Middle Grade Back-to-School Reads

Yesterday we focused on the younger set (kindergarten particularly), today we’re looking at the middle grade audience. I’ve got four fabulous books today geared toward a late elementary/middle school crowd; two graphic novel-esque reads and two traditional chapter books that could easily be read aloud to multiple ages in a family or classroom setting. Bullying (and cliques and all the various subgroups of all of these) and self-identity are huge issues in this age group and each of these books addresses the concepts in slightly different ways. All excellent for sparking discussions with kids that aren’t always forthcoming or willing to talk. Let me know if you’ve got others that have worked for you!

Invisible Emmie book review

Part illustrated book, part graphic novel (think Diary of a Wimpy Kid) Emmie starts out her narrative as a puddle of slime (literally) explaining the hierarchy of outcasts at her school and how she’s so low she doesn’t even fit in to any of those categories. She’s super quiet and just fades into the background and under the radar. She does have a best friend, Brianna, and the two of them discuss crushes at lunchtime even writing poems to and drawing pictures of the boys in question. Things get really complicated when Emmie’s poem slips out of her notebook and finds it’s way into Tyler’s hands. Suddenly, she’s the talk of the school and she’s forced to talk to boys, girls to stand up for herself, confront her crush and notices a quiet girl in her art class who becomes an unlikely ally.

All kids, no matter how (un-)popular, will relate to Emmie’s brutally honest feelings of self-doubt and not knowing where or how to fit in. They’ll also cheer for her as she figures a few things out for and about herself and hopefully follow her example just a bit!

 

Invisible Emmie

Written and Illustrated by: Terri Libenson

Number of Pages: 185

Publisher: Harper Collins/Balzar and Bray, 2017

Age Range: 8-12

Rating: 3.5/5

 

Save me a seat book review

Over the course of a week 2 boys become unlikely allies and come to understand each other and what it means to be a friend.

Ravi has just moved to the US from India. There his family was wealthy, he was a star cricket player and top of his class and he’s sure that he’ll have no trouble fitting in and impressing his new classmates.

Joe has an auditory processing disorder that sends him to the resource room on a regular basis and makes it hard for him to concentrate. On top of that he is huge for his age and his mom has recently started working in the school cafeteria. Add those all together and it makes him a prime teasing subject.

Dillon Samreen’s family is from India too, but they’ve long since assimilated (what Ravi calls an ABCD, American-Born Confused Desi.) He’s got a smart mouth, sticky fingers and a penchant for picking on others, particularly Joe. Ravi is convinced the two of them are meant to be best friends but as the week wears on he comes to realize that Dillon is actually not a nice person and he might have misjudged Joe as well.  The culminating event made me laugh so much I was forced to read it out loud to my husband and 15 year-old who laughed right along with me.  A brilliant little statement on judging others and being true to yourself.

 

Save Me a Seat

Written by: Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan

Number of Pages: 216

Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2016

Age Range: 8-12

Rating: 4.5/5

 

Awkward book review

On her first day in a new school Penelope is humiliated when she trips in the hallway and everyone laughs at her. One boy, Jaime, stops to help her up but when the laughing and teasing increases she pushes him away and immediately regrets it. Eventually she finds the art club where she fits in but she can’t forget what she did and keeps trying, unsuccessfully, to find ways to apologize to him.

Meanwhile a rivalry is increasing between the art club and the science club who are both vying for the one spot left at the annual club fair. The principal has promised the spot to the club that proves they contribute to the school but mostly the two spend their time pranking and sabotaging each other in an effort to get the upper hand.

Things come to a head when both clubs are disbanded and Jaime and Penelope come up with a plan to get the two groups to work together on one project that will save their clubs and contribute to the school.

This is another great tale of misfits finding their strengths and learning to navigate the muddy waters of the school social scene. A quick read, graphic novel with a hint of anime in the art.

 

Awkward

Written and Illustrated by: Svetlana Chmakova

Number of Pages: 210

Publisher: Yen Press, 2015

Age Range: 8-12

Rating: 3.5/5

 

front desk book review

Bonus book—not dealing strictly with the first day of school but starting a new school, tolerance, diversity, friendship, being true to yourself and a million other issues kids face every day. And one of my favorites of the year so far!

Mia and her family immigrated to America from China to have a better life. But so far, nothing has really been better. They don’t have a big house, they don’t eat hamburgers every day, she misses her cousin and even her mom seems to have lost faith in her. They think things have finally turned around when they find an opportunity to manage a motel near Disneyland. But the hotel owner, Mr. Yao, despite being Chinese himself, is dishonest and mean, manipulating the terms of their contract and making life miserable for the Tangs.

Mia is constantly trying to prove to her mother that she can make it in America, that her English is good enough for her to pursue becoming a writer and hoping that the kids in her class won’t learn the truth about her situation. Mia’s a hard worker, jumping in and helping as the desk manager and making friends with all of the weeklies (those who live at the motel). And then her family starts harboring other immigrants in some of the empty rooms in order to help them get back on their feet and off to better situations. Will Mia’s family’s good intentions be their downfall?

Mia doesn’t have to dig very deep to find an amazing inner strength that leads her to stand up to various bullies, fight for what is right, gain friends of all shapes and sizes, face her mother and help the family business to succeed beyond everyone’s expectations.

