Sisters Mattie and Olive are inseparable but couldn't be more different. One thinks in words, and the other in pictures. This makes for a playful (yet serious) tale as each shares their part of the story differently: Mattie with doodles and drawings, graphic novel style, and Olive with free verse poetry and her specially created crossword puzzles.Transcript here
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118. Invisible The Sort of True Story of Me & My Hidden Disease David Soren
Hilariously written about a serious topic! J.J. is living with a hidden disease, Chron's. In this story, the disease is an actual character (funny and sarcastic) named Norm--a 7 foot ogre and motorcycle gang member. Filled with tons of illustrations, middle grade readers will LOVE it. Transcript here
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117. Speechless Aaron Nels Steinke
Mira has ONE big goal for her 6th grade year: start talking at school. A talented stop motion film producer, Mira is comfortable creating in her bedroom/studio/sanctuary. But social situations cause anxiety and the inability to speak. A serious story with many comical moments. Readers gain insight into situational mutism. Transcript here
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116. Spark Chris Baron
Living in California, 8th graders Finn and Rabbit are not strangers to wildfire danger. It's not IF, rather WHEN. And, when one devastates their community, these two friends think they know the cause and are ready to use their voice to tell others. Will the community listen?Transcript here
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115. The Trouble With Heroes Kate Messner
Overcome with grief over his father's death, 7th grader Finn is given a chance to make amends for an act of vandalism by hiking the 46 highest peaks of the Adirondack Mountains.Transcript here
In this cafe, I serve up books written mostly for middle school students and young adults. I'll provide enough information to help you decide if a story is right for the young readers you serve, but I won't give away all of the details just in case you want to read it, too. And, I sure hope you do.
South Africa