MS English 

Janet Sumner Johnson

Thirteen-year-old twins Hope and Gordon join a high-stakes spelling bee hosted by their wealthy, estranged relatives, the Wintertons, to save their family from eviction.

As they advance to the finals at the luxurious Winterton Chalet, Hope is determined to beat the snobbish family and leave.

However, a hidden clue hunt set up by the late matriarch, Jane Winterton, reveals an alternate path to the fortune they need. With others also hunting for clues, the competition heats up, and dark family secrets threaten to explode.

Sally J. Pla

Neurodivergent Maudie looks forward to summers with her dad, but this year, she's hiding a dark secret about her stepdad that her mom forbade her to share.

When a wildfire forces her and her father to evacuate to a beach town, Maudie struggles with more change. She also desperately wants to learn how to surf, but wonders if she could ever be brave enough.

As Maudie navigates unfamiliar waters, she makes friends—and her autism no longer feels like the big deal her mom makes it out to be. But her secret is still threatening to sink her.

Will Maudie find the strength to reveal the awful truth—and maybe even find a way to live with her dad permanently—before summer is over?

Dan Santat

Despite being a well-behaved kid who helps his mom and avoids trouble, Dan is often bullied and feels invisible. His low expectations for a class trip to Europe are initially met when he’s stuck with the same bullies.

However, as he explores Europe, Dan’s experiences—from trying new foods like Fanta and fondue to unexpected adventures like stealing a bike from German punk rockers and discovering first love—spark a personal transformation. 

This funny, heartwarming, and poignant graphic memoir by bestselling author Dan Santat celebrates the challenges and life-changing moments of adolescence.

Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin

Time is running out for Sami and Yuki.

Sami and his grandfather live in a village along the Indian Ocean. They earn their living by fishing. But the ocean is rising and each day they bring back fewer and fewer fish.

Yuki lives in the far north of Canada where warming temperatures are melting the ice. Polar bears have less food to hunt and are wandering into town looking for something to eat. Yuki is determined to do something to help.

This compelling graphic novel follows two courageous children as they face the alarming effects of climate change.

Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman

When fourteen-year-old Noah falls from the trees onto his classmate Sahara, he doesn’t understand how, or why, he would have been up there. It’s just one more in a string of strange things happening to Noah lately.

Like when he keels over and every muscle in his body freezes when confronted by bullies. And when he vanishes into the background at a moment he doesn’t want to be noticed. And when he unexpectedly blasts Sahara with a bird shriek while flapping his arms uncontrollably in the middle of a school dance. What does it all mean? And why do there suddenly seem to be so many mysterious people trying to kill him?

Noah’s friend Ogden has an idea…but like all of Ogden’s ideas, it’s out there. Way out there…

Jennifer A. Nielsen

Hazel Rothbury is traveling all alone from her home in England aboard the celebrated ship Titanic. Following her father's death, Hazel’s mother sends her to the US to work in a factory, so that she can send money back home to support her family.

But Hazel has other dreams: she wants to be a journalist, and she knows if she can write and sell a story about the Titanic's maiden voyage, she could earn enough money to support her family and avoid factory work.

As Hazel explores the ship with the help of a porter and a first-class passenger, she uncovers a haunting mystery that soon becomes a fight for survival when the Titanic strikes an iceberg.

Caught in the terror of the sinking ship, Hazel must navigate danger to save herself and her friends.

Katherine Rundell

The day Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever. It’s the day he learned about the Archipelago, a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years—until now. And it’s the day he met Mal, a girl on the run who desperately needs his help.

Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure across many islands, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying. They consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the closer they get to the dark truth of what’s happening, the clearer it becomes: no one else can fix this.

If the Archipelago is to be saved, Mal and Christopher will have to do it themselves.

Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Ysolda has lived her life in the shadow of the wolf queen's tyrannical rule, but, safe in her forest haven, she has never truly felt its threat.

Until one day when a mysterious earthquake shakes the land and her older sister Hari vanishes in its wake.

Accompanied by her loyal sea hawk, Nara, Ysolda embarks on a desperate rescue mission. But when she is forced to strike a bargain with the wolf queen herself, she soon finds herself embroiled in a quest for a magic more powerful—and more dangerous—than she could ever have imagined...

