Spy School

 My 5th graders are going to LOVE this series.  Ben Ripley is middle-schooler, a bit of a nerd, and one who loves playing spy.  When a man in a tuxedo surprises him at his house to tell him he is being recruited for the Junior CIA academy for Spies, he is shocked and thrilled.  He can tell no one.  His parents think he is going to a prestigious Science Academy.  As soon as he arrives on campus, the action starts and does not let up.  According to the file they have on him, Ben is a genius with codes.  He didn't think so!  Someone wants what he knows about a plan called Pinwheel that they say he invented!  How can he have invented something and not know? With the help of a friend in the school, he finds himself at the middle of a plot.  This book was full of action and humor.  It is geared for middle school readers, but I didn't find anything other than a mild cuss word that might have made it inappropriate for K-5.  Buckle up! (FIC GIB)

Allergic

This graphic novel opens on Maggie's 12th birthday, the day she was to go to the shelter and get her first dog. But she soon discovers she is allergic.  Heartbroken, she tries to find the perfect pet while navigating a new friend, and an imminent new sibling.  (GN LLY)

One Jar of Magic

This book was absolutely gorgeous.  I did not want it to end.  Rose is a 12-year-old girl whose father is the most magical man in their town.  He has built her up her entire life telling her she is like him and she will be something special too, once she turns 12 and can capture her first magic.  But when that day comes, and Rose only gets one jar, everything changes....her relationship with her father, a volatile man and her relationship with her friends.  It makes you asks deeper questions.  What is a "perfect" life?  Who do you want to be?  Are you enough?  It is for fifth graders and up, given some mature domestic abuse references.  (FIC HAY)

Once Upon Another TIme

WHAT A GORGEOUS BOOK!  Co-written by Charles Ghinga and Matt Esenwine, this is a beautifully written and illustrated ode to the natural world.  Flipping between the past and the present, it highlights the magic of our world, and reminds us to look past all we have done to it and rediscover its beauty.  Andres Landazabal's paintings are captivating and sweet.  (PIC GHI)

Six Kids and a Stuffed Cat

 

I am a huge fan of Gary Paulsen, author of Hatchet, Gone to the Woods, and many other amazing books.  This very short, realistic fiction story was unique and charming.  Six middle school boys end up locked down in the boys' bathroom during a weather emergency.  All six have very different personalities.  (Think Breakfast Club.)  Our main character, Jordan, who tells the story, has some social anxiety but covers it up with the class clown routine.  There is one boy who has just started school - he is a quite anxious and has a stuffed cat peeking out of his bag.  The class overacheiver Reagan is there, as is the misunderstood underacheivingTaylor, and Mason, the smart kid who ruins every grading curve with his high scores. And add to that mix my favorite - Devon - who never engages the group and just jams on his air guitar in the corner the entire time. It was funny and sweet as they learn more about each other, bond, and become friends.  (FIC PAUL)

Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away

 

This was a beautiful and touching story written by Newbery Award winning author, Meg Medina.  The illustrations by Sonia Sanchez are gorgeous in their color and texture and relate the story of two best friends on moving day.  They play among the moving boxes, enjoying every last minute together before Evelyn leaves in the moving truck.  But a friendship that strong can not dissolve, and the book ends with an older Daniela rifling through the years of accumulated letters from her best friend.  (PIC MED)

All of Me

I recently read Starfish by Lisa Fipps and was blown away with the heartwrenching story of a young girl whose body shape was different from others and therefore the root of much bullying.  All of Me is a similar ode to positive body image.  Written by Chris Baron, who was admittedly a fat kid, it tells the story of Ari.  He is big.  After being beaten up for his weight, he harms himself, causing his mother to seek help and put him on a diet.  And although the diet is "successful" and Ari loses weight and gains some confidence, he constantly questions how this could be a long term solution.  And why does it need to be?  He doesn't necessarily want to lose weight.  He just wants "to find the real me."  Guided by his rabbi and a few very good friends, he learns that "you don't have to be the way others want you to be."  In a few spots this was a bit mature for a K-5 audience.  It is perfect for middle school.  (FIC BAR)

The Nest

Oooohhhh... this one was spooky.  Kenneth Oppel's books tend to be.  I thought his Bloom was freaky, too.  After he is stung by a weird wasp, Steve is visited in his dreams by a presence who tells him she can fix his baby brother who has multiple health issues.  If it's just a dream, it doesn't matter what he answers, right?  His yes answer makes him feel incredibly guilty.  Aren't we all a little broken?  When he realizes that he is connected to the queen bee and she and her team are building a replacement for his baby brother, he has to stop it.  But it may be too late.  (FIC OPP)

The Serpent's Secret

 

Fans of Percy Jackson, here's one for you.  A young girl from New Jersey finds out she is the daughter of a moon goddess and a snake god when her adoptive parents are stolen and taken to another realm.  She needs to battle demons and solve riddles to save them.  This is an exciting first novel in the Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond series.  (FIC DAS)