Our Middle Grade book spotlight this week is focused on books that have recently been added to our collection meaning they are new!!!! New books are the best; they have a new book smell and there is just something about being one of the first people to read it. There is a great mix of realistic, nonfiction, graphic novels, and humorous this week; there is literally something for everyone! These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #2022youthnewbooks 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!!
Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? by Leslie Connor--Eleven-year-old Aurora's best friend Frenchie doesn't talk because he's autistic. The two share their love of nature, and especially of piebald deer. Aurora always looks out for Frenchie at school, except for one day--the day Frenchie doesn't arrive in his classroom. Aurora feels she's at fault and joins the others searching for Frenchie.
Animal Rescue Friends by Meiko Hashimoto--Presents a series of graphic novel stories about a group of preteen kids who become friends when they help injured animals and begin volunteering at a community animal shelter.
My Own Lightning by Lauren Wolk--In this sequel to the author's award-winning "Wolf Hollow," Annabelle is still recovering from the events of the previous year, instigated by bully Betty Glengarry. During a spring storm, Annabelle is struck by lightening and finds that she is extra sensitive to the feelings of animals. A search for her brother's missing dog leads her to encounter Betty's sidekick Andy Woodberry and suspicions of the maltreatment of dogs in the area. She soon learns Andy isn't out to harm the dogs and she must grapple with her own feelings of mistrust in order to extend forgiveness for past mistakes.
Spy School: The Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs--Twelve-year-old Ben Ripley leaves his public middle school to attend the CIA's highly secretive Espionage Academy, which everyone is told is an elite science school.
Omar Rising by Aisha Saeed--Seventh-grader Omar is initially thrilled when he receives a scholarship to an elite boarding school in Pakistan, knowing its his family's ticket out of poverty. When he arrives, however, he gets a rude awakening, learning that scholarship students are treated differently. He and others like him are not allowed to participate in extra-curricular activities, must do menial chores around the school, and must maintain impossibly high grades--none of which are requirements for students who pay tuition. Omar finds himself bonding with other scholarship students and overcoming his own preconceptions about others to do the impossible: not only succeed, but also advocate for fairness and equality.
Eyewitness: Titanic--Detailed descriptions of the Titanic, including its accommodations, and a retelling of its sinking in the North Atlantic in April, 1912.