Category Archives: Middle Grades (5-8)

Elem./MG – Wildfire

Posted on by
Reply

Bard, Breena. Wildfire. Little, Brown Ink, 2023. 978-0-316-27768-6. 288 p. $24.99. Grades 3-8.

Wildfire opens with rural Oregon tween Julianna heading home from her 4-H meeting and encountering three boys, including her childhood friend Carson, lighting fireworks despite a strict “burn ban.” Later that afternoon, as she and her younger sister are feeding their goats and chickens, their dad rushes home to tell them that they must evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire started by those very fireworks. Their home is destroyed in the fire, and Julianna must begin her eighth grade year in a new school and a new city: Portland, Oregon. Julianna keeps the reason for her move to Portland a secret so that no one will pity her, but Carson’s arrival at her new school makes it especially difficult to make a fresh start. At the urging of some new friends, Julianna joins the Conservation Club and participates in a riverside clean-up, tree planting, letter writing, and an environmental protest. At the protest, suppressed emotions overwhelm her, and she must finally reckon with her deep grief for the home she and her family lost. Julianna’s (and her family’s) grieving process is realistically and sensitively portrayed in this compelling graphic novel. Bright, earthy colors appealingly represent Julianna’s connection with nature and the outdoors. Note that some of the family’s farm animals perish in the fire.

THOUGHTS: As wildfires continue to dominate the news cycle, books such as this one provide middle grade readers with a relatable perspective on their devastating toll. Some may even be inspired to take action against climate change, and author/illustrator Breena Bard provides some tips in her Author’s Note!

Graphic Novel

MG – Mabuhay!

Posted on by
Reply

Sterling, Zachary. Mabuhay! Scholastic, 2023. 978-1-338-73860-5. $12.99. 240 p. Grades 3-7.

Siblings J.J. and Althea have two things in common. They both have trouble fitting in at school, and they both despise working for their parents. Their parents run a Filipino food truck called The Beautiful Pig, and expect their children to help out because “family comes first,” as their mother often reminds them. Spending a lot of time around their parents’ place of work means they hear a lot of Filipino folklore, and these tales all seem to end with an important lesson J.J. and Althea must learn. One day after work, the family arrives home to find Tito Arvin has arrived from the Philippines. His impromptu visit comes with lamentations about life back home and dreams about a monster who is after their family, a dream both J.J. and Althea have on the same night. Suddenly, the witches and monsters from Filipino folklore are more than just fairy tale creatures, and J.J. and Althea work together to save their heritage and their family.

THOUGHTS: Author Zachary Sterling weaves Filipino folklore with humor and adventure to create a heartwarming story about family, friendship, and food. The illustrations are vibrant and expressive. Tagalog words are used throughout and defined at the bottom of the page, and Sterling includes a Filipino recipe for Chicken Adobo in the back of the book. This graphic novel is a must-have and must-read for middle grade students.

Graphic Novel

MG/YA – Run and Hide: How Jewish Youth Escaped the Holocaust

Posted on by
Reply

Brown, Don. Run and Hide: How Jewish Youth Escaped the Holocaust. Clarion Books, 2023. 978-0-35-853816-5. 190 p. $22.99. Grades 7-12.

Run and Hide details Hitler’s rise to power in Germany and describes how Nazi Germany’s expansion of power led to prejudice, violence, and murder against the Jewish population in Europe. Don Brown focuses the majority of this graphic nonfiction title on real stories of children’s survival during the Holocaust. Brown includes information about the Kindertransport that took place prior to the Nazi invasion of Poland. The train-based evacuation of children ran from Europe to England and saved 10,000 children. Other resistance groups and miraculous stories of neighbors hiding children throughout the war are also covered. 

THOUGHTS: This newest graphic nonfiction release by Don Brown is descriptive and honest. It is an excellent resource for secondary students to understand the origins of the Holocaust and what it was like to be a child (or parent) living in fear during this time. Brown shares amazing stories of survival here, but importantly, he also explains the stories he includes were statistically exceptional to the million children who did not escape. The instances of survival included in Run and Hide were only able to occur through a combination of “near misses, tight squeezes, dicey chances, long odds, and dumb luck.” The focus of this story is on survival and hiding rather than the details of life in concentration camps; in this way, the reader is spared the most brutal details and images of the Holocaust. Brown’s extensive bibliography is both necessary and helpful for students who are interested in learning about his source material. Mentions of other and ongoing instances of genocide are also included in the author’s note. Brown’s drawings enhance the tone of the text. Recommended for middle and high school graphic nonfiction collections.

