Good Reads for Middle School

The following titles may be found in the Youth Services Department. The fiction books are arranged alphabetically by the author's last name. Biographies are arranged alphabetically by the last name of the person the book is about. If you need assistance in locating a book, stop by the ASK ME Desk in Youth Services. Books not found on the shelf may be placed on reserve.

J FICTION

The Circus Lunicus by Marilyn Singer
J SIN
This story tells the hilarious misadventures of Solly, who disobeys an order from his stepmother and tries to discover the secret behind the mysterious Circus Lunicus. An inflatable lizard turns out to be a fairy- godmother. 168 pgs.

Frog Face and the Three Boys by Don Trembath
J TRE
Charlie, Jeffrey, and Sidney are 7th graders who seem to be spending too much time in their principal's office. When Mr. Duncan learns that their frequent detentions are not solving anything, he decides to enroll them in karate lessons. 157 pgs.

JH FICTION

Tangerine by Edward Bloor
JH BLO
Paul feels like an outsider at his new school and in his own family as well. Although he is a superb soccer goalie, his school declares him ineligible to play because of his very thick glasses. As he struggles to fit in, he must also cope with abuse from his super-jock older brother, Erik. 294 pgs.

King of Shadows by Susan Cooper
JH COO
While in London preparing to perform in a replica of the famous Globe Theater, Nat Field falls ill and awakens to find himself in London at the time of Queen Elizabeth, where he is to be part of A Midsummer Night's Dream under the direction of William Shakespeare, himself. 186 pgs.

Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech
JH CRE
Mary Lou keeps a journal during the summer she's thirteen as she experiences romance, homesickness, death, and her cousin's search for his biological father. 230 pgs.

Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen
JH DES
Formerly overweight, Colie remains insecure and troubled by her "Fat Years" until the summer she spends in North Carolina at the Last Chance Café. Can one summer really change your life? 228 pgs.

The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
JH ELL
Living in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, Parvana's family relies on her after her father is arrested. Cutting her hair short and donning boy's clothing, she leaves home daily to earn enough money for her family to buy food. 170 pgs.

The Power of Un by Nancy Etchemendy
JH ETC
When given a magical devise that allows him to "undo" what has happened in the past, Gib feels he must travel back in time to the worst day in his life to see if he can prevent his sister from being killed. 148 pgs.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos
JH GAN
Joey Pigza is hyperactive, or according to him, "wired bad." He has trouble paying attention and controlling his mood swings. With no easy answers, Joey must come to terms with his problems and deal with medicine that seems to stop working around lunch time. 153 pgs.

Witness by Karen Hesse
JH HES
Told in verse, this novel introduces characters in a small Vermont town from all walks of life, each describing how recent events involving the Klu Klux Klan have affected them. 161 pgs.

The Devil and His Boy by Anthony Horowitz
JH HOR
In 1553, thirteen-year-old Tom travels through the English countryside to London where he falls in with a troupe of actors and finds himself in great danger from several sources. Filled with murder, mystery, espionage, and drama. 182 pgs.

The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
JH LEV
Princess Addie and Princess Meryl are as different as night and day. When the bold and brave Princess Meryl comes down with the dreaded Gray Death, it's up to shy Addie to battle the monsters of Bamarre to save her sister and her land. 241 pgs.

Crazy Jack by Donna Jo Napoli
JH NAP
A retelling of the Jack and the Beanstalk tale that explains where Jack's father is and how he could be foolish enough to believe that trading a cow for some beans might be a good idea. 134 pgs.

The Schernoff Discoveries by Gary Paulsen
JH PAU
Harold and his best friend, both hopeless geeks, try to use scientific experiments and formulas to attract girls and survive the dangers of junior high school. 103 pgs

Cirque du Freak: the Saga of Darren Shan by Darren Shan
JH SHA
A fascination with spiders leads Darren to a traveling freak show where he sees a poisonous performing spider that he must have.Unfortunately for Darren, the owner is a vampire out to track down the thief and this changes Darren's life forever. 266 pgs.

Downsiders by Neal Shusterman
JH SHU
Through a chance meeting, Lindsay discovers Talon and the world of the Downsiders, who live beneath the streets of New York City without having any contact with Topsiders. Soon, everything changes as the Topside and Downside worlds come into contact and then conflict. 246 pgs.

The Beast Under the Wizard's Bridge by Brad Strickland
JH STR
Lewis Barnavelt tries to avert a plot to destroy the world when the destruction of a bridge threatens to unleash a diabolical force into the world, the legacy of a long-dead evil magician. 151 pgs.

Homeroom Exercise by Jana Striegel
JH STR
Regan has spent her whole life preparing for a single dream-to become a professional dancer. But then she gets injured, well at least that's what she thinks it is at first. She later learns that she has juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, a disease that will destroy her dreams. How will she find the strength to cope with the biggest challenge she's ever faced? 168 pgs.

The Great Good Thing by Rod Townley
JH TOW
For those who like happily-ever-after stories, Sylvie, a book character, takes a chance one night and jumps out of her book and into a reader's dreams where she sets off on new adventures. 216 pgs.

My Angelica by Carol Lynch Williams
JH WIL
Fifteen-year-old Sage fancies herself a romance writer, and to prove it, she enters her novel into her school's creative writing contest. 149 pgs.

J NON-FICTION

They Saw the Future: Oracles, Psychics, Scientists, Great Thinkers, and Pretty Good Guessers by Kathleen Krull
J 133.3 KRU
Discusses the work and predictions of 12 people who have speculated about or claimed to see the future. Are they psychics or just good guessers. 108 pgs.

Odd Jobs by Ellen Weiss
J 331.702 WEI
Presents the training, experience, and working conditions of twelve people with interesting or unusual occupations, including an alligator catcher, a movie sound effects man, and a master bug wrangler. 64 pgs.

Sherwood: Original Stories from the World of Robin Hood
J 398.22 SHE
Nine original tales full of humor and adventure based on the characters and lore of Robin Hood. 134 pgs.

Fire in Their Eyes: Wildfires and the People who Fight Them by Karen Magnuson Beil
J 634.9618 BEI
Shows the training, equipment, and real-life experiences of people who risk their lives to battle wildfires. 64 pgs.

Special Effects: in Film and Television by Jake Hamilton
J 791.43024 HAM
A behind-the-scenes look at movie magic, including puppetry from ET, animation of Toy Story and much more. 63 pgs.

Ice Story: Shackleton's Lost Expedition by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
J 919.8904 KIM
The suspenseful true story of the 1914 Shackleton Antarctic expedition where their ship, The Endurance, was crushed in a frozen sea and the men were forced into a perilous journey over ice and stormy seas to reach inhabited land. 120 pgs.

This list was updated by Youth Services at St. Charles Public Library.
(630) 584-9390

August 2002