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Middle School Reads April 2017
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Pancakes for Poetry Wednesday, April 19, 3:30 PM Meeting Room Who wants a pancake, sweet and piping hot? Recite your favorite poem or write your own in exchange for fluffy goodness! Grades 5-12.
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Summer Volunteers June 9-August 4 Do you love reading and visiting the Library? Come and volunteer during the Children’s Summer Reading Program! You can be a prize desk volunteer in the Children’s Room or you can help run fun programs. To volunteer you must: Have a valid RFPL library card Be entering grades 7-12 in the fall Participate in the RFPL Teen Summer Reading Program Pick up your application in the Children’s Room. Applications due May 15 |
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The Star Thief by Lindsey BeckerHonorine's life as a maid at the Vidalia mansion is rather dull, dusting treasures from faraway places and daydreaming in front of maps of the world. But everything changes when she catches two brutish sailors ransacking Lord Vidalia's study, and then follows a mysterious girl with wings out into the night.... Suddenly, Honorine is whisked into the middle of a battle between the crew of a spectacular steamship and a band of mythical constellations. The stars in the sky have come to life to defend themselves against those who want to harness their powers. Much to her surprise, Honorine is the crux of it all, the center of an epic clash between magic and science, the old ways and the new. But can this spirited young girl bring both sides of a larger-than-life fight together before they unleash an evil power even older than the stars? MS FICTION BECKER
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Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth BeharRuthie Mizrahi and her family recently emigrated from Castro's Cuba to New York City. Just when she's finally beginning to gain confidence in her mastery of English--and enjoying her reign as her neighborhood's hopscotch queen--a horrific car accident leaves her in a body cast and confined her to her bed for a long recovery. As Ruthie's world shrinks because of her inability to move, her powers of observation and her heart grow larger and she comes to understand how fragile life is, how vulnerable we all are as human beings, and how friends, neighbors, and the power of the arts can sweeten even the worst of times. MS FICTION BEHAR
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The Unbreakable Code by Jennifer Chambliss BertmanMr. Quisling is definitely up to something mysterious, and Emily and James are on high alert. First, there's the coded note he drops at a book event. Then they uncover a trail of encrypted messages in Mark Twain-penned books hidden through Book Scavenger. What's most suspicious is that each hidden book triggers a fire. As the sleuthing friends dig deeper, they discover Mr. Quisling has been hunting a legendary historical puzzle: the Unbreakable Code. This new mystery is irresistible, but Emily and James can't ignore the signs that Mr. Quisling might be the arsonist. The clock is ticking as the fires multiply, and Emily and James race to crack the code of a lifetime. MS FICTION CHAMBLISS
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Ashes to Asheville by Sarah DooleyAfter Mama Lacy's death, Fella was forced to move in with her grandmother, Mrs. Madison. The move brought Fella all sorts of comforts she wasn't used to at home, but it also meant saying goodbye to her sister Zoey (a.k.a. Zany) and her other mother, Mama Shannon. Though Mama Shannon fought hard to keep Fella, it was no use. The marriage act is still a few years away and the courts thought Fella would be better off with a blood relation. Already heartbroken, Fella soon finds herself alone in Mrs. Madison's house, grieving both the death of her mother and the loss of her entire family. Then one night, Zany shows up at Mrs. Madison's house determined to fulfill Mama Lacy's dying wish: to have her ashes spread over the lawn of the last place they were all happy as a family. Of course, this means stealing Mama Lacy's ashes and driving hundreds of miles in the middle of night to Asheville, North Carolina. MS FICTION DOOLEY
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The Football Girl by Thatcher HeldringThe summer before Caleb and Tessa enter high school, friendship has blossomed into a relationship . . . and their playful sports days are coming to an end. Caleb is getting ready to try out for the football team, and Tessa is training for cross-country. But all their structured plans derail in the final flag game when they lose . Tessa doesn't want to end her career as a loser. She really enjoys playing, and if she's being honest, she likes it even more than running cross-country. So what if she decided to play football instead? What would happen between her and Caleb? Or between her two best friends, who are counting on her to try out for cross-country with them? And will her parents be upset that she's decided to take her hobby to the next level? MS FICTION HELDRING
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Under Locker and Key by Allison K. HymasJeremy Wilderson is not a thief. In fact, he is his middle school's one and only retrieval specialist. Confiscated cell phones, stolen lunch money--he'll discretely retrieve it before the last bell rings. Business is good, and if it weren't for the meddling of preteen private investigator Becca Mills, he'd be happier than a gym teacher on dodgeball day.But a new job shatters his comfortable lifestyle. Now, thanks to Jeremy, the master key to the schools' lockers is in the hands of an aspiring crime kingpin who doesn't exactly have Jeremy's strong moral character. Soon not even combination locks can protect the students' textbooks and jackets. Retrieving the key is too big a job for one crime fighter, and only one person wants the key returned as much as Jeremy does: Becca Mills.MS FICTION HYMAS
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Prisoner of Ice and Snow by Ruth LaurenWhen thirteen-year-old Valor is arrested, she could not be happier. Demidova's prison for criminal children is exactly where she wants to be. Valor's sister Sasha is already serving a life sentence for stealing from the royal family, and Valor is going to help her escape . . . from the inside. MS FICTION LAUREN