Graphic Novel

In his latest graphic history for young readers, author and illustrator Don Brown explores the history of World War II with a focus on the plight of young Jewish people and heroic efforts to save them. Brown has chronicled other disasters, both natural and manmade, in his previous works: 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the Dust Bowl, and the flu of 1918, among others. His text and artwork are particularly urgent in Run and Hide, perhaps because – as he writes in his author’s note, appropriately titled “Uninterrupted” – “Hate and violence endure, uninterrupted” (179). Here he covers Kristallnacht, the Kindertransport, the “final solution,” deportations, and more. In depicting each event, he incorporates first-person testimony in speech bubbles. This technique succeeds in both portraying and personalizing the complex events of the Holocaust. His grim, roughly drawn line art of concentration camps are especially effective. Throughout Run and Hide, Brown credits the bravery of Jewish youths and the heroic actions of resistance networks but also leaves the reader with the stark fact that one million children were killed in Europe during WWII. 

THOUGHTS: Run and Hide is a remarkable work of graphic nonfiction. It presents our most difficult history in an approachable way that will inspire deeper research and action. (Thorough source notes and an extensive Bibliography are included.)

Graphic Novel (Nonfiction)
950.43 World War II

MG – Tiger Daughter

Posted on by
Reply

Lim, Rebecca. Tiger Daughter. Delacorte, 2023. 978-0-593-64898-8. 181 p. $17.99. Grades 5-8.

As the daughter of two Chinese immigrants, Wen doesn’t always feel like she fits in at her Australian public school. At home, Wen is expected to obey her father, Jin, at all times. He also expects Wen’s mother to be a polished, quiet stay-at-home wife. At school, Wen makes friends with Henry, also a son of Chinese immigrants, and together they begin to prepare for a special examination—a passing score would ensure entrance into the prestigious school across town. The stakes are incredibly high for both young people. Before the examination, a horrible tragedy strikes Henry’s family, and afterward, Wen must help Henry find his inner strength to survive. Wen’s father, Jin, does not want to help and forbids Wen from assisting Henry or his father. Wen and her mother both have to find the courage to help Henry’s family and rise above the expectations placed upon them, even if that means disobeying and enraging Jin.

THOUGHTS: Tiger Daughter is a strong story of resilience, family, grief, and coming-of-age as a young female immigrant. Wen and Henry’s family dynamics are each written with realism and nuance. Domestic abuse, spousal control, sexism, toxic masculinity, prejudice, and mental health issues all are explored truthfully through the book’s characters. Rebeccca Lim writes with a clear understanding of clashing cultural spheres having lived her own immigrant experience as well. The book has a hopeful and satisfying ending for middle school readers without being saccharine. At under 200 pages, this quickly-read piece of realistic fiction packs a powerful punch. Tiger Daughter will be a great companion text to titles written by Kelly Yang and Rex Ogle, and it is recommended as an excellent addition to any middle school library. 

Realistic Fiction

MG/YA – Gallows Hill

Posted on by
Reply

Ruby, Lois. Gallows Hill. Carolrhoda Lab, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, 2023. 978-1-728-43102-4. 208 p. $19.99. Grades 7-12.

Gallows Hill is a fictionalized story of the Salem Witch Trials as told from the alternating perspectives of Patience and Thomas, two teens living during the 1692 height of hysteria. Patience aims to live up to her name, but when her own sister, Abigail, becomes “afflicted” and begins to accuse a local elderly widow, Prudence Blevins, of being a witch, Patience doesn’t know who to believe. Patience knows many women and men are being arrested in Salem—even a five-year-old child, Dorothy, is among the accused of witchcraft. Unlike Patience, who has lived in Salem her whole life, Thomas and his sister Grace are newcomers to Salem Village. Grace and Thomas are only trying to make a life for themselves after their strenuous trip across the Atlantic Ocean. Being of Quaker faith makes Thomas and Grace outcasts among their new Puritan neighbors. After Thomas is also arrested, he must fight against the odds to survive being swept up in the madness and sent to Gallows Hill.

THOUGHTS: This story is a compelling and well-researched fictional account of what it may have been like to grow up during the time of the infamous Salem witch trials. Ruby includes historically accurate diction (using phrases like Goody and Goodman), and she balances it with clear dialogue and short chapters to make this book accessible for middle school readers. While other middle grade and YA witch-trial related fiction often ventures into supernatural or fantasy genres, Gallows Hill stays true and realistic to the time. Strong sensory details placed throughout the story will bring the abysmal prison cells and Salem village itself to life for readers. Ruby also offers historical explanations, theories, and book discussion questions in the book’s endpapers. Recommended as an addition to middle school historical fiction collections.

