When the World Was Ours

 

by Liz Kessler

Wow, what a perfect middle grade holocaust book. Max, Elsa, and Leo will stay with me for a long time. The story begins with three nine year old best friends in Austria on one perfect day. Leo's father takes a picture, and all three kids get a copy. The thread of this picture and its significance is woven throughout the story. Leo and Elsa are Jewish, and it's 1936, so we know where this is going. The author manages to not hold back on the horror while not going overboard on graphic details, relying on great writing and pure emotion to bring us into this terrible world. I'd love to say so much more, but don't want to ruin the experience for anyone else. Just read this book.

The Windeby Puzzle

 by Lois Lowry

When a body was found in Germany in the early 50's in a peat bog, it was so well preserved they thought it was a recent murder. They soon realized it was the body of a young person from several thousand years earlier. There was still skin, and hair, and pieces of cloth on the body. They assumed it was a girl, but years later, realized it was a young man. Lowry took this actual event, and told the story of how the body ended up in the bog from two perspectives--a young girl, and then, a young boy. The stories are sad, because you know how they end, but fascinating and rich in historical detail. She even figures out a way to somehow connect the two tales seamlessly.  

A quick, emotional, and highly engaging read from one of the kid lit greats.

Hold Back the Tide

by Melinda Salisbury

Alva knows her father killed her mother years ago, but she doesn't know if he knows she knows... Not for sure, anyway. But she thinks he suspects, and she lives in fear of him finding out how much she hates him. She's 16 now, and she has a plan to escape. She has to be so careful to ensure her father doesn't suspect her plans. But Alva's about to learn something about her father, and her small Scottish village, that will change everything. 
 

Me (Moth)

by Amber McBride

This is a beautifully written novel in verse about a girl, Moth, and a boy, Sani, who find each other in a very trying time in each of their lives. Moth has just lost her entire family in a terrible car accident where she is the only survivor. Sani is a musician who wants to go to Juilliard. He has the talent, but not the confidence. The two end up on an emotional road trip, both trying to find themselves. My only complaint about this novel is that is bogs down in the middle a little. The writing is lovely, but it's a bit too frilly for my liking, so much so that I almost quit. Something compelled me to keep reading, though, and I'm glad that I did. The ending gave me about three rounds of goosebumps, and was really satisfying. This is a book lovers book, and I'm glad I gave it a chance. 

 

Scary Stories for Young Foxes: The City

by Christian McKay Heidicker

I'm so sad this series is over! All the magic of the first book, with lots of wonderful new characters to love, and lots of references to our old friends, Mia and Uly. Just like the first, much of the suspense of this book comes from trying to guess who the storyteller is. This one was a wonderful and emotional reveal at the end that I won't soon forget. 
 

House Arrest

by K.A. Holt

Timothy stole a stranger's wallet, and now he's on probation and in really big trouble. His life changed so fast. One minute, he and his mom and dad had a happy little family with a baby on the way. The next minute, they find out the baby is sick, the dad bails, and it's just Timothy, his mom, Levi, and a home health care worker. He only stole the wallet to help pay for Levi's medical bills, but that doesn't change anything. His probation officer and his therapist make him keep a journal, which is the story we're reading. This is a gut-wrenching novel, full of heart and sadness and hope and love and disappointment and all the feelings! 

 

When Stars are Scattered

 

by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

The only reason I picked this up was because I heard so many glowing reviews--I'm not really a graphic novel person, and I'm ashamed to say the subject matter didn't really sound all that riveting at first glance. Boy, was I wrong.

A true story, told by Omar, a young boy growing up in a Somali refugee camp in Kenya. His parents casualties of a war-torn country, he and his brother are sent to live in the camps and given a sort of surrogate mother to watch after them. Hassan has special needs, so when Omar is offered the rare opportunity to go to school, he's torn about leaving his brother who depends on him. That's just one of the gut-wrenching, inspiring, and unbelievable stories this book has to tell. I loved this. Not be be hyperbolic, but this one could easily go into the "life-changing" category.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

 

by J.K. Rowling

Still my favorite after all these years!

