out with and explaining to her parents how much she wants to run.  Does Lu have the courage to be herself?

Shaking Up the House

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 by Yamile Saied Mendez Genre:  Realistic Fiction Ingrid and Winnie have been first kids in the White House for 8 years.  Now that their father has completed his two terms in office, it is time for them to move out.  Skylar and Zora are about to move into the White House as their mother has just been elected president.  The girls have met briefly, but are surprised to learn that both families will occupy the White House for a few weeks before inauguration.  Ingrid and Winnie are intrigued.  What will it be like to show Skylar and Zora the behind the scenes of life of the White House?

World in Between

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 by Kenan Trebincevic Genre:  Memoir Kenan loves drawing and playing soccer like most boys his age who are growing up in Bosnia.  But when the people in his country go to war against each other, life changes in an instant.  His so called friends won't speak to him and his most beloved teacher has reported his family to governmental officials.  Suddenly the family has only moments to escape their country and start their lives completely over. They make it to Vienna, Austria where they have to rely on the generosity of strangers to help them survive. When they get approval to come to the United States, Kenan is unsure about how he feels about having to start over again without knowing when he might ever get back to his home.

Once Upon a Camel

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 by Kathi Appelt Genre:  Fantasy, Animal Story Zada was probably the first camel to ever set foot in Texas.  She was a gift to the US Army from the Pasha for whom she won many races for.  She worked hard as for the US Army until they no longer needed camels and she was then set free to fend for herself in the desert, with her life long friend, Asiye at her side.  But as the two camels grew older, it has become harder and harder to navigate the desert.  When a massive dust storm hits, Zada is put in charge of saving two young kestrels.  Does Zada have the strength and courage to get them to safety?

Violets are Blue

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 by Barbara Dee Genre:  Realistic Fiction In the last few months, Wren's life has completely changed.  Her parents have divorced, her dad has moved to New York to be with his new wife who is pregnant with twins, her mom won't talk to her except to tell her that they are moving to a new town for a fresh start.  Wren has to start over...new school, new friends...new relationships with her parents, so everything just feels different.  And now her mom has said that she has to be more social and get involved in an activity at school.  The one constant in Wren's life has been her love of makeup and following Cat FX's blog for all the tips on how to apply character makeup.  When Wren's new school is looking for someone to do the makeup for the school musical, Wren thinks she might be interested.  But doing makeup for someone else is a whole new experience.  Is Wren ready to put her hobby on display for the whole school?

Out of My Heart

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 by Sharon M. Draper Genre:  Realistic Fiction Melody is always interested in trying new things.  Now that she's got communication figured out with her Medi-Talker, she sees no reason why she can't do more of the things she hears and reads about her children doing.  She decides that she wants to go to summer camp so Melody does online research in preparation for presenting the information to her parents.  She is convinced that if they will let her go to camp, it will be the best summer ever!  Will her parents see the value in letting her out of their sight for awhile to try new activities like swimming, boating, ziplining and horseback riding?  

Franklin Endicott and the Third Key

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 by Kate DiCamillo Genre:  Realistic Fiction Franklin Endicott loves to worry.  He worries so much that he can't sleep at night.  So that leads him over to the Lincoln's home.  Eugenia Lincoln has insomnia which means that she is up all night too.  Eugenia invites Franklin along on her errand to get a duplicate key made.  She takes him to Buddy Lamp's unusual store and when Franklin gets the envelope with the keys back, there are 3 inside, instead of 2.  Franklin is tasked with figuring out where the 3rd key came from.  Will this adventure keep his mind occupied enough that he won't have time to worry about other things?

JoJo Makoons: The Used-to-be Best Friend

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 by Dawn Quigley Genre:  Realistic Fiction Jo Jo is growing is a member of the Ojibwe Nation and is growing up on the Pembina Reservation.  She has just started school and is working to understand the differences between her at home best friend (Mimi, her cat) and her at school best friend, Fern.  Having 2 best friends and learning how to behave all day long at school is tricky, but Jo Jo is trying her best to keep everyone happy!

Too Small Tola

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 by Atinuke Genre:  Realistic Fiction Tola is trying to figure out what she is good at.  Her sister is clever, her brother is fast, her Grandmommy is bossy.  All Tola feels like she is is too small!  When Tola accompanies Grandmommy to the market, she gets to see this bossy woman in action.  She watches her bargain for deals and solve a variety of problems all day long. Maybe Tola is too small for somethings, but she is learning a lot by watching others.

Aven Green Sleuthing Machine

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 by Dusti Bowling Genre:  Realistic Fiction Aven Green is the best private investigator around.  She will take any case and do her best to get to the bottom of it.  Her current case is a bit unusual as it involves 2 crimes...a missing lunch box and a missing dog.  Could the two be connected?  Aven is determined to get to the bottom of the situation!

Billy Miller Makes a Wish

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by Kevin Henkes Genre:  Realistic Fiction When Billy Miller makes his birthday wish, he is thinking only about something for himself.  But when things start happening to other people, he wonders if it's his responsibility because of the wish he made. It's summer vacation and things are supposed to be fun, but his dad is away and his best friend has moved and his little sister is super annoying.  Everything seems like it keeps changing when all Billy wants is for some things to stay the same.  Will the wish he made help the situation or make things worse?

Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey

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 by Erin Entrada Kelly Genre:  Realistic Fiction Marisol wants to be brave.  She wants to climb the huge tree in her backyard, but she's scared and she doesn't really want to admit it.  She wants to be brave enough to go out in the dark and face the neighborhood dog and then there's the bossy girl in her class named Evie.  Will Marisol be able to find the courage to handle some of her fears?  Maybe...

Ways to Grow Love

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 by Renee Watson Genre:  Realistic Fiction Ryan Hart loves to spend time with her family and friends so the fact that summer vacation is coming is super exciting.  She'll have more time to spend with her mom, go to the library and get lots of books, and go to camp with her best friends, Kiki and Amanda.  But her mom is expecting a baby and when she is put on bed rest, Ryan's summer plans change.  Her mom isn't available for much and when her Grandma takes her to the library , she is always in a hurry.  And now Ryan has learned that Amanda has invited her new friend, Red, to come to camp with them and Ryan is not interested in spending time with Red.  Will Ryan still be able to have the fun summer break she thought she was going to have?