Historical Fiction

Elem./MG – Inside MLB (Series NF)

Posted on by
Reply

Inside MLB. Abdo Publishing, 2023. $23.95 ea. $1718.50 set of 30. 48 p. Grades 3-8. 

Donnelly, Patrick. Arizona Diamondbacks. 978-1-098-29008-5.
—. Atlanta Braves. 978-1-098-29009-2.
Giedd, Steph. Baltimore Orioles. 978-1-098-29010-8.
Clarke, David J. Boston Red Sox. 978-1-098-29011-5.
Hewson, Anthony K. Chicago Cubs. 978-1-098-29012-2.
Carl, Douglas. Chicago White Sox. 978-1-098-29013-9.
Hewson, Anthony K. Cincinnati Reds. 978-1-098-29014-6.
—. Cleveland Guardians. 978-1-098-29015-3.
—. Colorado Rockies. 978-1-098-29016-0.
Donnelly, Patrick. Detroit Tigers. 978-1-098-29017-7.
Hewson, Anthony K. Houston Astros. 978-1-098-29018-4.
Clarke, David J. Kansas City Royals. 978-1-098-29019-1.
Donnelly, Patrick. Los Angeles Angels. 978-1-098-29020-7.
Hewson, Anthony K . Los Angeles Dodgers. 978-1-098-29021-4.
Donnelly, Patrick. Miami Marlins. 978-1-098-29022-1.
Clarke, David J. Milwaukee Brewers. 978-1-098-29023-8.
—. Minnesota Twins. 978-1-098-29024-5.
—. New York Mets. 978-1-098-29025-2.
Hewson, Anthony K. New York Yankees. 978-1-098-29026-9.
—. Oakland Athletics. 978-1-098-29027-6.
—. Philadelphia Phillies. 978-1-098-29028-3.
Donnelly, Patrick. Pittsburgh Pirates. 978-1-098-29029-0.
Kortemeier, Todd. San Diego Padres. 978-1-098-29030-6.
Carl, Douglas. San Francisco Giants. 978-1-098-29031-3.
Hewson, Anthony K. Seattle Mariners. 978-1-098-29032-0.
Donnelly, Patrick. St. Louis Cardinals. 978-1-098-29033-7.
Hanlon, Luke. Tampa Bay Rays. 978-1-098-29034-4.
Donnelly, Patrick. Texas Rangers. 978-1-098-29035-1.
—. Toronto Blue Jays. 978-1-098-29036-8.
Hewson, Anthony K. Washington Nationals. 978-1-098-29037-5.

The focus of the 30-book nonfiction series introduces sports and baseball fans to the history of each of the MLB franchises. Each book has engaging images along with an informative text that will appeal to students. The book concludes with a glossary, trivia, team facts, timeline, and an index.

THOUGHTS: This series is a good addition to enhance upper elementary and middle school library collections seeking to update their MLB section of the library.

796.357 Baseball

MG – Duel

Posted on by
Reply

Bagley, Jessixa. Duel. Illustrated by Aaron Bagley. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023. 978-1-534-49655-2. 307 p. $24.99. Grades 4-8.

Two sisters duel out their feelings about each other—literally. Sixth grader Lucy and eighth grader Gigi have a complicated relationship. Their father recently passed away from an unnamed illness, and their mother works all of the time at the local hospital. The sisters’ relationship has gone sour since their father’s death, and both sisters take turns being mean-spirited toward the other. Gigi is on track to be captain of the middle school fencing team, something her father—who had been a fencing instructor himself—would have been proud of. Lucy is determined to beat her older sister, even if it means having to learn to fence secretly in just a few weeks’ time. The sisters must decide if they will end the story by dueling in front of their classmates or by finally discussing their feelings of grief with each other and their mother.

THOUGHTS: While many other books highlight problems between friends or classmates, this is a realistic and fresh look at a struggling sibling relationship. Both sisters can be unlikable at times due to their mean-spirited behaviors; that characteristic only adds to the realism. The unique ways in which people deal with grief are also fully explored in this book through other family characters including the girls’ mother and grandmother. Aside from being a powerful story about grief and familial relationships, this is also a sports story that includes a diverse cast of characters. The author’s note includes that part of Jessixa Bagley’s inspiration for Duel was to share a story about Black female fencers. Recommended as a meaningful story for middle school graphic novel collections. Fans of Raina Telgemeier, Shannon Hale, and Victoria Jamieson will also love Duel.

Graphic Novel

MG – The Cursed Moon

Posted on by
Reply

Cervantes, Angela. The Cursed Moon. Scholastic Press, 2023. 978-1-338-81401-9. 224 p. $18.99. Grades 3-7.

