Book Reviews
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Posted
In middle school, words aren’t just words. They can be weapons. They can be gifts. The right words can win you friends or make you enemies. They can come back to haunt you. Sometimes they can change things forever.
When Branton Middle School bans cell phones, Frost and his friends Deedee, Wolf, and Bench devise a new way to communicate. They leave sticky notes for each other all around the school. It catches on, and soon all the kids in school are leaving notes—though for every kind and friendly one, there is a cutting and cruel one as well.
In the middle of this, a new girl named Rose arrives at school and sits at Frost’s lunch table. Rose is not like anyone else at Branton Middle School, and it’s clear that the close circle of friends Frost has made for himself won’t easily hold another. As the sticky-note war escalates, and the pressure to choose sides mounts, Frost soon realizes that after this year, nothing will ever be the same.
For Readers 10-12 from author John David Anderson.
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Eleven
Alex Douglas always wanted to be a hero. But nothing heroic ever happened to Alex. Nothing, that is, until his eleventh birthday. When Alex rescues a stray dog as a birthday gift to himself, he doesn’t think his life can get much better. Radar, his new dog, pretty much feels the same way. But this day has bigger things in store for both of them. This is a story about bullies and heroes. About tragedy and hope. About enemies with two legs and friends with four, and pesky little sisters and cranky old men, and an unexpected lesson in kindness delivered with a slice of pizza. This is Eleven: the journey of a boy turning eleven on 9/11.
For Readers 10-12 from author Tom Rogers.
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The Vork Chronicles Welcome to Superhero School
Welcome to Superhero School! Join Oliver, Jess, and all their friends on a mission to destroy the power-hungry, evil villains of Vork. From subterranean sewers to lush jungle, from dinosaurs to dragons, our heroes will be pushed to their limits in ways they’d never imagined. Will their collective Powers—Flight, Morphing, Invisibility, Mind Reading, and more—be enough for them to overcome the malevolence of Vork? Or will they stumble over their own doubts and painful histories? This action-packed journey of friendship, hardship, and humor will take our heroes to thrilling new heights and a deeper understanding of their own place in the world. But will that be enough—or will Vork always be one step ahead?
For Readers 8-12 from author Gracie Dix.
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The Stars Beneath Our Feet
It’s Christmas Eve in Harlem, but twelve-year-old Lolly Rachpaul and his mom aren’t celebrating. They’re still reeling from his older brother’s death in a gang-related shooting just a few months earlier. Then Lolly’s mother’s girlfriend brings him a gift that will change everything: two enormous bags filled with Legos. Lolly’s always loved Legos, and he prides himself on following the kit instructions exactly. Now, faced with a pile of building blocks and no instructions, Lolly must find his own way forward.
His path isn’t clear—and the pressure to join a “crew,” as his brother did, is always there. When Lolly and his friend are beaten up and robbed, joining a crew almost seems like the safe choice. But building a fantastical Lego city at the community center provides Lolly with an escape—and an unexpected bridge back to the world.
For Readers 10-12 from The Coretta Scott King–John Steptoe Award winning author David Barclay.
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The Proto Project: A Sci-Fi Adventure
When Jason meets his mom’s billion-dollar invention, an artificial intelligence device named Proto, he accidentally gets caught up in a mysterious adventure. Proto goes missing, and then people go missing. Now Jason and his coolest-neighbor-ever Maya must risk their lives to prevent global mayhem. But who is behind this devious plot? Is it another AI? The FBI? Or any other abbreviation with an I? What exactly is there to learn about artificial and human intelligence while fighting for your life against a legion of furry puppies or a battalion of drones? A lot—if you live to tell about it.
Jason and Maya set out on an adventure of a lifetime.
For Readers 8-10 from author Bryan R. Johnson.
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Kestrel Island
A thrilling adventure story about friendship, courage and never giving up.
