We have finally reached the end of 2020 and it is now time to start setting those goals and thinking about what we want to accomplish in the next year. If you have a goal to read more books or even just to finish one, then this week’s middle grade book spotlight is perfect to help you jumpstart that mission. Our middle grade book spotlight this week is on chapter books that are the first books in a series!! I think one of the best ways to find yourself reading more is to fall in love with a series that has multiple titles. Some of the series we are featuring today are ones that are completed so you can read through nonstop and then we have some others that are still in progress; we have sports, realistic, mythology inspired, historical, fantasy, and end of the world meeting humor just to get you started. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #youthfirstseries 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!!
Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshanu Chokshi--Aru Shah attends a private middle school where she is desperate to fit in with her jet-setting classmates. But while they vacation, Aru is stuck spending break at the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture where her mother is the curator. So Aru makes her life seem more interesting with a few lies. But when three of her classmates come to the museum and catch her in her lies, Aru attempts to appease them by taking their dare to light the supposedly cursed Lamp of Bharata. She couldn't have known she'd awaken an ancient demon and freeze her mother and classmates in time. Now Aru must stop the demon before it's too late.
Ghost by Jason Reynolds--If they can get their acts together, Ghost, Lu, Patina, and Sunny—four kids with widely different backgrounds and explosive personalities—could potentially become their middle school track team's elite squad, and maybe even qualify for the Junior Olympics. Ghost has outstanding natural talent, but no formal training, and his discipline is lacking ever since his father chased him and his mother out of the house. He will have to do everything he can to stay on track, physically and figuratively, to be the best sprinter in the city.
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins--When Gregor's toddler sister, Boots, accidentally tumbles into an air duct in the laundry room, he follows after her, and the pair find themselves in an entirely different world. Desperate to leave the foreign "Underland," where humans are overpowered by giant rats, cockroaches and bats, Gregor starts to plan their escape. But before he has a chance to leave, rumors start to circulate through the Underland--is Gregor the liberator (or overlander) the trapped humans have been waiting for? Is Gregor's missing father being held hostage by vicious rats?
The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan--They have always scared him in the past—the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied. . . .
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko--In 1935, twelve-year-old Moose and his family move to Alcatraz Island, where his father has taken a job as an electrician for the prison in hopes of sending Moose's autistic sister, Natalie, to a special school in San Francisco. However, Natalie is denied admittance to the school, and her care consumes much of their mother's time. Since his father is always working, Moose's unhappiness and loneliness grow, until he becomes friends with the warden's captivating daughter, Piper. Piper persuades moose to join her in a scheme to swindle their classmates: "Get your clothes laundered by Al Capone only 5 cents." Although Piper gets Moose in trouble, their friendship also helps Moose through his family difficulties.
The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier--When a “Monster Apocalypse” strikes, 13-year-old Jack Sullivan holes up in a tree house fortified with catapults and a moat. With a stockpile of Oreos and Mountain Dew taken from abandoned stores, Jack's team of survivors—including his best friend, the school bully, his crush, and his pet monster—must fight off Winged Wretches, Vine Thingies, and hoards of “zombified” neighbors in order to survive. As a foster child, Jack is used to conflict, but killing the ultimate monster known as Blarg will be the greatest challenge of his life.