Recommended Literature

Jack and his foster siblings, Ava and Matt, are not your typical kids—they’re geniuses. Well, Ava and Matt are. Ava speaks multiple languages and builds robots for fun, and Matt is an expert astronomer and math whiz. As for Jack, it’s hard to stand out when surrounded by geniuses all the time. Things get more complicated when the trio starts working for Dr. Hank Witherspoon, one of the world’s leading scientists. They travel to Antarctica with Hank for a prestigious award ceremony—but they quickly find that not all is as it seems: A scientist has gone missing. It’s up to Jack, Ava, and Matt to find her . . . and discover who’s behind it all.

It is Earth year 2213—but, of course, there is no Earth anymore. Not since it was burned to a cinder by the sun, which has mysteriously begun the process of going supernova. The human race has fled to Mars, but this was only a temporary solution while we have prepared for a second trip: a one-hundred-fifty-year journey to a distant star, our best guess at where we might find a new home. Liam Saunders-Chang is one of the last humans left on Mars. The son of two scientists who have been racing against time to create technology vital to humanity’s survival, Liam, along with his friend Phoebe, will be on the last starliner to depart before Mars, like Earth before it, is destroyed. Or so he thinks. Because before this day is over, Liam and Phoebe will make a series of profound discoveries about the nature of time and space and find out that the human race is just one of many in our universe locked in a dangerous struggle for survival.

Nikola Kross has given up on living in harmony with classmates and exasperated teachers: she prefers dabbling in experimental chemistry to fitting in. But when her life is axially inverted by a gang of extraterrestrials who kidnap her dad and attempt to recruit her into their service, she discovers he’s been keeping a world of secrets from her–including the school for geniuses where she’s sent for refuge, a place where classes like Practical Quantum Mechanics are the norm and where students use wormholes to commute to class. For Nikola, the hard part isn’t school, it’s making friends, especially when the student body isn’t (entirely) human. But the most puzzling paradox of all is Nikola herself, who has certain abilities that no one understands–abilities that put her whole school in greater danger than she could have imagined

“The Hunger Games” takes place in a futuristic version of the United States that’s now run by the wealthiest of all its districts: The Capitol. This tyrannical dictatorship puts on the annual Hunger Games, where kids are selected from each district at random to duke it out to the death. The Capitol organizes the games for its entertainment and to remind the people of the failed rebellions of the past. In other words, its leaders want to publicly demonstrate their power and freakish control. Sure, there’s some debate about this book because it’s about kids who are thrust into a futuristic arena where they fight each other to the death. Yes, it’s dark, but within this dystopian novel, there are also messages of hope and overcoming obstacles. Plus, the female hero, Katniss Everdeen, is an inspirational young girl who’s a positive role model for students of any age — and any gender. The story sparks lots of great discussions about human nature, rebelling for a cause, and the power of family and friendship.

“Divergent” is a trilogy that takes place within a futuristic society where people are grouped into factions according to their personalities to keep them under control. The protagonist, Tris, must go through a series of tests to join the risk-taking Dauntless group or else be relegated to the dreaded Factionless. This action-packed adventure explores the importance of family and adult authority, and is a coming-of-age story all in one. It’s also similar to “The Hunger Games”, so you’ll be hooked after reading the first book.

This 2005 hit follows Tally Youngblood, who lives in a futuristic society where, at the age of 16, everyone undertakes full-body plastic surgery to go from an “Ugly” to a “Pretty.” But after discovering some disturbing facts about this process, Tally refuses the procedure. So, does that mean she’ll remain an “Ugly” forever? This book remains popular with middle schoolers because adolescents are at that age of physical change and may get hung up on how they and others look. “Uglies” is a great read that tends to relate to many students and puts a whole new spin on the famous quote that “beauty is only skin deep.”

When her gorgeous friend Olivia falls for her super-cute neighbor, Kat is tasked with getting them together. Using her insider knowledge about Tyler due to their life-long friendship, Kat might just succeed. The only problem is that Kat is secretly harboring feelings for Tyler herself.

A middle grade book by the author of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. Annamarie is growing up in a Southern small town. Now that she's going into the 7th grade, everything seems to be changing. Her best friend, Mark, is hanging out with a new group of friends, The mean boy, Jack, keeps teasing her and she can't escape him. On top of that, her mom and dad are having a lot of issues at home.

Sheyda is a behind-the-scenes girl. She loves helping out in the kitchen of Doughlicious, the donut shop run by her best friend's family. And Sheyda loves designing stage sets while others performs in the spotlight. Then lights, camera . . . surprise! Tween heartthrob Cabe Sadler is filming his next movie in Doughlicious! Sheyda's outgoing BFF, Kiri, is sure this will lead to stardom, and perhaps a date with Cabe. But somehow it's Sheyda who gets picked for a small role in the film.To make matters worse, Cabe seems spoiled and rude. Too bad he's so cute. Can Sheyda overcome her stage fright, get to know the real Cabe, and find her own kind of stardom?

It’s the first real summer since the accident that killed Cedar’s father and younger brother, Ben. Cedar and what’s left of her family are returning to the town of Iron Creek for the summer. They’re just settling into their new house when a boy named Leo, dressed in costume, rides by on his bike. Intrigued, Cedar follows him to the renowned Summerlost theatre festival. Soon, she not only has a new friend in Leo and a job working concessions at the festival, she finds herself surrounded by mystery.

Clara can’t believe her no-nonsense grandmother has just up and moved to Florida, leaving Clara and her mother on their own for the first time. This means her mother can finally “follow her bliss,” which involves moving to a tiny apartment in Kensington Market, working at a herbal remedy shop and trying to develop her so-called mystical powers. Clara tries to make the best of a bad situation by joining the newspaper staff at her new middle school, where she can sharpen her investigative journalistic skills and tell the kind of hard-news stories her grandmother appreciated. But the editor relegates her to boring news stories and worse…the horoscopes.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention: Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing. Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher, and Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s
notorious gossip app. Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom alive. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. He died on a Monday. But that Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates. Now, all four of them are suspects in his murder. Are they guilty? Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

In Medieval China, twelve-year-old Li Jing is the daughter of a poor tea farmer. After a particularly bad harvest, she is sold as a bride to help her family survive. When she’s treated poorly by her new family and then sold into an even worse situation, Li Jing runs away with the help of a spider and a nightingale.

Based on the actual 1793 Yellow Fever epidemic in Philadelphia, fourteen-year-old Mattie Cook must deal with the death of her childhood playmate and the fever that’s overtaken the city down by the docks. At first the illness means prosperity to her family’s small business and makes Mattie dream about someday running her own coffee house. But then the fever spreads, threatening Mattie, her family, and the future she’s imagined for herself.

Esperanza lived a privileged life in Mexico, with a protective father, servants, and a closet full of beautiful dresses. But when her father dies, she and her mother must leave everything behind. They settle in a Californian camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza must learn to adjust to a life of hard physical labor. The poor working conditions cause many Mexican workers to strike. Esperanza believes in their cause, but also wants to earn enough money to bring her Abuelita to America.

Running. That’s all Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. But Ghost has been running for the wrong reasons—it all started with running away from his father, who, when Ghost was a very little boy, chased him and his mother through their apartment, then down the street, with a loaded gun, aiming to kill. Since then, Ghost has been the one causing problems—and running away from them—until he meets Coach, an ex-Olympic Medalist who sees something in Ghost: crazy natural talent. If Ghost can stay on track, literally and figuratively, he could be the best sprinter in the city.

Jordan’s days as star player for her school’s basketball team ended when an accident left her paralyzed from the waist down. Now, she’s still the team captain, but her competition days seem to be behind her…until an encounter with a mysterious elephant, who she names Marshmallow, helps Jordan discover a brand new sport. Will water polo be the way for Jordan to continue her athletic dreams–or will it just come between Jordan and her best friends on the basketball team? And with the big tournament right around the corner, what secret is Marshmallow hiding?

When a boy struggles after moving to a Japanese internment camp during WWII, baseball shows him another way to approach life.Sandy Saito is a happy boy who reads comic books and is obsessed with baseball — especially the Asahi team, the pride of his Japanese Canadian community. But when the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, his life, like that of every other North American of Japanese descent, changes forever. His family is forced to move to a remote internment camp, and his father must spend months away from them. Sandy, his mother and his brother cope as best they can with the difficulties at the camp. Over time, Sandy comes to realize that life is a lot like baseball. It’s about dealing with whatever is thrown at you, however you can. And it’s about finding your way home.