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It’s 1958 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Twelve-year-old Marlee has found a  best friend at school–the new girl, Elizabeth. Then suddenly Liz changes schools, and the truth comes out– Liz was a light-skinned Negro pretending to be white.

The governor has ordered the high school closed rather than allow integration following the brave attempt by the Little Rock Nine the previous year. Marlee’s parents are at odds about school integration, and it’s dangerous for Marlee to continue her friendship with Liz. What can she do?

This book exposes the social upheaval that surrounded  school integration in Little Rock, Arkansas, and shows that it is important to speak up about what you believe.

We have selected this title to be part of the Battle of the Books competition for next year at Webster Christian School.

Recommended for grades 5-8.

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On post-WW4 Earth, sixteen-year-old Cinder lives in New Beijing and works as a mechanic.

When Prince Kai brings his robot to her for repair and ends up falling in love with Cinder, she must make up some excuse why she cannot go the ball with him. After all, her  stepmother would never let her go. Worse yet, what would Prince Kai say if he knew that Cinder was cyborg?

This creative spin on Cinderella has many sub-plots, twists and turns with elements of science fiction, romance, and mystery all rolled together. The ending does not  resolve neatly, leaving the reader looking for the sequel, Scarlet.

Note: includes 2 instances of swearing (p.214, 261).

Book 1 in the Lunar Chronicles series.

Recommended for grades 7-10.

Many authors/illustrators start to write and/or draw at a young age (as did Kevin Henkes), so I like to inspire any budding artists/writers to think big and learn from successful authors/illustrators. We like to explore how they get the ideas for their stories and/or illustrations

Kevin Henkes has two award-winning picture books–Kitten’s First  Full Moon (Caldecott Medal Book for 2005) and Owen (Caldecott Honor Book for 1994).  His middle school novel, Olive’s Ocean, also won a 2004 Newbery Honor.

Kevin Henkes starts by imagining a character in his mind. As time passes, the details of the character–what they look like, their personality quirks, objects they like to carry with them, etc.–start to take shape.  We’ve added Kevin’s example to our toolbox of ideas for how to create an original story.

We read 7 of Kevin’s books during library class then the first-grade students vote for their favorite (one vote for each student).  See the results below!

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Callie sorts through her relationship with  several boys while working on the set design for her middle school’s production of Moon Over Mississippi.

Having read Raina Telgemeier’s earlier graphic novel, Smile, I was eager to purchase Drama for our library.

We picked up Smile from the Scholastic Book Fair and our students raved about it. So when it came time to select books for our Battle of the Books competition this year, we thought this graphic novel would make a great choice.

We were shocked to discover its predominant theme:  homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle. Very significantly, the author chose to include twin brothers who were gay. When I told the Bible and Psychology teacher at Webster Christian School about the book, he said that the gay community is frustrated by the fact that studies of twins do not indicate a genetic predisposition to homosexuality.

Needless to say, we did not include the book in our collection. While we believe that people trapped in the bondage of homosexuality deserve our prayers, counsel, love and help to break free, we do recognize it as a sin that God judges (Romans 1:18-32).

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This collective biography touches on the main accomplishments of 19 famous individuals and the details of how they died.

Although serious and tragic information is presented, the author’s dry humor coupled with fascinating facts and frequent black-and-white illustrations makes this book an interesting read. Because the book covers political figures, musicians, writers, explorers, scientists, etc., the reader picks up a smorgasbord of new knowledge.

Reading this book made me VERY thankful for modern medicine as many famous people died horrible deaths at the hands of physicians who really had no idea what they were doing!

Recommended for Middle School readers.

Awards/Lists: Children’s Books of the Year 2012, Ages 12-14

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In the Kingdom of Araluen, fifteen-year-old Will is apprenticed to learn the skills of a Ranger. After several months of training in archery, self-defense, tracking, etc., Will’s bravery and skills are tested during a hunting expedition and when the evil Morgarath plots war against the kingdom.

