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Middle Grade Book Spotlight--Historical Fiction!!!

Our Middle Grade book spotlight this week is all about Historical Fiction!!!  Our titles this week are all historical fiction stories; this is one of my favorite genres because it provides an opportunity to read about times and events in history that many times we do not know much, if anything, about because they are not taught in typical school classes.  Historical fiction books are filled with true facts (authors need to do a ton of research) and many times the characters are inspired by real people.  We have books that take place in the United States and others on other continents; some take place in more recent times and others further in the past.  These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #youthhistoricalfiction as well as on Libby and Hoopla.  

Armstrong and Charlie by Steven B. Frank--Both Armstrong and Charlie have reservations about being in sixth grade. Armstrong is bussed from South Central Los Angeles to a middle school in the Hollywood Hills in the hopes of enjoying better opportunities. But not all of his primarily Caucasian classmates are welcoming to the black boy from the bad part of town. Meanwhile, Charlie, a Caucasian student at the school, struggles with the idea that finishing sixth grade will mean he's officially older than the brother he recently lost—something that causes Charlie a great deal of anxiety and grief. And though Armstrong and Charlie are vastly different, they learn they are also very much the same. 

Soul Lanterns by Shaw Kuzki--Except for the annual Lantern Floating Ceremony, Nozomi, 12, knows little about the bombing of her city, Hiroshima, on August 6, 1945. Now, twenty-five years after the event, she begins to notice the trauma in the adults around her, many of whom won't speak about their pain. Nozomi and her friends decide to create a memorial art project to honor the memories of those lost in the tragedy, including a person represented by an unnamed lantern her mother releases each year. Unexpectedly, the project becomes a conduit for the adults to speak about those they lost, so that they can continue to heal.

Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh--Middle school student Junie Kim turns inward and becomes depressed after enduring the taunts of a school bus bully and a racist incident happens at school. While working on a school assignment to interview a family elder, Junie learns of her Korean grandparents' sufferings and courage during the Korean War and learns to unpack her own courage to face the racism surrounding her.

The Orphan Band of Springdale by Anne Nesbet--Due to the financial strain and worldwide tension from World War II, eleven-year-old Augusta “Gusta” Hoopes Neubronner leaves her parents in New York City for her grandmother’s orphanage in Springdale, Maine. The only thing of value she brings with her is a beautiful French horn, an instrument she got from her father, which she refuses to sell no matter what. As she struggles to adjust, she becomes inspired by a story her mother told her about a coin-like “Wish” that her sea-captain grandfather hid. And as the war rages, she is faced with other strange occurrences, like watching patriotism turn to prejudice, and alien registration drives, and family secrets.

Nest by Esther Erlich--Eleven-year-old Chirp escapes from the worries of her everyday life, including her mother's serious disease, by exploring the salt marshes around her Cape Cod home, bird watching, and going on adventures with her neighbor Joey, who is facing his own difficulties at home.

Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome--After his mother's death in 1946, eleven-year-old Langston and his father leave behind their quiet life in Alabama and move to Chicago. Struggling to fit in and missing his mother, Langston finds refuge at the local library where, unlike his library in Alabama, blacks are just as welcome as whites to use. There he discovers the poetry of Langston Hughes and a secret--he was named after this very poet whose work his mother loved.