The Prince and the Dressmaker by

Jen Wang

Paris, at the dawn of the modern age:

Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride―or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy

hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady

Crystallia―the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion!

Sebastian’s secret weapon (and best friend) is the brilliant dressmaker Frances―one of only two people who know

the truth: 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? Jen Wang weaves an

exuberantly romantic tale of identity, young love, art, and family. A fairy tale for any age, The Prince and the

Dressmaker will steal your heart.

Piecing Me Together

By

Renée Watson

A timely and powerful story about a teen girl from a poor neighborhood striving for success, from

acclaimed author Renée Watson.

Jade believes she must get out of her neighborhood if she’s ever going to succeed. Her mother says she has to take

every opportunity. She has. She accepted a scholarship to a mostly-white private school and even Saturday morning

test prep opportunities. But some opportunities feel more demeaning than helpful. Like an invitation to join Women

to Women, a mentorship program for “at-risk” girls. Except really, it’s for black girls. From “bad” neighborhoods.

But Jade doesn’t need support. And just because her mentor is black doesn’t mean she understands Jade. And

maybe there are some things Jade could show these successful women about the real world and finding ways to

make a real difference.

Friendships, race, privilege, identity—this compelling and thoughtful story explores the issues young women face.

Restart by

Gordon Korman

Chase's memory just went out the window.

Chase doesn't remember falling off the roof. He doesn't remember hitting his head. He doesn't, in fact, remember

anything. He wakes up in a hospital room and suddenly has to learn his whole life all over again . . . starting with his

own name.

He knows he's Chase. But who is Chase? When he gets back to school, he sees that different kids have very different

reactions to his return.

Some kids treat him like a hero. Some kids are clearly afraid of him.

One girl in particular is so angry with him that she pours her frozen yogurt on his head the first chance she gets.

Pretty soon, it's not only a question of who Chase is--it's a question of who he was . . . and who he's going to be.

From the #1 bestselling author of Swindle and Slacker, Restart is the spectacular story of a kid with a messy past

who has to figure out what it means to get a clean start.

Wild Bird

by

Wendelin Van Draanen

3:47 a.m. That's when they come for Wren Clemens. She's hustled out of her house and into a waiting car, then a

plane, and then taken on a forced march into the desert. This is what happens to kids who've gone so far off the rails,

their parents don't know what to do with them any more. This is wilderness therapy camp.

The Wren who arrives in the Utah desert is angry and bitter, and blaming everyone but herself. But angry can't put

up a tent. And bitter won't start a fire. Wren's going to have to admit she needs help if she's going to survive.

In her most incisive and insightful book yet, beloved author Wendelin Van Draanen's offers a remarkable portrait of

a girl who took a wrong turn and got lost--but who may be able to find her way back again in the vast, harsh desert.

Refugee

by

Alan Gratz

Other editions

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Three different kids. One mission in common: ESCAPE.

Josef is a Jewish boy in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family

board a ship bound for the other side of the world…

Isabel is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft,

hoping to find safety and freedom in America…

Mahmoud is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family

begin a long trek toward Europe…

All three young people will go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers–from

drownings to bombings to betrayals. But for each of them, there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef,

Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, surprising connections will tie their stories together

in the end.

Scythe

(Arc of a Scythe #1) by

Neal Shusterman

Thou shalt kill.

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even

conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to

keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art”

of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by

Pablo Cartaya

Save the restaurant. Save the town. Get the girl. Make Abuela proud. Can thirteen-year-old Arturo Zamora do it all

or is he in for a BIG, EPIC FAIL?

For Arturo, summetime in Miami means playing basketball until dark, sipping mango smoothies, and keeping cool

under banyan trees. And maybe a few shifts as junior lunchtime dishwasher at Abuela's restaurant. Maybe. But this

summer also includes Carmen, a cute poetry enthusiast who moves into Arturo's apartment complex and turns his

stomach into a deep fryer. He almost doesn't notice the smarmy land developer who rolls into town and threatens to

change it. Arturo refuses to let his family and community go down without a fight, and as he schemes with Carmen,

Arturo discovers the power of poetry and protest through untold family stories and the work of Jose Marti.