Two middle school boys strongly recommended the Ranger’s Apprentice series to me, so I was eager to give it a try. And I have to say that I really like this first book in the series.

Thrilling accounts of hand-to-hand combat will satisfy those boys who enjoy stories of brave knights going to battle. But the story is more than that. It’s also filled with ideas about self-defense, tracking, hunting, archery, etc. The characters are well-developed, and there’s much more to the plot than just fighting. What I liked best of all were the positive male role models that mentored and encouraged Will and his friend, Horace. Note: “Damn” shows up 5 times.

This book began as a series of stories John Flanagan wrote for his twelve-year-old son, Michael, to encourage him to read. The main character, Will, is based on Michael, and the moral of the story is that “the small guy can be a hero.”

Book 1 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series. Explore John Flanagan’s fun web site to learn more about Ranger’s Apprentice and his new series, Brotherband Chronicles.

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While the king goes to war, his three children and a few trusted caregivers/protectors take refuge in a hidden fortress. Unfortunately, it soon becomes clear that there is a traitor in their midst. Escape is not possible from their ice-locked location, and so they must endure the Nordic winter and hope that the King rescues them before it is too late.

I chose to read this book because it won the Edgar Allan Poe Award this year, and the exciting front cover image added to my anticipation. Perhaps because I expected so much, I was a bit disappointed.

While the characters were well-developed, I found the action slow and the story overly moralized. The author, Matthew Kirby, is a school psychologist. It felt to me like the points he wanted to make for his audience drove the story.

Nonetheless, others may disagree with my sentiment. On the positive side, there is no  inappropriate content or swearing, although the Norse folklore can be quite dark at times with haunting from the undead.

Appropriate for middle school readers.

Awards/Lists: Best Fiction for Young Adults, 2012; Children’s Books of the Year, 2012; Edgar Allan Poe Award, 2012.

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When twelve-year-old Erik Carlson’s parents are called up to active duty in Iraq, Erik gets sent to live with grandparents he barely knows  in North Dakota.

Erik’s grandparents, Oma and Big Darrell, seldom talk. Oma seems kind but nervous, while Big Darrell is brooding. When Erik rescues a hunting dog and finds his uncle’s old hunting gear, he sees his chance to escape the oppressive atmosphere.

Setting out with the dog, a hunting rifle and a few provisions, Erik plans to live off the land like a pioneer. Does he know enough to survive?

Cynthia DeFelice does a great job writing from a twelve-year-old boy’s perspective. Readers who enjoy books by Gary Paulsen or Will Hobbs should enjoy this survival story.

Recommended for grades 4-8.

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Scrub gets sent to spend the summer with his Grandmother who runs an intergalactic bed and breakfast for aliens who want to vacation on Earth.

Funny, whimsical and tender, this story is a great blend of fun and good advice. Even includes a touch of romance.

With the conversational cadence of a middle school boy,  Scrub’s first-person narrative voices the feelings and thoughts of a tween. Scrub just wants to be with his friends and not stick out.

Scrub appreciates it when his grandmother trusts him and asks for his help. In fact, his Grandma actually listens to him and goes so far as to apologize to him (a first from an adult in Scrub’s memory).

Scrub grows to admire his grandmother who does what she wants and doesn’t care what other people think–sometimes a great message for teens who are paralyzed by peer pressure.

On the one hand, evolution is mentioned in passing (p.127). On the other hand, the grandmother says, “thank the Creator.”

An entertaining, out-of-the-ordinary story.

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Most of us have heard the name Benedict Arnold, often used to describe a traitor. What did the man do to deserve such a reputation?

With engrossing narrative and riveting descriptions, Steve Sheinkin gives a full biography of the brilliant and brave yet violent and self-absorbed Benedict Arnold. How could the same man who heroically saved the American cause in Saratoga stoop so low as to jeopardize West Point and General George Washington?

Boys in particular who are looking for good “war stories” should enjoy this book. Note: Some swearing (pp.26-36).

Awards/Lists: Boston Globe – Horn Book Award for Nonfiction, 2011.