100 Great New BooksFor Middle Grades

Karen YinglingFall 2014

100 Great New BooksFor Middle Grades

Incorporating Research-Based Instructional Strategies and Resources to Meet the Needs of Every Learner.

100 Great New BooksFor Middle Grades

Field Research:“This is a good book. You’ll like it.”How often do we say this instead of “What would YOU like to read today?”

100 Great New BooksFor Middle Grades

It’s important to know what books are out there so that you can recommend a variety of books.

100 Great New BooksFor Middle Grades

Have any students who will ONLY read Diary of a Wimpy Kid books?

What they often don’t notice is that the reading level and length of these books is often more challenging than many others.

Also, if a child really LIKES a book, more time is spent reading it even if it’s harder.

100 Great New BooksFor Middle Grades

Diary of a Wimpy KidBL: 5.2 - AR Pts: 3.0

How to Eat Fried WormsBL: 3.5 - AR Pts: 2.0

100 Great New BooksFor Middle Grades

Stick DogBL: 4.5 - AR Pts: 2.0

My Life as a BookBL: 5.2 - AR Pts: 4.0

100 Great New BooksFor Middle Grades

I Can Read Books and similar shorter books might be too easy for reluctant readers (BL: 2.3 - AR Pts: 0.5), but give them a feeling of accomplishment.

If they read these books for thirty minutes and read steadily, it’s more reading than they would have done otherwise.

100 Great New BooksFor Middle Grades

We Need Diverse Books

100 Great New BooksFor Middle Grades

We Need Diverse Books

100 Great New BooksFor Middle Grades

We Need Diverse Books

Mysteries

Fake ID

For readers who like:

•Inner city stories

•Evil corporations

•More YA murder mysteries

•A bit of sports

Knightley and Son

For readers who like:

•London

•On-the-lam books

•Investigative mysteries

•Series books

(February 2015)

The Book of Bad Things

For readers who like:

•Really creepy books

•Children in difficult situations

•Monsters or ghosts

•This author

The Prince of Venice Beach

For readers who like:

•Skateboarding

•California

•Living Rough

•Police investigations

Lantern Sam and the Blue Streak Bandits

For readers who like:

•Historical fiction

•Ohio history (Cedar Point!)

•Cats

•This author

Mystery on Museum Mile

For readers who like:

•New York settings

•Police investigations

•Art mysteries

Poached

For readers who like:

•Goofy mysteries

•Animals

•Friend Drama

Under the Egg

For readers who like:

•Art mysteries

•Blue Balliet

•Children on own

•Holocaust tie-ins

•Monuments Men

A Million Ways Home

For readers who like:

•Problem novels

•Animals

•Inner city crime

•Foster children

Historical

Just a Drop of Water

For readers who like:

•9/11

•Florida

•Running

•Racial Profiling

Manor of Secrets

For readers who like:

•Downtown Abby

•Romance and Intrigue

•Posh lifestyle

Beth’s Story, 1914

For readers who like:

•Downtown Abby

•Accessible historical fiction

•Series

•Posh lifestyle

The Winter Horses

For readers who like:

•Holocaust stories

•Horses

•Ukrainian history

•Survival stories

Stay Where Are and Then Leave

For readers who like:

•World War I homefront

•PTSD/Shell Shock

•Intrepid children

•England

Dead in the Water

For readers who like:

•War stories

•This author

•Battle descriptions

•Racial issues

The Secrets of Tree Taylor

For readers who like:

•1960s

•Investigative mysteries

•Small town stories

Revolution

For readers who like:

•Freedom Summer

•Multiple view points

•Nonfiction information mixed in

I Survived: The Destruction of Pompeii

For readers who like:

•This series

•Short reads

•Action/Adventure

•Ancient Rome

Sports

Snap Decision

For readers who like:

•Mix of real and fictional characters

•High school opportunities

•Florida

•A bit of religion

Jump Shot

For readers who like:

•This series

•Multiple sports

•Moral dilemmas

•Celebrity authors

Extra Innings

For readers who like:

•This series

•Multiple sports

•Moral dilemmas

•Celebrity authors

The Contract

For readers who like:

•Supportive parents

•Sports descriptions

•School problem solving

•Celebrity authors

The Crossover

For readers who like:

•Novels in verse

•Sibling rivalry

•Family problems

•Basketball strategy

Call Me By My Name

For readers who like:

•Historical fiction

•Racial issues

•Romance

•Southern settings

Screaming at the Ump

For readers who like:

•Odd baseball facts (umpire schools really exist!)