Orbiting Jupiter

by Gary D. Schmidt

It's been a long time since I've found myself wiping tears at the end of a book. Gary D. Schmidt is a genius, and this is a beautiful, sad, haunting story, that as a public educator, I find all too familiar. Sixth grader Jack lives with him mom and dad on a farm in Maine. His parents decide to foster an eighth grader named Joseph. All anyone seems to know about him is that he has a daughter, and that he tried to kill his teacher. Joseph won't speak to Jack. He flinches when anyone tries to touch him, and he cries out in his sleep. The beauty in this story is watching Jack and his family slowly break through Joseph's shell by loving him so much he basically has no choice. It's hard to tell any more of the plot without spoilers. Just read it. It will only take an hour or two, but if it doesn't melt your heart, you might not have one.

The Missing Piece of Charlie O'Reilly

by Rebecca K. S. Ansari

In this beautifully inventive debut, Charlie O’Reilly has lost his little brother. He wished him away the night before his birthday, and now he is missing. The worst part is that no one, including his parents, believe Liam ever existed. Every trace of Liam is gone, and Charlie’s insistence that he was real has driven his mother into a deep depression. His only solace is his friend Ana, who vows to help him find Liam, even though she can’t remember him either. When Charlie finds a note in his room suggesting they talk to Jonathan, his new assistant baseball coach, they discover there might be hope to save Liam after all. However, the quest won’t be without risks, and they may have to give up more than they expected to find him. Readers will bite their nails and cheer for Charlie and his friends every step of the way. A sympathetic villain adds depth and complexity to the story, and plot turns abound, both delightful and heartbreaking.

The Whispers

by Greg Howard

Oh my goodness. This book. It's funny, sweet, sad, shocking, moving, suspenseful, heart-breaking and heart-warming.

Riley. He's an 11 year old South Carolina southern boy. He loves his dog, his mama, Jesus, being outside, and his grandma's cooking. He also has a major crush on the farm boy down the road, but only his best friend Gary knows about that. Life is pretty good, until his mama goes missing. Riley's world is turned upside down. It doesn't help that his older brother is a real jerk, and since his mama went away, he can't think of the last time his daddy even said his name. He thinks it's his fault his mama is gone, and he's convinced the cops are idiots and it's up to him to bring her home. He remembers a story she used to tell him about creatures called the whispers. If you bring them a tribute, they will give you your heart's desire. Riley thinks if he can just find the right offering, maybe the whispers can help him bring mama home.

Hey, Kiddo

by Jarrett Krosoczka

This couldn't have been an easy book to write. Jarrett's childhood is truly tragic on so many levels. The image of him curled up asleep in front of his grandparents' bedroom door because he was afraid was absolutely heartbreaking. As is often the case in situations like this, the "good guys" in the child's life may not be what others would consider to be positive influences. His portrayal of his grandmother, while mostly flattering, also gives an honest depiction of her darker side that sort of explains why this family is what it is. Kroscoczka doesn't seem to pull any punches. It was a hard story for me to read, and as much as I try, I struggle with a graphic format and it dragged a bit at times. But this book isn't for me. It's for the kids (lots of them) who are living this way right now. It's for the ones who might think they don't have a chance to escape their circumstances. And I love that it's a story told in pictures, which might make the message a bit more accessible to some kids.

Long Way Down

by Jason Reynolds

Will's brother Shawn has just been murdered. He thinks he knows who did it, so he gets his own gun, steels himself to do what needs to be done (revenge is the rule in his neighborhood), and gets on an elevator. As the car goes down, he's joined by people he once knew. When they were alive. Each visitor clues him in to something he didn't know about his family, his neighborhood, himself.

I'm late to the Jason Reynolds party. I know, I know. And now I know what all the hype is about. Beautifully written text and a compelling story with a timely message. What's not to love?

