It's finally the last week of school here in Shanghai! The weather is hot and ridiculously-humid (like 95 degrees with 90% humidity, no joke). In one week, our sweet-but-naughty puppy goes to puppy camp-n-train while we fly off for six weeks in the USA. First stop: Connecticut to visit my sisters, nieces, nephew, brother-in-law, and my dad. I can't wait to see everyone!
![]( "It's finally the last week of school here in Shanghai! The weather is hot and ridiculously-humid (like 95 degrees with 90% humidity, no joke). In one week, our sweet-but-naughty puppy goes to puppy camp-n-train while we fly...")
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YOUNG ADULT (GRADES 7+):
![]() ![]() | A Thousand Beginnings and Endings (various authors)
Looking for diversity? This is a short story collection that includes Asian mythology stories of star-crossed lovers, meddling immortals, feigned identities, battles of wits, and dire warnings. The fifteen authors are: Renee Ahdieh, Sona Charaipotra, Preeti Chhibber, Roshani Chokshi, Aliette de Bodard, Melissa de la Cruz, Julie Kagawa, Rahul Kanakia, Lori M. Lee, E. C. Myers, Cindy Pon, Aisha Saeed, Shveta Thakrar, and Alyssa Wong. Recommended for Grades 8-12. Kirkus and SLJ starred. Short stories, folklore, retellings, Asian mythology. |
![]() ![]() | Wild Blue Wonder (Carlie Sorosiak)
Last June, the summer camp Quinn's family owns in Winship, Maine, was still a magical place. A place where wild blueberries grew no matter the season, a legendary sea monster lurked in the waters, and Quinn fell in love with her best friend, Dylan. Then the accident happened. Now it's winter, the magic has drained from Quinn's life, and she knows it's her fault. But the new boy in town, Alexander, doesn't see her as the monster she believes herself to be. As Quinn lets herself open up again, she begins to understand the truth about love, loss, and monsters--real and imagined. Recommended for Grades 8+. Booklist starred. Realistic fiction, romance. |
![]() ![]() | The Museum of Us (Tara Wilson Redd)
Debut author! Sadie loves her rocker boyfriend Henry and her running partner and best friend Lucie, but no one can measure up to her truest love and hero, the dazzling and passionate George. George, her secret. When something goes wrong and Sadie is taken to the hospital calling out for George, her hidden life may be exposed. Now she must confront the truth of the past, and protect a world she is terrified to lose. Recommended for Grades 9+. Realistic fiction, mental health. |
![]() ![]() | The Orphan's Wish (Melanie Dickerson)
Orphaned and alone, Aladdin travels from the streets of his Arab homeland to a strange, faraway place. Growing up in an orphanage, he meets young Lady Kirstyn, whose father is the powerful Duke of Hagenheim. Despite the difference in their stations, Aladdin quickly becomes Kirstyn’s favorite companion, and their childhood friendship grows into a bond that time and opposition cannot break. SLJ recommends Grades 9-12, but I have read many in this series, and I think they are perfect for middle school. Christian fiction, retelling, historical fiction, romance. |
![]() ![]() | The Game of Hope (Sandra Gulland)
Paris, 1798. Hortense de Beauharnais is engrossed in her studies at a boarding school for aristocratic girls, most of whom have suffered tragic losses during the tumultuous days of the French Revolution. She loves to play and compose music, read and paint, and daydream about Christophe, her brother's dashing fellow officer. But Hortense is not an ordinary girl. Her mother, Josephine, has married Napoleon Bonaparte, soon to become the most powerful man in France. Recommended for Grades 9-12. Historical fiction, French Revolution. |
![]() ![]() | The Fragile Ordinary (Samantha Young)
People expect extraordinary things from a girl named Comet. But introverted, bookish Comet Caldwell has never wanted to be the center of attention. She can't wait to graduate from her high school in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the only place she ever feels truly herself is on her anonymous poetry blog. When new student Tobias King blazes in from America and shakes up the school, Comet thinks she's got the bad boy figured out. Until they're thrown together for a class assignment and begin to form an unlikely connection. Recommended for Grades 9-12. Romance. |
![]() ![]() | The Ruinous Sweep (Tim Wynne-Jones)
On the night Donovan Turner is thrown out of a car on a highway in the middle of nowhere, he can barely remember his own name, let alone the past twenty-four hours. Where is he? Where is his girlfriend, Bee? In an attempt to flag down the next passing car, he startles the driver, causing a fatal accident. With sirens in the distance and the lingering feeling that he's running from something -- or someone -- Donovan grabs the dead driver's briefcase and flees. Meanwhile, Bee is fighting for Dono's life every bit as much as he is. But when the police show up and hint that he is the prime suspect in a murder, Bee is determined to put together the pieces of what happened and clear his name. Recommended for Grades 8-11. Publishers Weekly and SLJ starred. Mystery. |
![]() ![]() | Now You See Her (Rachel Vincent, Laura Stropki)
When a man tries to abduct Amelia after her car breaks down during a storm, Amelia attempts to escape--into incoming traffic. And in one inexplicable moment, she switches bodies with her tennis teammate Sophie, a "perfect" girl Amelia barely knows. Now Amelia needs to find a way back into her own life--but first, she must retrace her steps to unravel the mystery of the accident, her attempted abduction, and how it's all tied to her mother's secret past. Recommended for Grades 8-12. Thriller, mystery. |
