Peer Book Review - Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

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Out Of My Mind
by Sharon M. Draper

Reviewer says: 6th grade and up

Librarian says: 6th grade and up

Melody is a girl with cerebral palsy. This can make it difficult to move and speak so therefore she has to sit in a wheelchair and have a device to help her talk. Her parents have done everything they can to help her live a normal life, but life is often difficult and frustrating. But this doesn’t let her down all of the time. Despite having this disability, she is very smart but is often doubted. 
I liked this story a lot and enjoyed it because of Melody. She is an interesting character and it’s captivating to see a look into her everyday life as a person with cerebral palsy. She persevered throughout her life facing challenges constantly but getting through it with the support of her family.
Reviewed by: Kiara M., 8th grader at THMS

Interested in reading this book?

Stop by Teen Space to pick up a copy. You can check first by calling us at 516-489-2220 x218 or looking in the online catalog.

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Throwback Book Review

 Throwback Book Review

Miss. Amanda still thinks you should read this!

📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

Awkward
by Svetlana Chmakova

            On the first day at a new school, Penelope pushes away school nerd Jamie who was just trying to help her. Now every time she sees him things are a little awkward as she still hasn’t apologized despite wanting to. When the school Art Club, which Penelope is a part of, and the Science Club, which Jamie is in, find themselves in a war things get even more awkward.

            Anybody who has ever done anything stupid that they want to, but too embarrassed to, apologize for will find themselves relating to Penelope. She is a very realistic character dealing with social anxiety.

Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio

Book Review - Keep It Together, Keiko Carter

 📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

Keep It Together, Keiko Carter

by Debbi Michiko Florence

Keiko Carter is looking forward to starting seventh grade with her two best friends Audrey and Jenna. When Audrey suggests the girls each find dates for the school's annual Fall Ball, a rift in the friend group occurs. Keiko is okay with finding a date, hoping her new crush will ask her, but Jenna is sick of catering to Audrey's demands. Keiko finds herself in the middle of her two best friends and isn't sure what to do.

If you are looking for a cute middle school novel filled with friendship, crushes, and drama, you found what you are looking for in this book. Keiko is a likeable character and readers will enjoy trying to figure out what she will decide. 

Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio

Book Review - Ghost

📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

Ghost

by Jason Reynolds
Castle Cranshaw, also known as Ghost, is no stranger when it comes to running. He’s never run for a track team, though. One day he stumbles upon a track team practice and challenges one of the runners to a race. Seeing his natural talent, the coach allows him to join the team. Ghost has more than a natural talent for running, though. He also has a lot of anger inside, and he doesn’t know how to deal with it.
A mix of humor and some serious stuff, Ghost is a must-read. The character Ghost is flawed but likable, and readers will be rooting for him despite his faults. This book is the first in Jason’s Reynolds’ Track series, and readers will follow the runners they meet in the three books that follow.

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Book Review - This Book is Anti-Racist

  📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

This Book Is Anti-Racist:

20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work

by Tiffany Jewell

Who are you? What is racism? Where does it come from? Why does it exist? What can you do to disrupt it? Tiffany Jewel expertly tackles these questions in this book. The book mixes facts and personal experience. Sections and chapters end with a journal exercise that readers can choose to do or not. 

This book feels like a textbook, without feeling like a textbook. Tiffany wonderfully shares and explains the information presented. For those looking to start their anti-racist work, this is a great place to start. For those already working on it, this book is still a valuable tool. Though geared towards a middle and high school audience, this book can be valuable to adults as well. Either on their own or with their middle and/or high schooler. 

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Book Review - A Thousand Questions

  📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

A Thousand Questions

by Saadia Faruqi

Mimi and her mother are spending the summer in Pakistan with the grandparents she has never met in person. She secretly hopes to find her estranged father and uses her journal to write him letters she will never send. Sakina is the daughter of Mimi’s grandparents’ cook, who longs to go to school, though her family can’t afford it. When the two girls meet, they discover they can help the other out, leading to an unlikely friendship.

An excellent and beautiful story about friendship, culture, and learning to judge others. The story alternates between Mimi and Sakina’s perspectives which gives a fun view into what they think about the other and what they are thinking. Classism plays an important role in this book, as does judging others with little to no knowledge. Readers will not be disappointed with Mimi, Sakina, or their story.