Tell a great scary story, and you’re cool. Tell a great scary story under a cursed blood moon, and you’re also in big trouble. Sixth grade Rafa has found his niche in composing the best scary stories for his sister, Brianna, and new friends like Jayden. Together, Rafa and Brianna have moved in with their Abuelo and Abuela. Although their incarcerated mother, Nikki, is about to be released and return home, too, the impending reunion is met with anxiety and distrust by both siblings. In the days leading up to Nikki’s return, an older neighbor gives Rafa an ominous warning not to tell any of his scary stories under that night’s blood moon. Despite this plea, Rafa shares a terrifying tale with friends that night: The story of a spirit named the Caretaker who lures people into a local park’s pond to die. Unfortunately, Rafa should have listened to his neighbor. Now, it is too late. The Caretaker has come to life, and it is searching for new lives to claim. Rafa will have to figure out how to make this story have a happy ending…quickly.

THOUGHTS: The Cursed Moon contains just the right combination of creepy details and caring characters for a middle grade reader to thoroughly enjoy. While some of the focus is on the supernatural story action, Cervantes also weaves in lots of great realistic details that help fully form the characters of Rafa and Brianna. Pieces read like a realistic fiction story. At just over 200 pages, this is also an accessible book for developing middle grade readers who like a good thrill and chill!

YA – Gone Wolf

Posted on by
Reply

McBride, Amber. Gone Wolf. Fiewel and Friends, 2023. 978-1-250-85049-2. 348 p. $17.99. Grades 6-10.

Inmate Eleven has never seen the sun. She is a Blue living in post-pandemic 2111. She is held alongside her wolf-dog, Ira, in a small room within the tall walls of Elite, the capital of Bible Boot—a future, isolationist portion of the United States post-Second Civil War. Inmate Eleven is given tests and bloodwork with frequency. She has been told through a series of Bible Boot-issued flashcards that Blues are racially inferior, hate is illegal, and Clones are irrefutably kind. Larkin, a white Clone, begins to meet with Inmate Eleven, and Inmate Eleven feels empowered to choose a new name for herself: Imogen. Unfortunately, Larkin’s father also happens to be the powerful, racist leader of Elite. Soon, Larkin and Imogen realize they must escape the walls of Elite where slavery has been fully re-instituted, and both Black and Blue people are enduring torturous treatment. But…who is Imogen, really, and what year is it…truly? Imogen is living two disjointed realities, and she’s fighting to go wolf in both.

THOUGHTS: Many aspects of this book are heartbreaking. The way McBride weaves this story together is poignant and unique. Without giving too many spoilers, this is a book that brings to light concepts of generational and racial trauma in the United States. The book’s underlying commentary regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, racial violence, and political polarization will also be highly relatable to middle school students. Big twists and turns, compounded by sad events, caused myself as reader to question where the story was going at first, but not in a negative way. Then, pieces clicked masterfully into place. Because the story is told from a first person limited perspective, McBride uses ends of each chapter to offer clarifying bits of information that will help all readers access the underlying themes and nuance of the story. The powerful messaging of Black resilience and a new lens of trauma will stick with readers for a long time. As an adult reader, I found myself thinking of Octavia Butler and Toni Morrison’s stories. An essential addition to middle school and even high school fiction collections.

Science Fiction

Elem./MG – Investigating (Series NF)

Posted on by
Reply

Investigating. A Child’s World, 2023. $24.95 ea. 32 p. Grades 3-8. 

Edwards, Sue Bradford. Fossil Fuel Pollution. 978-1-503-85806-0.
Gagliardi, Sue. Household Waste Pollution. 978-1-503-85811-4.
Henzel, Cynthia. Manufacturing Pollution. 978-1-503-85810-7.
—. Noise Pollution. 978-1-503-8581-21.
MacCarald, Clara. Agricultural Waste. 978-1-503-85807-7.
—. Nuclear Pollution. 978-1-503-85809-1.
Perdew, Laura. Light Pollution. 978-1-503-8580-84.
—. Plastic Pollution. 978-1-503-85805-3.

The focus of this nonfiction series is on pollution. It discusses the cause, the harm, and what humans can do to reduce pollution.The book concludes with a table of contents, fast facts, phonetic glossary, additional resources, source notes, and an index. Other books in the series focus on these topics: plastic pollution, nuclear pollution, manufacturing pollution, household waste pollution, fossil fuel pollution, and agricultural waste pollution.

THOUGHTS: This series is a good addition to enhance upper elementary and middle school library collections seeking to update the environment and STEM section.

300s Environmental Protection