The First Rule of Punk by

Celia C. Pérez

From debut author and longtime zine-maker Celia C. Perez, The First Rule of Punk is a wry and

heartfelt exploration of friendship, finding your place, and learning to rock out like no one's

watching.

There are no shortcuts to surviving your first day at a new school--you can't fix it with duct tape like you would your

Chuck Taylors. On Day One, twelve-year-old Malú (Maria Luisa, if you want to annoy her) inadvertently upsets

Posada Middle School's queen bee, violates the school's dress code with her punk rock look, and disappoints her

college-professor mom in the process. Her dad, who now lives a thousand miles away, says things will get better as

long as she remembers the first rule of punk: be yourself.

The real Malú loves rock music, skateboarding, zines, and Soyrizo (hold the cilantro, please). And when she

assembles a group of like-minded misfits at school and starts a band, Malú finally begins to feel at home. She'll do

anything to preserve this, which includes standing up to an anti-punk school administration to fight for her right to

express herself!

Black and white illustrations and collage art throughout make The First Rule of Punk a perfect pick for fans of books

like Roller Girl and online magazines like Rookie.

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

(Aven Green #1) by

Dusti Bowling

Other editionsnlarge cover

Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but

the truth is she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown

western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she’ll have to answer the

question over and over again.

Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of

his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have

imagined. It’s hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven’s about to discover she can

do it all . . . even without arms.

The Stars Beneath Our Feet by

David Barclay Moore

A boy tries to steer a safe path through the projects in Harlem in the wake of his brother’s death in

this outstanding debut novel that celebrates community and creativity.

It’s Christmas Eve in Harlem, but twelve-year-old Lolly Rachpaul and his mom aren’t celebrating. They’re still

reeling from his older brother’s death in a gang-related shooting just a few months earlier. Then Lolly’s mother’s

girlfriend brings him a gift that will change everything: two enormous bags filled with Legos. Lolly’s always loved

Legos, and he prides himself on following the kit instructions exactly. Now, faced with a pile of building blocks and

no instructions, Lolly must find his own way forward.

His path isn’t clear—and the pressure to join a “crew,” as his brother did, is always there. When Lolly and his friend

are beaten up and robbed, joining a crew almost seems like the safe choice. But building a fantastical Lego city at the

community center provides Lolly with an escape—and an unexpected bridge back to the world.

David Barclay Moore paints a powerful portrait of a boy teetering on the edge—of adolescence, of grief, of violence—

and shows how Lolly’s inventive spirit helps him build a life with firm foundations and open doors.

As Brave As You by

Jason Reynolds

When two brothers decide to prove how brave they are, everything backfires—literally.

Genie’s summer is full of surprises. The first is that he and his big brother, Ernie, are leaving Brooklyn for the very

first time to spend the summer with their grandparents all the way in Virginia—in the COUNTRY! The second

surprise comes when Genie figures out that their grandfather is blind. Thunderstruck and—being a curious kid—

Genie peppers Grandpop with questions about how he covers it so well (besides wearing way cool Ray-Bans).

How does he match his clothes? Know where to walk? Cook with a gas stove? Pour a glass of sweet tea without

spilling it? Genie thinks Grandpop must be the bravest guy he’s ever known, but he starts to notice that his

grandfather never leaves the house—as in NEVER. And when he finds the secret room that Grandpop is always

disappearing into—a room so full of songbirds and plants that it’s almost as if it’s been pulled inside-out—he begins

to wonder if his grandfather is really so brave after all.

Then Ernie lets him down in the bravery department. It’s his fourteenth birthday, and, Grandpop says to become a

man, you have to learn how to shoot a gun. Genie thinks that is AWESOME until he realizes Ernie has no interest in

learning how to shoot. None. Nada. Dumbfounded by Ernie’s reluctance, Genie is left to wonder—is bravery and

becoming a man only about proving something, or is it just as important to own up to what you won’t do?

