Book Recommendations

Mrs. Romero's Book Recommendations!!

NON-FICTION

Lincoln's Spymaster: Allan Pinkerton, America's First Private Eye

by Samantha Seiple (2015)

A biography of the Scottish immigrant barrel maker whose side line detective work developed into the oldest and most famous detective agency in the United States.

FICTION

Mystery / Adventure

Hideout by Watt Key (2017)

The son of a Mississippi policeman finds a boy living and hiding in the swampy wilderness and tries to help him without giving away his secret.

Fantasy

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (2016)

"An epic fantasy about a young girl raised by a witch, a swamp monster, and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon who must unlock the powerful magic buried deep insider her." (Newbery Award Winner)

Horizon by Scott Westerfeld (2017)

A school robotics team, headed for a competition in Japan, is in trouble when their plane crashes in the Artic. They expect to see ice and snow, but instead, they find themselves lost in a strange jungle with razor-beaked shredder birds and carnivorous vines. This is an exciting survival story which will continue in a sequel coming out in September!

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel (2015)

Steve is always anxious and his baby brother’s health issues take it to another level. When he is approached by the Wasp Queen, who claims she can solve his worries, he learns agreeing with the wasps comes with a dangerous price. Haunting and eerie.

Who Let the Gods Out? by Maz Evans (2017)

Twelve-year old Elliot Hooper has many problems: his mother has been behaving strangely, they are in danger of losing their farm and he is failing at school. When he finds a girl in the barn and she announces that she is Virgo, an immortal constellation, it just seems part of the normal chaos but soon he is swept up in the Gods' hunt for prisoner 42, Thanatos, Daemon of Death.

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (2016)

Robot Roz opens up her eyes for the first time on a remote, wild island. She had no idea how she got there but she slowly befriends the animals on the island. One day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her. A fun, fast-moving story!

Realistic

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed (2018)

Life is quiet and ordinary in Amal’s Pakistani village, but she had no complaints, and besides, she’s busy pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher one day. Her dreams are temporarily dashed when–as the eldest daughter–she must stay home from school to take care of her siblings. Amal is upset, but she doesn’t lose hope and finds ways to continue learning. Then the unimaginable happens–after an accidental run-in with the son of her village’s corrupt landlord, Amal must work as his family’s servant to pay off her own family’s debt.

Ghost by Jason Reynolds (2016)

When basketball player Castle Cranshaw, nicknamed Ghost, challenges an elite sprinter to a race and wins, he finds himself on the radar of an Olympic medalist track coach who wants to nurture his raw talent. But Ghost's anger and determination to outrun his past, could stand in the way of finding success on the track.

In Case You Missed It by Sarah Darer Littmann (2016)

Sammy Wallach's plans for the end of her junior year include sneaking out to the city to see her favorite band and getting Jamie Moss to ask her to the faux prom, but when the international bank her father works for is hacked she suddenly finds her and her family's whole digital world, emails, photos, journal, exposed for everyone to see--and the repercussions are making all their lives a misery.

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty (2018)

Lucy Callahan was struck by lightning. She doesn't remember it, but it changed her life forever. The zap gave her genius-level math skills, and ever since, Lucy has been homeschooled. Now, at 12 years old, she's technically ready for college. She just has to pass 1 more test--middle school!

Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart (2017)

Twelve year old Jonathan Grisby has been sent to the Slabhenge Reformatory School for Troubled Boys, a former lunatic asylum which is currently run by a heartless man. Trapped on this island with a group of boys, he must learn how to survive and overcome a problem from his past.

Historical Fiction

Armstrong & Charlie by Steven B. Frank (2017)

During the pilot year of a Los Angeles school system integration program, two 6th grade boys (one black and one white), become best friends and learn to cope with bullies, the loss of loved ones and racial prejudice in the 1970s.

Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse (2016)

In 1943 Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, teenage Hanneke--a 'finder' of black market goods--is tasked with finding a Jewish girl a customer had been hiding, who has seemingly vanished into thin air, and is pulled into a web of resistance activities and secrets as she attempts to solve the mystery and save the missing girl.