![]() ![]() | Your Destination Is On the Left (Lauren Spieller)
Debut author! Seventeen-year old Dessa Rhodes is a modern day nomad, living in a traveling RV caravan with her family. Among them is Cyrus, her best friend and long-time crush, whom she knows she can never be with. When your families are perpetually linked, it's too dangerous to take a risk on romance. Instead, Dessa looks to the future. She wants to be a real artist and going to art school is her ticket to success and a new life. Recommended for Grades 9-12. Realistic fiction, romance, art. |
![]() ![]() | One Small Thing (Erin Watt)
Beth's life hasn't been the same since her sister died. Her parents try to lock her down, believing they can keep her safe by monitoring her every move. When Beth sneaks out one night and meets the new guy in town, Chase, she's thrilled to make a secret friend. It seems like a small thing, just for her. Only Beth doesn't know how big her secret really is...Fresh out of juvie and determined to start his life over, Chase has demons to face and much to atone for, including his part in the night Beth's sister died. Recommended for Grades 9-12. Romance, grief. |
![]() ![]() | Learning to Breathe (Janice Lynn Mather)
Debut author! Sixteen-year old Indira Ferguson has done her best to live by her Grammy's rules--to study hard in school, be respectful, and to never let a boy take advantage of her. But it hasn't always been easy, especially while living in her mother's shadow. When Indy is sent to live with distant relatives in Nassau, trouble follows her. Now she must hide an unwanted pregnancy from her aunt, who would rather throw Indy out onto the street than see the truth. Recommended for Grades 9-12. SLJ starred. Realistic fiction, coming of age, teen pregnancy.
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THIS WEEK'S SEQUELS (YA):![photo 9900cc-blog-line.png]()
MIDDLE GRADES (GRADES 4-7):
![]() ![]() | Drum Roll, Please (Lisa Jenn Bigelow)
Melly only joined the school band because her best friend, Olivia, begged her to. But to her surprise, quiet Melly loves playing the drums. It’s the only time she doesn’t feel like a mouse. Now she and Olivia are about to spend the next two weeks at Camp Rockaway, jamming under the stars in the Michigan woods. Recommended for Grades 4-8. Publishers Weekly and SLJ starred. Realistic fiction, music, summer camp. |
![]() ![]() | She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah) (Ann Hood)
The year is 1966. The Vietnam War rages overseas, the Beatles have catapulted into stardom, and twelve-year-old Rhode Island native Trudy Mixer is notthrilled with life. Her best friend, Michelle, has decided to become a cheerleader, everyone at school is now calling her Gertrude (her hated real name), and the gem of her middle school career, the Beatles fan club, has dwindled down to only three other members--the least popular kids at school. And at home, her workaholic father has become even more distant. Determined to regain her social status and prove herself to her father, Trudy looks toward the biggest thing happening worldwide- the Beatles. Recommended for Grades 5-8. Historical fiction. |
![]() ![]() | The Scroll of Kings (Sarah Prineas)
The Lost Books, book 1. The powerful Lost Books at the palace library are infecting the rest with an evil magic, and two unlikely friends must figure out who, or what, is controlling the books and their power. If they can’t, the entire kingdom could be at risk. Recommended for Grades 3-8. Fantasy. |
![]() ![]() | The Language of Spells (Garret Weyr, Katie Harnett)
Grisha the dragon is born in the Black Forest in 1803, the last year any dragon was born, and while young he was trapped by the emperor's sorcerer, and turned into a teapot, which was frustrating but kept him alive while magic and other dragons were disappearing--until one day he meets Maggie, a poet's daughter, and the two of them set out to discover what happened to all the other dragons. Illustrated. Recommended for Grades 3-7. Booklist and Kirkus starred. Fantasy, adventure, dragons. |
![]() ![]() | The Jamie Drake Equation (Christopher Edge)
Jamie Drake's dad is orbiting Earth in the International Space Station. Jamie thinks it's cool, and he's proud of his dad, but he also really misses him. Hanging out at the local observatory one day, Jamie is surprised when he picks up a strange signal on his phone. Could it be aliens? Are they closer to our planet than anyone realizes? With his dad in space, Jamie feels he has no choice but to investigate on his own. Recommended for Grades 4-7. Kirkus starred. Science fiction, outer space. |
![]() ![]() | Unsinkable: From Russian Orphan to Paralympic Swimming World Champion (Jessica Long)
Born in Siberia with fibular hemimelia, Jessica Long was adopted from a Russian orphanage at thirteen months old and has since become the second most decorated U.S. Paralympic athlete of all time. Now, Jessica shares all the moments in her life--big and small, heartbreaking and uplifting--that led to her domination in the Paralympic swimming world. Recommended for Grades 5-8. Booklist starred. Nonfiction, memoir. |
THIS WEEK'S SEQUELS (MIDDLE GRADES):![photo 9900cc-blog-line.png]()
This list also appears on my New Releases--Weekly Board on Pinterest:
