Star Splitter By Matthew J. KirbyThe year is 2199 and people can visit deep space, because teleportation is possible. Jessica is going to be with her parents for a year on a planet that has been designated Carver 1061c, to examine it for possible habitation by humans. But she isn't happy about it. She wants to stay on Earth, with her grandparents and her friends. Still, she doesn't appear to have a choice. When she wakes up though, it isn't on the ship, orbiting the planet, but it is on...
It Found Us by Lindsay CurrieIt started out as a harmless game of hide and seek in the local graveyard, but Hazel and her brother, Den, realize quickly, there is nothing normal about the graveyard, or maybe who is buried there. When Den's best friend disappears during the game, the race is on to figure out where he is and if they can get him back!Recommended for grades 6 and up.
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey LeeWhen Jo loses her job, unexpectedly, at the milliner's hat shop, she isn't sure what she will do next for employment. After all, she and Old Gin need her wages to help them keep them going. Luckily, they don't have to worry about where they live, since they have been squatting in the basement of a printing shop for all of Jo's life. The owners of the print shop have no idea that Jo and Old Gin have been there for years, but when she hears the owners might have...
Iveliz Explains It All by Andrea Beatriz ArangoThis is it! A new school year full of new opportunities - like making good grades again, and maybe making some new friends even though she has a great one in her friend Amir, and this year, she will not get into any trouble at school. Well, these are all goals that Iveliz has for herself as she starts seventh grade, but having them come true is a bit harder than she ever imagined. She is struggling with the fact that her grandmother has come to l...
Impossible Escape by Steve SheinkinFor Rudi, escape was all he thought about. Escape and getting information about what was actually happening in the concentration camps in Europe out to the world. After all, how could people really know just how awful things were in Poland and some of the other countries where the Nazis had established these killing centers. For Greta, it was all about trying to stay out of the concentration camps, and avoid being rounded up. For both Rudi and Greta, time is...
The Canyon's Edge by Dusti BowlingWhen Nora and her father set out on a hike to a canyon they have never visited before, Nora is hopeful. After all, this year has been awful. First, to lose her mom on her birthday to a shooter has been horrific, but then to see her father change from a confident outgoing person, to someone afraid of everything, has been incredibly hard. The fact that he has removed himself from the world is bad, but he wants to remove Nora from it as well and so when she asks...
In the Same Boat by Holly GreenIt is redemption time, at least that is how Sadie feels after wanting to quit the Texas River Odyssey with her dad last year. They didn't quit, but they did have to pull out after Sadie was injured during the race. She figures that she will do better this year since she is teaming up with her older brother, Tanner, because her dad has decided that last year would be his final year of racing. Sadie is determined to do well this year, but when Tanner bails o...
Once in a Blue Moon by Sharon FlakeOne night, James Henry and his mom were at the lighthouse and then something happened that made James Henry scared. Very scared. So scared that he doesn't like to leave the house because who knows what could happen to him and to other people too. He used to have no problem being outside, but now everything feels too much, including school. Luckily, his twin sister Hattie is there to help him along.But when a new girl moves to town and starts taking Hattie aw...
Lumara by Melissa LandersIt was supposed to be a fun trip to meet her boyfriend, Nathaniel's parents and family. After all, it was a wedding, the first one that Talia had ever been to. And she was super surprised that her dad agreed to let her go during her Fall break, since he only got to see her during her breaks from boarding school. Maybe she should have known something was up by how easily he agreed to let her go. But even she could never have imagined what was to come. Recommended ...
Busted by Gina CioccaWhen Marisa catches her best friend's boyfriend cheating on her, she has to tell her. But what she doesn't expect is that others will start to think she should help them as well! It seems crazy to Marisa, but then she gets caught up in helping an old friend of hers figure out what is going on with HER boyfriend, and things start to get out of control!Recommended for mature 8th graders due to content and language.
The Lost Year by Katherine MarshMatthew is stuck at home during Covid, just like the rest of the world. Still, it isn't too bad, except that his parents are divorced and his dad took a job assignment right before Covid hit...in Paris! So now his dad is stuck there and Matthew is stuck with his mom and his GG - his great grandmother who is 100 years old. So not a lot of excitement happening around his place.Until his mom tells him he needs to help his GG clean out the boxes that are still pack...
The Island by Natasha PrestonPaisley thinks this is it! Her big break! She has been invited along with five other teenage influencers to come to an island amusement park created by a billionaire to drum up business before it does its official launch to the public. And this isn't your regular park. No, this is an exclusive resort that caters to rich people and is not designed for little kids. It has a dark, gothic theme to it, which is perfect for Paisley, since she does true crime podcas...
Shot Clock by Caron Butler and Justin A. ReynoldsTony, or Tone as most people call him, is in shock. Shock that his best friend has been shot and killed by police. And for no reason. Wrong time, wrong place, or so it seems. Because Dante had it all going for him. He was great at school with a 4.0, an amazing basketball player who was nationally ranked and already had his college picked out, even though he was only a sophomore in high school. So, why? And how is Tone or anyone else supposed to...
Agent Most Wanted by Sonia PurnellVirginia Hall never wanted a simple or traditional life for herself, even if that was what her mother wanted.The life of a society wife moving in high circles in Baltimore and even better if she married into money was her mother's fondest hope! But Virginia's father was always supportive of her doing what she wanted - including riding horses bareback and going hunting. So when it was time to head off to college or get married, you can guess which way Virginia...
Snowglobe by Soyoung ParkIn the new world, after catastrophic climate change and the Warring Age, you either live in Snowglobe, or want to live in Snowglobe. After all, who really wants to live outside of the warm dome of Snowglobe, where the weather is climate controlled and there are luxuries that others can only dream about. Ever since she was little, Jeon Chobahm has wanted to be a director. After all, there are only two ways to enter into Snowglobe. Either as a director, or as an actor. ...
The Wager: A tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David GrannThis is an adult nonfiction book, but for students who love a good real life adventure story, this is it! Follow the main characters in this real drama on what ship life was like during the late 1700s, chasing ships carrying gold, being away from families for years and even having to deal with that mystery that turns out to be a lack of vitamin C! Fascinating look at a real shipwreck and the amazing story of those who actually su...
The Secret Battle of Evan Pao by Wendy Wan-Long ShangEvan, his sister and his mother are all traveling across the country to run away from something that Evan's dad did. Something that the people back home are super upset about, and so are Evan and his family. But the new place they move to, isn't exactly like their old place. Here, Evan is the only Chinese American in his school and he is just trying to get along with everyone. Unfortunately, there is one boy at his school who seemed determi...
Royal Blood by Aimee CarterSo it turns out that Evan is actually of royal blood. As in, she is the child of the reigning King of England. But she is a secret child, because he father had an affair. Yikes. How can you be a secret royal? Well, Evan finds out it is really hard to be one, especially once it comes out! And then someone dies and things start to get really messy!Recommended for grades 8 and up. * The word "hell" is read in this podcast.
Heroes by Alan GratzFrank worries constantly about all the bad things that could happen to him. To is family, to his friends, and everywhere he looks he sees potential disaster just waiting to happen. Until a real disaster does happen. Frank and his best friend, Stanley, find themselves in the middle of the attack on Pearl Harbor and Frank is left wondering if he can ever step up and do the right thing when it counts the most. Recommended for grades 7 and up.
Girl Forgotten by April HenryIt all started out as a new podcast on an old unsolved mystery involving a girl who was murdered. But what Piper doesn’t realize is that by digging into the past, some people in the present take notice and don’t like where her digging might lead. Recommended for grades 8 and up.