Melleny's Picks for Middle School - Summer 2023Like this list

25 items

• At Midnight

  Fifteen Beloved Fairy Tales Reimagined

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  This collection of 15 stories, written by acclaimed YA authors, take classic fairy tales in creative new directions to be more modern, diverse, and inclusive. The original fairy tales are included in the back in case you're not familiar…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Batter Royale

  Adams, Leisl,

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  A small-town teenager gets offered a spot on an intense baking competition. For ten days, she and her friend must deal with bizarre challenges and cutthroat competitors as they try to win the half-million-dollar prize. Includes recipes!

• Bhai for Now

  Siddiqui, Maleeha,

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  Two identical twins, who know nothing of each other, meet in middle school and create a plot to switch places so each can get to know the parent and life they've missed out on. Parent Trap with a modern, more realistic twist.

• Bright

  Young, Brigit,

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  To avoid failing 8th grade, Marianne joins the school's smartest kids on the Quiz Quest team for extra credit. The only problem is that she is incapable of learning anything. Or, at least that's what she thinks until she makes a new group…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Clackity

  Senf, Lora,

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  In this truly creepy tale, Evie is sent on a dangerous journey through a supernatural maze by an evil creature called the Clackity. She is in a race to find and rescue her aunt before the ghost of a serial killer can catch up to them both.

• Dead Flip

  Farizan, Sara, 1984-

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  In 1987, 12-year-old Sam mysteriously disappears. Six years later, he suddenly reappears, but he's still 12 years old. He enlists the help of his former best friends to fight the evil that took him. But there's something not quite right…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• DPS Only!

  Kong, Xiao Tong,

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  Vicky is a talented gamer, but she hides her identity to avoid competing with her superstar gamer older brother, and to avoid the misogyny of the e-sports world. But when she gets the chance to compete in a local tournament, she can't…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Enemies

  Chmakova, Svetlana, 1979-

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  Desperate to prove that her high achieving sister is wrong about her, Felicity enters a school contest to prove she can get things done. Obsessed with winning the contest, Felicity's best friends start to become her enemies, and she…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Invisible

  Gonzalez, Christina Diaz, 1969-

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  Five kids are lumped together for a community service project at school by educators who assume they are all the same because they all speak Spanish, but they feel like they have nothing in common with each other. When they come across…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Playing Through the Turnaround

  Larsen, Mylisa,

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  A group of students, fearing that their music program will be the victim of school budget cuts, can't get the adults in charge to listen to their concerns. Desperate to save their class and their beloved teacher's job, they come up with a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Queen of the Tiles

  Hanna Alkaf,

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  One year ago, Trina died unexpectedly during a Scrabble tournament. A year later, her best friend Najwa is finally re-entering the world of Scrabble when Trina's Instagram account starts posting cryptic messages. Was Trina's death a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Rain Rising

  Comrie, Courtne,

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  When Rain's all-star athlete brother Xander, her personal superhero, is the victim of a brutal beating, she has to come to terms with her own depression, trauma, and low self-esteem. An after-school group could help, but does she have the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Show Us Who You Are

  McNicoll, Elle,

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  Cora is fine being autistic, especially after she meets Adrien, who truly understands what it's like to be different. But when Adrien is in an accident that puts him in a coma, she is devastated. A scientist offers Cora the chance to talk…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Stateless

  Wein, Elizabeth,

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  In 1937, Stella is one of 12 young pilots chosen to participate in an air race to promote peace in Europe. But when someone starts sabotaging the races, she has to decide who she can trust and who is capable of murder, so she can solve the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Sunbearer Trials

  Thomas, Aiden,

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  When he's unexpectedly chosen to compete in the dangerous Sunbearer Trials, Teo must compete against much more powerful demigods who have been training their whole lives. The stakes are high, as the last place competitor gets sacrificed to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• This Is Our Place

  Martins, Vitor, 1991-

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  One house, three teens, three decades. In the year 2000, Ana learns she has to leave behind all that she loves. In 2010, Greg tries to help his aunt save the video rental store she runs out of her garage. In 2020, Beto navigates the stress…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Unraveller

  Hardinge, Frances,

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  In a world where anyone can place a life-destroying curse on anyone else, Kellen may be the only person with the ability to "unravel" these curses. But it turns out his unravelling talent is as much a curse as a gift, and he is in danger…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Worlds We Leave Behind

  Harrold, A. F., 1975-

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  Hex is enraged at the unfairness of life and finds an old woman who offers him a deal for revenge. She gives him the chance to have the person who wronged him removed from the world, forgotten forever. But Hex doesn't realize that someone…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A First Time for Everything

  a True Story

  Santat, Dan,

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  13-year-old Dan reluctantly goes on a 3-week school trip to Europe. Despite his initial resistance to leaving his small town and comfortable isolation, he ends of experiencing a series of firsts that change his life and how he views…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Great G.O.A.T. Debate

  the Best of the Best in Everything From Sports to Science

  Volponi, Paul,

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  The author debates who is the Greatest Of All Time in a wide variety of categories. Would you pick LeBron James or Michael Jordan? Mario Bros. or Pac-Man? Marie Curie or Albert Einstein?