SUMMER TOP PICKS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS INCOMING 7th GRADERS

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus WANT Dusti Bowling - REALISTIC FICTION, MYSTERY, HUMOR MAYBE Having been born without arms presents many challenges for Aven when she goes to live at a dying western theme park in Arizona. NOT INTERESTED NOTES:

Greetings from Witness Protection! WANT Jake Burt - REALISTIC FICTION, ADVENTURE, HUMOR MAYBE Nicki Demere is an orphan and a kleptomaniac, making her the perfect girl to portray the Trevors’ daughter in witness protection, but she soon learns that the biggest threat to her NOT INTERESTED new family’s security comes from her own past. NOTES:

Not If I Save You First WANT Ally Carter - ADVENTURE, SURVIVAL, ROMANCE MAYBE After years of being ignored, Maddie is visited by her former best friend Logan, the U.S. president’s son, at her home in the Alaskan wilderness. But when an assailant knocks NOT INTERESTED Maddie off a cliff and drags Logan to some unknown fate, it’s up to Maddie to save him. NOTES:

Crush WANT Svetlana Chmakova - GRAPHIC NOVEL, REALISTIC FICTION MAYBE When Jorge develops a huge crush on Jazmine and the group dynamic among Jorge’s friends starts to shift, he must learn to balance what his friends expect of him and what he NOT INTERESTED really wants. NOTES: Aru Shah and the End of Time WANT Roshani Chokshi - FANTASY, ADVENTURE MAYBE When Aru accidentally frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon who is intent on awakening the God of Destruction, she learns that she is a demigod and a reincarnation of one of the ancient NOT INTERESTED Indian heroes, the Pandava brothers. She must journey through the kingdom of Death to rescue her mother and classmates who are frozen in time. NOTES:

Screenshot WANT Donna D. Cooner - REALISTIC FICTION MAYBE When Skye’s friend Asha posts an embarrassing video of her on social media, she makes Asha delete it right away. But some mystery person took a screenshot of the video and NOT INTERESTED threatens to share the photo unless Skye does whatever they ask. NOTES:

Last Day on Mars WANT Kevin Emerson - SCIENCE FICTION, ADVENTURE MAYBE While waiting to leave Mars before it burns up just like the Earth before it, Liam and his friend Phoebe discover some facts about time and space and realize that the human race is just one NOT INTERESTED of the races trying to survive in space. NOTES:

Cucumber Quest: The Doughnut Kingdom WANT Gigi D. G. - GRAPHIC NOVEL, FANTASY MAYBE Cucumber, a nerdy magician, and his way more heroic sister, Almond, must seek the Dream Sword, the only weapon powerful enough to defeat Queen Cordelia’s Nightmare Knight. Can NOT INTERESTED these bunny siblings save the world in its darkest hour? NOTES:

Grenade WANT Alan Gratz - HISTORICAL FICTION, ADVENTURE MAYBE During World War II, Hideki, a boy from Okinawa, is drafted into the Japanese army, handed two grenades, and told to go kill American soldiers. His journey across the war-torn island NOT INTERESTED will bring him face-to-face with Ray, an American marine in his very first battle--and the choice he makes then will change his life forever. NOTES: Game Changer WANT Tom Greenwald - SPORTS, REALISTIC FICTION, MYSTERY, NOVEL IN VERSE MAYBE While Teddy is in a coma fighting for his life after a football injury at training camp, his family and friends try to piece together what happened—and whether the injury was truly an NOT INTERESTED accident. NOTES:

The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom WANT Christopher Healy - HUMOR, FANTASY MAYBE Four downtrodden Prince Charmings—Frederic (from “Cinderella”), Gustav (from “Rapunzel”), Liam (from “Sleeping Beauty”), and Duncan (from “Snow White”)—are NOT INTERESTED sick of playing second fiddle to their princesses in the stories. But when they stumble on an evil plot that could endanger their kingdoms, they jump at the chance to prove their true heroism. NOTES:

The Faithful Spy: WANT Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler MAYBE John Hendrix - NONFICTION, HISTORY In a combination of words and art, this book tells the story of the German pastor Dietrich NOT INTERESTED Bonhoeffer, and how his belief in God led him to conclude that it was his moral duty to attempt to kill Adolph Hitler. NOTES:

The Girl I Used to Be WANT April Henry - THRILLER, MYSTERY MAYBE Olivia’s parents were killed fourteen years ago. Now, new evidence reopens the case...and she is determined to solve it even if it means the killer will now come after her. NOT INTERESTED NOTES:

Squirm WANT Carl Hiaasen - ADVENTURE, HUMOR MAYBE Billy Dickens discovers that his mysterious father lives in Montana, so this summer Billy will fly across the country, hike a mountain, float a river, dodge a grizzly bear, shoot down a spy NOT INTERESTED drone, and save his own father. NOTES: All Rights Reserved WANT Gregory Scott Katsoulis - SCIENCE FICTION, DYSTOPIAN MAYBE Speth lives in a society where every word and gesture is copyrighted, and everyone over age 15 must pay to use them. When Speth chooses to stay silent rather than pay to speak, her NOT INTERESTED decision sparks a media frenzy, inspires others to follow in her footsteps, and threatens to destroy her, her family, and the entire city around them. NOTES:

Shadow Magic WANT Joshua Khan - FANTASY, HORROR MAYBE A boy named Thorn is sold into slavery and made to serve the executioner at Castle Gloom in Gehenna, the land of the undead. There, 13-year-old Lilith Shadow has just NOT INTERESTED become queen after the murder of her family, and is secretly working to develop her forbidden magical powers to protect her kingdom from surrounding enemies. With the help of a prince from the land of fire and a giant bat, Thorn and Lily will have to break all the rules to keep Gehenna from ruin. NOTES:

Mindwar WANT Andrew Klavan - SCIENCE FICTION, ACTION MAYBE After an accident leaves Rick seriously injured, he drowns his sorrows in video games. Then his gaming skills cause him to be recruited by government agents who want him NOT INTERESTED to save the U.S. from a Russian cyber genius who has created a dangerous virtual reality called the Realm. NOTES:

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl WANT Paige McKenzie - HORROR MAYBE From the moment Sunshine Griffith and her mother Kat arrive at their new home in Ridgemont, Washington, she feels her world darken with an eeriness she cannot place. NOT INTERESTED When the ghost of a little girl appears in her house and her mother begins acting strange, Sunshine teams up with classmate Nolan to stop the haunting. NOTES: The Disappearances WANT Emily Bain Murphy - MYSTERY, HISTORICAL FICTION MAYBE Every seven years, the residents of Sterling lose something: their sense of smell, NOT INTERESTED reflections from mirrors and lakes, the ability to dream. No one knows what caused these “Disappearances,” or what will slip away next, but many suspect Juliet Quinn, who escaped Sterling years ago, is somehow responsible. Now, after Juliet’s death, her daughter Aila returns to Sterling and must work to clear her mother’s name and discover who the mysterious woman truly was. NOTES:

Miles Morales: Spider-man WANT Jason Reynolds - ACTION, SCIENCE FICTION MAYBE With Peter Parker gone, Miles Morales takes up the mantle of Spider-man and fights to stop a villain’s plan to turn good kids bad, while avoiding the criminal lifestyle that he worries may NOT INTERESTED be his destiny. NOTES:

Cove: Fires of Invention WANT J. Scott Savage - FANTASY, DYSTOPIAN, STEAMPUNK MAYBE Even though technology and inventions have been outlawed in the mountain city of Cove, in order to save the city Trenton and Kallista must follow a set of mysterious NOT INTERESTED blueprints to build a machine to protect them from the dangers outside their door. NOTES:

Speechless WANT Adam P. Schmitt - REALISTIC FICTION, HUMOR MAYBE All their lives, everything Jimmy’s cousin Patrick did resulted in injury and destruction—which presents a challenge for Jimmy when Patrick dies, and Jimmy must think of something nice to NOT INTERESTED say about him while giving a speech at his funeral. NOTES: Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune WANT Pamela S. Turner - NONFICTION, BIOGRAPHY, HISTORY MAYBE This is the story of Minamoto Yoshitsune, the greatest samurai in Japanese history. After NOT INTERESTED his family was killed by a rival family when he was just a baby, Yoshitsune grew up in a monastery and learned the ways of the samurai. When the time came for the Minamoto clan to rise up against their enemies, Yoshitsune was ready to exact his bloody revenge. NOTES:

The Prince and the Dressmaker WANT Jen Wang - GRAPHIC NOVEL, HISTORICAL FICTION MAYBE At night, Prince Sebastian puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia--the hottest fashion icon in the city. Sebastian’s secret weapon (and best NOT INTERESTED friend) is the brilliant dressmaker Frances, who knows his secret: sometimes this boy wears dresses. But Frances dreams of greatness, and being someone’s secret weapon means being a secret. Forever. How long can Frances defer her dreams to protect a friend? NOTES:

Nightbooks WANT J. A. White - HORROR, FANTASY MAYBE Imprisoned by Natacha, a witch, in a New York apartment, Alex must tell her a new scary story every night in order to stay alive. NOT INTERESTED NOTES: