And Again  by Jessica Chiarella Science Fiction Touchstone, 2016 What It's All About: A sick, faded actress, a young art student with lung cancer, a mother who's been paralyzed for eight years, and an arrogant congressman with an aggressive brain tumor form an unlikely cohort whose alternating perspectives reveal what they now have in common. All newly emerged into physically healed versions of themselves following a memory "transfer," these four are prototypes of SUBlife, a cloning-based alternative to untimely death that provides new and improved substitute bodies. The problem is tha ..read more

It's been a great year of reading for me! I can't believe it's already time to wrap it up, but here we go.  My top 10 in no particular order... If I Stay by Gayle Forman In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen ­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Ghost by Jason Reynolds Running. That’s all Ghost (real na ..read more

By keeping a pulse on what our students are checking out at our middle school library and keeping a close eye on which books are circulating heavily, I feel that I can spend the small budget I have more wisely by choosing books I know will have a greater likelihood of circulating widely. Each month I'll feature some books that are on the "heavy rotation" list in our library. They're not necessarily new, shiny, or covered with awards -- they're just what the kids want.  Ripley's Believe It Or Not 2018 Nonfiction A collection of bizarre facts, stories, and photographs featuring unus ..read more

All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson Dial Books (2017) Graphic Novel What It's All About: Homeschooled by Renaissance Fair enthusiasts, eleven-year-old Imogene has a hard time fitting in when her wish to enroll in public school is granted. Why You'll Love It: Jamieson masterfully taps into the voice and concerns of middle-schoolers, and the offbeat setting of the Renaissance faire adds some lively texture. Jamieson’s appealing, naturalistic artwork, full of warm tones, realistic-looking characters, and saturated colors, playfully incorporates medieval imagery along with Imog ..read more

The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore Knopf (2017) Realistic Fiction What It's About: It’s Christmas Eve in Harlem, but twelve-year-old Lolly Rachpaul and his mom aren’t celebrating. They’re still reeling from his older brother’s death in a gang-related shooting just a few months earlier. Why You'll Love It: These characters are vibrantly alive, reconstituting the realness that is needed to bring diverse, complicated stories to the forefront of our shelves. Moore delivers a realistic and at times brutal portrait of life for young people of color who are living on the edge of p ..read more

By keeping a pulse on what our students are checking out at our middle school library and keeping a close eye on which books are circulating heavily, I feel that I can spend the small budget I have more wisely by choosing books I know will have a greater likelihood of circulating widely. Each month I'll feature some books that are on the "heavy rotation" list in our library. They're not necessarily new, shiny, or covered with awards -- they're just what the kids want.  Secret Coders  by Gene Luen Yang Graphic Novel Welcome to Stately Academy, a school which is just crawling ..read more

Posted by John David Anderson Walden Pond, 2017 Realistic Fiction What It's All About: In middle school, words aren't just words. They can be weapons. They can be gifts. The right words can win you friends, or make you enemies.  Why You'll Love It: Acute observations about social media and school life and a smart, engaging narrator make this a journey well worth taking.  Anderson reminds us that bullying takes place in many forms: when cellphones are banned from Branton Middle School, the student population is thrown into a frenzy, which only increases when kids find a new way o ..read more

By keeping a pulse on what our students are checking out at our middle school library and keeping a close eye on which books are circulating heavily, I feel that I can spend the small budget I have more wisely by choosing books I know will have a greater likelihood of circulating widely. Each month I'll feature some books that are on the "heavy rotation" list in our middle school library. They're not necessarily new, shiny, or covered with awards -- they're just what the kids want.  Just Listen by Sarah Dessen Realistic Fiction Sixteen-year-old Annabel finds an ally in classmate Owe ..read more

The Sand Warrior by Mark Siegel illustrated by Ianthe Boume Random House (2017) Graphic Novel What It's All About: The Five Worlds are on the brink of extinction unless five ancient and mysterious beacons are lit. When war erupts, three unlikely heroes will discover there's more to themselves--and more to their worlds--than meets the eye... Why You'll Love It: The three illustrators work seamlessly together to place Oona, a thick-bodied but graceful, pale-skinned strawberry blonde, in exotic, elaborately envisioned settings and surround her with a notably variegated cast of gree ..read more

Armstrong & Charlie by Steven B. Frank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2017) Historical Fiction What It's All About: Charlie isn't looking forward to sixth grade. If he starts sixth grade, chances are he'll finish it. And when he does, he'll grow older than the brother he recently lost. Armstrong isn't looking forward to sixth grade, either. When his parents sign him up for Opportunity Busing to a white school in the Hollywood Hills, all he wants to know is "What time in the morning will my alarm clock have the opportunity to ring?" When these two land at the same desk, it's th ..read more