Our middle grade book spotlight this week is focused on books that are an award winner!!! This past week the ALA Youth Media Awards were held which is basically the Oscars for books! Held every year at the end of January, books win a variety of awards that range from the best book of the year to the best book with an exceptional portrayal of the Latino experience; there is even an award given to the best audiobook. We are taking a look at some of the past winners from a variety of awards. We have realistic fiction all the way to fantasy and nonfiction. Reading award winners gives you an opportunity to read an amazing story that may be outside of your comfort zone, but you know you are in for one of the best. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #youthawardwinner (there are also tags available for each specific award; take a look for them at the bottom of the detailed record of each title or just ask for assistance at your library) 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!!
New Kid by Jerry Craft (Newbery and King Winner)--Seventh grade African American boy Jordan Banks dutifully travels from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale private Riverdale Academy Day School. As one of the few kids of color in his new school, Jordan feels out of place. He doesn't really fit in with his new classmates, and it begins to feel like his neighborhood friends live in a different world. Jordan finds comfort in his art as he tries to navigate both worlds.
Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar (Belpré Award Winner)--Just as fifth-grader Ruthie feels like she's settling into her new world—she's even earned a reputation for being the "hopscotch queen" of her neighborhood—she's terribly injured in a car accident. Confined to her bed in a body cast for nearly a year, Ruthie struggles with her loneliness, but finds strength within herself as she heals.
Dead End In Norvelt by Jack Gantos (Newbery Award Winner)--After being "grounded for life" by his parents, Jack Gantos is loaned out by his mother to help an old neighbor with the unusual task of writing obituaries. As Jack completes his task, he discovers the strange stories contained within the obituaries and stumbles upon what he believes may be a murder case.
Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 (Sibert Award Winner)--Tells the story of how the Irish people endured and suffered through the Great Irish Famine from 1845 to 1850.
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (Schneider Award Winner)-- The story opens in 1977 on 12-year-old Ben Wilson, an orphan living in Minnesota with his aunt and cousins. Soon after, the book's illustrations introduce a young girl named Rose, who is deaf and living in Hoboken in 1927. While words describe Ben's experiences, the wordless pictures define Rose's, allowing readers to experience both these stories as the youngsters set out in search of the one thing they are missing in their lives. Eventually, the threads converge in Ben's time, leading to a surprising and powerful conclusion.
View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg (Newbery Award Winner)--Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, a paraplegic, who chooses them to represent their sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition.