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Middle School Battle of the Books 2019-2020
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Serafina and the black cloak
by Robert Beatty
In 1899, a twelve-year-old rat catcher on North Carolina's Biltmore estate teams up with the estate owner's young nephew to battle a great evil and, in the process, unlocks the puzzle of her past.
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Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
by Dusti Bowling
The awkwardness of being the new kid at school is extra intense for 8th-grader Aven, who has to put up with her classmates gawping at her because she was born without arms. Telling tall tales about losing her arms while alligator wrestling doesn't help -- some people just don't get her humor -- but things start to look up when Aven befriends some fellow misfits (like Connor, who has Tourette's syndrome) and they begin investigating strange events at a ramshackle Western theme park. Readers who love realistic fiction will root for the memorable characters in this not-so-insignificant story.
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The war that saved my life
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where they find life to be much sweeter away from their abusive mother.
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Gym candy
by Carl Deuker
Groomed by his father to be a star player, football is the only thing that has ever really mattered to Mick Johnson, who works hard for a spot on the varsity team his freshman year, then tries to hold onto his edge by using steroids, despite the consequences to his health and social life.
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The ruins of Gorlan : Ranger's Apprentice, book 1
by John Flanagan
When fifteen-year-old Will is rejected by battleschool, he becomes the reluctant apprentice to the mysterious Ranger Halt, and winds up protecting the kingdom from attack by Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night.
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The boys who challenged Hitler : Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club
by Phillip M. Hoose
At the outset of World War II, Denmark did not resist German occupation. Deeply ashamed of his nation's leaders, fifteen-year-old Knud Pedersen resolved with his brother and a handful of schoolmates to take action against the Nazis if the adults would not. Naming their secret club after the fiery British leader, the young patriots in the Churchill Club committed countless acts of sabotage, infuriating the Germans, who eventually had the boys tracked down and arrested. But their efforts were not in vain: the boys' exploits and eventual imprisonment helped spark a full-blown Danish resistance. Interweaving his own narrative with the recollections of Knud himself, here is Phillip Hoose's inspiring story of these young war heroes.
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House Arrest
by K.A. Holt
Home and school: these are the only two places that 12-year-old Timothy is allowed to go after he's caught with a stolen wallet. Though he was just trying to help his struggling single mom pay for his baby brother's medical treatments, he's sentenced to house arrest, as well as to visits with a psychologist and a probation officer, and to keeping a journal for a whole year. These journal entries, written in easy-to-read free verse, offer readers a window into Timothy's stress, anger, hope, and snarky humor.
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Cracker! : the best dog in Vietnam
by Cynthia Kadohata
Trained to sniff out bombs and traps, Cracker the German Shepherd is prepared for action in Vietnam, but when she is teamed up with Rick, a young man whose family doubts he can handle infantry life, the new soldier must find a way to build trust between the two so that they can do their jobs well and make it back alive.
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To kill a mockingbird
by Harper Lee
The explosion of racial hate and violence in a small Alabama town is viewed by a little girl whose father defends a black man accused of rape.
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Legend
by Marie Lu
In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, fifteen-year-old Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy.
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Greenglass House
by Kate Milford
In the midst of a wild snowstorm, five unusual guests turn up unannounced at the creaky old Greenglass Inn. Milo, the innkeepers' son, is annoyed by the interruption to his winter break, but his frustration turns to intrigue when several items go missing from the guests' rooms. Encouraged by his friend Meddy, Milo draws on the skills of Negret (his character from the role-playing game Odd Trails) to investigate the strange thefts.
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A monster calls : a novel
by Patrick Ness
Thirteen-year-old Conor awakens one night to find a monster outside his bedroom window -- not the one from the recurring nightmare that began when his mother became ill, but an ancient, wild creature that wants him to face truth and loss.
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A night divided
by Jennifer A Nielsen
When her family is abruptly divided by the rise of the Berlin Wall, 12-year-old Gerta harbors forbidden thoughts about freedom and reuniting with her loved ones before a coded message from her father inspires a daring plan.
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The First Rule of Punk
by Celia C. Pérez
Though her dad reminds her that the first rule of punk is to be yourself, 12-year-old punk rocker Malú finds it tough to claim her identity as a "weird, unladylike, sloppy-Spanish-speaking, half-Mexican kid." Her passion for making zines and playing loud music doesn't live up to her "SuperMexican" mom's expectations, and her unorthodox style gets her into trouble at school. Even so, Malú is determined to get a band together and make some noise. Whether or not you share her taste in music, you'll be rooting for this fierce and funny heroine.
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Ghost Boys
by Jewell Parker Rhodes
One minute, 12-year-old Jerome is messing around with his friend's toy gun; the next, he's been shot by a white police officer, and he joins the ghosts of Emmett Till and other black boys who lost their lives to racist violence -- and who now spend their afterlives seeking justice and healing. Painful, poetic, and powerful, Ghost Boys is sure to spark emotions and start conversations.
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Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone
by J. K. Rowling
Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Wizards and Witches.
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Bomb : the race to build--and steal--the world's most dangerous weapon
by Steve Sheinkin
A dramatic introduction to the international competition to create the first atomic bomb recounts the scientific discoveries that enabled atom splitting, the military intelligence operations that occurred in rival countries and the work of brilliant scientists hidden at Los Alamos.
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I'll be there : a novel
by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Protecting his mute younger brother from their unstable father and the factors that force them to continuously move and prevent their school attendance, Sam finds everything changing when he meets Emily, who tempts them to consider a normal life.
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The bitter side of sweet
by Tara Sullivan
Working as forced labor on a chocolate plantation in the Ivory Coast, Amadou and his younger brother Seydou have given up hope, until a young girl arrives at the camp who rekindles the urge to escape.
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The running dream
by Wendelin Van Draanen
Losing her leg in a car accident and fitted with a prosthetic that challenges her athletic ambitions, Jessica finds herself alienated from former friends and is tutored by a misfit girl she previously avoided.
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Crowby Barbara WrightIn 1898, Moses Thomas's summer vacation does not go exactly as planned as he contends with family problems and the ever-changing alliances among his friends at the same time as he is exposed to the escalating tension between the African-American and white communities of Wilmington, North Carolina.
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I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World
by Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick
When the gunman boarded the bus, he had only one question: "Who is Malala?" Targeted by the Taliban for her outspoken support of education for girls in her native Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai survived her injuries from the shooting that day. In I Am Malala, she invites you to share her experiences, both ordinary (she gets mad at her brothers and loves her best friend) and extraordinary (in 2014, she became the youngest person to win a Nobel Peace Prize). Aspiring activists, as well as anyone looking for an inspiring true story, won't want to miss this powerful memoir.
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New Hanover County Library
201 Chestnut Street Wilmington, North Carolina 28401 910-798-6301 www.nhclibrary.org |
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