In a sleepy English seaside town, Sophie Watson is enjoying a peaceful holiday in the sunshine. But when she befriends a mysterious and charismatic girl called Sienna, she is drawn into a heart-stopping adventure where the future security of the world may be under threat.
To find out the truth, they must go to Kestrel Island. The plot they uncover is more terrifying than anything they could have imagined.
When they are discovered by armed guards, they are shot at and chased across the island. But they know they have to make it back to the mainland alive.
The beautiful island may be in peril, but the secret the girls have uncovered threatens the world.
If you’re looking for an action-packed adventure with surprising twists and a thrilling climax, this is it.
Sophie and Sienna fight to save a beautiful island from a gang of unscrupulous developers and discover a plot that is far more sinister and dangerous.
For Readers 9-13 from author A.B. Martin.
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The Book of Chaos – Starfell
Twelve-year-old Fable Nuthatch has something that nobody else in Larkmoor has—magic. But living under the roof of her overprotective aunt, she’s forced to hide it from the world.
When a strange book lands in her lap and her cousin vanishes into its pages, she follows, hurtling into an enchanted forest far from the rolling hills of her home. Starfell is filled with unusual people and mystical creatures. Here, she’s accepted for who she is, and she’s finally free to embrace her powers.
But not everything is bright in Starfell. A darkness looms over the land, and her cousin is still missing. After following a trail of clues about other disappearances and the mysterious Fae Witch, Fable and her friends confront a deadly secret—one that is connected to Fable and her family.
With help from her peculiar new friends, Fable must learn to trust in herself or risk losing her cousin forever. Can she face the wicked secret hunting her and save him before it’s too late?
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Pettikin
Aunt May’s funeral was strange, but things get stranger when fourteen-year-old Allie Thomas encounters Pettikin Periwinkle, a gnome with a love of sweets and a penchant for screaming. Pettikin is stranded on Earth after the death of its only Gatekeeper.
To get Pettikin home, Allie must enlist the help of a powerful, yet unconventional, Guardian and prove to him that she has what it takes to be a Gatekeeper. With three alpacas to guide her, a month’s supply of cookies, and zero training, she sets off with Pettikin through three secret realms. But there is a Contractor here working with the evil race of sslorcs to stop her. And on top of that, she just might be falling for the Guardian.
For Readers 9-12 from author Abby Smith.
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New Dragon City
Set off on a high-stakes, action-packed adventure in this story about friendship, survival, and fighting for the ones you love, perfect for fans of Wings of Fire and How to Train Your Dragon.
No one predicted the dragon apocalypse. The dragons came suddenly and decimated the world as we knew it, including New York City. Now, three years later, Noah, his hardcore survivalist father, and a ragtag group of survivors are barely scraping by in this new reality. Kids scavenge not only for materials in abandoned homes but also for leftover books at the library. Adults spend their time establishing a make-shift society and defending their shelter… with any means available. At least for a few months, the dragons are hibernating until it is no longer safe aboveground.
Noah has seen the damage these creatures can do firsthand. When it comes to dragons: It’s kill or be killed. But a chance encounter between Noah and a young dragon causes him to question everything he thought he knew. With rumors spreading that there’s a group of survivors living in harmony with dragons instead of hiding underground, Noah teams up with his fire-breathing ally to find out if peace between humans and dragons is really possible. But the division runs deeper than scales versus skin because trying to follow his heart might just cost Noah his family, too. If Noah and his father can’t find common ground, can he truly unite humans and dragons?
For Readers 9-12 from author Mari Mancusi.
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Alone
Perfect for fans of Hatchet and the I Survived series, this harrowing middle grade debut novel-in-verse from a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet tells the story of a young girl who wakes up one day to find herself utterly alone in her small Colorado town.
When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned.
With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten.
As months pass, she escapes natural disasters, looters, and wild animals. But Maddie’s most formidable enemy is the crushing loneliness she faces every day. Can Maddie’s stubborn will to survive carry her through the most frightening experience of her life?
For Readers 10-12 from author Megan E. Freeman.