The Blackthorn Key

(The Blackthorn Key #1) by

Kevin Sands

“Tell no one what I’ve given you.”

Until he got that cryptic warning, Christopher Rowe was happy, learning how to solve complex codes and puzzles

and creating powerful medicines, potions, and weapons as an apprentice to Master Benedict Blackthorn—with

maybe an explosion or two along the way.

But when a mysterious cult begins to prey on London’s apothecaries, the trail of murders grows closer and closer to

Blackthorn’s shop. With time running out, Christopher must use every skill he’s learned to discover the key to a

terrible secret with the power to tear the world apart.

The Night Diary by

Veera Hiranandani

It's 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries: Pakistan and India.

The divide has created much tension between Hindus and Muslims, and hundreds of thousands are killed crossing

borders.

Half-Muslim, half-Hindu twelve-year-old Nisha doesn't know where she belongs, or what her country is anymore.

When Papa decides it's too dangerous to stay in what is now Pakistan, Nisha and her family become refugees and

embark first by train but later on foot to reach her new home. The journey is long, difficult, and dangerous, and after

losing her mother as a baby, Nisha can't imagine losing her homeland, too. But even if her country has been ripped

apart, Nisha still believes in the possibility of putting herself back together.

Space Case

(Moon Base Alpha #1) by

Stuart Gibbs

It’s a murder mystery on the moon in this humorous and suspenseful space adventure from the author of Belly

Up and Spy School that The New York Times Book Review called “a delightful and brilliantly constructed middle

grade thriller.”

Like his fellow lunarnauts—otherwise known as Moonies—living on Moon Base Alpha, twelve-year-old Dashiell

Gibson is famous the world over for being one of the first humans to live on the moon.

And he’s bored out of his mind. Kids aren’t allowed on the lunar surface, meaning they’re trapped inside the tiny

moon base with next to nothing to occupy their time—and the only other kid Dash’s age spends all his time hooked

into virtual reality games.

Then Moon Base Alpha’s top scientist turns up dead. Dash senses there’s foul play afoot, but no one believes him.

Everyone agrees Dr. Holtz went onto the lunar surface without his helmet properly affixed, simple as that. But Dr.

Holtz was on the verge of an important new discovery, Dash finds out, and it’s a secret that could change everything

for the Moonies—a secret someone just might kill to keep...

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle

by

Leslie Connor

Mason Buttle is the biggest, sweatiest kid in his grade, and everyone knows he can barely read or write. Mason’s

learning disabilities are compounded by grief. Fifteen months ago, Mason’s best friend, Benny Kilmartin, turned up

dead in the Buttle family’s orchard. An investigation drags on, and Mason, honest as the day is long, can’t

understand why Lieutenant Baird won’t believe the story Mason has told about that day.

Both Mason and his new friend, tiny Calvin Chumsky, are relentlessly bullied by the other boys in their

neighborhood, so they create an underground club space for themselves. When Calvin goes missing, Mason finds

himself in trouble again. He’s desperate to figure out what happened to Calvin, and eventually, Benny.

But will anyone believe him?

Fred Korematsu Speaks Up

(Fighting for Justice #1) by

Laura Atkins & Stan Yogi

Fred Korematsu liked listening to music on the radio, playing tennis, and hanging around with his friends—just like

lots of other Americans. But everything changed when the United States went to war with Japan in 1941 and the

government forced all people of Japanese ancestry to leave their homes on the West Coast and move to distant

prison camps. This included Fred, whose parents had immigrated to the United States from Japan many years

before. But Fred refused to go. He knew that what the government was doing was unfair. And when he got put in jail

for resisting, he knew he couldn’t give up.

Inspired by the award-winning book for adults Wherever There’s a Fight, the Fighting for Justice series introduces

young readers to real-life heroes and heroines of social progress. The story of Fred Korematsu’s fight against

discrimination explores the life of one courageous person who made the United States a fairer place for all

Americans, and it encourages all of us to speak up for justice.

