Our middle grade book spotlight this week is focused on books that are award winners!!! A few weeks ago, the ALA Youth Media Awards were held which is basically the Oscars for books! Held every year at the end of January, books win a variety of awards that range from the best book of the year to the best book with an exceptional portrayal of the Latino experience; there is even an award given to the best audiobook. We are taking a look at some of the 2022 winners from a variety of awards. We have realistic fiction all the way to fantasy and nonfiction. Reading award winners gives you an opportunity to read an amazing story that may be outside of your comfort zone, but you know you are in for one of the best. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #youthawardwinner (there are also tags available for each specific award; take a look for them at the bottom of the detailed record of each title or just ask for assistance at your library) as well as on Libby and Hoopla. Check back next week for a new Middle Grade book spotlight and if you have any book suggestions, please let us know!!
Stuntboy, In the Meantime by Jason Reynolds--Portico Reeves has an alter ego he calls Stuntboy, whose superpower is keeping the people of Skylight Gardens apartment "castle" safe through any means necessary, like falling down the stairs to save an elderly resident from slipping. Like any superhero, Stuntboy has a nemesis named Herbert Singletary the Worst, a supportive ally, Zola, and a tough challenge he must solve, his parents constant fighting. When the fights start up, Stuntboy jumps into action, flopping down on the floor and blowing salt-and-vinegar chips if necessary. But lately, it seems his superpowers are failing on his parents and it's causing his worry wiggles to grow.
Fallout by Steve Sheinkin--This historical account describes the tense relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War era. Outlines the machinations of the spies each country employed to derail and discover the plans of the other, the build-up of nuclear arms, preparedness drills, and face-offs, such as the Cuban Missile crisis.
Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh--Middle school student Junie Kim turns inward and becomes depressed after enduring the taunts of a school bus bully and a racist incident happens at school. While working on a school assignment to interview a family elder, Junie learns of her Korean grandparents' sufferings and courage during the Korean War and learns to unpack her own courage to face the racism surrounding her.
The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera--As the daughter of prominent scientists, twelve-year-old Petra Peñs is among the select few boarding a spaceship to another planet before Earth is decimated by a comet. Petra doesn't take after her parents though, she wants to be a professional storyteller like her grandmother. When she wakes centuries later, she realizes that her family and other passengers have no recollections of Earth or what life was like there. After learning that a dangerous cult known as the Collective is responsible, Petra knows it's up to her to preserve the memories of the past.
Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff--Facing a difficult summer without a beloved uncle who recently passed away, eleven-year-old Bug begins to notice the strange-than-usual millings of the ghosts in the family's rural Vermont home. Complicating matters, Bug's best friend Moira insists that the pair give themselves a makeover for the summer to prepare for middle school. That means testing out makeup and deciding which boys they have crushes on. Bug, however, doesn't feel comfortable with the agenda and worries when a spirit seems intent on delivering a message. Slowly, Bug begins to realize that even though Moira sees him as a girl, he's really a boy and maybe the ghost's message, however scary, might be worth hearing.
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford--A picture book that sensitively examines the racial massacre in the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921. The book describes the residents of the prosperous African American community, and what happened when a white mob attacked and destroyed the town.