The Ellie McDoodle Diaries: New Kid in School
By Ruth Barshaw Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Pages: 192 Age Range: 8 – 12 Years ABOUT Moving to a new house? Bad. Being the new kid? Worse. Ellie’s family is moving to a new town, and Ellie is sure she won’t fit in at school. The other kids play “new kid bingo” behind her back, and even the teachers can’t seem to remember her name. But when her new classmates start complaining about long lunch lines (and bad food), Ellie jumps at the chance to lead a protest. And tackling the school cafeteria just might be the perfect way to make new friends! REVIEW...
Read MoreThe Looney Experiment
By Luke Reynolds Publisher: Blink Pages: 208 Age Range: 11 – 14 Years ABOUT Atticus Hobart couldn’t feel lower. He’s in love with a girl who doesn’t know he exists, he is the class bully’s personal punching bag, and to top it all off, his dad has just left the family. Into this drama steps Mr. Looney, a 77-year-old substitute English teacher with uncanny insight and a most unconventional approach to teaching. But Atticus soon discovers there’s more to Mr. Looney’s methods than he’d first thought. And as Atticus begins to unlock the truths within his own name, he finds that his...
Read MoreThe Great Good Summer
By Liz Garton Scanlon Publisher: Beach Lane Books Pages: 240 Lexile: 870L Age Range: 8 – 12 Years ABOUT Ivy and Paul hatch a secret plan to find Ivy’s missing mom and say good-bye to the space shuttle in this heartfelt and “engaging debut novel” (School Library Journal, starred review) reminiscent of Each Little Bird that Sings and Because of Winn-Dixie. Ivy Green’s mama has gone off with a charismatic preacher called Hallelujah Dave to The Great Good Bible Church of Panhandle Florida. At least that’s where Ivy and her dad think Mama is. But since the church has no website or phone...
Read MoreA Nearer Moon
By Melanie Crowder Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers Pages: 160 Lexile: 960L Age Range: 8 – 12 Years ABOUT In a small river village where the water is cursed, a girl’s bravery could mean the difference between life and death in this magical story of “perseverance and hope” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) from the author of Parched and Audacity. Along a lively river, in a village raised on stilts, lives a girl named Luna. All her life she has heard tales of the time before the dam appeared, when sprites danced in the currents and no one got the mysterious wasting illness from...
Read MoreUnidentified Suburban Object
By Mike Jung Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. Pages: 272 Lexile: 830L Age Range: 8 – 12 Years ABOUT The next person who compares Chloe Cho with famous violinist Abigail Yang is going to HEAR it. Chloe has just about had it with people not knowing the difference between someone who’s Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. She’s had it with people thinking that everything she does well — getting good grades, winning first chair in the orchestra, et CETera — are because she’s ASIAN. Of course, her own parents don’t want to have anything to DO with their Korean...
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