Our middle grade book spotlight this week is all about Tales From the Dark!!! We are exploring books that will keep you on the edge of your seat with some amazing thrillers, suspense filled, mysterious, and supernatural titles that will keep you turning page after page and staying up way past your bedtime. Some are darker than others so there is something for everyone, no matter the level of “dark” it needs to be. We have some amazing stand alone titles as well as some first in a series; realistic, fantasy, historical, and even some folklore can be found in this collection of titles. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #youthedgeofyourseat as well as on Libby and Hoopla.
The 2021 Summer Reading Program takes place from June 5th-August 11th 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!!
Don’t Turn Out the Lights by Jonathan Maberry--Presents a collection of thirty-five short horror stories written in tribute to Alvin Schwartz and his "Scary stories to tell in the dark" series.
Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi--Laylee can barely remember the happier times before her beloved mother died. Before her father, driven by grief, lost his wits (and his way) and she was left as the sole remaining mordeshoor in the village of Whichwood, destined to spend her days scrubbing the skins and souls of the dead in preparation for the afterlife. It's become easy to forget and easier still to ignore not only her ever-increasing loneliness, but the way her overworked hands are stiffening and turning silver, just like her hair. But soon, a pair of familiar strangers appear, and Laylee's world is turned upside down as she rediscovers color, magic, and the healing power of friendship.
Ghost Squad by Claribel Ortega--Lucely and her best friend, Syd, cast a spell just before Halloween that releases evil spirits on their hometown of St. Augustine, Florida. Now they must team up with Syd's witch grandmother Babette and her cat Chunk to reverse the spell and save the town before it's too late.
Me and Sam-Sam Handle the Apocalypse by Susan Vaught--Autistic middle-schooler Jesse, witnesses the arrest of her father for allegedly stealing money from the library fund. Convinced of his innocence, Jesse recruits her one and only friend, Springer, to investigate. They begin interviewing suspects, even confronting a trio of bullies, but Jesse begins to think that she’s not cut out for crime fighting since she will sometimes "get stuck on lots of stuff, like words and phrases and numbers and smells and pictures and song lines and what time stuff is supposed to happen." When a tornado hits the town, Jesse finally thinks she can show people what she’s made of, and maybe even help her father at the same time.
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett--Sixth graders Petra and Calder discover their mutual love for art on a museum field trip. At the same time their new friendship is beginning, Vermeer's painting "A Lady Writing" is stolen en route from Washington D.C. to Chicago. When the audacious thief starts leaving clues in the newspaper, Petra and Calder set out to track down the painting, a task that has befuddled even the FBI. This is an amazing book that mixes mystery and art, and inspires youngsters to consider connections and coincidences. The terrific illustrations also contain a hidden code for young readers to decipher.
The Dead Below by Thomas Kingsley Troupe--Treva Gallo begins seeing ghosts shortly after she moves to Philadelphia and as more ghosts begin to visit her, she must dig into the city's past to discover what they want.