Our middle grade book spotlight this week is traveling around the world as we are featuring books set in other countries!!! Books provide us with a way of visiting other places without having to leave our couches and comfy clothes and when it is done right, you feel as though you are right there with the characters; these books do just that! You will find yourself immersed in other places all over the world and you may even learn a thing or two. We have a great mix of realistic, historical, and some amazing fantasy so there is something for every preference. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #youtharoundtheworld as well as on Libby and Hoopla. Check back next week for a new middle grade book spotlight and if you have any book suggestions, please let us know!!
The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley--In 1788, eleven-year-old Isabelle, living with her lacemaker grandmother and mother near the palace of Versailles, becomes close friends with Marie Antoinette's daughter, Princess Therese, and finds their relationship complicated not only by their different social class but by the growing political unrest and resentment of the French people.
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park--In alternating chapters, Park's novel illuminates the stories of two young people living in Sudan. First there is 11-year-old Salva, whose school is attacked by rebels in 1985, launching him on a three-year journey to refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. Eventually, Salva is chosen to travel to America and is adopted by a family there. The other side of the story focuses on Nya, a young girl living in Sudan in 2008 who must walk eight hours each day to gather water for her family. Desperate for help and change, Nya's prayers are answered when a now-grown Salva returns home and builds a well, helping his people find the water they need to survive.
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman--Four determined homeless children make a life for themselves in Chennai, India.
Grenade by Alan Gratz--In 1945, a young American Marine named Ray fights his way across the island of Okinawa. On the same island, a young boy named Hideki has been taken from school, forced into the service of the Blood and Iron Student Corp, and given the instructions to go out and kill an American soldier. When the two come face to face, the choices they make will affect everything.
The Explorer by Katherine Rundell--Left stranded in the Amazon jungle when their plane crashes on their way back to England from Manaus, Brazil, four children struggle to survive for days until one of them finds a map that leads them to a ruined city and a secret hidden among the vines.
The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John--After a fire kills her parents, eleven-year-old Martine must leave England to live with her grandmother on a wildlife game reserve in South Africa, where she befriends a mythical white giraffe.