Our Middle Grade book spotlight this week is focused on books that have some Flower Covers!!! Since it is finally Spring outside(!) we are taking inspiration from the colorful blooms and exploring books that share the same features. As we are choosing these books based on their front covers with flowerful features, we have an amazing selection that are all completely different from one another from dystopian to fantasy and novels in verse to historical and magical realism! These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #youthcolorfulcovers 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!!
Into the Tall Tall Grass by Loriel Ryon--Twelve-year-old Yolanda Rodriguez-O'Connell lives with her grandmother Wela and twin sister Sonja, who have magical gifts. Still waiting for hers to manifest, Yolanda worries about the deteriorating health of her grandmother and the misfortune that seems to hang over her family. At the behest of her grandmother, Yolanda, Sonja, and other peers help Wela find a lone pecan tree on their property to right wrongs and reverse a family curse.
Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry--In this novel in verse, Calliope June, who has Tourette syndrome, is tired of moving so much with her mother. At each new school she tries to hide her tics, but soon everyone thinks she's weird. Then she meets her neighbor, Jinsong, who is popular and also the student body president, and the two slowly become friends. However, Calli worries that it won't be long before her mother wants to move again.
The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty--With her parents away on wonderful adventures, Bronte is happy living with her Aunt Isabella and her butler. After they are killed by pirates, she finds that they have left her a set of explicit instructions: she must deliver certain gifts to her father's ten sisters at very specific times. And since it is a faery will, she must follow it exactly or her hometown will be destroyed. So Bronte sets off on an exciting journey through the Empires and Kingdoms.
The House That Wasn’t There by Elana K. Arnold--Recent changes in eleven-year-old Alder Madigan's life have thrown him for a loop. His best friend is now hanging out with the cross country kids and new neighbors have moved in and cut down a beloved walnut tree between their properties. Oak Carson, who is one of Alder's new neighbors, is angry about moving to Los Angeles and away from her friends. Even though Oak and Alder will be classmates, each doubts they can ever be friends. Yet, a series of coincidences, such as the fact that they're both named after trees, draws them together and helps each of them adjust to the changes in their lives.
Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder--On the island, everything is perfect for the nine children who live there in bliss--except for the Changing. Every year, the oldest child is taken away, never seen again, and a new youngest child is dropped off. This year, Jinny's best friend, Deen, is replaced by Ess, and it falls to Jinny, the new Elder, to teach Ess how the island works. She has one year to come to terms with growing up herself.
The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz--Are they saints? Or frauds? Or worst of all, in league with the devil? The year is 1242. The weary travelers in the inn are discussing three miraculous children—Jeanne, a peasant girl who has visions; William, an oblate with massive strength; Jacob, a Jewish boy with healing powers—and their resurrected dog, Gwenforte. The travelers cannot say for sure what the children are, but they know that strange things happen when the children and their dog are involved. Their adventures take the group throughout France to escape prejudice, fight persecution, and save holy texts from burning, culminating in a final showdown at Mont Saint-Michel.