Prepared by
Revised
May 18, 2023
Fiction
The Door of No Return
2022
When his brother represents Upper Kwanta in a wrestling contest, resulting in the unthinkable, 11-year-old Kofi finds himself fighting for his life, which sends him on a dangerous journey across land and sea, and away from everything he loves.
Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria
2022
When his true destiny as an alchemist is revealed, 12-year-old Shad Hadid is invited to attend the mysterious Alexandria Academy, where he discovers an evil lurking in the shadows that must be destroyed.
Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza
2022
A girl must learn to trust herself-- and her ancestral powers-- when she comes face-to-face with the Mexican legend La Lechuza.
Run for Your Life
2023
After fleeing to Ireland, Azari and her mother are put in a center for asylum seekers where they must share a room with a stranger, eat unfamiliar food and answer intrusive questions. Azari's life has secrets. Will she ever be able to stop running?
Holler of the Fireflies
2022
Learning about income inequality, racism and hidden agendas while at STEM camp in a little Appalachian town, Javari meets a local boy, budding activist and occasional thief, who shows him a different side of the holler, blowing his mind wide open.
Lexile level
670
Black Bird, Blue Road
2022
To save her sick twin brother from the Angel of Death by taking him to find doctors who can cure him, Ziva accidentally frees a half-demon boy instead, who leads them to a fabled city where no one dies.
Tumble
2022
While trying to make a life-changing decision, 12-year-old Adela Ramirez searches for her birth father, which leads her to the legendary Bravos, professional wrestlers who teach her what it really means to be part of a family.
Lexile level
660
The Curious League of Detective and Thieves: Egypt's Fire
2022
After his mother dies, 12-year-old John Boarhog makes his home in the ceiling of the New York Museum of Natural History where he becomes embroiled in a mystery involving the theft of a rare Egyptian ruby.
Children of the Quicksands
2022
Disobeying her witch-like grandmother when she becomes desperate to uncover a family secret, 13-year-old Simi goes exploring outside her remote Nigerian village where she discovers a strange parallel world after sinking into the red quicksand of a forbidden lake.
Lexile level
720
Graphic novels
The Legend of Brightblade
2022
Growing restless with royal life and longing to be a hero like his mother, Prince Alto runs away and, when the kingdom is threatened by dangers he cannot handle alone, learns that being a hero is much harder than he thought.
Isla to Island
2022
In this wordless graphic novel, 12-year-old Marisol must adapt to a new life 1960s Brooklyn after her parents send her to the United States from Cuba to keep her safe during Castro's regime.
Miss Quinces
2022
Sue just wants to spend the summer at sleepaway camp with her friends, but must instead go to Honduras to visit relatives with her family. The trip takes a turn for the worse when Sue's mother announces they'll be having a quinceañera for Sue, which is the last thing she wants.
Lexile level
370
Freestyle
2022
While preparing for the last major dance competition before they graduate from eighth grade and go to separate high schools in NYC, Cory must balance the expectations of his parents, school, crew and his new friend as pressure mounts from all sides.
Lexile level
320
Invisible
2022
When five overlooked students are forced to complete their school's community service hours, they meet someone in need and must each decide if they are willing to expose their own secrets to help, or if remaining invisible is the only way to survive middle school.
Lexile level
260
The Prisoner of Shiverstone
2022
Readers will love this story about a mysterious island, long-lost secrets and a young girl's quest in the world of mad science!
Nonfiction
The Museum of Odd Body Leftovers
2022
J 612 POL
This illustrated tour of the body, led by Wisdom Tooth and Disappearing Kidney, reveals body parts once essential to our ancestors but no longer useful to us, showing how our bodies are constantly changing along with the environment in which we live.
Lexile level
800
Nature's Best Hope
2023
J 635.951 TAL
This middle-grade adaptation of Tallamy's book is an essential introduction to conservation, ecology, biodiversity and the importance of native plants.
Recommended for
Jodi L
I work in youth services and I love picture books with lavish illustrations, coming-of-age stories and any memoir written by a celebrity. If I'm not cuddled up with a cup of tea and a book, I'm either laughing at a TV show from the mid-aughts or practicing Taylor Swift songs on the piano.
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