Our middle grade book spotlight this week is on books that are some of my all time favorite authors!!! These are the authors that as soon as they have a new book out, it is an immediate must read and I already know that I am going to be reading till 3:00 in the morning (we have all been there before), may leave me speechless and filled with emotions (including some crying on the couch), wanting to talk about it with someone instantly, and then telling everyone else they have to read it! There is some nonfiction, a mix of historical and realistic; this was such a hard list to make. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #elyse’sfavorites 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!!
Two Miserable Presidents by Steve Sheinkin--Describes two miserable presidents from 1856 through 1860 and includes anecdotes, startling stories, and all of the peculiar events that didn't make it into your history books about the Civil War from 1861 to 1865.
The Great and Only Barnum by Candace Fleming--You may not have lived in the times of P.T. Barnum, but reading this book will make you feel as if you paid your ticket to see the greatest show on earth. Fleming's biography chronicles the life of Phineas Taylor Barnum, the man who created Barnum's American Museum and later the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Barnum was born poor in 1810, but through sheer determination and an impulsive instinct for what the public wanted to see, he made it big and became one of the first 19th-century millionaires. Fleming includes both the good and bad sides of Barnum and provides scintillating text, rich photographs, engravings and illustrations that depict his era.
Refugee by Alan Gratz--Three children. Three different countries. Three harrowing stories of survival under the shadow of war. Josef's Jewish family flees Nazi Germany in 1938. Isabel's family braves the ocean in a homemade raft in 1994 in the hopes of a better life in America. And in 2015, Mahmoud's family hopes to find refuge from the war raging in Syria. Each protagonist navigates the uncertainty of leaving behind the only life they've ever known, revealing the fear and heartache associated with being a refugee.
The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley--Mam, ashamed of her daughter Ada's club foot, has kept Ada a prisoner in their apartment for nine years. Ada's brother, Jamie, brings Ada stories of the outside world that make her long for escape all the more. World War II arrives and the Germans begin bombing London, prompting the evacuation of all of London's children. Ada's cruel mother intends to keep her from going, but Ada escapes with the help of Jamie and ends up in the care of Miss Susan. Although Miss Susan claims she is not a nice person, her growing affection for the children is evident. However, the love between Miss Susan and the siblings may not be strong enough to carry them through the war's end, when Ada may have to return to her abusive mother.
Bloody Times by James Swanson--Swanson alternates between the stories of President Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy. Despite his best efforts to rally the South, Davis receives news about General Lee's surrender and decides to flee Richmond. Shortly thereafter, Lincoln is assassinated. The broken nation believes that Davis is in some way linked to the murder, and a manhunt for Davis errupts. Meanwhile, Lincoln -- his corpse aboard a train -- takes one last journey through his America, from Washington, D.C. to Springfield.
Beware the Power of the Dark Side by Tom Angleberger--Presents an original retelling of "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi." Luke Skywalker has learned the truth: Darth Vader is his father, Anakin Skywalker, and he must confront the evil that the man has become, even as his Rebel allies enter their final battle with Imperial forces against the Second Death Star and the Emperor himself.