Monday, September 3rd, 2012
Happy Back to School Books!
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It’s September, and that means new friends, new challenges and new (gulp!) teachers as middle school students head back to school. Here’s a list of school-related stories for students getting ready to face the new year.
All of these titles are available in the Sixth Avenue library and are arranged alphabetically by the author’s last name. (CIP) stands for the Library of Congress’ “Cataloging in Publication,” which is where we have borrowed these annotations.
The Red Blazer Girls : the mistaken masterpiece by Michael D. Beil.
Red Blazer Girls Sophie, Margaret, Becca, and Leigh Ann are hired by Father Julian who wants them to authenticate a painting, while Sophie faces off with her arch-rival and takes care of movie-star Nate Etan’s dog.(CIP)
Blubber by Judy Blume.
Jill goes along with the rest of the fifth-grade class in tormenting a classmate and then finds out what it is like when she, too, becomes a target. (CIP)
Falcon Quinn and the black mirror by Jennifer Finney Boylan.
Thirteen-year-old Falcon Quinn and his friends, Max and Megan get on the bus expecting to be taken to school, but they soon find themselves at a place called Shadow Island, a training ground for monsters.(CIP)
Evolution, me, and other freaks of nature by Robin Brande.
Following her conscience leads high school freshman Mena to clash with her parents and former friends from their conservative Christian church, but might result in better things when she stands up for a teacher who refuses to include “Intelligent Design” in lessons on evolution.(CIP)
Ask me no questions by Marina Budhos.
Fourteen-year-old Nadira, her sister, and their parents leave Bangladesh for New York City, but the expiration of their visas and the events of September 11, 2001, bring frustration, sorrow, and terror for the whole family. (CIP)
All-American girl by Meg Cabot.
Sophomore Samantha Madison stops a presidential assassination attempt, is appointed teen ambassador to the United Nations, and catches the eye of the very cute First Son. (CIP)
Cheating lessons : a novel by Nan Willard Cappo.
When her team is announced as finalists in the state Classics Bowl contest, Bernadette suspects that cheating may have been involved. (CIP)
If a tree falls at lunch period by Gennifer Choldenko.
Kirsten and Walk, seventh-graders at an elite private school, describe how race, wealth, weight, and other issues shape their relationships as they and other misfits stand up to a mean but influential classmate.(CIP)
Sing a song of tuna fish : hard-to-swallow stories from fifth grade by Esmé Raji Codell.
Provides fictionalized anecdotes of the author’s childhood as a ten-year old living in Chicago. (CIP)
The chocolate war : a novel by Robert Cormier.
A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences of refusing to join in the school’s annual fund raising drive and arousing the wrath of the school bullies. (CIP)
Stotan! by Chris Crutcher.
A high school coach invites members of his swimming team to a memorable week of rigorous training that tests their moral fiber as well as their physical stamina. (CIP)
Bloomability by Sharon Creech.
Thirteen-year-old Dinnie finds her world expanding after her aunt and uncle take her from New Mexico to Lugano, Switzerland, to attend an international school. (CIP)
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danziger
When the unconventional English teacher who helped her conquer many of her feelings of insecurity is fired, a junior high student uses her new found courage to campaign for the teacher’s reinstatement. (CIP)
Liar, liar by Barthe DeClements.
Sixth-grader Gretchen and her friends begin to have problems when a new girl starts telling some very believable, but untrue, stories. (CIP)
Francie by Karen English.
When the sixteen-year-old boy whom she tutors in reading is accused of attempting to murder a white man, Francie gets herself in serious trouble for her efforts at friendship. (CIP)
Carlos is gonna get it by Kevin Emerson.
Recounts the events that occur at the end of seventh grade, when a group of friends plan to trick Carlos, an annoying “problem” student who says he is visited by aliens, while they are on a field trip in the mountains of New Hampshire. (CIP)
This is what I did by Ann Dee Ellis.
Bullied because of an incident in his past, eighth-grader Logan is unhappy at his new school and has difficulty relating to others until he meets a quirky girl and a counselor who believe in him. (CIP)
The skin I’m in by Sharon G. Flake.
Thirteen-year-old Maleeka, uncomfortable because her skin is extremely dark, meets a new teacher with a birthmark on her face and makes some discoveries about how to love who she is and what she looks like. (CIP)
I’ll see you in the library,
Jennifer Hubert Swan, Middle School Librarian
WINNER: The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, & Treachery by Steve Sheinkin
April is here and that means spring and poetry are in the air. Our annual Poem in Your Pocket Day is Tuesday, April 20. If you need a poem (and who doesn’t need a great poem these days?), our libraries are bursting with wonderful poetry titles, ranging from a first edition of 
The winner of the 2010 John Newbery Medal for most outstanding contribution to children’s literature is When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. 
The winner of the 2010 Randolph Caldecott Medal for most distinguished American picture book for children is The Lion & the Mouse illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney.
The winner of the 2010 Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults is Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson.
The winner of the 2010 Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award winner is My People illustrated by Charles R. Smith Jr. The book was written by Langston Hughes.
September 26-October 3 is National Banned Books Week, co-sponsored by the 
