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Wink by Rob Harrell
Starring: Seventh grader (our Year 8), Ross Maloy just wants to be normal. But with a sudden and horrifying diagnosis of a rare eye cancer, blending in is off the table.
What happens: He does not want to lose his hair, or wear a weird hat, or deal with the kids at school who don't know what to say to 'the cancer kid'.
Why you might like it: Based on Rob Harrell's real-life experiences, and filled with his cartoons and illustrations, this very personal and poignant novel is an unforgettable, hilarious and uplifting story of survival, and of finding music, magic and laughter in all of life's weirdness.
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The Missing Prince by John FlanaganWhat happens: Charged by Araluen's King Duncan to covertly rescue the Prince of Gallica from a politically ambitious baron, Will Treaty and his apprentice Maddie take to the road disguised as father and daughter jongleurs.
Series alert: This is the fourth book in the Royal Ranger series. If you haven't read these before, it would be better to begin with Will's story as an apprentice Ranger, starting with The Ruins of Gorlan.
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| Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte; illustrated by Ann XuWhat it's about: Although Cici likes her new hometown of Seattle, Washington, she still misses Taiwan and her A-má. Hoping to claim enough prize money to buy A-má a plane ticket, Cici (an expert with Taiwanese food) enters a cooking contest and begins a crash course on how to be an American chef.
Why you might like it: Colorful, manga-style art will keep you turning the pages of this graphic novel as Cici makes new friends, learns new recipes, and tries to balance her two cultures. |
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Dirt Road Home
by Watt Key
What happens: After the events in Alabama Moon, gutsy 14-year-old Hal Mitchell is sentenced to live at Hellenweiler, a boys' home. Hal could walk out in just a few months if he keeps out of trouble. Unfortunately, getting out with a clean record will be impossible because the guards and warden at Hellenweiler write false records for all the boys in their ‘care’. Can Hal save himself and teach the adults in charge a lesson as well?
Series alert: While officially only a companion novel to Alabama Moon, we recommended reading it before starting Dirt Road Home.
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To Wee or Not to Wee
by Pamela Butchart
What it's about: Izzy (star of the Baby Aliens series) is asked to tell her friends some exciting stories, she tells them her versions of some of Shakespeare's most well known stories.
Why you might like it: This is a great introduction to the Bard. Izzy’s versions strip the original stories down to the core and likens her friends and situations to that of Macbeth, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo & Juliet. We are given all the typical traits of Shakespeare: love, poison, tragedy and a few new things thrown into the mix such as bogey fingers and of course the ultimate question, ‘to wee or not to wee?’
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The Ickabog
by J. K. Rowling
What would happen if: a myth began to take on a life of its own? Legend tells of a fearsome creature living far to the north in the Marshlands... the Ickabog. Some say it breathes fire, spits poison, and roars through the mist as it carries off wayward sheep and children alike.
What happens: When that myth takes on a life of its own, casting a shadow over the kingdom, two children -- best friends Bert and Daisy -- embark on a great adventure to untangle the truth and find out where the real monster lies.
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Classics-Inspired Stories
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| More to the Story by Hena KhanWhat it is: an update of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, starring Jameela, Maryam, Bisma, and Aleeza, four sisters from a close-knit Pakistani American family.
What happens: With a job on the school newspaper and an exciting friendship with British newcomer Ali, Jameela's 7th-grade year is looking up... until her dad goes overseas for work and Bisma becomes seriously ill.
Who it's for: readers who like feisty heroines, cozy vibes, and modern, realistic family stories. |
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| Lock and Key: The Initiation by Ridley PearsonWhat it is: a modern-day reimagining of brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes and criminal mastermind James Moriarty, recast here as reluctant boarding school roommates at Baskerville Academy.
Why you might like it: Through the perspective of James' clever sister Moira, you'll get an up-close look at how a theft at the Academy activates Sherlock's sleuthing instincts, while a shady secret society pulls James into its sinister orbit.
Series alert: This is the suspenseful 1st in the Lock and Key trilogy. |
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| Sisterland by Salla Simukka; translated by Owen F. WitesmanWhat it is: a bewitching and moving fantasy with roots in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Secret Garden, The Snow Queen, and other classic tales.
What happens: From a world of seemingly endless winter, curious Alice tumbles into Sisterland, a green and vibrant world where she meets Marissa, the friend she's always dreamed of. Eternal summer has a price, however, and the girls must undertake a dangerous quest to protect their home from the magic of Sisterland's Queen Lili. |
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Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
What it is: Based on the story of Cinderella, at her birth, Ella of Frell was the unfortunate recipient of a foolish fairy's gift--the "gift' of obedience. Ella must obey any order given to her, whether it's hopping on one foot for a day and a half, or chopping off her own head!
What happens: But strong-willed Ella does not tamely accept her fate. Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella goes on a quest to break the curse--once and for all.
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Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 10-13!
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