I listened to this on Overdrive, and Mr. Reynolds himself provides the narration. He has a beautiful voice--I highly recommend the audio version.

The Serpent King

by Jeff Zentner

Dill, Lydia, and Travis are an unlikely trio of best friends. Dill is from a snake-handling religious family, but his father has recently landed himself in prison. Lydia is a somewhat spoiled only child who comes from an almost picture perfect home. Travis is sweet, nerdy, and has an abusive father. Facing the end of high school, the three are trying to find their own direction and sort out their feelings about themselves and the others. More than anything, this is a classic coming-of-age story that I think a lot of teens (the target audience) will love. For me, it's trying a little too hard to be John Green-ish, but just misses the mark. It's a lovely little book, though, that I think will really hit home with the right reader.

This book is not in our middle school library, but could be found at bookstores or at the public library.

Noggin

by John Corey Whaley

Travis Coates, 16 and dying of cancer, is approached by a scientist who wants to use him for an experiment. The pitch? Let us remove your head, cryogenically freeze it, and try to bring you back to life at some point in the future. Ready to die, and seeing it as a way to end his suffering, he goes for it. And wakes up five years later attached to a donor body. I don't think Whaley really expects us to believe the science here. He's simply using it as a vehicle to tell his story about humanity--people's ability or inability to move on, transform, recover from trauma, and experience love. Where Things Come Back is one of my favorite books ever, and after reading Noggin, I wait impatiently for a third from this amazing author.

*Note that we don't have this book at our library. It is only at the high schools.

Echo

by Pam Munoz Ryan

Incredible. Unforgettable. Beautifully written. Just a few of the things that went through my mind as I put down this lovely book.

This is really three (arguably four) short stories with a common thread, but at the end of each, you're left wanting more. As Freidrich's story came to a close, I really, really, didn't want to leave him and start Mike's story. I was too invested in Freidrich! But by the end of Mike's, I didn't want to leave him to join Ivy. And, of course, as tears streamed down my face while finishing Ivy's tale, I couldn't wait to see how everything came together.

We are all connected in this human experience, and this book brings that to light in a way that might possibly change you forever.

Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow

by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

These are the stories of the young men and women who were a part of Hitler's youth army. There is some background information about the group as a whole, but for the most part, the book focuses on the stories of a particular few. While I didn't feel I learned a lot of new information, I'm not the book's intended audience, so I think there are a lot of kids who would find this fascinating. It held my attention, but Bartoletti's The Boy Who Dared, her fictionalized account of Helmuth Hubner's Nazi opposition, was much more engaging.

The Shade of the Moon

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This is definitely the weakest of the four books, but it's great to see what happens to everyone. Pfeffer doesn't pull any punches--this one is a real heartbreaker.

This World We Live In

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

In this third installment, Julie and Alex have hooked up with Miranda's dad and stepmom. They've been traveling together, and Hal brings them all home to stay with Miranda and her mother and brothers. The Evans kids grow up fast in this book, and a lot of loose ends are tied up. I don't want to be a spoiler, so I'll leave it at that!

The Dead and the Gone

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

I'm not sure what it is about these books that I find so appealing. It's not like they're great works of literature. It's not like I don't see the flaws in the stories, because I do. It's just that I enjoy them way too much to not give them great reviews.

This is the same time frame as Miranda's story in Life As We Knew It, told from the perspective of a Puerto Rican boy living in New York City. Alex Morales has everything going for him--a great family, a scholarship to a Catholic private school, and good odds of getting into Georgetown for college. When an asteroid hits the moon, and his parents don't come home, he's left to care for his two sisters alone. Many of his struggles are the same as Miranda's were, but just because you know the volcanic ash is coming for Alex, you don't feel for him any less. Fascinating, terrifying, gut-wrenching, and heart-breaking, these books are like a train wreck--you just have to keep looking.