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Book Review - Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

  📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

by Jessica Townsend

Morrigan Crow was born on the unluckiest day of the year. Being born on Eventide means being cursed, blamed when things go wrong, and doomed to die on her eleventh birthday. On the night of her birthday, a mysterious and magical stranger, Jupiter North, comes to Crow Manor and whisks Morrigan to Nevermoor. Jupiter has selected Morrigan as his patron to compete for a spot in the Wunderous Society. Those vying for a spot must compete in a series of trials, the last showing their knack. The problem is, Morrigan doesn’t know what her knack is and why Jupiter wants to help her.

If you are a fan of fantasy books, you should give this one a try. This is the first in a series but ends on an excellent conclusion if you don’t want to read the rest. The author has created a fun world, and readers will enjoy envisioning it for themselves. The characters are likable, and as it’s a fantasy include some interesting ones such as a giant talking cat. Readers may notice similarities to other fantasy stories, but this brilliantly done book can hold its own.

Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio

Book Review - From the Desk of Zoe Washington

   📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

From the Desk of Zoe Washington

by Janae Marks

On her twelfth birthday, Zoe Washington receives a letter from her estranged father, Marcus. Without her mother's permission, Zoe responds to Marcus, but what do you say to a man who has been in prison your whole life for murder? As the two correspond, Marcus shares with Zoe that he is innocent. With her friend and neighbor Trevor's help, she sets out to prove her father's innocence. Trying to help Marcus means putting a lot of the line. This includes jeopardizing the possibility of her mom and step-dad, allowing her to audition for a baking show.

This book is a fantastic read with an equally excellent main character. Zoe is Black and does face some microaggressions. Readers get an age-appropriate look at wondering if Marcus would have been treated differently if white. This book is a beautiful story encompassing racism, family, friendship, and a love of baking. A fun element of this book is that in each letter, Zoe's father includes a song for her to listen to, so readers will have a playlist of songs themselves by the end of the book. As previously mentioned, Zoe is a huge fan of baking, and the book involves a lot of cupcake talk, so be prepared to be craving them.

Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio

Book Review - A Place at the Table

 📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

A Place at the Table

by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

In many ways, sixth-graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a Jewish girl, are different. When the two end up kitchen partners in a South Asian cooking class taught by Sara's mom, a friendship takes form. Despite their cultural differences, the girls learn that they do have similarities, such as both their mothers being immigrants. Together they face the challenges the world throws at them all while trying to come up with an award-winning recipe.

A wonderfully written story about two young girls and how they can find similarities and form a friendship despite their different cultural backgrounds. The book alternates between both girl's perspectives giving intriguing insights into both their thoughts and feelings. There is some anti-Semitism in this book, but it is handled in an age appropriate manner. The story involves the girls have to create a recipe, and it is included in the back for readers to try for themselves. 

Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio

Book Review - Class Act

   📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

Class Act

by Jerry Craft

Drew is in the minority at his prestigious school, both racially and economically. It doesn't help his good friend Liam is one of those privileged kids and realizing it causes Drew to start to feel weird around him. The boy's mutual friend Jordan hopes to keep the friends together, but he just isn't sure how. Can Drew learn to accept his friends and himself?

If you loved New Kid, you need to read Class Act. If you haven't read New Kid, read that then Class Act. This book isn't a sequel per se. Still, it is a companion novel, and readers will better appreciate the story having read the first book. The story is superb, and the illustrations are beautiful. Readers are likely to either empathize or sympathize with Drew and his story. This book does tackle race and racial injustice but does so in a way suitable for the age group.

Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio

Book Review - Stand Up, Yumi Chung!

 📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

Stand Up, Yumi Chung!

by Jessica Kim

Yumi Chung is a shy eleven-year-old Korean-American who dreams of being a stand-up comic. Her parent's high expectations, though, don't include jokes. One day after a prep session for a private school scholarship exam, Yumi discovers there is a new comedy club in her neighborhood. Inside, Yumi discovers a kid's comedy camp, and she gets mistaken for missing camper Kay Nakamura. After a fantastic day of camp, Yumi finds herself living a double life. One as Yumi Chung and one where she is pretending to be Kay Nakamura.

