Middle Grade Fiction

The Finisher - David Baldacci
Vega Jane has never left the village of Wormwood. But this isn't unusual, nobody has ever left the village of Wormwood. At least not until Quentin Herms vanishes into the unknown. Vega knows Quentin didn't just leave, but that he was chased. And he's left behind a very dangerous trail of clues that only she can decode. The Quag is a dark forest filled with terrifying beasts and bloodthirsty Outliers. But just as deadly are the threats that exist within the walls of Wormwood. It is a place built on lies, where influential people are willing to kill to keep their secrets. Vega is determined to uncover the truth. But the closer she gets, the more she risks her life.


The Eternity Code (Artemis Fowl series) - Eoin Colfer
After Artemis uses stolen fairy technology to create a powerful microcomputer and it is snatched by a dangerous American businessman, Artemis, Juliet, Mulch, and the fairies join forces to try to retrieve it.

The Opal Deception (Artemis Fowl series) - Eoin Colfer
While preparing to steal a famous Impressionist painting from a German bank, Artemis
Fowl has no idea that Opal Koboi has escaped from jail, leaving only Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon fairy police to save Artemis before Opal seeks revenge on him.


Africa is My Home: A Child of the Amistad - Monica Edinger
Presents a tale of a child who arrives in America on the slave ship Amistad describing her capture, her witness to a mutiny, and the Supreme Court trial that prompts her return to Africa.

Mister Orange - Truus Matti
When Linus Muller takes over making deliveries for his family's Manhattan grocery store in 1943, including bringing a crate of oranges every other week to an artist from Europe, the two become friends as they discuss war, the future, freedom, and imagination.


Sky Raiders - Brandon Mull
Whisked through a portal to The Outskirts, an in-between world, sixth-grader Cole must rescue his friends and find his way back home--before his existence is forgotten.

Hollow City - Ransom Riggs
Having escaped Miss Peregrine's island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London (circa 1940), the "peculiar" capital of the world.



A Less Than Perfect Peace - Jacqueline Levering Sullivan
Fourteen-year-old Annie Howard is determined to help her father embrace life once again as the Cold War grips the nation. In the midst of her efforts, she meets and befriends two refugees from Holland, and comes to see the world differently and understand a bit about the nature of sacrifice.

The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing - Sheila Turnage
When Miss Lana accidentally buys a haunted inn at the Tupelo Landing town auction, Desperado Detectives--aka Mo LoBeau and her best friend Dale--opens up a paranormal division to solve the ghost's identity before the town's big 250th anniversary bash.

Elementary Fiction

Twistrose Key - Tone Almhjell
After a mysterious key arrives for her, eleven-year-old Lin Rosenquist finds a crack in the cellar, a gate to the world of Sylver. This frozen realm is the home of every dead animal that ever loved a child. Lin is reunited with Rufus, the pet she buried under the rosebush and together they must find the missing Winter Prince in order to save Sylver from destruction.

The Cats of Tanglewood Forest - Charles De Lint
Twelve-year-old Lillian, an orphan who loves roaming the woods looking for fairies when her chores are done, is bitten by a deadly snake and saved through the magical forest creatures in this expansion on the author's and illustrator's previous work, A circle of cats.


Words with Wings - Nikki Grimes
Gabby daydreams to tune out her parents' arguments, but when her parents divorce and she begins a new school, daydreaming gets her into trouble. Her mother scolds her for it, her teacher keeps telling her to pay attention, and the other kids tease her...until she finds a friend who also daydreams and her teacher decides to work a daydreaming-writing session into every school day. With a notebook "thick with daydreams," Gabby grows more confident about herself and her future. This verse novel poignantly celebrates the power of writing and the inspiration a good teacher can deliver.

Handbook for Dragon Slayers - Merrie Haskell
Thirteen-year-old Princess Matilda, whose lame foot brings fear of the evil eye, has never given much thought to dragons, attending instead to her endless duties and wishing herself free of her royal responsibilities. When a greedy cousin steals Tilda's lands, the young princess goes on the run with two would-be dragon slayers. Before long she is facing down the Wild Hunt, befriending magical horses, and battling flame-spouting dragons. On the adventure of a lifetime, and caught between dreams of freedom and the people who need her, Tilda learns more about dragons -- and herself -- than she ever imagined.

The Adventures of a South Pole Pig: A Novel of Snow and Courage - Christ Kurtz
Flora the pig ditches the sedentary life on the farm for an adventure in Antarctica, where she escapes the knife and lives her dream of pulling a sled with a team of dogs.

A Snicker of Magic - Natalie Lloyd
The Pickles are new to Midnight Gulch, Tennessee, a town which legend says was once magic--but Felicity is convinced the magic is still there, and with the help of her new friend Jonah the Beedle she hopes to bring the magic back.

Graphic Novels

Amulet Book One: The Stone Keeper - Kazu Kibuishi
After moving to their ancestral home, Emily and Navin's mother is kidnapped by a tentacled creature in the basement that leads the children on a deadly chase into the magical world below their home.


Amulet Book Two: The Stonekeeper's Curse - Kazu Kibuishi
Emily and her brother Navin head for Kanalis to find an antidote for the poison that is killing their mother.



Amulet Book Three: The Cloud Searchers - Kazu Kibuishi
Emily, Navin and their crew of resistance fighters charter an airship and set off in search of the lost city of Cielis. there they hope to find held from the Guardian Council's powerful Stonekeepers. It's a mission that Alledia's survival depends on, and time is running out -- Emily's got to find Cielis before the Elf King finds her.


A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel - Adapted by Hope Larson
A graphic novel adaptation of the classic tale in which Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.


Aphrodite: Goddess of Love - George O'Connor
From the moment she emerged, fully grown, from the head of Zeus, Athena was one of the most complex Olympians. This graphic novel retells her many interwoven tales: how she killed Pallas, fought the Gigantes, aided Perseus, and cursed Arachne.

The Sea of Monsters - adapted by Robert Venditti
After discovering a secret that makes him question the honor of being the son of Poseidon, demi-god Percy Jackson journeys into the Sea of Monsters in an attempt to save Camp Half-Blood.


The Titan's Curse - adapted by Robert Venditti
When the goddess Artemis disappears while hunting a rare, ancient monster, a group of her followers joins Percy and his friends in an attempt to find and rescue her before the winter solstice, when her influence is needed to sway the Olympian Council regarding the war with the Titans.

Picture Books

Cat Says Meow and Other Animalopoeia - Michael Arndt
Animals and the sounds they make are paired up in this colorful picture book.

The Soccer Fence: A Story of Friendship, Hope and Apartheid in South Africa -
Phil Bildner
Each time Hector watches white boys playing soccer in Johannesburg, South Africa, he dreams of playing on a real pitch one day. After the fall of apartheid, when he sees the 1996 African Cup of Nations team, he knows that his dream can come true.

Maisy's First Numbers - Lucy Cousins
Helps readers practice early number skills by counting three fluttering butterflies, four swimming fish, and five snails in the rain.

Maria Had a Little Llama - Angela Dominguez
In this bilingual version of the classic rhyme, set in Peru, Maria takes her llama to school one day.


Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? - Rita Gray
In this nonfiction picture book for young readers, we learn just why the mother nesting bird stays quiet and still while sitting on her eggs.

Say Hello Like This! - Mary Murphy
This lively split-page-format book shows how animals say hello with different sounds.


Ball - Mary Sullivan
While searching for someone to play ball with him, a dog dreams of fantastical adventures he could have with his ball.


Stone Giant: Michelangelo's David and How He Came to Be - Jane Sutcliffe
There was a giant in the city, and it was a troublemaker. The enormous block of marble had irked the people of Florence for almost forty years. No one knew what to do with it until a young artist named Michelangelo came along.


The Big Book of Slumber - Giovanna Zoboli & Simona Mulazzani
All creatures of the world find time to rest. In this lullaby book, countless cozy animals settle down in their beds.

New Picture Books

Tito Puente: Mambo King (A Bilingual Picture Book) - Monica Brown
A vibrant bilingual picture-book biography that portrays the musical and cultural phenomenon of Tito Puente, Mambo King. A Pura Belpre Illustrator Award Honor recipient for 2014.

Some Bugs - Angela DiTerlizzi
From butterflies and moths to crickets and cicadas, a rhyming exploration of backyard-bug behavior. This books would be a great introduction to a unit on insects for primary and lower elementary students...and the artwork is a delight!