Serafina and the Black Cloak

(Serafina #1) by

Robert Beatty

“Never go into the deep parts of the forest, for there are many dangers there, and they will ensnare your soul.”

Serafina has never had a reason to disobey her pa and venture beyond the grounds of the Biltmore estate. There’s

plenty to explore in her grand home, although she must take care to never be seen. None of the rich folk upstairs

know that Serafina exists; she and her pa, the estate’s maintenance man, have secretly lived in the basement for as

long as Serafina can remember.

But when children at the estate start disappearing, only Serafina knows who the culprit is: a terrifying man in a black

cloak who stalks Biltmore’s corridors at night. Following her own harrowing escape, Serafina risks everything by

joining forces with Braeden Vanderbilt, the young nephew of the Biltmore’s owners. Braeden and Serafina must

uncover the Man in the Black Cloak’s true identity... before all of the children vanish one by one.

Serafina’s hunt leads her into the very forest that she has been taught to fear. There she discovers a forgotten legacy

of magic, one that is bound to her own identity. In order to save the children of Biltmore, Serafina must seek the

answers that will unlock the puzzle of her past.

Slider by

Pete Hautman

Competitive eating vies with family expectations in a funny, heartfelt novel for middle-grade

readers by National Book Award winner Pete Hautman.

David can eat an entire sixteen-inch pepperoni pizza in four minutes and thirty-six seconds. Not bad. But he knows

he can do better. In fact, he'll have to do better: he's going to compete in the Super Pigorino Bowl, the world's

greatest pizza-eating contest, and he has to win it, because he borrowed his mom's credit card and accidentally spent

$2,000 on it. So he really needs that prize money. Like, yesterday. As if training to be a competitive eater weren't

enough, he's also got to keep an eye on his little brother, Mal (who, if the family believed in labels, would be labeled

autistic, but they don't, so they just label him Mal). And don't even get started on the new weirdness going on

between his two best friends, Cyn and HeyMan. Master talent Pete Hautman has cooked up a rich narrative shot

through with equal parts humor and tenderness, and the result is a middle-grade novel too delicious to put down.

42 Is Not Just a Number: The Odyssey of Jackie Robinson, American Hero

by

Doreen Rappaport

An eye-opening look at the life and legacy of Jackie Robinson, the man who broke the color barrier

in Major League Baseball and became an American hero.

Baseball, basketball, football -- no matter the game, Jackie Robinson excelled. His talents would have easily landed

another man a career in pro sports, but such opportunities were closed to athletes like Jackie for one reason: his skin

was the wrong color. Settling for playing baseball in the Negro Leagues, Jackie chafed at the inability to prove

himself where it mattered most: the major leagues. Then in 1946, Branch Rickey, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers,

recruited Jackie Robinson. Jackie faced cruel and sometimes violent hatred and discrimination, but he proved

himself again and again, exhibiting courage, determination, restraint, and a phenomenal ability to play the game. In

this compelling biography, award-winning author Doreen Rappaport chronicles the extraordinary life of Jackie

Robinson and how his achievements won over -- and changed -- a segregated nation.

All's Faire in Middle School

by

Victoria Jamieson

The author of Roller Girl is back with a graphic novel about starting middle school, surviving your

embarrassing family, and the Renaissance Faire.

Eleven-year-old Imogene (Impy) has grown up with two parents working at the Renaissance Faire, and she's eager

to begin her own training as a squire. First, though, she'll need to prove her bravery. Luckily Impy has just the quest

in mind--she'll go to public school after a life of being homeschooled! But it's not easy to act like a noble knight-in-

training in middle school. Impy falls in with a group of girls who seem really nice (until they don't) and starts to be

embarrassed of her thrift shop apparel, her family's unusual lifestyle, and their small, messy apartment. Impy has

always thought of herself as a heroic knight, but when she does something really mean in order to fit in, she begins

to wonder whether she might be more of a dragon after all.