Little Man by Elizabeth Mann

This is a light story of a middle school boy who is struggling with being small in stature - especially when his brothers are all quite tall. He has lost his best friend and getting teased at school and is feeling quite out of sorts with everything when his bus driver takes him under his wing and teaches him to be a "Mocko Jumbie" - or a stilt walker. Albert learns quickly, and gets swept up in the excitement of dancing on stilts and being part of a team of stilt walkers.  You can't help but like Albert and Peachy, his mentor. You can feel the beat of the music and the excitement of the crowd when Albert and the other stilt walkers perform their final dance...

Setting is an integral part of this book. And along with being an enjoyable story of a young boy finding his confidence by mastering a new skill, the story provides a window into a fascinating aspect of caribbean culture.

The Cat at the Wall by Deborah Ellis

Clare has been transformed into a stray cat, living in Bethlehem, Israel. As the reader, you know that Clare was thirteen when she died (you don't know how for most of the book) and that she has come back to life as a cat. You know that her life as a stray cat is vastly different from her life as a middle school girl, living in Pennsylvania... Her story is told in alternating chapters between the present day cat's experiences in Bethlehem with a Palestinian boy and a couple of Israeli soldiers - and flashbacks to her life as a middle school student in the U.S.

As the situation in Bethlehem escalates, Clare knows she must do something. But what can one small cat do?

This was such an interesting premise for a book. The juxtaposition of war torn Israel with middle school USA is quite poignant - the author does not try to explain the Israel-Palestinian conflict, but uses it to examine miscommunications, actions, and personal responsibility.

This is our summer "all school read" this year.

Saving Lucas Biggs by Marisa de los Santos

A little bit of historical fiction...a dose of time travel.  Margaret is determined to save her father from his sentence of death for a murder he did not commit. She focuses on the cruel judge (Lucas Biggs) to try to reverse the sentence. To do this, she must travel back 70 years to orchestrate events that shaped the corrupt Judge Biggs into the person he is today. A tall order for a 13 year old girl.

Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman

I couldn't wait to read this sequel to Prisoner of Night and Fog - it did not disappoint.  Gretchen and Daniel continue their journey together, returning to Berlin to solve another murder case - one that Daniel has been accused of.  While I found that part of the story a bit thin, the rest of the book is solid and swept me up in its action and suspense. Their return to Berlin is in the height of Hitler's rise to power, and the danger that they face is palpable.  Gretchen's insights into Hitler and his hidden psychosis are well crafted. This is a story full of mystery, intrigue and romance - and the historical detail is woven seamlessly into the plot line.

Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman

This is a gripping historical fiction set in 1930's Germany. Told from the perspective of Adolf Hitler's niece, this is a different twist on a common topic - and brings Hitler to life in a whole new way. Gretchen adores her uncle, though as the book progresses, she begins to realize that all is not as it seems... When she meets Daniel Cohen, a young Jewish reporter, her world turns topsy turvy.  The Nazis are on the verge of gaining power, she has been brought up to hate Jews, but Daniel connects with her in a way no one else has.  She and Daniel join forces to solve a murder mystery that will uncover truths about her family...and about her Uncle Dolf. This book has well drawn characters, a great plot - I couldn't put it down!

The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm

This is a book about science, friendship and life...with a sprinkling of family dynamics.  Eleven year-old Ellie has just entered middle school. She is discovering that everything safe that embodied 5th grade can no longer be counted on - even her best friend Brianna has drifted away to a new group of friends.  

Then...her grandfather (the scientist with two Ph.D's) appears...in the body of a 13 year-old boy...claiming that he has discovered the secret to reverse aging.  And just like that, her grandfather is a student at her middle school! But Ellie doesn't seem to mind - she gets caught up in her grandfather's world of discovery, learning about Jonas Salk, Marie Curie, Louis Pasteur...and a world of science that she had never before appreciated.

This is a fun, easy to read story that celebrates science, exploring, and "believing in the possible." It is full of quirky characters and a story line that moves right along.  Realistic? No...but it doesn't need to be.  

Somebody On This Bus is Going to be Famous! by J.B. Cheany

The story starts where it ends...with a torrential downpour that sends a school bus skidding off the road and its driver unconscious. With that as a prologue, the story continues 9 months earlier, weaving the events and characters together that lead up to the actual crash. This involves 9 different middle schoolers, and 9 different perspectives...From Shelly, the actress...to Bender, the bully...to Igor, the clown...to Spencer, the genius...Or are any of them really who they seem to be??