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (2015)

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. (Newbery Honor Book)

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk (2016)

With World War II ragin overseas, Toby, a shell-shocked WWI veteran, patrols the hills outside of Wolf Hollow, Pennsylvania, and no one knows why. Everyone is scared of him, except for twelve-year-old Annabelle. When new girl Betty Glengarry tries to take Annabelle's money, Toby comes to her rescue and makes the bully leave. Then Betty accuses Toby of a crime he didn't commit, so Annabelle vows to clear Toby's name. (Newbery Honor Book)

Historical Fiction / Fantasy

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan (2015)

Lost in the Black Forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and finds himself entwined in a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica--and decades later, three children, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California, find themselves caught up in the same thread of destiny in the darkest days of the 20th Century. (Newbery Honor Book)

Flashback Four: The Titanic Mission by Dan Gutman (2017)

Four very different kids are picked by a mysterious billionaire to travel through time and photograph some of history's most important events. This time, Luke, Julia, David, and Isabel are headed to the deck of the doomed Titanic. Their mission? Capture a shot of the sinking ship, then come right back. Can they do it?

The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz (2016)

An exciting and hilarious medieval adventure. On a dark night, travelers from across France cross paths at an inn and begin to tell stories of three children. Their adventures take them on a chase through France: they are taken captive by knights, sit alongside a king, and save the land from a farting dragon.

Recommended Titles From the American Library Association

All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson, 2017 (graphic novel).

Have the lessons she has learned growing up in the Renaissance Faire prepared Imogene for her most difficult quest yet....starting middle school?

Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan, 2017.

Among prejudice and change, how do you stay true to yourself and blend in to a new community simultaneously?

Ashes to Asheville by Sarah Dooley, 2017.

Fella and her sister Zany take their deceased mother's ashes and run away to Asheville - the last place they were happy as a family - where they hope to scatter them as per her wishes.

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk, 2017.

Orphaned and determined to uncover her past, Crow sets sail on a journey of self-discovery.

Blood, Bullets, and Bones: The Story of Forensic Science from Sherlock Holmes to DNA by Bridget Heos, 2016.

A gruesome and fascinating account of the indispensable role forensic science plays in our criminal justice system.

Booked by Kwame Alexander, 2016.

The thrill of a soccer tournament, the pressure of family expectations, the social minefield of crushes and bullies, and the beauty of words are all explored in this exciting, extraordinary novel in verse.

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya, 2017.

A shady real estate developer threatens Arturo's Miami community. Can he help the neighborhood and stop being so awkward around his cute neighbor Carmen? Maybe Jose Marti can help.

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, 2017.

Ally struggles to hide her dyslexia by continually getting in trouble, until a substitute teacher discovers what she is really hiding.

Greetings from Witness Protection! by Jake Burt, 2017. Streetwise Nikki is plucked from foster care to help a family in trouble stay hidden; how far will she go to protect her newfound home?

Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel by Megan Morrison, 2015.

After leaving her tower for the first time, Rapunzel joins Jack Beanstalker on a perilous journey through the lands of Tyme. First in a series.

In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall III, illustrated by Jim Yellowhawk, 2015.

Jimmy McClean and his grandfather go on a road trip together in order for the boy to learn about his Lakota heritage. The

It All Comes Down to This by Karen English, 2017.

In Los Angeles during the summer of 1965, Sophie, an upper middle class African American girl, learns some hard truths about her family, about friendship, and about racism.

Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar, 2017.

After a move from Cuba to New York City, an unexpected accident traps Ruthy in a body cast for months, cutting her off from friends, school and fun, leading her to explore her world through art.

Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson, 2017.

Set in present day, rapidly gentrifying Portland, Oregon, Jade struggles to find her voice amid conflicting pressures. Literary allusions of collage art and the themes of making yourself out of the pieces of your life elevate this coming of age story.