This book easily jumped to the top of my favorites list this year. It’s full of heart and tough subjects handled beautifully (racism, immigration, bullying) with the perfect mix of childlike innocence and the depth and wisdom that only a child’s perspective can bring. It’s a great one for opening up conversation about multiple facets of the immigration situation.

 

Front Desk

Written by:  Kelly Yang

Number of Pages: 286

Publisher: Arthur A Levine Books

Age Range: 8-12

Rating: 5/5

 

Good luck to any and all that are facing middle school for the first time this year. Maybe one of these books will provide that little bit of insight and hope needed to make it through! You’ve got this!

Young Adult Book Review ~ Truly Devious

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.   

When I was working at the library I spent a good part of my day reading the new books that came in in order to be able to recommend them to patrons. I breezed through multiple picture books a day and then at least one middle grade and one young adult book each week besides taking books home for my personal reading. I wish I had that kind of time to devote to reading these days but no such luck. And unfortunately it’s been the young adult books that have slipped by the wayside. And with the diminished numbers I’ve not found as many amazing books to shout about. But this one redeemed everything. I couldn’t put it down.

In 1936, Albert Ellingham’s wife and daughter disappeared from the millionaire’s lavish mountaintop retreat and private school in Vermont. His wife’s body was eventually found but not before he’d paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in ransom. His daughter remains missing and while someone confessed there were too many questions left unanswered and the case remains cold to this day.

Enter Stevie Bell, high school junior, who has been admitted to the Ellingham academy because of her obsessive interest in the case and in studying detective work. Her classmates are equally focused on their various pursuits; an artist who’s spent the bulk of her life in a commune, an internet video star, an inventor/engineer, an author and more. But they’re not all the innocent students they’d like each other to believe and when one of them ends up dead Stevie is forced to question her instincts and everything she thinks she knows.

Told in alternating chapters between Stevie’s day in/day out routines at school and flashbacks to the events of 1936 I was riveted from page one. Be warned, there is no conclusion in this volume. This is the beginning of a trilogy so you’ll have to wait (but hopefully not too long!) before getting all the answers.

Truly Devious book review

Truly Devious
Written by: Maureen Johnson
Number of Pages: 416
Publisher: Harper Collins/Katherine Tegen Books, 2018
Age Range: 12+
Rating: 4.5/5

Picture Book Review ~ Books for a Rainy Day

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

April is notorious for being wet and dreary (April Showers, sound familiar?!) But it’s also on the cusp of the season changes so things begin to warm up and bloom and it’s definitely an invitation to head outside and soak up the moments of sunshine when they appear. But the rain has a beauty of its own, especially when you’ve got littles to entertain. So pull on the wellies and see who can make the biggest puddle splash! Then warm up some cocoa and enjoy a few of these rainy day stories. (And by the way, littles are not a pre-requisite for this day of fun! 😉 )

Raccoon isn’t eager to be alone on such a stormy night so he heads out into the forest, splish-splashing his way to seek shelter with one of his friends. But alas, he’s too big to join any of them in their homes. His last hope is Rabbit’s den, full to overflowing with ten little rabbits all hopping and bopping off the walls. But Rabbit welcomes him warmly and he feels cozy and safe. Soon the other friends appear at the door and they are all welcomed in as well because there’s always room for friends! A fun read aloud for pre-school age.
May I Come In book review
Written by: Marsha Diane Arnold
Illustrated by: Jennie Poh
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press, 2018
Number of Pages: 32
Age Range: 2-5
Rating: 3/5
One of my absolute all-time favorite rain books, this was always a hit in my pre-school/kindergarten read-alouds. This builds in a “House That Jack Built” sort of way with each character succumbing to the gloomy spirit of the rainy day and falling asleep on the big bed. Until a pesky flea sets off a chain reaction that finds everyone awake and laughing. Take a look at the progress of the stormy skies outside the window as you read, and see if you can read it without giggling.
The Napping House book review
Written by: Audrey Wood
Illustrated by: Don Wood
Publisher: Harcourt Publishing, 1984
Number of Pages: 32
Age Range: 2-6
Rating: 5/5
After a rainstorm Ava is eager to look for the rainbow and quickly wishes that the one she finds could stay around forever. Magically, it does! Night and day the rainbow soars above the town and becomes the center of attention…until he becomes so commonplace that the townspeople forget he’s even there. Ava despairs that they could ignore something so special and he vanishes. Thankfully he returns again after another storm and both he and Ava realize the importance of appreciating the beauty of the fleeting and temporary.
Ava and the Rainbow book review
Written and Illustrated by: Ged Adamson
Number of Pages: 32
Publisher: Harper Collins, 2018
Age Range: 4-9
Rating: 4/5
By the door is a big, friendly umbrella. When it ventures out during a rainstorm it invites all to take shelter and it’s miraculously always big enough for everyone, no matter who you are. Told in simple, spare text it’s a beautiful little metaphor for older readers of the way our world can work. And for younger, more literal readers it’s a cheerful tale to brighten a rainy day.
Big Umbrella book review
Written and Illustrated by: Amy June Bates and Juniper Bates
Number of Pages: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2018
Age Range: 3-8
Rating: 4/5
Need more rainy day books? Here are a few favorites both old and new:
Did I miss any of your favorites? Please share them in the comments!