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Point Guard by Mike LupicaIt's basketball season for the home team but Gus must wrestle with prejudice when he's the only one bothered by Cassie joining the boys' team and his teammate Steve makes fun of Gus's Dominican heritage. MS FICTION LUPICA
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I Am Fartacus by Mark MaciejewskiChub is a short, accidentally bald, middle school outcast with no chance of ever becoming one of the popular kids. With help from his personal band of like-minded misfits (not to mention tactics gleaned from the Colonel, a US military vet with toenail issues), Chub's determined to bring down his nemesis, class hero and now potential class president, Archer, or the Arch--the very guy who betrayed Chub with the lice-killing potion that left him bald as a billiard ball. If the Arch gets to be president, Chub knows his life is officially over.Chub's got a lot of dirt on the Arch: embarrassing photos and underwear about to fly from the school flagpole, for starters. But then he discovers that there are some very dangerous skeletons in Archer's closet, and more at stake than just a few middle school reputations. With a lot of help from his friends, Chub sets off to bring down an evil empire--and inadvertently become the least likely hero that Alanmoore Middle School's ever seen. MS FICTION MACIEJEWSKI
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At the Bottom of the World by Bill NyeIn the series opener, readers meet Jack and his foster siblings, Ava and Matt, who are orphans. But they're not your typical kind of orphans--they're geniuses . Well, Ava and Matt are, which sometimes makes life difficult for 12-year-old Jack. Ava speaks multiple languages and builds robots for fun, and Matt is into astronomy and a whiz at math. As for Jack, it's hard to stand out when he's surrounded by geniuses all the time. When the kids try to spy on Dr. Hank Witherspoon, one of the world's leading scientists, they end up working for him in his incredible laboratory. Soon, Hank and the kids travel to Antarctica for a prestigious science competition, but they find that all is not as it seems: A fellow scientist has gone missing, and so has any trace of her research. Could someone be trying to use her findings to win the contest? MS FICTION NYE
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Apartment 1986 by Lisa Papademetriou Callie never meant to let it go this far. Sure, she may have accidentally-on-purpose skipped a day at her fancy New York City prep school, but she never thought she'd skip the day after that! And the one after that . . . and . . . uh . . . the one after that. But when everything in your real life is going wrong (fighting parents! bullied little brother! girls at school who just. don't. get. it!) skipping school starts to look like a valid mental-health strategy. And when Callie runs into Cassius, a mysterious and prickly "unschooled" kid doing research at museums all across the city, it seems only natural for her to join him. Because museums are educational, which means they're as good as going to class. Right? MS FICTION PAPADEMETRIOU
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Heroes and Villains by Jon ScieszkaFeaturing ten all-new, original stories that run the gamut from fantasy to comics to contemporary adventure to nonfiction, and featuring eleven of the most acclaimed, exciting writers for kids working today, this collection is the perfect book for you, whether you use your powers for good--or evil. MS FICTION SCIESZKA
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Stranger Things Have Happened by Jeff Strand Harry Houdini. Penn and Teller. David Copperfield. Marcus Millian the Third. Okay, so Marcus isn't a famous magician. He may not even be a great magician. But his great-grandfather, the once-legendary and long-retired Zachary the Stupendous, insists Marcus has true talent. And when Grandpa Zachary boasts that he and Marcus are working on an illusion that will shock, stun, and astonish, Marcus wishes he could make himself disappear.The problem? Marcus also has stage fright-in spades. It's one thing to perform elaborate card tricks in front of his best friend, Kimberly, but it's an entirely different feat to perform in front of an audience. Then Grandpa Zachary dies in his sleep. To uphold his great-grandfather's honor, the show must go on. It would take a true sorcerer to pull off the trick Marcus has planned. But maybe he's the next best thing... MS FICTION STRAND
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Speed of Life by Carol Weston Sofia lost her mother eight months ago, and her friends were 100% there for her. Now it's a new year and they're ready for Sofia to move on. Problem is, Sofia can't bounce back, can't recharge like a cellphone. She decides to write Dear Kate, an advice columnist for Fifteen Magazine , and is surprised to receive a fast reply. Soon the two are exchanging emails, and Sofia opens up and spills all, including a few worries that are totally embarrassing. Turns out even advice columnists don't have all the answers, and one day Sofia learns a secret that flips her world upside down. MS FICTION WESTON
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You Talking to Me? : Discover the World of Words, Codes, Emojis, Signs, Slang, Smoke Signals, Barks, Babbles, Growls, Gestures, Hieroglyphics & More by Catherine Ham There are more than 7,000 human languages, and that number only includes spoken languages! Wow! Add in other human languages of codes, symbols, and gestures, and the number becomes more impressive. Who knew there were so many fun and interesting ways to communicate?Add in the acoustic, chemical, and visual languages of animals, and the word "Wow" quickly becomes an understatement. MS NF FYI HAM
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Cat Tales : true stories of kindness and companionship with kitties by Aline Alexander NewmanWe humans love our cats and these surprising true stories will prove our cats love us back! This collection of tales of playfulness, friendship, heroism, and inspiration is sure to touch the soul, tickle the funny bone, and inspire animal lovers everywhere to be the best kitty caretakers and companions they can be. There's Bambi, whose owners taught her to respond to commands in American Sign Language; Millie, who loves exploring the outdoors and goes rock climbing with her owner; Leo, a rescued lion who changed the life of one South African family forever, and more. MS NF VOICES NEWMAN
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