How to Train a Train - Jason Carter Eaton
A whimsical guide to training a "pet train" instructs young enthusiasts about important issues including where trains live, what they like to eat, and how to get them to perform the best train tricks.

Jesus - Anselm Grün
This graceful retelling of the life of Jesus takes readers back over two thousand years ago to Nazareth, a young girl named Mary, and a miraculous virgin birth. The story continues through the years as Jesus grows up, learns among the great teachers of his day, calls his disciples, preaches, and performs miracles. The book concludes with Jesus last Passover meal, betrayal, crucifixion, and glorious resurrection.

The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever
- H. Joseph Hopkins
Learn about Katherine Olivia Sessions who brought trees to San Diego and created what eventually became Balboa Park.

Hi, Koo!: A Year of Seasons - Jon J. Muth
Jon J Muth--and his delightful little panda bear, Koo--challenge readers to stretch their minds and imaginations with twenty-six haikus about the four seasons.


Secret Pizza Party - Adam Rubin
While Raccoon is eating pizza at his secret pizza party, he sees a masquerade party going on in the house next door to him and joins the fun.

The Bad Birthday Idea - Madeline Valentine
Ben refuses to play with his sister, Alice, because he likes robots and she likes dolls but when her birthday wish is for a robot that Ben really wants, he opens it first, accidentally breaks it, then tries to cover up his deed.

Audiobooks

Doll Bones - Holly Black
Zach, Alice, and Poppy, friends from a Pennsylvania middle school who have long enjoyed acting out imaginary adventures with dolls and action figures, embark on a real-life quest to Ohio to bury a doll made from the ashes of a dead girl.

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
Child hero Ender Wiggin must fight a desperate battle against a deadly alien race if mankind is to survive.

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures - Kate DiCamillo
Rescuing a squirrel after an accident involving a vacuum cleaner, comic-reading cynic Flora Belle Buckman is astonished when the squirrel, Ulysses, demonstrates astonishing powers of strength and flight after being revived.


Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry
Lame and suddenly orphaned, Kira is mysteriously removed from her squalid village to live in the palatial Council Edifice, where she is expected to use her gifts as a weaver to do the bidding of the all-powerful Guardians.


Messenger - Lois Lowry
Knowing that the Village will soon be closed to all outsiders, Matty must make the trek through the dangerous Forest to find Seer's daughter and convince her to return with him before it is too late and he loses her forever.

Paperboy - Vince Vawter
An 11-year-old boy living in Memphis in 1959 throws the meanest fastball in town, but talking is a whole different ball game. He can barely say a word without stuttering, not even his own name. So when he takes over his best friend's paper route for the month of July, he knows he'll be forced to communicate with the different customers, including a housewife who drinks too much and a retired merchant marine who seems to know just about everything.

Audiobooks

The One and Only Ivan - Katherine Applegate
Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home-and his own art-through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it's up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

Joshua Dread - Lee Bacon
Besides being bullied, Joshua faces one more obstacle in middle school, trying to hide his identity as the son of supervillains, the Dread Duo.


Allegiant - Veronica Roth
What if your whole world was a lie? What if a single revelation - like a single choice - changed everything? What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected? The explosive conclusion to the Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

House of Hades - Rick Riordan
After Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld, the other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy's instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea's forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But how will Percy and Annabeth escape?

Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon - Steve Sheinkin
Recounts the scientific discoveries that enabled atom splitting, the military intelligence operations that occurred in rival countries, and the work of brilliant scientists hidden at Los Alamos.


The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater
Though she is from a family of clairvoyants, Blue Sargent's only gift seems to be that she makes other people's talents stronger, and when she meets Gansey, one of the Raven Boys from the expensive Aglionby Academy, she discovers that he has talents of his own--and that together their talents are a dangerous mix.

Rose Under Fire - Elizabeth Wein
Rose Justice is a young pilot with the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War. On her way back from a semi-secret flight in the waning days of the war, Rose is captured by the Germans and ends up in Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi women's concentration camp. There, she meets an unforgettable group of women, including a once glamorous and celebrated French detective novelist whose Jewish husband and three young sons have been killed; one resilient young girl who was a human guinea pig for Nazi doctors who were trying to learn how to treat German war wounds; and a Nachthexen, or Night Witch, a female fighter pilot and military ace for the Soviet air force. These damaged women must bond together to help each other survive.

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel -- a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.