The Awakening Storm: a Graphic Novel (City of Dragons #1) by
Grace and her friends must protect a newly hatched dragon from mysterious evildoers. When Grace moves to Hong Kong with her mom and new stepdad, her biggest concern is making friends at her fancy new boarding school. But when a mysterious old woman gifts her a dragon egg during a field trip, Grace discovers that the wonderful stories of dragons she heard when she was a young girl might actually be real--especially when the egg hatches overnight. The dragon has immense powers that Grace has yet to understand. And that puts them both in danger from mysterious forces intent on abusing the dragon's power. And now it's up to Grace and her school friends to uncover the sinister plot threatening the entire city!
Barakah Beats by 
Big Apple Diaries by
In Big Apple Diaries, a heartfelt diary-style graphic memoir by Alyssa Bermudez, a young New Yorker doodles her way through middle school--until the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack leaves her wondering if she can ever be a kid again. It's the year 2000 in New York City. For 12-year old Alyssa, this means splitting time between her Puerto Rican dad's apartment in Manhattan and her white mom's new place in Queens, navigating the trials and tribulations of middle school, and an epic crush on a new classmate. The only way to make sense of it all is to capture the highs and lows in doodles and hilarious comics in a diary. Then life abruptly changes on September 11, 2001. After the Twin Towers fall and so many lives are lost, worries about gossip and boys feel distant and insignificant. Alyssa must find a new sense of self and purpose amidst all of the chaos, and find the strength to move forward with hope.
Bloom by
"The perfect book right now for young readers searching for hope, strength, inspiration -- and just a little horticultural havoc."--New York Times The first book in a can't-put-it-down, can't-read-it-fast-enough action-thriller trilogy that's part Hatchet, part Alien! The invasion begins--but not as you'd expect. It begins with rain. Rain that carries seeds. Seeds that sprout--overnight, everywhere. These new plants take over crop fields, twine up houses, and burrow below streets. They bloom--and release toxic pollens. They bloom--and form Venus flytrap-like pods that swallow animals and people. They bloom--everywhere, unstoppable. Or are they? Three kids on a remote island seem immune to the toxic plants. Anaya, Petra, Seth. They each have strange allergies--and yet not to these plants. What's their secret? Can they somehow be the key to beating back this invasion? They'd better figure it out fast, because it's starting to rain again....
Brand New Boy by 
Daughter of the Deep by 
Different by 
The Double Life of Danny Day by 
Dust and Grim by 
Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff (realistic fiction)
Last year in fifth grade, one of Trent’s friends died in a freak hockey accident on Cedar Lake. Worse, Trent was the one who hit the puck that killed him. Now, Trent can’t get what he did out of his head, even as he’s starting out in a new middle school. He needs a fresh start, but he can’t seem to make one - until he meets Fallon Little.
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Patterson (realistic fiction)
Ivan lives in a cage in a shopping mall. He watches a lot of TV and likes painting. He has friends, and lots of humans come to watch him through the glass. Ivan is a gorilla. And he’s pretty happy with his life. But, when a baby elephant named Ruby comes to the mall, Ivan learns about the wild and starts to think about his life very differently.
Sisters by Raina Telgemier (realistic fiction)
Raina is excited for her baby sister Amara to be born - until she actually meets Amara. Amara is a baby, and it turns out that Raina doesn’t like babies very much. But growing up is hard to do by yourself, and when their parents start acting strangely, Raina and Amara find out that they really do need each other after all.
Flip Turns by
Thirteen-year-old Maddie just wants her classmate Lucas to leave her alone. He keeps asking her out--as if she hasn't already said no a thousand times! Focusing on her competitive swim team, the Electric Eels, Maddie tries to ignore him, hoping he'll stop harassing her. But then, when someone starts sabotaging Maddie's family-owned pool--glass on the deck, ketchup in the pool, followed by a "code brown"--Maddie worries it's her "admirer" trying to get even. After Maddie's parents rule the problems at the pool just harmless pranks, Maddie and her best friend, Ez, decide to investigate on their own. Could it be Lucas? And how can Maddie get him to leave her alone once and for all? The future of the Electric Eels and Maddie's family legacy are on the line.
