On the Radar: Top Picks from the Editors at Junior Library Guild: Middle School Readers—New Offerings from Favorite Authors

For our middle school readers, finding a favorite author can be a difficult task. They are at the age in which one day they’re still children, and the next they think they are adults. Kids are busy with activities, so this is also the time in their lives where we could lose them as readers if their choices are few. Thankfully in the last 10 years, popular authors and series have increased for this group of tweens and early teens. For students in grades five to eight and those that teach them, fall releases will be a welcome sight.

HADDIX, Margaret Peterson. Caught. Bk 5. S & S. (The Missing Series). Sept. 2012. ISBN 9781416989820. JLG Level: C: Advanced Readers (Grades 6-9)

Longtime favorite author, Margaret Peterson Haddix, releases the fifth book in The Missing series. Jonah and Katherine travel to the early 1900s to return Albert Einstein’s daughter. (He had a daughter?) Blending more science into the series, readers will continue to race through the story as it unfolds. With short, cliff-hanger chapters and familiar characters returning to the series, Haddix’s new book will be on the waiting list for quite some time.

KORMAN, Gordon. Ungifted. HarperCollins/Balzar + Bray. Aug. 2012. ISBN 9780061742682. JLG Level: HIM: High Interest Middle School (Grades 5-8)

You know you that an author is a perennial pick when his name is in a larger font than the book’s title. Korman is back with another crowd-pleaser. “I want a refund from ancestry.com…there’s nobody like me,” says Donovan, our act first-think later protagonist begins. When his harmless pranks go awry, he remarks, “I hit the statue with a branch, but I didn’t think the world would come off.” Korman’s classic wit and humor hook the reader. Donovan’s prank accidentally gets him enrolled in a school for the gifted. Though he may be “ungifted,” there is much we can learn from the boy and his new classmates. The movie rights, by the way, have already been picked up by Walden Media.

LUBAR, David. Beware the Ninja Weenies and other Warped and Creepy Tales. TOR/Starscape. 2012. ISBN 9780765332134. JLG Level: HIM: High Interest Middle School (Grades 5-8)

The Weenies are back with 33 more warped and creepy tales. As most of the stories are short (an average of three pages each), Lubar brings another sure-to-please collection that will keep your reluctant readers technology-less, for a short time at least. Also great for reading aloud, readers will pause to think in Playing Solo- “game over forever” or laugh out loud at the nothing-is-off-limits plot lines in this made-for-kids book.

PENNYPACKER, Sara. Summer of the Gypsy Moths. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray. 2012. ISBN 9780061964206. JLG Level: B+: Upper Elementary & Junior High (Grades 5-7)

One way to help bridge the gap from elementary school to middle school is to connect kids with their favorite primary authors’ more mature titles. Widely known as the creator of the “Clementine” series (Hyperion), Sara Pennypacker has a wonderful new chapter book for older readers. Two orphans, a dead great-aunt, and some dying blueberry bushes connect in this charming story as two lost souls find their way home. When Stella’s great-aunt dies, she and Angel decide to keep it a secret, bury her and run the Linger Longer Summer Cottages by themselves. The adventures that follow will surely keep readers turning pages.

STEAD, Rebecca. Liar & Spy. Random/Wendy Lamb Bks. 2012. ISBN 9780385906654. JLG Level: B: Upper Elementary & Junior High (Grades 5-7)

Students who see the cover will recognize the art style and recall Newbery-winning author, Rebecca Stead (When You Reach Me). Stead’s new book is no less a mystery. Seventh grader, Georges (the s is silent) struggles through big changes—a move to an apartment, longer working hours for his mom, and bullies at school. Then he meets a home-schooled neighbor, Safer, who enlists his help to spy on Mr. X. Kids will keep guessing until the end at the interwoven strands of plot. Full of wit and wisdom, Georges will become a favorite character and a champion of middle schoolers everywhere.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.

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