Whenever the holidays rolled around, I was usually bombarded by a number of my school parents asking for recommendations for a book for their child.  Even though I am now retired, I still can't resist looking over the many books out there for the middle school reader and find a few gems among the hundreds of titles that have the girl/boy appeal that will keep them reading.  I hope you too will be inspired to take a look at one or two of these books, some by award-winning authors and a couple by first time novelists.

     First on my list is actually my favorite new read.  "First Light" by Rebecca Stead is a multi-genre debut novel that mixes science fiction, mystery and adventure in a non-stop story.  The plot involves two worlds, one founded years ago by a shunned society who seek refuge in Greenland, beneath the ice, and a second contemporary world where global warming is affecting the glaciers of Greenland.  Thea belongs to the strange ice world that is running out of space and resources (think "The City of Ember") and Peter accompanies his family as his father studies the climate changes in Greenland.  It isn't long before the two stories collide and Thea and Peter discover the truth behind both their worlds.

     Another book I found captivating is "Wind Rider" by Susan Williams. This should appeal to horse lovers and all those children that like to imagine what it was like to live during prehistoric times.  Fern belongs to a tribe who follow the traditional hunter/gatherer societies of the past, but with a new twist as a young girl befriends and eventually tames a wild pony that she rescues from a bog.  Instead of her pony becoming the main course, she convinces the tribe to see the value of using a horse to help them hunt for other game and to be a pack animal as they move from place to place.  Though the specifics may not be exactly the way man domesticated a horse, the author has created an authentic world of the past and a cast of characters that drive the action forward.  There is enough description of hunting, gaming, survival and a climatic kidnapping to interest both boys and girls.

     For your older middle school reader entering jr. high, I'd like to recommend two new titles, "If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period" by the Newbery Honor winner Gennifer Choldenko and "A Crooked Kind of Perfect" by first-timer Linda Urban.  Both authors are really keyed in to today's techno-savy kids, while keeping the lessons learned meaningful without being too obvious.  The first book echoes the author's experience of being the only white kid in a predominately black school, except this story reverses this fact, making "Walker" the only black child attending a posh, private school.  The chapters alternate between "Walk", as he prefers to be called, with Kirsten, whose best friend has deserted her for the attentions of the popular crowd while she struggles with her new ballooning weight gain.  The families in this story will become intertwined in an unexpected climax that surprises both the characters and the reader.  As issues of bullying, lying, racism and obesity flow through the story, it's the lives of Walk and Kirsten that will matter most to your reader.  The second book is a delightful, but quirky story of 11-year old Zoe who desperately wants to be a child progidy, despite the fact that she has never played a musical instrument in her life!  This book reminds me of a more innocent version of the movie"Little Miss Sunshine" as Zoe deals with a budget conscious mother and a totally lovable but dysfunctional father.  She manages to persue her dream on a "Perfectone D-60" organ rather than the baby grand she wishes for, playing hit tunes of the 60's & 70's instead of Mozart and Bach.  The book is written in a prose-style which makes for fast-paced reading...some chapters are barely a 1/2 page long...guaranteeing that this book won't be closed til the very end.

      One last title I think might appeal to those who love time travel and a good series is "The Book of Time" by French author Guillame Prevost.  I predict the reader of this first book in a planned trilogy will be impatiently waiting for Book 2 to come out.  Sam's father is missing again, but instead of the usual 2-3 day hiatus it has been 10 days and everyone is getting worried.  Sam and his cousin take matters into their own hands, leading Sam to discover a time travel machine and his cousin to decipher the clues that Sam brings back.  After harrowing adventures with Vikings, WWI soldiers, and ancient Egyptians, Sam is ready to take on Dracula, who just might have his father imprisoned in a faraway castle, 6 centruies in the past.  To be continued....

     As always, there are far too many books than time to booktalk them.  Thus, I will leave you with a few more titles that might be just right for your reader:

"The Treasures of Weatherby" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

"The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World" by E>L> Konigsburg

""Zen and the Art of Faking It" by Jordan Sonnenblick

"The Very Ordered Existence of MerileeMarvelous" by Suzanne Crowley

"Billy Creekmore" by Tracey Porter

"Swordbird" by Nancy Yi Fan (An Al Roker Book Club selection written by a

    12-year-old girl) 

"Alcatraz versus The Evil Librarians" by Brandon Sanderson

     All of the titles in this blog are all available at our Milwaukee Public Library, so stop in and check one (or five) out.  Happy Reading!!