Elizabeth
Lou lives in a truck with her mom, who forces her to sing at the local coffee shop instead of going to school. Lou doesn’t like it, the crowds, loud noises, and touching is just too much for her. Child services finds out about their homelessness and separates the pair, sending Lou to live with her aunt and uncle. With their help, she learns that her sensory processing disorder doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with her, she just experiences the world differently. Perfect for emotionally mature middle grade readers who enjoy experiencing the world through another’s eyes.
Twelve-year-old Ana has been figure skating for years but always in leggings with no skirt or frilly dress. When a new choreographer creates a princess-themed routine for her, forcing her into feeling like someone she’s not, Ana begins to question and explore her gender identity. When Hayden, a transgender boy, mistakenly thinks she’s a boy, Ana doesn’t correct him begins to live a double life. Perfect for anyone exploring their gender identity, with additional themes of financial struggle, new friends, and competitive sports.
Twelve kids get to spend the night in a brand new library full of holograms, video games, and hoverboards. They wake up to find themselves in a game. The mission? To escape the library! By solving puzzles, putting together clues, and beating challenges, they work together to solve this real-life escape room. Perfect for readers who love adventure, competition, and the occasional piece of literary trivia.
June Bug’s mother has not left the house since her father died of AIDS. In order to satisfy her mother’s OCD, June Bug must go through intense cleaning rituals any time she enters the house. The only bright spot is her new neighborhood friend Ziggy who’s escaping his own troubles through imagination. Accurate portrayal of OCD that demonstrates its heartbreaking tendencies. Stark contrast between serious and imaginative. Great for an emotionally mature middle-grade reader.
The Mother-Daughter Book Club is the first in a six-volume middle grade series that takes you through the life of four fictional middle school girls living in Concord.
Experience classics such as Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, and Anne of Green Gables through the eyes and lives of Emma, Jess, Cassidy, and Megan.
(shelved in our Middle Grade fiction section)
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth is written by someone who has been to space! Chris Hadfield recounts his adventures going through the astronaut selection process, the rigorous training, and his time on the International Space Station.
Back on Earth, Commander Hadfield shows us how the skills he learned in space can be applied to us with both feet on the ground.
(shelved in our adult Science section)
From the same author who brought us Roller Girl!
Imogene is entering middle school ... with a twist! She's grown up in a Renaissance Faire, and has never attended tradtional school. She's now wearing sneakers (instead of the leather shoes hand-crafted by her Dad). For the first time, she spends her days away from her family. Imogene faces the challenges of middle school - bullying, popularity contests, and 'fitting in' - while she misses her Rennaissance life.
(shelved in our Middle Grade fiction section)