•Financial difficulties

•Journalism

Double Reverse

For readers who like:

•Strong female roles

•Sports history

•Football strategies

•Well developed characters

•Short reads

Out of the Tunnel

For readers who like:

•More mature topics

•Hi/Lo books

•Football culture

•Doing the right thing

BL: 4.7 - AR Pts: 2.0

If You’re Reading This

For readers who like:

•More mature stories

•Military life

•Coming of age

•Romance

•Mystery

Speculative

Fire Wish

For readers who like:

•Arabian Nights

•Romance

•Magical powers

•Alanna, the First Adventure

Minion

For readers who like:

•Super powers

•“Evil” characters

•Fun/quirky parents

•Humorous books

Joshua Dread

For readers who like:

•Super villians

•Strong friendships

•Series

•Magical schools

Dark Inheritance

For readers who like:

•England

•Mysteries

•Paranormal

•Car chases

Jupiter Pirates

For readers who like:

•Space travel

•Sibling rivalry

•Piracy

•Space ships

Space Case

For readers who like:

•Star Trek

•Murder Mysteries

•Large cast of characters

•This author

Mindwar

For readers who like:

•Video Games

•Overcoming Adversity

•Football

•Series

The Winter of the Robots

For readers who like:

•Robots

•Close knit communities

•Ensemble casts

•Mystery

•Danger, Will Robinson!

Robots are the new black

No Such Thing As a Witch

For readers who like:

•Magical Realism

•Easy reads

•Predictable authors

•Vintage tales

•Nonseries stories

The Eighth Day

For readers who like:

•Dystopian books

•Arthurian Legends

•Alternate dimensions

•Children on their own

Space Rocks

For readers who like:

•Goofy extraterrestrials

•Humans as aliens

•Funny books

•Space travel

Action/Adventure

Boys of Blur

For readers who like:

•Beowulf

•Southern settings

•Mythological retellings

•Descriptions of icky mud

The Islands at the End of the World

For readers who like:

•Hawaii

•Dystopian/Apocalyptic

•Differently abled characters (epilepsy)

•Survival stories

Loot

For readers who like:

•International travel

•Spies/thieves

•Magical realism

•Quirky cast of characters

Jungle of Bones

For readers who like:

•Survival stories

•Bad kids

•Exotic locations

•Deadly animals

Stay Alive: Crash

For readers who like:

•Survivor-type attrition of characters

•Wilderness survival

•Series

•Scholastic offerings

Codename Zero

For readers who like:

•The Fourth Stall

•Goofy

•Children saving the day

•Pranks

Ice Dogs

For readers who like:

•Hatchet

•Sled dogs

•Strong female characters

•Snow!

Frenzy

For readers who like:

•Horror

•Scary animals

•Survival stories

•Problem novels

Fake ID

For readers who like:

•Horror

•

I eat you!

The Rule of Thre3

For readers who like:

•Dystopias that could actually happen.

•Life as we Knew It

•Neighborhoods/tribes

•Things exploding

Surrounded by Sharks

For readers who like:

•Dangerous animals

•Ocean life

•Old Man and the Sea

Blood in the Water

For readers who like:

•Holocaust stories

•Horses

•Ukrainian history

•Survival stories

Dirt Bikes, Drones, and Other Ways to Fly

For readers who like:

•Military tactics

•Daredevils

•Southwest

•Hispanic culture

Books for Boys

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher

For readers who like:

•Unconventional families

•Anecdotal fiction

•Humor

•Multiethnic families

One Man Guy

For readers who like:

•New York City

•Armenian culture

•Skateboarding

•MG appropriate LGTBQ

Grandmaster

For readers who like:

•Chess

•Father/Son relationships

•Suspense

•This author

Three Bird Summer

For readers who like:

•Vacation books

•Camping

•Light Romance

•Family Issues

Ginger

For readers who like:

•Rescue animals

•Problem novels

•Dog’s perspective

•Historical notes

The Life and Times of Benny Alvarez

For readers who like:

•School stories

•Grandparents

•Anecdotal stories

Kinda Like Brothers

For readers who like:

•Inner City stories

•Foster children

•Sibling rivalry

•Inspirational stories

Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders

For readers who like:

•Humorous stories

•High school stories

•Physical fitness

•Musical groups

Shelter

For readers who like:

•Domestic abuse

•Hispanic culture

•Homelessness

•

No Place

For readers who like:

•Homelessness

•Mystery

•More YA

There Will Be Bears

For readers who like:

•Hunting

•Grandparents

•Survival stories

Ollie and the Science of Treasure Hunting

For readers who like:

•Geocaching

•Camping

•Boy Scouts

•Mystery

•Diverse cast

Absolutely Almost

For readers who like:

•Ordinary kids

•Urban adventures

•Nannies

Books for Girls

Kelsey Green, Reading Queen

For readers who like:

•School Stories

•Andrew Clements

•Series books

•Third grade students

Maddie’s Dream

For readers who like:

•Marguerite Henry

•Horses

•Series from different perspective

•Shorter books

All Four Stars

For readers who like:

•Cooking

•New York City

•Adventure

•Friend drama

The Fourteenth Goldfish

For readers who like:

•Science fiction

•Science experiments

•Grandparent fiction

•Goofy premiseshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91FeXVF-56E

Skies Like These

For readers who like:

•Southwest

•Astronomy

•Summer stories

•Children fighting the odds

If Only Romances

For readers who like:

•Romance

•Fun settings

•YA characters, MG appropriateness

Chapel Wars

For readers who like:

•Business settings

•Las Vegas

•Rivalries

•Grandparent issues

Welcome to Dog Beach

For readers who like:

•Summer stories

•Dogs

•Student run businesses

•Beaches

•This author

Cupcake Cousins

For readers who like:

•Extended families

•Cooking

•Embarassing mishaps

•Summer settings

Switched at Birthday

For readers who like:

•Magical Realism

•Girl Drama

•Funny Books

•Romance

•School plays

Being Sloane Jacobs

For readers who like:

•Figure Skating

•Hockey

•Switching places

•Romance

•Canada

Multicultural

Medal for Leroy

For readers who like:

•WWI

•Little known historical events

•Racial identity

The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond

For readers who like:

•Grandparents

•Racial identity

Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood

For readers who like:

•Travel books

•Discovering absent parents/extended family

•Celebrities

•Personal identity

A Time to Dance

For readers who like:

•Novels in verse

•Problem novels

•Overcoming adversity

•Dance

The Turtle of Oman

For readers who like:

•Learning about other cultures

•Moving stories

•Grandparent stories

Silver People

For readers who like:

•Novels in verse

•Other side of the story

•Various cultures

•Adventure/exotic locales

The Great Green Heist

For readers who like:

•Schemes and plots

•Multicultural cast

•The Fourth Stall

•Stories set in Ohio•http://www.katemessner.com/diversity-in-kidlit-update-to-the-great-greene-heist-challenge/

Charmed Life

For readers who like:

•Scholastic choices

•Series

•Camp stories

•Magical Realism

•This author

Saving Kabul Corner

For readers who like:

•Mysteries

•Extended family

•Family business

•Kids working together against corrupt adults

Little Green Men at the Mercury Inn

For readers who like:

•Florida stories

•Overcoming adversity

•Gross aliens

•News reporters

Notebook Novels

Sisters

For readers who like:

•Smile; this author

•Comic strips

•No one reads these for the content; they just like the pictures!

Frank Einstein

For readers who like:

•Science Fair

•Robots (it’s the new big thing!)

•This author

•Goofy books

Stick Dog

For readers who like:

•Series

•Talking animals

•Completely pointless stories

•Bad art

Poop Fountain

For readers who like:

•Gross books

•Quirky characters

•Adventure

•Children left to own devices

Bowling Alley Bandit

For readers who like:

•The picture book

•Pet food (Arnie is a “doughnut dog”)

•Improbable situations

Nonfiction

Bombs Over Bikini

For readers who like:

•War and weaponry

•Exotic locations

•Government machinations

•Literary nonfiction

Fighting Fire

For readers who like:

•Disasters

•How history affects current practice

•Vintage photos

Spending Spree

For readers who like:

•Social history

•Consumerism

•Trivia about every day life

Freedom Summer

For readers who like:

•Civil Rights

•Anniversaries

•Background for lots of fiction books

The Freedom Summer Murders

For readers who like:

•Mysteries

•Social Injustice

•In depth historical investigations

The Girl from the Tarpaper School

For readers who like:

•Civil disobedience

•Historical topic from one person’s perspective

•Almost a picture book

Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods

For readers who like:

•This author

•Greek Gods

•Who DOESN’T want to read this?

Babe Conquers the World

For readers who like:

•Awesome athletes

•Multiple sports

•Pop Culture figures

•Overcoming Adversity

•Rich Wallace

GO

For readers who like:

•Popular culture

•Visual cues

•Psychology of art

•Graphic design

Stubby the War Dog

For readers who like:

•Nonfiction companions to fiction

•Little known historical events

•Brave dogs

100 Great New BooksFor Middle Grades

How can I possibly read all of these books so I know what to recommend to my students?

100 Great New BooksFor Middle Grades

• Ask your librarian!• Goodreads.com• Read the Scholastic book order

forms• Ask other teachers at lunch• Ask students what they like!

And….

As always, shameless plug for my blog:

http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com

It’s like reading a book a day in five minutes!

100 Great New BooksFor Middle Grades

Feedback:Please fill out the form provided or do the online survey. Caveat: I don’t get to see the online survey.

What would you like to see next Waiver Day? Another 100 new books? Backlist favorites? What percentage of each?

If you have a question, concern, or problem with these sessions, and you want me to actually know about it, the best way is to e mail me directly.

yinglink@westerville.k12.oh.us

100 Great New BooksFor Middle Grades

“This is to allow for the participants to have time to discuss and reflect on the session. One of the largest concerns that has come out of our Waiver Day surveys is that too many sessions are "sit and get" for the entire time. Please be mindful of this as you finalize your presentation. I have attached a PowerPoint that was utilized with secondary math teachers this summer that offers suggestions on getting participants to discuss what they are learning. ”

So. Discuss.

100 Great New BooksFor Middle Grades• What books do you see your students reading

most?• What books have you read that you recommend?• How well do you know your students and what

they personally like to read?• Have you recommended books to students that

you read as a child? How were those books received?

• How do you make lists of recommendations available to students?

• How do you showcase what students have read?• How do you utilize social media to keep students

informed of your own reading habits?• How do you use resources to locate new materials

to read?