This book is a delightful and entertaining story about struggling with what you want and what your parents expect of you. Readers may be able to relate to Yumi's struggle between balancing two cultures, which can be beneficial to their own growth. The cast of characters is diverse and amusing. There is also a lot to laugh about in this story. The humor is not just from the jokes and improv done by Yumi and the other campers.

Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio

Book Review - The Only Black Girls in Town

📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

The Only Black Girls in Town

by Brandy Colbert

Alberta has been the only Black girl on her block, in her grade, and just one of the few in the Ewing Beach. Then Edie moves in across the street, and now suddenly she isn’ the only Black Girl around. When Edie discovers old journals written by somebody named Constance, the pair decide to read them and figure out who she is. Alberta loves having a new friend in Edie, but her presence complicates things with her best friend, Laramie.

A great tween read about self-discovery, friendship, and family. Alberta very much knows what it is like to be different, being one of the few Black people in her town and being raised by two dads. Her dealing with these differences shapes her throughout the book. Interwoven into Alberta’s story are Constance’s journal entries that she reads. While they play a role in Alberta’s story, the mystery of who Constance is is a mystery within the main story.

Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio

E-Books - Tween Friendly Sports Books

• Booked by Kwame Alexander

• Change-Up: Mystery at the World Series by John Feinstein

• Football Genius by Tim Green

• Also available on Hoopla

• Fantasy League by Mike Lupica

• Top Prospect by Paul Volponi

• Also available on Hoopla

E-books - Graphic Novels for Tweens

• New Kid by Jerry Craft
• Also Available on Hoopla
• Making Friends by Kristen Gudsnuk
• Real Friends by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham
• The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi
• Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Peer Book Review - Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
by James Patterson
Reviewed by THMS 8th Grader Daniel P.
This is the story of a kid named Rafe. He gets into a lot of trouble in school. He does something serious and is put into jail. His mother is a great person but he lives with an irresponsible father. 

This is an okay book. Rafe isn’t a bad kid but makes bad decisions. He is a very likable person. He really makes the story although it doesn’t end well. 

Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio

E-books

• Shine! by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
• Grenade by Alan Gratz
• Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy
• Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds
• My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich by Ibi Zoboi

Tween E-books

Miss. Amanda’s Tween E-Book Picks

For Grades 6-8

The library may be closed but you can check out these awesome titles as e-books.

Just download the Libby or Overdrive App to your smartphone or tablet.

Fiction:
The Losers Club by Andrew Clements
Shine! by J.J. Grabenstein and Chris Grabenstein
Grenade by Alan Gratz
Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald
Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse
Carl Hiaasen Collection (Hoot, Flush, Scat, Chomp) by Carl Hiaasen
All We Have Left by Wendy Mills
Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy
Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts
Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds
Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
P.S. I Like You by Kasie West
The Way to Bea by Kat Yeh
Martin McLean, Middle School Queen by Alyssa Zaczek
My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich by Ibi Zoboi

Non-Fiction:
The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming
Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman
We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai

Book Theme Graphic - More Tween Friendly

Peer Book Review - Refugee

📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

Refugee
by Alan Gratz
Reviewed by THMS 8th Grader Daniel P.
This story tells us how three immigrants called Josef, Isabel and Mahmoud want to leave their country. They want to leave due to wars in their countries. They go across oceans in an attempt to find a better home. All go through many obstacles. 

I would highly recommend this book. It shows how our world is and how many kids have to deal with adult problems. I hope many people read this great book. 

Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio

Check me out as an Audio-book on Hoopla

Peer Book Review - So Done

📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

So Done
by Paula Chase

Reviewed by THMS 8th Grader Briana M.

The book So Done is very interesting. It has two points of view from best friends. This book involves secrets, life in middle school, and dance auditions. These best friends were separated during the summer, which ruined their friendship. 

So Done is perfect for kids like me. The book has many relating events; in fact, I relate with this book. Needless to say, but I believe that Paula Chase is a very creative author, and with this book, she connects with the reader. 

Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio

Check me out an Audio-book on Hoopla