Gabe in the After by 
Himawari House by 
How to Build a Human by
The epic story of our evolution in seven big steps! How did we become who we are? With trademark wit, acclaimed science writer Pamela S. Turner breaks down human evolution into the seven most important steps leading to Homo sapiens. How, when, and why did we- 1.stand up, 2.smash rocks, 3.get swelled heads, 4.take a hike, 5.invent barbecue, 6.start talking (and never shut up), and 7.become storytellers? This fascinating, wickedly funny account of our evolutionary journey turns science into an irresistible story. Vetted by experts at the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program, the book also features incredibly detailed portraits by celebrated paleo-artist John Gurche that bring our early ancestors to life.
Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim by 
The Last Mapmaker by 
Let the Monster Out by
Bones Malone feels like he can't do anything right in his new small town: He almost punched the son of the woman who babysits him and his brothers, he's one of the only Black kids in Langille, and now his baseball team (the one place where he really feels like he shines) just lost their first game. To make matters worse, things in town are getting weird. His mom isn't acting like herself at all-she's totally spaced out, almost like a zombie. And then he and his brothers have the same dream-one where they're running from some of their deepest fears, like a bear and an eerie cracked mirror that Bones would rather soon forget. Kyle Specks feels like he can never say the right thing at the right time. He thinks he might be neurodivergent, but he hasn't gotten an official diagnosis yet. His parents worry that the world might be too hard for him and try to protect him, but Kyle knows they can't do that forever. Even though he's scared, he can't just stand by and do nothing while things in this town get stranger and stranger, especially not after he and Bones find a mysterious scientist's journal that might hold answers about what's going on. But when faced with seemingly impossible situations, a shady corporation, and their own worst nightmares, will Kyle and Bones be brave enough to admit they're scared? Or will the fear totally consume and control them?
Northwind by 
Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan (historical fiction)
In one story, Otto finds a harmonica in a forest, after being sent on a quest by three mysterious sisters. Then, three other children - Friedrich in Germny, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each find the harmonica in their own lives. Each of their stories wind together as destiny drives all four of them to conquer their own quests.
Crossover by Kwame Alexander (realistic fiction, novel in verse)
Josh and twin brother Jordan are basketball superstars at their school. They’ve been inseparable since birth, but middle school - with girlfriends, bad grades, and big changes in their family - is starting to drive them apart. This is a novel in verse, which means it’s written almost like poetry (or maybe like rap).
The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee (historical fiction, mystery)
After she is rescued from jail in Victorian London, a young thief named Mary Quinn is given an education in manners, elegant conversation, and… detective work? Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls turns out to be an all-female detective agency - and Mary is eager to become their next agent.
Nothing More to Tell by
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the critically acclaimed author of One of Us Is Lying comes a new page-turning mystery. Be sure to keep your friends close . . . and your secrets closer. Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favorite teacher--a story that made headlines after the teacher's body was found by three Saint Ambrose students in the woods behind their school. The case was never solved. Now that Brynn is moving home and starting her dream internship at a true-crime show, she's determined to find out what really happened. The kids who found Mr. Larkin are her way in, and her ex-best friend, Tripp Talbot, was one of them. Without his account of events, the other two kids might have gone down for Mr. Larkin's murder--but instead, thanks to Tripp, they're now at the top of the Saint Ambrose social pyramid. Tripp's friends have never forgotten what Tripp did for them that day, and neither has he. Just like he hasn't forgotten that everything he told the police was a lie. Digging into the past is bound to shake up the present, and when Brynn begins to investigate what happened in the woods that day, she uncovers secrets that might change everything--about Saint Ambrose, about Mr. Larkin, and about her ex-best friend, Tripp Talbot. Four years ago someone got away with murder. More terrifying is that they might be closer than anyone thinks.
Playing with Fire by 
Plotting the Stars 1: Moongarden by 
The Switch by 
Tangled up in Luck by
"A sweet, heart-squeezing story!" -- Jaleigh Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of The Mark of the Dragonfly When seventh grade enemies research a missing set of jewels for a class project, they realize that the answers to the unsolved case might be much closer to home than they thought in this fun-filled mystery "as satisfying as hot soup on a cold day" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). If you told Sloane Osburn and Amelia Miller-Poe that they'd be hiding in their town cemetery from an evil mastermind, they would have been hard-pressed to believe you. If you also told them that person was intent on beating them to a cache of long-lost jewels using nothing more than a slingshot and wicked aim, they'd have been sure you got your facts wrong. Finally, if you told them they'd be doing all of this as friends...well, they would have been sure you needed medical attention. Whether through serendipity (really, really good luck) or zemblanity (really, really bad luck), someone tricked their teacher into using their seventh-grade class to investigate the mystery of their town's long-missing treasure. From there, things have escalated. Quickly. Now, the girls are stuck hiding behind a gravestone, dodging acorns (who knew acorns could be so threatening?), and just a few clues short of those jewels. It's up to these enemies-turned-partners to uncover centuries-old clues to find the treasure at the end of this book before the mysterious person on their trail can get to it first...
