Our middle grade book spotlight this week is all about Possibilities of New Places!!! We are exploring books that take place in either other countries, at sea, in outer space, and in some cases even at different schools such as a boarding school. Books have this amazing ability to take us to numerous places, real or imagined, without even needing to leave our comfy reading nook as we need to take advantage of it as we can learn more about ourselves and others. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #youtharoundtheworld, #youthnewplaces, #youthspacefiction, and #youthseaadventure as well as on Libby and Hoopla.
The 2022 Summer Reading Program Oceans of Possibilities is taking place from June 4th-August 10th with a new theme and badge activities every week. Make sure to watch the Middle Grade Book Spotlight book talk video for this week as it counts towards your badge activities for the week; if you read one of the titles featured or on the tagged list, that counts as another activity as well!!! Earn the weekly themed badges to get your virtual tickets which can be turned into opportunities to win prizes! For more information--such as to sign up or to sign in to your account in order to track your books and activities--visit our Summer Reading page and click “LOG IN NOW”.
Check back next week for a new middle grade book spotlight and if you have any book suggestions, please let us know!!
Beyond Me by Ann Donwerth-Chikamatsu--In this novel in verse, Maya struggles with overcoming her fears after a 2001 earthquake and tsunami devastate her home country of Japan. Fifth-grader Maya learns that before she can help others, she must look inside herself for the courage to face her anxiety.
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman--Four determined homeless children make a life for themselves in Chennai, India.
Keeper by Kathi Applet--Ten-year-old Keeper is having a bad day and is certain she has ruined things for her guardian, Signe, and friends Dogie and Mr. Beauchamp. What Keeper really needs is her mother. Since her mother is a mermaid (or so she believes) and left when Keeper was three, Keeper hatches a plan to find her. Relying on the magic of the blue moon, which calls the mermaids to gather at the sandbar, Keeper sets out in a rowboat and attempts to navigate the treacherous waters of the Gulf of Mexico to reunite with her long-lost mother.
Smek for President by Adam Rex--Tip, an 11-year-old girl, and a rogue Boov alien called J.Lo managed to rid Earth of its evil Gorg infestation, but instead of getting the recognition they deserve, they get blamed by the Boovs for thwarting an ill-fated Boov colonization attempt. In an effort to clear their names, the two friends set off on an expedition to New Boovworld, where they must elude capture by a politically ambitious Captain Smek and set the record straight on their heroic accomplishments—all with the aid of a flying billboard named Bill.
Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce--Twelve-year-old Liam is so big for his age that everyone thinks he is an adult. It's difficult to just be a kid when you are already growing facial hair – everyone expects more from you. When Liam decides to use his looks to his advantage and enter the Greatest Dad Ever Contest, he finds himself on a runaway rocket ship high above the earth.
City Spies by James Ponti--After hacking into the foster care computer system to prove wrongdoing by her foster parents, Sara Martinez is offered a chance to join a group of MI6 spies.