We have great new titles for your middle readers, ages 8-11! An even better way to enjoy them? Lay out a blanket in the sun and have a smoothie by your elbow–nothing is better then literature and food!
Kathleen Cherry’s Everyday Hero tells the story of Alice, a girl who doesn’t like noise, smells or strangers. She does like rules. Lots of rules. Nobody at her new school knows she has Asperger’s, so it doesn’t take long for her odd behavior to get her into trouble. When she meets Megan in detention, she doesn’t know what to make of her. Megan doesn’t smell, she’s not terribly noisy, and she’s not exactly a stranger, but is she a friend? Megan seems fearless to Alice—but also angry or maybe sad. Alice isn’t sure which. When Megan decides to run away, Alice resolves to help her friend, no matter how many rules she has to break or how bad it makes her feel.
Everyday Hero is one of our #WeNeedDiverseBooks titles!
In Forensics Squad Unleashed, Tabitha is thrilled to be attending a summer forensics camp, even if she has to go with her sort-of friend Mason. Soon she is learning to dust for fingerprints, photograph a crime scene and take footprint impressions. Even though the camp instructors have set up a “crime” for the kids to solve, Tabitha longs to use her newfound skills to solve a real-life mystery. She’s pretty sure a dognapping ring is active in her Montreal neighborhood, and when her beloved dog, Roxie, is stolen, she convinces her forensics “team” to help her find Roxie and nab the ‘nappers.
Already read and loved Forensics Squad Unleashed? Find other titles by Monique Polak here!
Love animals? Then Duke’s Den by Becky Citra is the right summer read for you! Amelia’s world came crashing down when her parents separated and she was forced to relocate with her mother to a new part of town. But when Duke and Gabriella move into the suite downstairs with their menagerie of exotic animals, Amelia feels like she’s been thrown a lifeline. Helping care for the animals gives Amelia a sense of purpose, and she’s determined to keep Duke and Gabriella’s secret. But eventually her mother discovers the animals and refuses to let them stay. To make matters worse, Winston, a sulcata tortoise, has fallen ill, and the medical bills are piling up. Can Amelia figure out a way to help save Winston and keep her newfound family together?
Looking for intrigue, mystery and spies? Enter Dirk Daring, secret agent extraordinaire. First introduced in Dirk Daring, Secret Agent, Dirk’s dangerous adventures continue in Dirk Daring, Secret Agent: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie by Helaine Becker.
Darren Dirkowitz thought his life was over when his tippity-top-secret alter ego, Dirk Daring, Secret Agent, was outed to the entire Preston Middle School student body. If only he’d been so lucky. Now the Wolf Lords—a gang of teen thugs bent on wringing every last penny out of Preston students—are breathing down his neck. There’s only one solution: Dirk Daring must embark on his most daring mission yet. A mission so audacious, so cunning, so doggone crazy, that if it succeeds, the Wolf Lords will wind up begging for mercy. But first, Darren must bring his own disobedient “associates” to heel.
Continue your mystery streak with monster sleuths Tank and Fizz, and the graphic novel Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Battling Bots by Liam O’Donnell (catch the first installment in Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Slime Stampede).
For monster sleuths Tank and Fizz, proving fourth-grade bully Rizzo Rawlins is planning to cheat in the upcoming Battle Bot Cup should be a piece of cake. But cake crumbles fast, and the case soon leads the detectives to a mysterious hacker known only as the Codex, who threatens all of Rockfall Mountain with a very dark fate. With the help of their wizard-in-training partner, Aleetha, Tank and Fizz leap into action, dodging deadly battle bots and sinister spellbooks in a race to stop the return of a very angry ancient demon.
So now you’ve found your book, grab your blanket and make this delicious Very Berry Breakfast smoothie…
SERVINGS: 2
1 c. frozen unsweetened raspberries
¾ c. chilled unsweetened almond or rice milk
¼ c. frozen pitted unsweetened cherries or raspberries
1½ Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. ground flaxseed
~2 tsp. fresh lemon juice (add to taste)
Combine all ingredients in blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into 2 chilled glasses…
…and begin your summer reads!!!