This Is Not a Cookbook by
In this uniquely accessible, fully illustrated nonfiction work for young readers, Chef Flynn McGarry, who at an early age discovered a passion for food and cooking and has since gone on to receive wide-acclaim as a chef, shares his insights and explores the elements of creativity as he encourages young readers to mix passion, hard work, and their own unique perspective to achieve results that might just be life-changing. When Flynn McGarry was ten years old, he started to cook in a serious way. At first he simply wanted to make better food for his family, so with the help and support of his parents, he turned his bedroom into a personal kitchen. Yes, his curiosity was intense. He committed himself to developing his knowledge of food and culinary technique by reading cookbooks and watching chefs on YouTube and the Food Network. He then pieced together information that excited his sensibilities, paying attention to every detail-from the design of a kitchen to the type of container being used, from the colour and texture of food to its arrangement on a plate. He thought not only about menus and the taste of food, but also about where it was grown and how it was harvested. Now in his mid twenties, Flynn is a well-known chef with his own restaurant and much more happening in his life. Still, with all his success, this modest young man is inspired to share his creative process and his innovative thinking about aesthetics and food, especially with young people. Of course, some of Flynn's favourite recipes are included, for those who also want to cook and eat well!
Unstoppable Us, Volume 1: How Humans Took over the World by
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From world-renowned historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari, the bestselling author of Sapiens, comes an exciting, illustrated book for middle school readers that looks at the early history of humankind. A New York Times Best Book of the Year "Gripping and thought-provoking." --The New York Times Even though we'll never outrun a hungry lion or outswim an angry shark, humans are pretty impressive--and we're the most dominant species on the planet. So how exactly did we become "unstoppable"? The answer to that is one of the strangest tales you'll ever hear. And it's a true story! From learning to make fire and using the stars as guides to cooking meals in microwaves and landing on the moon, prepare to uncover the secrets and superpowers of how we evolved from our first appearances on Earth millions of years ago. Acclaimed author Yuval Noah Harari has expertly crafted an extraordinary story of how humans learned to not only survive but also thrive on Earth, complete with maps, a timeline, and full-color illustrations that bring his dynamic, unputdownable writing to life.
We're in This Together by
An empowering young readers edition of We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders, the memoir by Women's March coorganizer and activist Linda Sarsour that's "equal parts inspiring, emotional, and informative" (Kirkus Reviews). You can count on me, your Palestinian Muslim sister, to keep her voice loud, keep her feet on the streets, and keep my head held high because I am not afraid. On January 21, 2017, Linda Sarsour stood in the National Mall to deliver a speech that would go down in history. A crowd of over 470,000 people gathered in Washington, DC, to advocate for legislation, policy, and the protection of women's rights--with Linda, a Muslim American activist from Brooklyn, leading the charge, unapologetic and unafraid. In this middle grade edition of We Are Not Here to be Bystanders, Linda shares the memories that shaped her into the activist she is today, and how these pivotal moments in her life led her to being an organizer in one of the largest single-day protests in US history. From the Brooklyn bodega her father owned to the streets of Washington, DC, Linda's story as a daughter of Palestinian immigrants is a moving portrayal of what it means to find your voice in your youth and use it for the good of others as an adult.
Redwall by Brian Jacques (fantasy)
The mice of Redwall Abbey live a peaceful and happy life together, until Cluny the Scourge and his rat army are preparing to fight a terrible battle to take the Abbey from the mice. Young Matthias, a mouse, must find an ancient weapon and become a hero who can protect his friends from the evil Cluny.
Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianne Wynne-Jones (fantasy)
After being cursed by the Witch of the Waste and turned into an old woman, Sophie must travel to the only person who can turn her back - the terrifying Wizard Howl, who lives in a castle that never stops moving.
The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (historical fiction)
Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him.
So begins a new adventure for Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?
