Our middle grade book spotlight this week is focused on books that are written by authors living right here in the state of Virginia!! We are incredibly fortunate that we have some amazing and talented authors living in our state; some even live right where we live! Our spotlight today is filled with names you may have heard of before and some you may have not, but you will now. We have an amazing selection from graphic novel titles to mystery and humor; our state’s authors literally have something for everyone so we encourage you to check out one today! These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #virginiachildrensauthor 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!!
Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke--Jack is probably the only kid in the world who dreads the arrival of summer. Summertime is when his single mother takes a second job, leaving Jack at home to take care of Maddy, his autistic kid sister. It's a lot of responsibility, but it is also boring, because Maddy never talks. However, this summer is different. While walking through a flea market, Maddy tells Jack to trade their mother's car for a box of mysterious seeds. What a wonderful mistake! What begins as a normal little garden grows up into a magical jungle, with pink pumpkins that bite and little onion babies running free everywhere! One moonlit night, a dragon even shows up …
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda--Sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn by their weird classmate Dwight, as they try to figure out whether or not the puppet can really predict the future.
El Deafo by Cece Bell--Making friends at school can be hard enough, but making friends with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest is a job for a superhero. Luckily Cece, who lost her hearing after a bout of meningitis at age four, is able to rise above her awkward situation by inventing a cape-wearing alter ego named El Deafo, who recognizes the humor (and hidden benefits) of wearing a powerful receiver that picks up every single thing the teacher says ... anywhere in the school.
The Paper Cowboy by Kristin Levine--Tommy thinks himself a cowboy, but living outside of Chicago in 1953, all he really is, is a bully. His mom is abusive to both him and his sisters, and Tommy takes it out on his classmates, especially the new fat kid, Sam. When Tommy is caught stealing from Sam's dad's store, he takes a communist newspaper and plants it in the store. Someone finds it, and soon Sam's dad is branded as a communist and his store loses business. Tommy's conscience gets the best of him, and he uses the opportunity to find out who really subscribes to the communist newspaper and maybe become a real hero in his community.
Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer: The Abduction--When his best friend disappears from her bedroom in the middle of the night, thirteen-year-old Theo uses his legal knowledge and investigative skills to chase down the truth and save April.
Brotherhood by A.B. Westrick--This historical piece tells the story of 14-year-old Shadrach, who lives in Richmond, Virginia, with his widowed mother and older brother, Jeremiah. It's 1867, and although the Civil War has ended, racial tensions are still rising. When he's not working as an apprentice to a tailor, Shadrach accompanies Jeremiah to Ku Klux Klan meetings. However, Shadrach's conscious nags at him. Can Shadrach justify what he's been taught by the KKK, or will his experiences with Rachel, a freed slave who teaches him how to read, and George Nelson, a carpet bagger with progressive ideas, show him otherwise and reveal the ramifications of discrimination?