Julie Lee

Myung-gi knows war is coming between North and South Korea. Life in communist North Korea has become more and more unbearable—there is no freedom of speech, movement, association, or thought—and his parents have been carefully planning the family’s escape.

But when his father is abducted by the secret police, all those plans fall apart. How can Myung-gi leave North Korea without his dad? Especially when he believes that the abduction was his fault?

With only each other, Myung-gi, his mother, and his twelve-year-old sister Yoomee do everything they can to protect one another. But gentle, quiet, Myung-gi has plans to find his father at any cost—even if it means joining the army and being sent to the front lines, where his deepest fears await him.

Johan Rundberg

In 1880 Stockholm, twelve-year-old Mika faces a harsh winter at her orphanage. But at least the notorious serial killer the Night Raven is finally off the streets...or is he?

As the city shivers, a new mystery emerges when a newborn baby is left at the orphanage by a boy with a cryptic message. The boy's mention of a "Dark Angel" and the arrival of a detective spark Mika’s curiosity and fear.

When Detective Hoff recruits her to assist in a grisly murder investigation, Mika sees an unexpected opportunity. Despite knowing she should steer clear of danger, Mika is driven by the chance to make a difference and find a purpose in a world that offers her little hope.

Could this investigation be her chance to matter? Could this new mystery mean that the Night Raven has returned?

Sarah Everett

Eleven-year-old Kemi Carter loves scientific facts, specifically probability. It's how she understands the world and her place in it. Kemi knows her odds of being born were 1 in 5.5 trillion, and that the odds of her having the best family ever were even lower. Yet somehow, Kemi lucked out.

But Kemi finds her world upended when an asteroid named Amplus-68 threatens Earth. With a collision 84.7% likely in four days, Kemi struggles with the idea that her perfect life might soon end.

As the asteroid looms, Kemi decides to create a time capsule to capture her family’s spirit—her mother’s creativity, her sister’s curiosity, and her father’s importance to her. With time running out, Kemi must confront the painful reality of saying goodbye.

Jackie French

In 1917, sixteen-year-old Jean McLain wins a Morse code competition and is recruited by the British army to become a secret signaller in France. Her job is crucial for maintaining communication between the war front and headquarters.

Decades later, an elderly woman on a motorbike shares her story with a young man she rescues from a flood. She recounts her time as "the telegraph girl," the friends she lost, the man who loved her, and the unexpected happiness she found. She also explains the role the army played in trying to erase the contributions of countless courageous women and girls from history.

Based on true events, this tale of bravery and loyalty reveals the once hidden contributions of women working behind the scenes in World War One.

Waka T. Brown

In this magical retelling of the Japanese folktale “The Melon Princess and the Amanjaku,” twelve-year-old Melony Yoshimura rebels against her overprotective parents, who warn her about the demonic Amanjaku. On her birthday, Melony’s wish for freedom summons the Amanjaku, who initially enchants her with its shape-shifting powers and promises of adventure.

But as Melony becomes entangled in the demon’s tricks, she realizes that its friendship comes with a dark cost. The Amanjaku begins to manipulate every aspect of her life, threatening her family and community.

Determined to reclaim her freedom and save those she loves, Melony must confront the demon before it completely upends her world.

Dan Smith

Berlin, 1961

Anja and Monika live across the street from each other. They play together every day with Otto the cat.

One night, they wake to bangs and shouts. Soldiers are building a huge barbed wire fence between them. A terrible wall that gets longer and higher until it divides the entire city.

On the East side, Monika is scared—neighbors are becoming spies and there are secret police everywhere.

It's Anja who spots that Otto has found a way across. If he can visit Monika, then perhaps she can, too.

But Anja gets trapped on the other side of the wall and quickly realizes that there's no safe way back...

Jarrett Lerner

In this touching story told through prose, verse, and illustration, young Will grapples with body image issues in a school full of thin kids. Hiding behind baggy clothes and avoiding the cafeteria, Will feels isolated and ashamed. He’s also got a crush on a girl named Jules who he knows he doesn’t have a chance with, because of his size—but he can’t help wondering what if?

Determined to change, Will tries to improve his eating and exercise habits, but his progress is slow and discouraging.

As he resorts to drastic measures to alter his appearance, he meets skateboarder Markus, who helps Will see his body as a work in progress and leads him down a journey of self-acceptance.