Our middle grade book spotlight this week is on books that are filled with suspense and thrills!! Sometimes I think these are the scariest types of books because you have no idea what is going to happen next and your brain prepares for the worst as you turn the page, not knowing what is going to be there waiting for you. If you are looking for a read that is going to keep you on the edge of your seat then you have come to the right place! These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #youththriller 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!!
The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix--Chess, Emma, and Finn Greystone, ages twelve, ten, and eight respectively, live in Ohio with their mother. One day, the kids learn of a kidnapping in Arizona that has shockingly similarities to themselves, right down to their names and birthdays. The next day, their mother leaves on an emergency "work trip" and after that, the kids receive a cryptic note that makes the Greystones wonder if they are connected to the missing children in Arizona. The three attempt to crack the code of the letter and find out the truth about who they are.
Chasing Secrets by Gennifer Choldenko--Thirteen-year-old Lizzie Kennedy has a passion for science, but there's not much opportunity for her to pursue it at the exclusive girls' school she is forced to attend in San Francisco in 1900. While on a trip to a patient's house with her physician father, Lizzie observes evidence that the much-feared plague has made its way to their beloved city—despite the fact that everyone, even her own father, denies its arrival. With the help of Noah, the son of their Chinese cook, Lizzie investigates this disturbing discovery that could spell death for many.
Tunnels by Roderick Gordon--When Will Burrows and his friend Chester embark on a quest to find Will's archaeologist father, who has inexplicably disappeared, they are led to a labyrinthine world underneath London, full of sinister inhabitants with evil intentions toward "Topsoilers" like Will and his father.
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden--Eleven-year-old Ollie comes across a weeping woman next to a river, holding a book and threatening to throw it into the water. Ollie is impulsive, so she plucks the book from the woman's hand and runs off with it. The book is "Small Spaces," and tells a haunting story of a girl, two boys in love with her, and a farm from hundreds of years ago, and a deal with the sinister specter called the Smiling Man, who grants wishes for the ultimate price. Now, Ollie finds herself on a school trip to a local farm with a haunted history.
The Stone Child by Dan Poblocki--When friends Eddie, Harris, and Maggie discover that the scary adventures in their favorite author's fictional books come true, they must find a way to close the portal that allows evil creatures and witches to enter their hometown of Gatesweed.
The Seer of Shadows by Avi--14-year-old Horace Carpetine is an apprentice to a New York City photographer who tries to get rich pretending to photograph the images of ghosts. Although Horace firmly believes in rationality, he takes a portrait of wealthy society matron Mrs. Frederick Von Macht and sees the ghost of her dead daughter, Eleanora. He soon discovers that Eleanora wants revenge for the way she died. Horace teams up with the Von Machts' black servant girl, Pegg, to stop Eleanora before it's too late. Newbery Medalist Avi's photography and text will keep readers on the edge of their seats to the very end of this supernatural tale.