I found this well paced and easy to read, despite the manner in which it jumps from character to character.  Through the pages, I wondered who would be the famous one by the end of the book - a twist at the end left me scratching my head...

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky

This is a sensitive book in which Grayson, a sixth-grader, spends his time doodling princesses and castles...he loves glitter pens and dreams of wearing twirly skirts and gowns instead of his boring track pants. Grayson knows he is a girl deep down, but he acts and looks like a boy, to conform with the expectations of his family and classmates.  

After he earns the lead role in the school play - as Persephone - he finds comfort in playing a girl's role on the stage...and in the accepting company of the other cast members.

As readers, we watch Grayson emerge and gain confidence as he struggles with his new identity. This is a sensitive book of courage and acceptance... encouraging you to embrace who you are and to accept the uniqueness of every individual.

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Stay Where You Are, and then Leave by John Boyne

John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, brings us another war tale - this time from World War I.  I read this in anticipation of the historical fiction/primary source project that we are doing in 6th grade.  I know very little about WWI, so I thought this would be a good one for me to read.

The book introduces us to Alfie when he is 5 years old (1914), and his dad drives the Milk Float - delivering milk to the local community. When his dad joins the British Army to fight in the war, he tells Alfie that it will be for a short time...five years later, his dad is still away, and Alfie and his mom are struggling to survive. His mom keeps telling him that his dad is on a "secret mission," but Alfie fears the worst...until he discovers quite by accident that his father is in a local hospital, being treated for shell shock.  Upon learning this, Alfie cooks up a plan to break his dad out of the hospital - no matter what it takes.  

Though this is not a quick moving story, I enjoyed the quiet persistence that Alfie shows in 1) helping his mom through tough times; 2) finding out what happened to his dad; and 3) getting his dad out of the restrictive hospital.

When looking for primary sources to connect with this particular book, I found a photograph of a Milk Float (I wasn't sure what that would look like!) and an old, water-stained photograph of the hospital where his father had been treated in the story (the hospital still exists today)

This is a typical milk float or delivery cart, owned by Mr. Harrison (in the float) and his son Luther (by the horse) before and just after the First World War.

http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?resourceIdentifier=200621_160574

A water-damaged photo of Ipswich and East Suffolk Hospital 1918 http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-70ghHzqPoas/T6Ahe0YHLlI/AAAAAAAACvA/X_DR4HzucB8/s1600/IpswichEastSuffolkHospital2.jpg

Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch

This historical fiction novel is set in New York City in 1911 - a time when many families were immigrating to the United States to find a better life.  Margaret Rose Nolan arrives at Ellis Island with her family, only to have it all fall apart when her baby brother does not pass the medical tests required upon entry to the US.  Rose is a quietly tenacious protagonist. She and her sister stay in New York on their own - Rose receives a quick education on the hardships of living in the tenements and working in the "sweatshops,"  all while taking care of her younger sister.

Despite the hardships, she is proud of her work and starts to make friends with her co-workers at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory...until the fateful day in 1911 when the factory catches fire.  Rose's account of her escape and subsequent panicked search for her friends and her sister after the fire are riveting. 146 people perished in this tragic fire, which ignited and spread within 30 minutes.   

This historical novel brings the era of the sweatshop to life through Rose's story...and it and offers a great introduction to the Triangle Fire and its legacy. There is an author's note at the end, describing how she used various sources to develop the characters and her story.

Here are two primary sources that connect to Ashes of Roses, showing firefighters putting out the triangle fire (located on the top 3 floors of the building) and showing the crowded conditions in a typical sweatshop:
                            

http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/primary/photosIllustrationshttp://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/primary/photosIllustrations

Unfriended by Rachel Vail

I'll be up front. I did not love this book. It seems a bit too cliche as it takes on middle school lunch room social strata, mean girl politics, awkward relationships, and cyber-bullying...all through a narrative that is dominated by "text speak."  That being said...for all of these reasons...this book should resonate with middle school students! 

Truly receives the invitation of her dreams when Natasha invites her to sit at the "Popular Table." She never looks back as she walks away from her (previously) best friend, Hazel.  As Truly tries to navigate this new world of friendship (which she is finding is not all that it seemed to be from the outside), Hazel plots her revenge via social media...turning Truly and Natasha against each other.  The results spread like wildfire, and they are just as damaging. 

Intertwined between Truly's and Natasha's destructive dynamics are a variety of underlying personal issues that each member of the group is struggling with, highlighting the important role friendship plays in navigating these kinds of obstacles.